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Old 02-12-2021, 06:53 PM   #1
Natebz
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Default Year Round Waterfront Living - Moultonborough

My wife, our two elementary age children and I am interested in moving to a waterfront property in Moultonborough year round. Community is important to us and we would like to know what percent of properties on the water in Moultonborough are vacation rentals? We would like a stable neighborhood without a different random group of people living next door every weekend.
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Old 02-12-2021, 08:03 PM   #2
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Most of the homes that I view on the lake with year round residents are retirees. That is - retirees living in the homes on lake.

The last family that moved up here on lake with children asked me:

1. When are sidewalks going to be constructed.
2. When will the town put up street lights.
3. When will the town construct more playgrounds.
4. Does the town have a bus service.
5. What is the speed limit on this road.

They lasted 4 years and then moved south with their children.
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Old 02-12-2021, 08:23 PM   #3
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It's a great place to raise a family. Just do your homework on the nieghborhood. As The Professor said, most of the waterfront year round residents are retirees.
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My wife, our two elementary age children and I am interested in moving to a waterfront property in Moultonborough year round. Community is important to us and we would like to know what percent of properties on the water in Moultonborough are vacation rentals? We would like a stable neighborhood without a different random group of people living next door every weekend.
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Old 02-12-2021, 08:35 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by TheProfessor View Post
Most of the homes that I view on the lake with year round residents are retirees. That is - retirees living in the homes on lake.

The last family that moved up here on lake with children asked me:

1. When are sidewalks going to be constructed.
2. When will the town put up street lights.
3. When will the town construct more playgrounds.
4. Does the town have a bus service.
5. What is the speed limit on this road.

They lasted 4 years and then moved south with their children.
I think they lived on Boathouse Road, and moved to Jupiter, Florida....correct?
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Old 02-12-2021, 08:52 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by TheProfessor View Post
Most of the homes that I view on the lake with year round residents are retirees. That is - retirees living in the homes on lake.

The last family that moved up here on lake with children asked me:

1. When are sidewalks going to be constructed.
2. When will the town put up street lights.
3. When will the town construct more playgrounds.
4. Does the town have a bus service.
5. What is the speed limit on this road.

They lasted 4 years and then moved south with their children.
I think that gets back to: Don't move to new Hampshire because you like it and then try to change it to be like the state you came from. That will bring in things like an income tax and a sales tax. It is funny (not funny) to see the fence jumpers on the southern borders who come in waving the flag of the country they are trying to escape. Doesn't compute!

If you change locations assume that the people who already reside there like it as it is so you should try to assimilate.
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Old 02-12-2021, 09:14 PM   #6
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It's unfortunate but change happens whether you want it or not. Old folks die and new ones move in. I think we are going to see a lot more changes now that more city folk are moving in and working remotely.


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Old 02-13-2021, 01:42 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by TheProfessor View Post
Most of the homes that I view on the lake with year round residents are retirees. That is - retirees living in the homes on lake.

The last family that moved up here on lake with children asked me:

1. When are sidewalks going to be constructed.
2. When will the town put up street lights.
3. When will the town construct more playgrounds.
4. Does the town have a bus service.
5. What is the speed limit on this road.

They lasted 4 years and then moved south with their children.
He asked a simple question and you feed him the riot act.

Is your plan to just scare every new comer away?

I think he asked a great question.

Around NewFound lake the bulk of the homes are owned by weekenders that could be from anywhere (including NH). Probably 1 in 10 have full time residents. Not many with kids, but not all retirees either. It’s similar around all the lakes region. Dead in the winter.

I personally wouldn’t want to raise my kids around any of the lake towns (on the water). Just due to lack of “neighborhoods” year round.

I dislike having neighbors that AirB&B their homes. Since they are only there for a week or two. They are often rowdy and they have this thing about fire works. Like almost every night. It gets old. Not easy to figure out ahead of time. They are often not good with boats either and an accident waiting to happen.

In some respects some of the large shared developments are a better for kids because they might have a sense of a neighborhood. But most are still too sparse over winter.

When we were young we were in a town not known for great schools. So we wanted to move. We considered a more exclusive rural town where you could not see your neighbors house. You drive your kids to their friends. We ended up in packed development, same house one after the next. Every other house had kids of similar age. They could walk or ride their bike to school. Best decision we ever made for them. Even though in our heart we really wanted the place you could not see your neighbor With a horse barn and a pond and noted for top notch schools.
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Old 02-13-2021, 05:17 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheProfessor View Post
Most of the homes that I view on the lake with year round residents are retirees. That is - retirees living in the homes on lake.

