Southdown/Long Bay or Wolfeboro

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by Momofthreema

Ok, got it! I will work with our realtor to dig up all of this info. Really appreciate the details!

I have lived in both South Down and Long Bay from 2007 to 2016. Both communities are great and have pluses and minus' at to better beachs, boat facilities and a pool.

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.

[Major]

Originally Posted by joey2665

I have lived in both South Down and Long Bay from 2007 to 2016. Both communities are great and have pluses and minus' at to better beachs, boat facilities and a pool.

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.

Hi Joey, great info! Just one minor correction, South Down now prohibits Long Bay owners from renting a rack or a slip at South Down. They changed it just after you left in 2017. It sort of pissed me off at the time since I had been renting a rack since 2009 and helped contribute to funding the boat yard during the down times. However, as a result, we are now at Lakeport Landing and couldn't be happier. A covered boat slip and we can come and go as we please without having to worry about valet service or open docks when we return.

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by Major

Hi Joey, great info! Just one minor correction, South Down now prohibits Long Bay owners from renting a rack or a slip at South Down. They changed it just after you left in 2017. It sort of pissed me off at the time since I had been renting a rack since 2009 and helped contribute to funding the boat yard during the down times. However, as a result, we are now at Lakeport Landing and couldn't be happier. A covered boat slip and we can come and go as we please without having to worry about valet service or open docks when we return.

Major, wow that a huge change, one of the reasons I left was my slip owner sold his home and slip and no other were available to rent or for sale in Long Bay. I love the convienence of taking the cart to the boat.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by Major

Hi Joey, great info! Just one minor correction, South Down now prohibits Long Bay owners from renting a rack or a slip at South Down. They changed it just after you left in 2017. It sort of pissed me off at the time since I had been renting a rack since 2009 and helped contribute to funding the boat yard during the down times. However, as a result, we are now at Lakeport Landing and couldn't be happier. A covered boat slip and we can come and go as we please without having to worry about valet service or open docks when we return.

It is permissable for a private berth owner to rent to a Long Bay owner. South Down owns 65 berths which are rented annually; I believe that they are preferentially rented to South Down owners and if there is availability to Long Bay owners.

jetskier

[Major]

Originally Posted by jetskier

It is permissable for a private berth owner to rent to a Long Bay owner. South Down owns 65 berths which are rented annually; I believe that they are preferentially rented to South Down owners and if there is availability to Long Bay owners.

jetskier

That was not my experience. I rented from a South Down rack owner and received a letter from Carol Downing from Irwin's saying that I was prohibited from renting any more. I believe there is a prohibition from renting to Long Bay owners, unless it recently changed.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by Major

That was not my experience. I rented from a South Down rack owner and received a letter from Carol Downing from Irwin's saying that I was prohibited from renting any more. I believe there is a prohibition from renting to Long Bay owners, unless it recently changed.

I have been renting a rack to a Long Bay owner the past 3 seasons. I am not sure why Carol told you that it is problematic.

[marinewife]

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!

[Major]

Originally Posted by jetskier

It is permissable for a private berth owner to rent to a Long Bay owner. South Down owns 65 berths which are rented annually; I believe that they are preferentially rented to South Down owners and if there is availability to Long Bay owners.

jetskier

Hi Jetskier, you are correct, it is permissible for a private owner to rent. The person I rented from sold his home, and Carol related that SDSC prohibits renting its racks to Long Bay owners, but allows private rentals. The year my rack was sold, there were little or no racks available. Sorry!

[knowit]

Just compare the taxes of Wolfeboro vs Laconia. That makes it pretty simple to me at least.

[8gv]

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.

[Momofthreema]

Originally Posted by 8gv

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.

Yes, agree 100%…we are just getting back into the market because we see the beginning of the softening, we missed the run up by about 6 months in 2020, so we decided to pull back and watch. I think there will be a definite softening over the next 24 months, so we’re hoping to find a desirable house at a price we think is reasonable. We’re seeing sooooo many houses priced 200k-300k higher than what they were bought for 2-2.5 years ago. That’s usually not sustainable over the long term. Not trying to time the market, but also trying to be smart with our hard earned dollars. 🤞

[Juiced06GTO]

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!

[tis]

I hate associations. I was on a board once and the politics are ridiculous.

[8gv]

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.

[laketrout]

Originally Posted by Momofthreema

Yes, agree 100%…we are just getting back into the market because we see the beginning of the softening, we missed the run up by about 6 months in 2020, so we decided to pull back and watch. I think there will be a definite softening over the next 24 months, so we’re hoping to find a desirable house at a price we think is reasonable. We’re seeing sooooo many houses priced 200k-300k higher than what they were bought for 2-2.5 years ago. That’s usually not sustainable over the long term. Not trying to time the market, but also trying to be smart with our hard earned dollars. ��

Best of luck trying go find a home that is priced reasonably. at is time in lb Or sds ! Great for sellers beware of Laconia property taxes.Both sds or lb are great communities having lived in both. I live in Long bay now the beaches are a lot nicer IMO.

[Major]

Originally Posted by laketrout

Best of luck trying go find a home that is priced reasonably. at is time in lb Or sds ! Great for sellers beware of Laconia property taxes.Both sds or lb are great communities having lived in both. I live in Long bay now the beaches are a lot nicer IMO.

I live in Long Bay too and can second the beaches. They are very nice and not nearly as crowded as the SD beach, especially during holidays.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by Major

Hi Jetskier, you are correct, it is permissible for a private owner to rent. The person I rented from sold his home, and Carol related that SDSC prohibits renting its racks to Long Bay owners, but allows private rentals. The year my rack was sold, there were little or no racks available. Sorry!

Makes sense...TY