This Winnisquam water-access cottage will get you on the lake this summer at an affordable price!

The property features a large living area with wood burning fireplace, nice kitchen, two bedrooms, and a large full bath and laundry.

The home sits on level .31 acre corner lot and is just a short stroll to the beautiful association beach and docks. There is also a 20′ x 24′ garage to keep your water toys or snowmobile in. Enjoy all that Winnisquam has to offer without paying high waterfront taxes.

Small, friendly association of 17 property owners. Yearly dues usually run under $100 per year for maintenance of the beach. Docks will take up to a 20 foot boat. 

MLS #2830171            

135 Dr. True Rd, Sanbornton, NH          

Offered at $210,000 

If you are looking for a great place to call home in the Lakes Region or if you want a great vacation get-a-way this property might just be it! This home sits on a very private 3 acre, nicely landscaped lot with wonderful views of the lake. You will feel like you are all alone with nature as there are plenty of deer, fox, wild turkey, birds, and the occasional moose to view out your front window. This comfortable Winnisquam view property also has access to one of the nicest beaches on the lake that offers a boat launch, moorings, and dock space.

This cape style home has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and features a fantastic, open floor plan with lots of light from the many windows facing to the lake. The cathedral ceiling living room  flows nicely into the well apointed kitchen which has stainless styled appliances and a large island. The perfect space for entertaining. Upstairs is devoted to the large master suite and a loft area. There is a full, partially finished walk out basement, a fantastic low maintenance deck, and a detached two car garage.

The home has been extremely well maintained and shows the pride in ownership that buyers look for in today’s competitive market…

MLS No. 2769718  

24 Eagle Ledge Rd, Meredith, NH

Offered At: $299,900

Waterfront property sales in the Lakes Region are obviously a very important segment of our local real estate market. After all, we are the Lakes Region, and people come here to vacation and play year after year. Not surprisingly, many visitors end up wanting to buy their own little piece of paradise on the waters edge. Waterfront sales are also a good indicator of the strength of the overall market and perhaps even our local economy. Waterfront property is, and will continue to be, one of the most expensive kinds of real estate you can buy here or anywhere else for that matter. The old saying “they ain’t making any more waterfront” has never been more true. So did buyers continue to see value on the water in the Lakes Region in 2008? A quick look at sales on Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam will tell the story.

There is no doubt that the overall real estate market in 2008 in terms of the total number of sales was down in every price range. It is not surprising, therefore, that the number of sales on Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam were both down in 2008 compared to previous years as well. It is just a sign of the bad economic times and it shows that some buyers are holding off purchasing that waterfront home of their dreams. In 2008 Winnipesaukee registered 76 sales compared to 115 in 2007. That is also just about half the sales recorded in 2004. Winnisquam had  just 10 sales in 2008 which is also about half the number for a normal sales year.

So maybe not as many people were buying in 2008, but the good news is that on both lakes the average sales price compared to 2007 went up. We now stand at $1,217,880 on the big lake. Except for a big spike in prices in 2006 which caused 2007 to look a little off, the average sales price on Winnipesaukee has gone up every year.  The average price on Winnipesaukee has almost doubled from the $637K average price registered back in 2000. The average sales price on Winnisquam broke the $600,000 mark which indicates how popular and desirable the big lake’s little sister has become. The fact that sales prices on the lakes have held up should give buyers of lakefront property assurance that their investment will increase in value over time and give current waterfront owners the confidence that values are there for them if they decide to sell.

The breakdown of sales by town on Winnipesaukee shows that Moultonborough leads the way in terms of total sales followed by Meredith and Gilford. That is not surprising due to the sheer number of waterfront homes in Moultonborough and the very low property tax burden there which makes it a very desirable town to live in. That’s definitely where I am headed as soon as I can save up my down payment!

Winnipesaukee Waterfront Sales Including Island Property

	Total Sold	Median Sales Price	Average Sales Price	% Sold to List Price
2004	150	$874,500	$1,052,026	93%
2005	121	$890,000	$1,144,289	93%
2006	108	$985,000	$1,234,276	92%
2007	115	$875,000	$1,168,190	91%
2008	76	$926,250	$1,217,880	91%

  

Winnisquam Waterfront Sales Report

	Total Sold	Median Sales Price	Average Sales Price	% Sales to List Price
2004	22	$495,000	$585,127	92%
2005	21	$450,000	$545,352	97%
2006	21	$560,000	$564,705	95%
2007	14	$497,000	$517,143	96%
2008	10	$629,500	$602,700	92%

Winnipesaukee 2008 Waterfront Sales Report

Town	Total Sold	Median Sales Price	Ave Sales Price	% Sold to List Price
Alton	8	$1,231,250	$1,215,938	90%
Center Harbor	-	-	-	-
Gilford	14	$703,500	$1,329,571	88%
Laconia	4	$527,500	$728,750	96%
Meredith	17	$916,500	$1,064,824	92%
Moultonborough	21	$1,000,000	$1,227,445	94%
Tuftonboro	7	$635,000	$756,286	89%
Wolfeboro	5	$2,600,000	$2,570,000	91%

On the waterfront…   We are halfway through the year and it seems appropriate to take a look and see how waterfront properties on the four major lakes in the Lakes Region are selling. Waterfront sales are a huge part of our total real estate market.  It is pretty clear to see from the following charts that most waterfront sales occur in the second half of the year, but it is worth a look to see how the first half sales stack up against prior years. All  the numbers in the chart are derived from sales occurring between Jan. 1 and June 30 of each year. These sales also include island properties.
 
Sales on Lake Winnipesaukee are off to a slower start than the past three years. We are down about 35% from last year but show an increase of $286,779 in the average sale price. Twenty of the thirty three sales were over $1 million. Eight of those million dollar plus sales were in Moultonborough. Gilford, Meredith, and Alton each posted three sales, and Laconia, Meredith, and Wolfeboro had one sale each.
 
Winnisquam, Squam, and Newfound lakes don’t have the sales volume of Winnipesaukee. After all, Winnipesaukee is a much larger lake bordering eight communities.  Winnisquam is the more affordable of the four lakes listed and posted four sales with a slightly lower average sales price than last year. Squam Lake had the highest average sales price of the four lakes in 2007 and posted two sales so far this year but dropped $400,000 in the average sales price. Newfound has had only one sale so far at an entry level price of $330,000.  With far fewer sales on these three lakes, lower average sales numbers don’t necessarily point to lower overall waterfront prices. They more likely reflect the lower values of the particular properties that sold. In any event, waterfront sales are a good indicator of how well the Lakes Region economy is doing overall, so let’s hope for a strong second half of the year.

Winnipesaukee Sale Jan - June 2008

Winnisquam Sales Jan - June 2008

Squam Sales Jan - June 2008

Newfound Sales Jan-June 2008

We usually see a couple dozen sales per year on Lake Winnisquam. The following chart

gives you the sales on Lake Winnisquam since 2003 and as expected sales for 2007 were off the mark from previous years. Prices range from just under $300,000 to occasionally breaking the $1 million mark. Like any lake, pricing is all about the location and water frontage. Waterfront sales on the lower end of the pricing scale were often on the canals on the Belmont side of the lake. While they did provide good boating access to the main lake they aren’t really what I would consider great waterfront properties particularly if you like to swim off your dock!