The last family that moved up here on lake with children asked me:


1). When are sidewalks going to be constructed.
2). When will the town put up street lights.
3). When will the town construct more playgrounds.
4). Does the town have a bus service.
5). What is the speed limit on this road.

They lasted 4 years and then moved south with their children.
6). Where can I get a copy of The New York Times?
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Old 02-13-2021, 05:33 AM   #9
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6). Where can I get a copy of The New York Times?
www.heathsmarket.com always has the www.nytimes.com for $3/ daily and $6/Sunday. You gotta check out Heath's reduced price, day old pastries, bread, and cookies on the little rack, way back the store. Sometimes they have these big, FAT, chocolate whoopie pies made in Millinocket for just 75-cents.

Normally, Heath's also has free Vermont Coffee Roasters coffee in five different flavors for store customers who buy other great stuff like the 75-cent whoopie pie however this has TEMPORARILY been suspended to comply with corona virus safeguards. So, here's looking forward to the demise of the corona virus, and the return of Heath's freebie Vermont, store, cup-of-coffee in a styrofoam cup.

And, there's a rumor goin 'round that Heath's has scored a case of Bernie Sanders' inauguration mittens, now made by Vermont Teddy Bear and selling for the not-so-low price of $59.95/pr ...... some very warm and well designed mittens.
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Old 02-13-2021, 06:42 AM   #10
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There are elementary, middle, and high schools (in two buildings) in Moultonborough, so that means there are kids in town. What I'm hearing, though, is that the lakefront communities are owned mostly by non-residents?

My initial thought would be that an association like Suissevale or Balmoral might be an option, but then I wonder how much those places are vacation spots rather than full-time as well.

This is a good question, OP—thanks for asking it and good luck in your search.

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Old 02-13-2021, 08:03 AM   #11
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My wife, our two elementary age children and I am interested in moving to a waterfront property in Moultonborough year round. Community is important to us and we would like to know what percent of properties on the water in Moultonborough are vacation rentals? We would like a stable neighborhood without a different random group of people living next door every weekend.
I retired young and have a fantastic house on the lake but I decided that living full time at the lake was not right for my kids. In the winter almost all of the houses are empty and shut down. In the summer kids, visiting grandparents are up for a week or 2 but hard to form long-lasting friendships based on that.

I think living up there in the winter can be very isolating for adults and especially the kids. Depending on where you live it means long drives to get the kids to see their friends. You can also see from some of the posts here that there is an attitude about the flatlanders moving full-time to NH. I often wonder how many of the people that display that attitude are native-born NH people.

Moultonborough schools have a great reputation but think through what your kid's social life is today and what it will look like in Moultonborough. For me I was happy to raise my kids elsewhere and then moved half time to lake and Florida.
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Old 02-13-2021, 08:07 AM   #12
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We raised our 3 boys on the lake. I was surprised to find we were the only ones. Did not matter as the surrounding neighborhoods were filled with kids. Like in any rural town you do a lot of driving but we really enjoyed living at the lake full time. I think the key for full time living is where you are. Big difference between being a few minutes from town but on the water and being at the end of Moultonboro neck or some other remote spot. We moved to southern NH when the kids got older but keep a vacation home there. I would move back in a second but the wife likes it a bit better here. Best of both worlds now.
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Old 02-13-2021, 08:42 AM   #13
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And, there's a rumor goin 'round that Heath's has scored a case of Bernie Sanders' inauguration mittens, now made by Vermont Teddy Bear and selling for the not-so-low price of $59.95/pr ...... some very warm and well designed mittens.
Great I need some good fire starters.
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Old 02-13-2021, 11:01 AM   #14
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My wife, our two elementary age children and I am interested in moving to a waterfront property in Moultonborough year round. Community is important to us and we would like to know what percent of properties on the water in Moultonborough are vacation rentals? We would like a stable neighborhood without a different random group of people living next door every weekend.
this isnt the place for you. sorry i realize this sounds rude but reality. this is a tourist area. waterfront is so overpriced up here its laughable and when things settle down you'll see another group settle in. been here 21 years love the area. best wishes
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Old 02-13-2021, 11:23 AM   #15
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If they really wanted to live in a community they are probably better off buying in a residential neighborhood where most owners are year round. They can still find ways to access the lake and get a lot more for their money, maybe buy a condo dock with all the money saved, JMO.

