Hey! There were fourteen waterfront sales on  Winnipesaukee in March! That’s a pretty good month in my book. The average sales price came in at $797,086 and there were three sales over the million dollar mark. Last March there were just six sales at an average price of $986,667. For the first quarter of 2011 there have been twenty six sales on the lake at an average of $807,469 compared to seventeen sales at an average of $857,471 for the same period last year. That’s a 52% increase in total sales and a great start to the new year!

The least expensive home sold on the lake last month was at 24 Notla Lane in Alton. This 1950’s cottage looks like a place where you can really kick back and relax. It has 2,014 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, two baths, a living room with the requisite stone fireplace, lots of windows, and is finished in knotty pine paneling for that lake feel. The third acre lot has 100’ of waterfront and a great little boat house with a deck up top to watch the sunsets from. Pretty cool. This home was listed at $549,000 and was only on the market for 34 days before being snapped up at $497,500 by a happy buyer. The property is assessed by the town at $481,500.

Over in Moultonborough at 7 Blackey Cove there is a beautiful 5,000 square foot contemporary home that also has a happy new owner. This home has a bright open concept floor plan with a wonderful great room with cathedral ceilings, pine flooring, floor to ceiling stone fireplace, and fifteen sets of French doors that open to the large deck with beautiful westerly views on Blackey Cove. The kitchen/dining area has wood ceilings, granite countertops, a continuation of the pine flooring, and lake views as well. There is a first floor master suite, three guest bedrooms upstairs plus a large game room over the attached garage. The walk out lower level has a family room, den, and three “additional” rooms. I wonder what goes on in there? This home sits on a level .7 acre lot with 100’ of shore front, sandy beach, dock, and great westerly sunset views. This property was originally listed at $1.499 million, reduced to $1.499 million, and sold for $1.14 million after 190 days on the market. The tax assessed value is $1,343,100.

The largest sale of the month was also in Moultonborough at 39 Gregson Lane which is also on Blackey Cove. This 3,000 square foot Adirondack was just completed and has the sought after open concept floor plan with the large great room with cathedral ceiling, stone fireplaces, lots of natural woodwork, and a first floor master. There’s an office and a bedroom on the second level and a family room and exercise room in the lower level walkout. The house is listed as a two bedroom home because the size of the lot constrains it to a two bedroom septic, although it says that a three bedroom septic was installed. Confused? Me, too. But I bet the buyer wasn’t. Anyway, this home was originally listed at $1.65 million, was reduced to $1.595, and sold for $1.45 million. The tax assessed value is listed at $985,000 because the home was under construction. It won’t stay at that number long…

There were no sales on either Winnisquam or Squam in March which is kind of unusual, but things have been slow on both lakes. In fact there has only been one sale on each lake so far this year. I think we gotta start using better bait…

 It was a great end to the year with fifteen waterfront sales on Winnipesaukee in December at an average of $675,300. That compares to nine sales last December but at a much higher average price of $1,306,044. Only three of the fifteen sales last month were over the million dollar mark resulting in the low average sale price.

The least expensive sale in December was at 65 Cow Island  in Tuftonboro. This classic Lake Winnipesaukee summer camp has the desired knotty pine interior, wood floors, a first floor bedroom, two large bunk rooms upstairs, a wood stove, and the requisite screened porch where you can sit and tell lies all night. The camp sits on a .79 (more…)

November was not one of those banner months for waterfront sales in the Lakes Region. Winter is on the way you know, although some days it just doesn’t feel that way. There were just five transactions on Lake Winnipesaukee last month at an average $858,600. Last November the tally was double that amount at an (more…)

Halloween has come and gone and it didn’t scare off buyers looking to purchase waterfront homes on Lake Winnipesaukee. There were eleven sales at an average price of $1.17 million and a median price point of $950,000. That matches the eleven sales last October although the average sales price came in higher at $1.46 million. If there is a any bright spot or consistency in our current real estate market it would have to be waterfront sales on the big lake.

