Southdown/Long Bay or Wolfeboro
After pausing our search for a couple of years, we are planning to buy a home in the area in the next year or so. We’ve narrowed it down to the Southdown/Long Bay Area in Laconia or the downtown area of Wolfeboro. We will have a boat at a marina/mooring either way. We have friends in Southdown, and they love it, and it does seem really nice, but we love the small town feel and walkability of Wolfeboro. It’s about 20 minutes further for us to drive to Wolfeboro. Any insider tips on either of these areas that we are not considering?
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When you say the boat will be on a mooring or at a marina, how important is that for you?
The availability of either may drive your purchase. At Long Bay you can buy a home with a deeded boat slip, buy one without a slip and hope to buy or rent someone else's slip or wait forever for a mooring. There was an attempt to get more moorings approved by the state but the answer was "no". While I can't speak to South Down's current boat situation it may be similarly full. They do have racks that are privately owned which are occasionally rented out. I live in Long Bay and it is a very good place for walking around but you'll not be walking to shops or dinner. |
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One thing I've come to appreciate about living in an association is that we rarely leave once we get there—it's gated, similarly to SDS/LB, so we walk the roads or take golf carts everywhere, which is pretty cool.
That being said, when we looked at SDS, what we could afford would've been far from the water. In my opinion, anything more than ~3-5 minute walk changes the nature of being "on the water" and anything >10 minutes changes being "near town." So, for me, it would be a calculation including the following: 1. How close to the lake/boat/town would we be and what are the realistic walking times? 2. How many friends do we have in the association? 3. How much do I like the style of home including: garage, outdoor stuff (screen porch, BBQ, fire pit), private seating, view. 4. What are the total associated costs—HOA fees vs. taxes, etc.? This is exciting—good luck! Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk |
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South Down/Long Bay
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Long Bay has nicer beaches (IMHO) and the pool is great if you have children who like pools. The docks in Long Bay are terrible in my opinion. They are narrow and somewhat rickety. Also, the waves from Paugus Bay seem to hit the Long Bay docks much harder than the South Down docks. Regarding fees, the Long Bay fees have gone up significantly since we first bought in Long Bay. They are now $2,300 per year. The reason for the great increase is to boost the Association's reserve. The fees for South Down aren't trivial since there are association fees for the condo complex, for the recreational association and the boat association if you belong. Good luck. You can't go wrong either way. |
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Good luck! |
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Every area will have positives, and negatives.
I enjoy visiting Wolfeboro and the shops on Main Street but there are a limited number of stores that are not high priced. We often go over by boat and patronize the restaurants. The other side of the lake (Gilford/Laconia) has a lot of stores including two grocery stores and Lowes and WalMart. If the home you buy is to become a full time home, as opposed to a weekend/vacation home, the proximity of stores becomes important. When you no longer commute from your present house that portion of your decision will no longer matter. Some Saturday's while working on home projects (and because I am a poor planner) I end up at Lowes 2 or 3 times. It makes it easier because it is close by. There are going to be trade offs wherever you buy but as has been said, the arrangements for a boat should be a serious consideration in the discussion. |
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Because of that, however, I needed to look up Wolfeboro to see about building/home supplies, and, besides the hardware store downtown (which, by the way, I would KILL for in my home town), there's a Hancock Lumber. Besides (maybe) tad higher prices, I gotta think those would suffice. Still would need to know about grocery stores... Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk |
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I did prefer Long Bay as it has two beaches and the pool, additionally if you live in Long Bay you can still rent a slip or rack in South Down from a private owner. It is important to remeber in both communitites there are master HOA's (Long Bay and South Down) then ther are sub HOA's in each little community if Long Bay (I was in Prides Point) and most homes in South Down are also in sub HOA's although there are homes in South Down that do not have sub HOA's along Crimsom Drive and Drummers Trail. In 2017 i moved from Long Bay to the Meredith Bay community, which I love but just like anything else there are plus' and minus'. I miss the easy access to the snowmobile trails in the winter and it is a realtively flat community for jogging where Meredith Bay doesnt really have clear acces to the trails and is extremely hilly. On the other hand when boating I do not have to deal with the conga line coming through the channel, our HOA fees included membership to Akwa Marina so we have a beach, two pools and a resturant and it is a much smaller community. As far as Wolfboro, I love the town and usually visit 2-3 times a year, I prefer this side of the lake. |
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Boating? Friends on Narragansett Bay keep their boat on a mooring and there is a launch to get them out and back. Works very well. If you have to row out and back in a dinghy, in the rain/wind, I'd say NO WAY! Watching the availability of slips and valet move up and down as marinas are bought and sold, I'd want to own my slip or rack if at all possible. Renewing a rental slip/rack can fail unexpectedly and you are always subject to rent increases. It is not unusual for rent to be due all at once for the year, no monthly payments. If you're buying a boat from a dealer, he will work hard to find a slip but that doesn't mean it is renewable in a subsequent season. Get the biggest one you can--you may want a bigger boat someday, and it will be easier to sell/rent should that become part of your plan. Winter? Belknap County taxpayers get season pass discounts at Gunstock. |
Not quite
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jetskier |
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Not sure about your budget, but everything under the sun has been bought in Wolfeboro since Covid for very inflated prices. Corinthian Boat Club has a 5 yr + wait, and downtown has been clogged like I've never seen in 10 years with traffic. It is walkable, and there are 2 food markets, with the Mill St Market shop also being an option for both meat and seafood.