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Old 02-13-2021, 11:28 AM   #16
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My worry would be the school ranking. A quick search brings up 500+ rentals in Moultonborough. Before Covid, I knew at least 5 families who left Moultonborough for better work opportunities, elsewhere. The environment has changed around the lake, for certain. What that will bring in the future is uncertain. Your kids should like outdoor sports and you. A lot of families I know hang around their children 24/7. All the best in your decision.
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Old 02-13-2021, 03:25 PM   #17
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Waterfront means rentals. I know the owner of a rental property in Alton. Went to work on a boat and there were 6 out of state cars and about 30 people. So much for the septic haha. Nate unless you are baiting some harsh responses I assume you are discussing neighborhood and schools with your realtor. If you gave a specific location people might have better information. Waterfront can be very stable or very transient. The most stable properties are in trust, just look at a Gilford tax map including the islands. Norway Point was in trust at least 60 years. People buy in booms and sell in busts. Knew a man years ago who owned for 25 years and had a major stroke in April of the summer of his retirement. The property was listed in June. I know 2 brothers who took their mother's inheritance and bought 2 properties between Cooks and Avery Points. They stayed maybe a week in each house
each summer and rented the rest. These were single family summer residences prior. Last time I was in Balmoral there were established ATV paths next to the road and the welcome wagon was a group of teenagers giving us the finger and swearing at us as we drove by. Point is I hope you buy based on what works for your family for the foreseeable future, not your neighbors as they may be gone before you know it. Good luck you are in a great position!
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Old 02-13-2021, 04:18 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Natebz View Post
My wife, our two elementary age children and I am interested in moving to a waterfront property in Moultonborough year round. Community is important to us and we would like to know what percent of properties on the water in Moultonborough are vacation rentals? We would like a stable neighborhood without a different random group of people living next door every weekend.
You really need to distinguish between September-May and June-August. It's a large area to generalize, but there's a high chance that most of the year, you will have no neighbors at all, with only 10-20% of the waterfront homes nearby occupied. This would be very difficult for most young families.

In the summer, in a more expensive area, not that any waterfront is cheap, you may have no renters at all. You could probably Google nearby addresses to figure it out for each neighborhood.
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Old 02-13-2021, 05:43 PM   #19
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I agree--winter can be pretty quiet. The "full-time" residents will have a high % of snowbirds. As kids get a little older, some of them migrate to boarding schools. There are some really good ones in NH, not just Brewster, Exeter and St. Paul's.
One solution: islands. Hard to calculate numbers, but anecdotally, island properties are often owned by people from NH, not always other states. All the glamour and romance of waterfront living goes away after Columbus Day and there is little to do except watch the ice freeze and melt. Live in a winter home near a nice school September-June and live on the island waterfront in the summer. There are a few, but not many island properties that are rented, so your island neighbors really are neighbors and friends.
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Old 02-13-2021, 06:42 PM   #20
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My sister's kids grew up in Moultonborough just fine. BUT, you will be hard-pressed to do that with the waterfront. Lots of seasonal folks.

Inland is where you will find more neighborhoods that live year-round and they can connect with.
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Old 02-13-2021, 07:05 PM   #21
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I see a lot of negativity here about year round waterfront living. I did it and loved it. Great place to raise the kids. Definitely depends on where you are though. My dirt road of 6 houses had 1 other year rounder but they were an older couple so it was quiet but very close to town. Might not be other young families on the water but the neighborhoods around Cary beach had plenty of kids. Lots to do in the off season for the locals. Wolfeboro has a great youth hockey program, basketball leagues, youth football, lacrosse, skiing... Watching the nationally ranked high school basketball team at Brewster. Everything you would find in larger towns to the south plus the kids would swim from ice out until late fall.
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Old 02-13-2021, 09:43 PM   #22
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After reading all these comments, I have to agree that your kids would probably be quite lonely for most of the year in a Moultonboro waterfront home. Summers are a different story. I think you should seriously consider staying where you are, keeping the kids happy, and buying a summer home.


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Old 02-14-2021, 07:23 AM   #23
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Don't listen to all the haters. We moved up to the lakes region over a decade ago to start our family. We've now got elementary aged kids and feel that raising our kids up here is one of the best things we could have done. We have lots of friends who are doing/have done the same and almost all of them feel incredibly blessed to be raising kids in a place that others only get to visit a few weeks a year.