As usual, the least expensive sale (that’s the nice way to say cheapest) in October on Winnipesaukee is an island property. In fact, the three least expensive properties were on islands, but the property at 305 Bear Island in Meredith took the lowest priced honors selling for (more…)

Despite the relentless winter, there were six waterfront sales on Lake Winnipesaukee in March of 2010 at an average price of $986,667. There were two sales in excess of $1 million. Last March there were seven sales at an average of $1.1 million with the average price bolstered by a $4.25 million sale in Wolfeboro. The tally for the first quarter of this year stands at 17 sales which is equal to the first quarter of last year although the average sales price is down from $1.9 million to $857,471. There were only three sales over $1 million this year so far compared to eight for the first quarter of last year.

The least expensive property sold on the big lake was in Meredith at 7 Stonedam Island Road. This was a bank owned contemporary built in 2005. It has 2,880 square feet of living space, three bedrooms, three baths, and a great room with cathedral ceilings and lots of glass looking out at Sally’s Gut (I am not referring to former owner’s wife—that’s part of the lake). The home sits on a .48 acre lot with 143’ of frontage. The property was offered at $664,900 and quickly went under agreement in 31 days for $670,000. The current tax assessment on the property was an even $1 million leading me to believe that the new buyer must have been dancing around the closing table.

Over in Alton, at 42 Tranquility Lane, a nice 4,400 square foot Adirondack home built in 1997 also found a new owner. This home was constructed utilizing vintage materials from an old mill and summer camps. It features five bedrooms including a first floor master, four baths, cathedral and wood beam ceilings, additional living space and kitchen on the lower level, great views down the broads, and wonderful sunsets from the huge porches. The home sits on a manicured .60 acre lot with 147’ of shorefront with a breakwater and dock. This property was originally listed in July of 2008 for $1.777 million, relisted in 2010 at $1.499 million, reduced to $1.299 million, and finally sold for $1.075 million. The current tax assessed value was $1.317 million.

The highest sale of the month was at 88 Powers Road in Meredith. This turn of the century lodge style home was built in 1900 and sits literally on the water’s edge.  Ah, what you could do back then! This rather small and cozy, 8,100 square foot home has eight bedrooms, five baths, exposed wood beams and cathedral ceilings, massive stone fireplaces, a great wrap-around porch, and wonderful lake views. The 3.6 acre lot has 200 feet of frontage, manicured lawns, and a nice sandy beach. There’s also a five car garage for your “flivers” and a two bay boathouse to keep the woody in. Now this 110 year old home is pretty remarkable, but it only took the last 10 years of its grand life to find that elusive new buyer. It was originally listed (at least according to the MLS) way back in 2000 at a cool $6 million. It has been listed continually every year since at different price points as high as $6.7 million in 2007. The most recent listing price was $2.495 million which enticed a buyer to make a deal at $1.83 million. The current tax value on the property is currently $2,349,101 which makes me think of Real Estate 101; if the seller had the home priced correctly to start with, it might not have taken a full decade to sell it.

Over on Winnisquam there were two waterfront sales in March bringing the total number so far this year to a total of four. There was just one sale on Winnisquam in the first quarter of 2010 so we are already doing four time better! One of the homes that sold was a classic, cozy three bedroom cottage with a knotty pine interior at 57 Collins Brook Road in Meredith. It sits on a .49 acre lot with 132’ of frontage across from the Loon Sanctuary. It had all the important amenities one would want including a bathroom, outside shower, dock, a boat house, and a shed with a beer fridge! It was listed for $425,000, reduced to $409,900 and sold for $365,000 which is over the $282,900 tax assessment. It must have been the beer fridge? The other sale on Winnisquam was at 24 Bayview Drive in Belmont. This totally renovated ranch style home with a full finished walk out basement has 2,068 square feet of space, three bedrooms, two baths, cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors, fireplace, an eat in kitchen, dock, and 112 feet of shorefront. It was listed at $549,000 and sold for $530,000 with a current tax assessed value of $419,400.

