After years of waiting (my daughter was 1 when we joined, she's now 8) it might possibly finally be nearing time for us to consider moving. We're keeping our fingers crossed that our stocks stay up.
I don't want to live out in the boonies, but I don't want to live in a really heavily populated area either. Someplace where I can have a decent sized yard, no highway sounds, and no neighbors crawling up my ass. I was looking at the area between Concord and Manchester, but not for any reason greater than that the houses seem cheap (it seems like it's all mobile home parks) and it's a quick ride to shopping and whatnot.
What's that area really like? Are these mobile home parks nice or trashy? I know it's a small city but is Manchester someplace you'd WANT to go, or is it the bad/scary type of city. I'm pretty sure I saw a state park in that area. What's that like?
We probably won't be able to make a real extended scouting trip, and since we're a family with a child and pets we can't really look at a porc manor or something. I'd like to get as much real information as I can. Thanks =3
Manchester isn't particularly scary. The area you decribe can be pretty nice. I don't know about the mobile home parks in particular. It sounds like you'd like Keene. If you post about a specific town or even mobile home park, someone might be able to tell you about it.
There is very little scary looking stuff. Maybe a few blocks in Manchester. Many of the mobile home parks are nice, some are on the shabby side. Like Kat says, name some particular ones you are considering and we can run by and take a few pictures for you.
Cathleen
I don't want anyone to go to any trouble for me. lol....my daughter's age came up as 8)
One name in particular that keeps coming up on realtor pages is "Holiday Acres" in Allenstown. I think Suncook is another town that I keep coming across. I'm going into this totally blind and it's kind of frustrating. At some point we're going to have a take a trip up there and scout around, but we'd only have a couple of days. I know my husband was also looking at "real houses" up north of Concord, though I don't recall the town's name, and also a few in Marrimack.
Can anyone suggest other towns/areas to look at when we get to take a trip up there? I imagine we'll look around and then search for houses in the areas we like when we come back home. We're looking for a balance to satisfy my husband's need for space and privacy, and my need to be near (within 20 or 30 minutes of) civilization. Maybe I should be asking a realtor XD
Try either or both of these guys:
http://markwarden.point2agent.com/
davemincin@gmail.com
http://local.yahoo.com/info-14082585-holiday-acres-mobile-home-park-allenstown?tab=reviews#reviews
Mixed reviews of Holiday Acres. We might go by there later today. I might be able to take some pictures.
If we can afford it we may be taking a 4-day weekend in the middle of August to go up there and look around. Gotta find a good, inexpensive hotel/motel/whatever or maybe a campground. Thanks for your help, guys.
Pictures... I thought they looked ok. Some houses with for sale signs. Not all of them, just the main road.
another
another
a new one
and a little playground
another one for sale
If you're REALLY handy, you can get a "decent" fixer-upper or foreclosed property for an affordable price in the areas you mentioned.
The problem with the mobile home parks is that the association/rental dues are very high -- often $400 a month! IMO you're better off purchasing with a mortgage as long as you have steady income and decent credit.
I'd be happy to run a simple property search for you and provide a comprehensive list of what's out there that meets your needs. PM me with your minimum criteria. We want to help you move and be part of Liberty in Our Lifetime.
Mark
Thanks so much, Cathleen, for taking the time to do that!
Mobile homes always look so nice and bright and open and perfect...the fees are kind of ridiculous though. Even though it'd be nice to live in a safe, cute little neighborhood like that, Mark is probably right that it would be a better investement to get a "real" house. My husband and his dad are pretty competent when it comes to fixing things and we've got access to all the power tools, assuming we could get them up there.
Mark, I actually emailed you earlier today after being pointed your way from Lloyd's post above. You gave such a fast reply, thanks! I've been pouring through the houses within what I think is going to be my price range and I've found a few that I really like. I'll probably email you again soon as I have a bunch of questions. Buying your first house is a massive step and my husband doesn't want to "house hop"...so we've got to get it right the first time. :-\
If you don't want to house hop, you might want to rent awhile first. There are great and affordable houses in many different towns, but each town has unique qualities that take some time to learn. One that many find important is where other movers live. The forum is not a good way to get that information. Not enough participation to be accurate.
A visit is best and Mark can help a lot in doing research for you.
Quote from: Discipula on July 28, 2009, 09:04 PM NHFT
. Someplace where I can have a decent sized yard, no highway sounds, and no neighbors crawling up my ass.
you've pretty much ruled out trailer parks w/ your criteria. they are shoehorned in to maximize the amount of units per park (more lot fees for the owner) doesn't give you much of a yard, and your neighbors are @ 20 ft away on either side.
the monthly ''rent'' is also another detractor