I will say, we started on the water and it was hard. It gets depressing when everyone leaves and its hard to go to work when all your neighbors are having fun on vacation.

We moved to a year round neighborhood off the water and bought a very small seasonal cabin in a water access community. Its the best of both worlds. We get to be a part of the year round neighborhood this time of year and have a separate set of friends to get excited about in the summer. Our kids absolutely love it. And the cost of the two houses is still much less than a nice year round house on the water.

Its funny but I know at least half a dozen families who do the same thing. Everyone from away thinks we are nuts for having a vacation home in the same town as your primary residence. But we all joke that I don't know how you'd enjoy a vacation house when you have a 2+ hour traffic filled drive every time you wanted to visit and every-time you needed to go home.

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Old 02-14-2021, 08:15 AM   #24
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"Its funny but I know at least half a dozen families who do the same thing."

Not quite the same but,, I'm Tilton 7mo, Paugus 5mo

Less than half hour min from home to camp.
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Old 02-14-2021, 10:58 AM   #25
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I retired young and have a fantastic house on the lake but I decided that living full time at the lake was not right for my kids. In the winter almost all of the houses are empty and shut down. In the summer kids, visiting grandparents are up for a week or 2 but hard to form long-lasting friendships based on that.

I think living up there in the winter can be very isolating for adults and especially the kids. Depending on where you live it means long drives to get the kids to see their friends. You can also see from some of the posts here that there is an attitude about the flatlanders moving full-time to NH. I often wonder how many of the people that display that attitude are native-born NH people.

Moultonborough schools have a great reputation but think through what your kid's social life is today and what it will look like in Moultonborough. For me I was happy to raise my kids elsewhere and then moved half time to lake and Florida.
I have to agree. Been in Moultonboro on the lake since '97 and would not want to raise my family here. Too dead in the off season. That said, people do it. Waterfront is especially quiet in the off season. We're in a community with about 30 homes and NONE are here year round. People on the lake tend to go south for the winter.
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Old 02-14-2021, 12:25 PM   #26
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He asked a simple question and you feed him the riot act.

Is your plan to just scare every new comer away?

I think he asked a great question.

Around NewFound lake the bulk of the homes are owned by weekenders that could be from anywhere (including NH). Probably 1 in 10 have full time residents. Not many with kids, but not all retirees either. It’s similar around all the lakes region. Dead in the winter.

I personally wouldn’t want to raise my kids around any of the lake towns (on the water). Just due to lack of “neighborhoods” year round.

I dislike having neighbors that AirB&B their homes. Since they are only there for a week or two. They are often rowdy and they have this thing about fire works. Like almost every night. It gets old. Not easy to figure out ahead of time. They are often not good with boats either and an accident waiting to happen.

In some respects some of the large shared developments are a better for kids because they might have a sense of a neighborhood. But most are still too sparse over winter.

When we were young we were in a town not known for great schools. So we wanted to move. We considered a more exclusive rural town where you could not see your neighbors house. You drive your kids to their friends. We ended up in packed development, same house one after the next. Every other house had kids of similar age. They could walk or ride their bike to school. Best decision we ever made for them. Even though in our heart we really wanted the place you could not see your neighbor With a horse barn and a pond and noted for top notch schools.
I am already sick of noise and fireworks and summer crowds and I’ve only lived here one year. Fireworks right behind us going from early evening to past 11:30 pm last night as we had tried to sleep.

Sometimes I wish we had moved to Vermont instead where we vacationed for 21+ years. My heart is still there. Totally different than here. I’m surprised at how much.
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Old 02-14-2021, 12:50 PM   #27
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Don't listen to all the haters. We moved up to the lakes region over a decade ago to start our family. We've now got elementary aged kids and feel that raising our kids up here is one of the best things we could have done. We have lots of friends who are doing/have done the same and almost all of them feel incredibly blessed to be raising kids in a place that others only get to visit a few weeks a year.

I will say, we started on the water and it was hard. It gets depressing when everyone leaves and its hard to go to work when all your neighbors are having fun on vacation.

We moved to a year round neighborhood off the water and bought a very small seasonal cabin in a water access community. Its the best of both worlds. We get to be a part of the year round neighborhood this time of year and have a separate set of friends to get excited about in the summer. Our kids absolutely love it. And the cost of the two houses is still much less than a nice year round house on the water.