A quick look at happenings up on Squam Lake for the first quarter revealed just two sales which is two more than the start to last year! The sale of significance was at 30 Laurence Road in Holderness which is known as the L.J. Webster Estate. This outstanding example of historical architecture and luxury has 7,353 square feet of living space, sixteen rooms, six bedrooms, and six baths. This impeccable home sits on a private 20 acre parcel surrounded by pristine pastures and woodlands. It has 200 feet of shorefront on Squam and views of the lake and mountains from every room in the house. This is the epitome of a luxury home from another era. This property was originally offered at $4.3 million, was reduced to $3.9 million, and sold for $3.045 million. It sounds like a place you could really get used to…

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There were five waterfront homes sold on Squam Lake in 2010 at an average sales price of $2,029,000. They were on the market an average of 323 days before finding a buyer  which is really not all that long in this market. While having just five transactions on the lake for the whole year is not something to get real excited about, it is far better than just the two transactions that we had last year.  Looking back to the peak year of 2006 there were fifteen sales with an average price of $1,287,933. Hopefully, 2011 will be a better (you could say maybe even a golden) year for Squam waterfront sales.

The largest sale on Squam this year was the property at 238 Route 3 in Holderness. This stunning, vintage lake home was constructed in 1928 for Mrs. George Schraft and had only two subsequent owners. The home has twenty four rooms, eleven bedrooms, and eleven baths so it would be safe to say there is plenty of room for everyone. Features include a beautiful living room with a walk-in stone fireplace and coffered ceilings, paneled walls, a large breakfast room with stone floors that opens out to a patio, leaded glass windows, and numerous fireplaces. Boats are docked in a two bay boat house that has a finished room with half bath above and there is also a five bay garage for the land yachts. This property was listed originally at $9 million and has a tax assessment of just over $4 million . It was only on the market thirty four days before a deal was struck at $6.85 million. The new owner has a truly special and very remarkable piece of Squam Lake.

Another large sale this year was at 23 Shad Bush Road in Holderness. This 2,511 square foot, four bedroom, two bath ranch home sits right on the water’s edge on a private, southerly facing 7.22 acre lot with 422 feet of shorefront. The property has a well appointed kitchen, a large living room with exposed beams and a wall of windows providing great views of the lake, a sunroom, separate guest quarters, a nice patio to sit on and listen to the loons, and a two car garage. This property was originally listed at $3.3 million, was reduced to $2.2 million, and sold for $1.8 million after 783 days on the market. The town has the property assessed for $2,223,400 so it seems that the new owners got a pretty good deal.

The three other sales on Squam were at 159 River St in Ashland for $350,000, 861 Us Rt 3, Holderness for $400,000, and 48 Kesumpe Road for $745,000 proving you don’t have to spend millions to enjoy your summers on Golden Pond. There are a half dozen or so listings currentl available on Squam for under $1 million with others ranging up to $3.2 million. Click here to see all the current Squam Lake Listings!

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Every now and then, just by chance,  you discover something new, special, and  unexpected about the Lakes Region.  This month, I discovered the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest. It is really a special place and I bet most area residents have never ventured there. 

I have a home for sale on Dog Cove on Squam Lake and thought I would try to get a picture of  the home from the other side of the cove. Another agent was telling me about the trails near Dog Cove that he hikes and how nice they are. So the other day I decided to take off and go for a little hike to check it out. I picked up some info on Squam from the Squam Lakes Association which included a map of the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest . This 157 acre forest is owned by the New England Forestry Foundation and managed by the SLA. It is located on College Road in Center Harbor, between Route-25B and Route 3. There are two parking spots with signs indicating where to enter the trails.

There are over four miles of well marked walking trails in this forest and for the most part the terrain is fairly level so you won’t break a sweat, particularly in December. I followed the East Fire Road down to Dog Cove, where it turned and parallels the shoreline. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good picture of my house across the cove, but no matter, there were plenty of things to take pictures of.

The trail wound through the trees, around the rocks, and over makeshift board bridges through wet areas and then veered away from the shore just a bit. On this little stretch of trail, I came upon a simple, yet comfortable lake home that is apparently (according to the sign) owned by Pooh, of Bear fame.  The home has natural wood siding and features a wonderful front door that appears to have been custom made. Many well know celebrities have second homes in the Lakes Region where they can relax, take in the beautiful scenery, and have a laid back vacation. I just didn’t think I would ever stumble on the residence of such a megastar.

