Understanding Hanover House Pricing: Zone Approach
The three rings of Hanover houses can explain rational selling prices
Hanover Yellow Zone: Walk-to-Town Ring
Within 5 minutes of being in my car new clients will have been exposed to the “3 rings of Hanover houses” concept. This handy device forms a framework for conversations and explanations on topics as varied as price justifications, zoning & variances, commute times, playdates and seasonal variations in social habits of the Upper Valley. It very well may be the second most important concept for the incoming individual or family that is certain that they want to end up in Hanover, Etna, Norwich or Lyme.
On the surface it’s very simple - we can break the housing options into three concentric “rings” (or concentric polygons for those that who aren’t into the whole brevity thing). The center of the rings focuses on the Main St, Howe Library, Dartmouth Campus (shown by a green “D” on the map above) and the Hanover Food Coop areas. For short form that is the Walk-to-Town ring or the Yellow Zone on the map. This ring is characterized by late 1800s and early to mid 1900s houses on lots of 1 acre or less but most often 1/3 acre or less. The two car garage that actually fits two modern cars is a rare and enviable commodity in the Yellow Zone! If we were to track Selling price per Square footage of houses in Hanover then this zone would certainly be the highest and probably so by a wide margin.
Life in the Walk-to-Town or Yellow Zone is characterized by…
less driving and more home-hosted events. If you have kids over age 10 then they are likely to walk to the library, the Hopkins Center, the Hanover Rec Center or to Lou’s for a slice of chocolate cake. If they are under that age then your house is likely to be the defacto spot for playdates as parents running errands will find it most convenient to come to you on their way to the bank or the gym, etc. If kids aren’t in your lexicon then then we can say that colleagues and friends will be most likely to stop at your place for drinks or a bikeride after work. Winter events will likely begin with a rendezvous at your place, testing your capacity to fit cars amidst the snowbanks!
Walk to town can come at a price and not just financial. Privacy is not a hallmark of the Yellow Zone and the overlap of college life and town life is strongest here. Neighbors will see your comings & goings. If your idyllic Northern New England experience doesn’t include students living in rented houses then you are not advised to choose this place to live. Of course there are exceptions to this in Walk-to-Town neighborhoods but as rule, this is the trade-off for such proximity to so many events, amenities and commerce.
Finally we can say that seasonal variations in life are fewest in this area. When the daylight hours are limited you may feel more inclined to tuck-in for the evening starting at 6:00pm but the inertia is relatively easy to overcome if you can roll onto Main St for a lecture, a film or dinner at the Canoe Club with just 5 minutes of effort!
Wide-area Map with Hanover Orange & Yellow Zones
The next ring radiating outward from the Yellow Zone s the Bike-to-Town zone or the Range Zone on the map include here. It includes the spur roads off of East Wheelock, the Brook Rd & Wyeth Rd neighborhoods, the lower portion of Greensboro Rd and the areas around the elementary (Bernice Ray School) and the middle school (Francis Richmond School). I call these the Bike-to-Town neighborhoods because the walk is do-able and for the most part pleasant but the 20 minute walk is often more commonly transited by a 5-7 minute bike ride.
In terms of architecture (and selling prices per sq foot)…
To get an e-copy of the balance of this article & an image of the 3 zones please email sam@shelleyandsam.com with “3 Rings” or something similar in the Subject. Hope you enjoy The Urban Refugee! (T) 603 359-5864