Its funny but I know at least half a dozen families who do the same thing. Everyone from away thinks we are nuts for having a vacation home in the same town as your primary residence. But we all joke that I don't know how you'd enjoy a vacation house when you have a 2+ hour traffic filled drive every time you wanted to visit and every-time you needed to go home.
A couple who live in our development which is partially seasonal anyway has a camp right down the road from here. Can walk to it. A trailer they can also bring to Florida or wherever in off season or whenever. But it’s essentially parked at the camp during prime season. We don’t get it but to each his own.

Well, we do have a one week timeshare in the Whites we use each summer.
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Old 02-14-2021, 01:43 PM   #28
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I am already sick of noise and fireworks and summer crowds and I’ve only lived here one year. Fireworks right behind us going from early evening to past 11:30 pm last night as we had tried to sleep.

Sometimes I wish we had moved to Vermont instead where we vacationed for 21+ years. My heart is still there. Totally different than here. I’m surprised at how much.
It’s too bad that your life here hasn’t been what you expected, but if you wanted peace and quiet and a more sparsely populated area, why did you choose to locate in the Weirs? There are many locations that are much quieter.
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Old 02-14-2021, 02:25 PM   #29
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Don't listen to all the haters. We moved up to the lakes region over a decade ago to start our family. We've now got elementary aged kids and feel that raising our kids up here is one of the best things we could have done. We have lots of friends who are doing/have done the same and almost all of them feel incredibly blessed to be raising kids in a place that others only get to visit a few weeks a year.

I will say, we started on the water and it was hard. It gets depressing when everyone leaves and its hard to go to work when all your neighbors are having fun on vacation.

We moved to a year round neighborhood off the water and bought a very small seasonal cabin in a water access community. Its the best of both worlds. We get to be a part of the year round neighborhood this time of year and have a separate set of friends to get excited about in the summer. Our kids absolutely love it. And the cost of the two houses is still much less than a nice year round house on the water.

Its funny but I know at least half a dozen families who do the same thing. Everyone from away thinks we are nuts for having a vacation home in the same town as your primary residence. But we all joke that I don't know how you'd enjoy a vacation house when you have a 2+ hour traffic filled drive every time you wanted to visit and every-time you needed to go home.
You did exactly what most are saying and we had the fore thought to advise the OP to skip making the lake front your only home on the water with kids. Which is what they asked.

Not one person said it would be inadvisable off the water.

Also I couldn't make enough money to own water front without a 2 hr commute. But things are now changing with more work from home options. And so is supply and demand because of it. Maybe we'll see more full time on the water.
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Old 02-14-2021, 04:23 PM   #30
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You did exactly what most are saying and we had the fore thought to advise the OP to skip making the lake front your only home on the water with kids. Which is what they asked.

Not one person said it would be inadvisable off the water.

Also I couldn't make enough money to own water front without a 2 hr commute. But things are now changing with more work from home options. And so is supply and demand because of it. Maybe we'll see more full time on the water.
I think more people did stay this winter than ever before.
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Old 02-14-2021, 04:59 PM   #31
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I think more people did stay this winter than ever before.
We had a couple of snow birds in my neighborhood that didn't go to Florida this year. I'm sure there were many more seeing how Florida has been a Covid hotbed all winter and many in Florida don't take it seriously.
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Old 02-14-2021, 06:02 PM   #32
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Just viewing the Daytona500 today, one can see 28k of 30k allowed in without masks. That's exactly why so many have stayed here for winter. FL...most twisted state in the union.
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Old 02-14-2021, 06:21 PM   #33
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I think more people did stay this winter than ever before.
Right. Reluctance to get on a plane or to stay in motels while driving back and forth is a big factor.

On the other hand, my daughter works 100% remote and instead of a weekend, rented a ski house for a month. Kids go to school remote and hubby who has to be onsite, comes up weekends. A lot of this will change back when kids go back to school in person.
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Old 02-14-2021, 07:29 PM   #34
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Though I have never lived in Moultonborough full-time, I have spent all of my summers in town and I would be happy to raise a family there. As far as the remoteness, it really isn’t any different than much of northern New England, except that it comes with all of the variety and activities that the lake offers!

We have several friends who are locals and have raised their families in town. Through these friends we have seen a different side of life in Moultonborough and at times have been extremely envious that they get to enjoy the lake 7 days a week! The quiet winters seem to bother the people with kids less as the kids lives seem to naturally be busier. They all seem to agree that September and October are truly some of the best months to live at the lake with virtually no crowds.