Continuing down the trail I came to the Swamp Walk which takes you across the wetland area just inland from Heron Cove.  This elevated boardwalk  is really cool and I am sure the area is teaming with wildlife in the summer. It even has a place to sit down and rest about halfway across. 

The other end of the board walk puts you on Wister Point Trail which follows the shore line past three campsites and rest room facilities.  I would bet these campsites are pretty desirable in the summer months. The point offers some absolutely beautiful views of the lake any time of the year. The trail loops around to several fabulous beaches and another campsite with rest room facilities nearby. There you pick up the West Fire Road trail to take you back to College Road. There are numerous other inland trails that I didn’t get a chance to explore, but I am planning on going back soon to talk to Pooh about listing his house. I’ll check them out then…

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119 Keewaydin Road, Center Harbor, NH

MLS No. 4036459
Offered at $1,299,000

I know it is unbelievable, but this special Squam Lake property is priced $300,000 below assessment!

This quintessential waterfront retreat has 190′ of shore front on Big Squam  & a tranquil setting that evokes feelings of a simpler time.

At the end of a private lane you’ll find a gently sloping driveway leading you through the woods. There you’ll come to a cozy, well built 3 bedroom year-round home on the shores of Golden Pond.

This home has a large eat-in kitchen/dining area, living room, as well as a family room in the basement. You’ll find fireplaces and wood stoves to keep the chill off on a winter’s eve.

Upstairs is a master bedroom with a balcony overlooking the lake. A real tough place to wake up to! There’s also a second bedroom, & a full bath upstairs. Back downstairs is  a 3/4 bath & another bedroom.

A slider leads from the kitchen out to a three season porch & deck beyond. These are the perfect spots to sit with a book or an evening cocktail and survey your surroundings. You’ll feel that you are totally in another world.  You might even think you catch a glimpse of Henry Fonda stalking Walter out on the lake. 

The shore front offers a great swimming area for the kids, dock, mooring, and some great spots for just sitting in an Adirondack. After all, you can’t miss watching the sun go down over your little piece of Squam…

Please watch this slide video tour of this property set to a rollicking Irish tune that was put together by the owner’s daughter:

A little about the past owner of this home..

I thought you might like to know a little about the man who built this home. His name was John Desmond. He was born in 1922 in Boston, Mass and grew up there. In 1940 he went to West Point and joined the Class of 1945 which was designated at the D-Day Class of 1944. On the day our troops stormed Omaha Beach, John received his commission as a second lieutenant of field artillery. He entered the European theater of war in September, 1944 with the 879th Field Artillery Battalion of the 69th Infantry Division. They battled their way across the Rhineland and Central Germany until they met our Soviet allies in Torgua. After V-E day, John stayed in Germany with the occupation forces. John had a long and distinguished military career including a stint as an intelligence office in London, commanded the 3rd Missile Battalion in the 517th Artillery at Selfride AFB, served at the Pentagon, in Korea and Japan, commanded the 52nd Artillery Brigade in Highlands NJ, and served as Director of Operations, J-3, at the Headquarters of Southern Command at Quarry Heights in the Panama Canal Zone. he retired in 1974 with the rank of Brigadier General. He had received the Distinguished Service Medal and three Legions of Merit for outstanding achievements during his military career along with two Army Commendation Medals.

 While stationed in NJ, he and his wife Betty, whom he married in 1948, found this little piece of heaven on Squam in 1964 and  eventually constructed this home. John and Betty lived here together for 15 years until 1988 when Betty passed away. John stayed at this spot that he loved, keeping it open to friends and family until he passed away in January of 2009.

John Desmond was one of the old breed, fighting for our country against the Nazies and protecting our country on daily basis throughout the cold war by command of its air defenses. He was, by my estimation, a great man and served his country proudly.

John, his wife, and family loved this special property.  We are looking for another family that will love it as much as them…