It's a nice little town but November - April are pretty quiet months, so the other side may have more to offer you on the whole. Spending time in all of your choice areas will probably give you the right gut feeling and plan. Good luck to you! |
Mea Culpa
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Just compare the taxes of Wolfeboro vs Laconia. That makes it pretty simple to me at least.
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I pay Long Bay fees of $1,750/year and my "village" fee is $500/year.
We own our home and lot. Real estate agents and their clients sometimes get the fee numbers wrong. Due diligence is a must. Regarding an owned boat slip: Check with the town to see what the annual taxes are. Also, there may be an annual fee for general dock maintenance. If your intention is to make it your permanent residence in five years you may benefit from waiting a while. The vacation home demand here may have peaked and more reasonable prices could be on the horizon. |
I do it now.
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Makes sense
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Tons of great info in this thread! My wife and I are also seriously considering a second home around the lake now that things seem to have slowed a little, just watching the price reductions come through on Zillow has got me excited again! Good luck with your search!
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I hate associations. I was on a board once and the politics are ridiculous.
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Associations are not for everybody.
Whenever there are humans involved it can get interesting. That said, I could not live where I live and enjoy the amenities of this nice neighborhood without an HOA. |
Paugus Bay
I would never want to keep my boat in Paugus Bay. Why would you want to have to navigate Paugus Bay and the channel every time you want to get out to the lake?
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Paugus Bay...
When we head out to the main lake we chuckle about the fact that the folks in Paugus Bay are heading out through the Weirs channel while a similar number of boats are heading into Paugus Bay. Then it goes the other way later in the afternoon! It doesn't bother me to traverse the channel. The people watching can be interesting. As for chop in the bay, the docks at Long Bay are best used bow in but that means the rollers from wake boarders, tubers and farmers (those who only know how to plow) pound the stern. I am glad to have a mooring! |
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All things considered, if/when we decide to get another place on the lake, Paugus Bay and Southdown/Longbay would still be at the top of our list for options. |
I wish there were public docking in Paugus Bay for access to Shaws, Hannaford, Lowes, downtown Laconia, etc. That would open up a whole new dimension to Paugus.
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Downtown Laconia?
You mean Lakeport? |
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I am not sure what it would take for lakefront/lake access property to actually go ''out of demand''. There are only so many lots.
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A plague of frogs?
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I think we are in the ''six foot pit'' rule... so it may not have the downturn that is expected.
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Same as some call the ''rocking chair'' rule.
My grandfather used to say as you neared retirement, you would realize that you had enough resources to pursue some of the things you may have wanted earlier in life, but could not afford or were too financially cautious at the time to splurge on. As the Boomers, the largest population in the US yet to reach that stage, continue into that stage... the demand for those things increases to the point that demand is relatively constant. |
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Years ago, people would strive to afford a lake house, and buy as soon as they could, taking out a mortgage in the low six figures. When that home appreciated it was a significant percentage of their net worth. it could be cashed in for a meaningful improvement in lifestyle elsewhere. Today it's millions for a waterfront property. Buyers are using gains from their employee stock options or stock portfolio. These buyers are often set for life. (Really--would you drop $2-3MM on a vacation spot if you weren't set?) Thus these new buyers will not tempted to sell for lifestyle/cash considerations. Thus their holding period is likely to be longer, diminishing future inventory |
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Mainly it will be super interesting to watch how this shakes out locally over the next 24 months. Other parts of the country have definitely had the brakes slammed on in the real estate market, but it hasn’t quite reached New England yet. The good news is, we are back to a place where buyers can do inspections, and other due diligence before signing their names on the dotted line. So even if there isn’t a huge price drop, being able to do due diligence on a 600-800k investment will definitely help me sleep better at night! |
Well, the peak Boomer birth year was 1959... so I still think it has a lot of fire.
You'll see some properties with price reductions because the ''set for life'' aren't so set. I have met more than my share of those over the last couple of years. |
Earlier in this thread I incorrectly posted what my Long Bay and Village fees are.
The correct numbers are: Long Bay $2,300 Village $500 I humbly apologize for providing fake news. ;) |
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Hoa
I've shopped around the Lakes Region for a 'decent' HOA. I settled down at Wildwood Village on Lake Winnisquam. We do have limited mooring for boats and storage for kayaks/canoes. HOAs on Lake Winnipesaukee is way too expensive and the lake is too busy for my taste.
Forget about Squam Lake. When properties are up for sale, the Squam Lake Association pretty much governs what you can and cannot do with the property, like an HOA. Newfound Lake is another gem. Lately, properties have skyrocketed as it is in big demand! My sister lucked out decades ago, buying buildable land on Newfound. She already had offers quadrupled what she paid for! Unless you have deep pockets for LB/SD and Wolfeboro it will pay to shop around. |
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As an added bonus we get to observe "gate jousting" or its aftermath on a regular basis.
It's amazing how invisible those gate arms can be! |
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To have a real firewood fire it must be 25' from any structure per the fire dept. and HOA rules.
A propane fire pit seems to be exempt from that, I am waiting for my new electric powered fire pit because that's how I roll. :D |
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