If you’re looking for a neighborhood full of families and kids then you may struggle to find that, but I am guessing you already know that. In the vicinity of our house on the end of Moultonboro Neck, I would say maybe 10% are year round residents and of that, maybe half have kids. It certainly is the minority, but I can tell you the houses with kids that are on the water, always seem to have a group of friends around. Who wouldn’t want to hang out at the friend’s house with a beach, boat, etc.? Even if you have private waterfront, the public beach can be a great place to meet people. You can usually tell the locals because they are arriving when the vacationers are packing up for the day.

As for rentals, it’s hard to tell. I don’t think there are particular neighborhoods that have more rentals than others. Fireworks can get annoying, but, Moultonborough has adopted a fireworks ordinance that seems to help. Honestly, the neighbors I have found to be the rowdiest were not renters, they are the children or grandkids of the owners. Our next door neighbor has a family compound of 6 cottages and they rent out 3 of them. The same renters return year after year and are always kind and courteous. I think vacation renters tend to get a bad rap because of the few who are disrespectful. Who among us doesn’t rent a vacation house when we travel elsewhere from time to time? I am always respectful when I do, and I like to believe most others are as well.

A few times I have commuted to work from the lake for a week or so, the commute is long, but getting “home“ from work and going on a boat ride or kayaking seems like such a treat!!

If what you’re looking for in “community” is a town of good people enjoying life in a beautiful corner of the world, with quality schools, then I think you’d be very happy in Moultonboro.
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Old 02-14-2021, 10:14 PM   #35
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Default No fireworks?

I have a friend who does rentals. Different town. The Selectman agreed with to allow rentals with stipulations as to max number of people, no events (weddings, graduations etc.) no fireworks. It works fine. Maybe the M'boro, T'boro W'boro BOS needs to be brought on board? They could even make an exception for July 3 and 12/31. If you're resident, it should be easy to ask the BOS.
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Old 02-14-2021, 11:30 PM   #36
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I am already sick of noise and fireworks and summer crowds and I’ve only lived here one year. Fireworks right behind us going from early evening to past 11:30 pm last night as we had tried to sleep.

Sometimes I wish we had moved to Vermont instead where we vacationed for 21+ years. My heart is still there. Totally different than here. I’m surprised at how much.
Fireworks last night… I heard them too, music to my ears, I am down the street in Meredith. I have two kids, 12 and 14, we are here as much as possible. We hike (all year), snow shoe, ski, tube, fish, boating. I live full time in MA due to my job, boring as all hell. I love to hear the boats at day/night, snow mobiles running on the tracks, fireworks and all the activity on the lake, keeps me young and feeling alive.

I was at Walmart yesterday (Gilfrod) checking out with $200 in groceries and the gentleman in front of me a $6 fishing line for the derby this weekend. Had a good quick chat, he had to be about 70, nice as anyone could be. I wished I could have stayed and talked to him longer, I can only imagine the life knowledge he holds.
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Old 02-15-2021, 08:19 AM   #37
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Seems like the #1 best lake experience is out on a Winnipesaukee island that's not attached with a bridge, a real island. Once it has a bridge like Governor's, Black Cat, Long, Oak or Christmas it becomes an island in name only, and is basically a fake island. Is not a real island experience.

When the weather goes south due to rain or cold or wind or darkness the mainland boats stay safely secured to a dock while the islanders never stop boating, pretty much.

And, having a large two acre sized lot, big enough to buffer away from the neighbors next door is pretty much the norm out on an island. Island living looks a lot like that old Winnipesaukee from the 1960's and before when the shoreline was all tree lined and homes were the more basic style cottage that blends with the forest. Having to get out to an island makes it more of an escape get-a-way and people welcome the challenge to get back out there, even when the lake is slushy ice and a little unsafe for travel.

Armed with a bright green foam noodle belt securely tied around their waist, the intrepid islander is able to make their journey back to their island home, safe and secure, as that big bright sun sinks slowly out of sight into the west. (sayonara music here) ....
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Old 02-15-2021, 08:37 AM   #38
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I have a friend who does rentals. Different town. The Selectman agreed with to allow rentals with stipulations as to max number of people, no events (weddings, graduations etc.) no fireworks. It works fine. Maybe the M'boro, T'boro W'boro BOS needs to be brought on board? They could even make an exception for July 3 and 12/31. If you're resident, it should be easy to ask the BOS.
It amazes me this is OK with anyone. Since when does the BOS have jurisdiction do this? I have not found anything that indicates they do.

I can see this being something the town would throw on a ballot for the residents to decide.
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Old 02-15-2021, 08:40 AM   #39
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Thanks for everyone's response. It has been helpful. We currently live in a New England seaside town and experience (to a lesser degree) of seasonal crowds and a quieter off season. We are interested in the lakes region because it provides water activities like we currently have, but we are missing the hiking and mountains.

We currently have a close knit network of friends with children around the same age as ours and this type of community is something we find important. It sounds like, as much as we would enjoy living on the lake, we would have difficulties finding the community we have now.

Getting a house inland and a smaller property on the lake may be the balance we're after at this stage of our life.
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Old 02-15-2021, 09:12 AM   #40
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Thanks for everyone's response. It has been helpful. We currently live in a New England seaside town and experience (to a lesser degree) of seasonal crowds and a quieter off season. We are interested in the lakes region because it provides water activities like we currently have, but we are missing the hiking and mountains.

We currently have a close knit network of friends with children around the same age as ours and this type of community is something we find important. It sounds like, as much as we would enjoy living on the lake, we would have difficulties finding the community we have now.

Getting a house inland and a smaller property on the lake may be the balance we're after at this stage of our life.
If you decide to pursue a waterfront property in Moultonborough...one house, as opposed to two...you might look at Krainewood, off Redding Lane. There are waterfront and non waterfront places in there, and I suspect lots of school age children. Idea #2: waterfront on Castle Shores, which abuts Suissevale, a water access community. Those are the only ones that come to mind right now. Best of luck in your search.
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Old 02-15-2021, 09:22 AM   #41
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Thanks for everyone's response. It has been helpful. We currently live in a New England seaside town and experience (to a lesser degree) of seasonal crowds and a quieter off season. We are interested in the lakes region because it provides water activities like we currently have, but we are missing the hiking and mountains.

We currently have a close knit network of friends with children around the same age as ours and this type of community is something we find important. It sounds like, as much as we would enjoy living on the lake, we would have difficulties finding the community we have now.

Getting a house inland and a smaller property on the lake may be the balance we're after at this stage of our life.
If you have the funds then that's a good plan. Even a condo dock may work as some have nice facilities or you could look into the boat club which has a pool also.
Get a good realtor that knows the area and start with a primary residence first then you have lots of options after that. Good luck!
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Old 02-15-2021, 09:28 AM   #42
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Just viewing the Daytona500 today, one can see 28k of 30k allowed in without masks. That's exactly why so many have stayed here for winter. FL...most twisted state in the union.
As a Florida resident and business owner who spends summer only at the lake my first reaction to your post was that you were insulting our home state and people. However , after thinking about it it’s not insulting it's 100 % accurate.
Coming down this winter thinking restaurants, events, the parks will be attempting any reasonable mask wearing or distancing is a total pipe dream . If it was up to our Governor events would be at 100 % and all the visitors would leave and take Covid home with them . No real government attempt to make things safe. Of course the result is the locals don’t go out to events , restaurants and parks and it’s killing the service economy.
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Old 02-15-2021, 10:22 AM   #43
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Thanks for everyone's response. It has been helpful. We currently live in a New England seaside town and experience (to a lesser degree) of seasonal crowds and a quieter off season. We are interested in the lakes region because it provides water activities like we currently have, but we are missing the hiking and mountains.

We currently have a close knit network of friends with children around the same age as ours and this type of community is something we find important. It sounds like, as much as we would enjoy living on the lake, we would have difficulties finding the community we have now.

Getting a house inland and a smaller property on the lake may be the balance we're after at this stage of our life.
Bluntly, it sounds like you should stay put. going to be hard to replicate a community especially with kids on the water up here.
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Old 02-15-2021, 10:30 AM   #44
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It amazes me this is OK with anyone. Since when does the BOS have jurisdiction do this? I have not found anything that indicates they do.

I can see this being something the town would throw on a ballot for the residents to decide.
I guess I misspoke. He told me "the Town" and I translated that to BOS. It should have been ZBA for a non-conforming use in a residential/current use area.
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Old 02-15-2021, 10:46 AM   #45
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It’s too bad that your life here hasn’t been what you expected, but if you wanted peace and quiet and a more sparsely populated area, why did you choose to locate in the Weirs? There are many locations that are much quieter.
Because we couldn’t find the type of development we are in anywhere else in the state (or even VT) in terms of a new or newish home that was affordable for us. We understood about bike week and figured we could tolerate that, and also that this is a big vacation area anyway, but we did not realize how noisy and in your face it can get the rest of the season and the extent of the crowds everywhere. C-19 I suppose didn’t help. I feel like in summer and fall if you want to enjoy where you live it’s not always easy with everything crowded and booked up.

VT is not like that. We were there last summer as always (staying at our timeshare resort for the week) and would go to a popular state park, for example, to use the beach on Lake Champlain. We were the only out of state license plate there. It was not crowded. No loud music on the beach. Just a few boats out on the water- sail boats. Peaceful. Big difference from here where every plate is from Mass. and tons of motor boats and beach packed with people. Music blaring in some cases. People cooking full course meals for a tribe. And that’s with restrictions for capacity. Lol! Just a different vibe.

Want to hike a trail here? Good luck even being able to park. And the trash? Omg. Lots of people being disrespectful. VT- not perfect but much cleaner from what I see when I’m there.

This all said- we moved here because our only child lives here and tax (and political) situation is better. And we like it- don’t misunderstand - but - well- we have a lot of “buts”....no place is perfect. And at least not living in VT keeps it special. Sometimes when you live somewhere you love to vacation in, it eventually becomes less special as you see more of the cons and not only the pros.

We already lived in seclusion in a rural area in NY and didn’t want that in retirement, but I guess we wanted something in between. Oh well. Too late now. We’re not moving again. We still like a lot about the area and the state in general. And we have some really nice neighbors so we’re good. With C-19 hitting a month after we moved, our first year here was actually pretty good overall- better than it would have been if we stayed in NY that’s for sure.

Last edited by map; 02-15-2021 at 12:06 PM. Reason: Addition
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Old 02-15-2021, 11:00 AM   #46
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I guess I misspoke. He told me "the Town" and I translated that to BOS. It should have been ZBA for a non-conforming use in a residential/current use area.
Ah see that would make a little more sense in that I believe the BOS can interject something like this when it comes to zoning decisions, application of or enforcement of existing measures to a specific situation.

What you had originally mentioned sounded more like a town ordinance by proclamation of the BOS and I always thought those were voted on by ballot - unless it is some sort of temporary emergency situation where they may have that authority.

I'd think that existing zoning would put some governance over reasonable private property use. I will say that it doesn't matter what time of year it is when it comes to fireworks. There was a really nice display off MB Neck Saturday night. I am fairly convinced there are some serious pyros over there as we've had plenty of spectacular shows looking across from BI.
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Old 02-15-2021, 03:07 PM   #47
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Thanks for everyone's response. It has been helpful. We currently live in a New England seaside town and experience (to a lesser degree) of seasonal crowds and a quieter off season. We are interested in the lakes region because it provides water activities like we currently have, but we are missing the hiking and mountains.

We currently have a close knit network of friends with children around the same age as ours and this type of community is something we find important. It sounds like, as much as we would enjoy living on the lake, we would have difficulties finding the community we have now.

Getting a house inland and a smaller property on the lake may be the balance we're after at this stage of our life.
Perhaps broaden your search to other lakes in the Lakes region. Some of the smaller lakes have many more full time residences and less summer vacation rentals than Winni.
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Old 02-18-2021, 01:53 PM   #48
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Thanks for everyone's response. It has been helpful. We currently live in a New England seaside town and experience (to a lesser degree) of seasonal crowds and a quieter off season. We are interested in the lakes region because it provides water activities like we currently have, but we are missing the hiking and mountains.

We currently have a close knit network of friends with children around the same age as ours and this type of community is something we find important. It sounds like, as much as we would enjoy living on the lake, we would have difficulties finding the community we have now.

Getting a house inland and a smaller property on the lake may be the balance we're after at this stage of our life.
I think you are wise at this point. If you were going to start a family living on the lake, the kids would be used to less social and neighborhood interaction, but as elementary school kids, its probably going to bore the heck out of them. I am a single widowed dad and recently bought on the lake with the intention of moving there as a primary residence once the kids go to college in 5 and 6 years from now.

They can come home in summer to the lake and have fun at an older age and since they will have licenses by then, they can visit their old friends as they see fit. I floated the idea of moving up full time immediately when I bought the house, but the kids absolutely did not want to leave their friendships and neighborhood behind at this stage in their lives.

Time flies, they'll be out of the house before you know it. You can live your dream. I love the offseason. I come up once a week by myself just to relax without the noise.
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