The Urban Refugee

10 Things I Don’t Have To Worry About

OK, a very scientific & thoroughly researched post today (not really).  I am shooting the breeze with some friends who work at Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and as inevitably happens, someone brings up a horror story of a daughter/cousin/former roomate getting scammed out of something!  This opens the floodgates and by the time the next round comes I am pretty sure that the proverbial “END IS NEAR!”

So I got to thinking…how is that we can joke about this stuff happening to OTHERS?   Primarily because it seems so ALIEN to us in our little village life.  So here you go - the list of 10 Things I Don’t Have To Worry About:

1. 1. No Twin Towers - or rather no population density high enough to attract the attention of anyone looking to use innocent people to attract attention to their cause!
2. 2. No smog - EVER!
3. 3. No wildfires, no mudslides, no hurricanes, no tornadoes - in exchange for which we gladly navigate the 8 foot snowbanks that pile-up for 4 months of the year.
4. 4. No termites - who, like my dad, don’t do so well with the deep freeze. Continue Reading…
   

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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… Continue Reading…

Do’s & Don’ts For Real Estate Buyers: Tip 3

Idealism Fades…or “Live-it but Budget!”

My sister and I are in the enviable position of spending lots of time with people in the midst of seriously life changing decisions.  Creative juices flow…the possibilities are REAL…boundaries are questioned and often discarded!  And we are PART OF the process - Brave New World, Damn the Torpedoes, What Color is My Parachute?  (Choose your own spin!)

Our opinions, parables and cautionary tales often affect the decisions that set a family or individual’s trajectory and knowing this, we don’t take our positions lightly.  Not to be a BUZZKILL or anything but sometimes we have to play a moderating role because as the subtitle suggests (neigh, clearly states) idealism can WEAR OFF and it’s best to have planned for this reality!

Better Budget for that Front Door, OK?

An example or two may be in order:   Let’s take the family that falls in love with the A-frame or old Hunting Camp converted to a year-round home.  Hmmm, this one is heated exclusively by wood (albeit a central wood-fired hot water boiler).

Too true - wood heat is efficient, is typically lower cost than fossil fuels and admittedly nothing feels as “warm” as wood heat.  But what about going away for 3 days in heating season?  The house will go down to ambient temperature and HELLO, welcome home to 10^F and frozen toilets!  What about loading the wood larder when you have the flu and your partner is on the couch with a strained back?

Wood is a wonderful source of heat but “live-it and budget”.  Make sure you factor-in the cost to make the conversion to a back-up source of heat.

There can be Limited Demand for converted hunting camps!

That converted A-frame or Hunting Camp (or Schoolhouse or Grange Hall) may remind you of your childhood in Vermont and that  is clearly a good thing.  Unfortunately it was impossible for the original builders of these places to anticipate our INCREDIBLY HIGH STANDARDS for functional layouts, large and uniform room proportions and the ability to support modern heating and wiring.

When clients are in-transition mode and the notion of a “converted” anything is a possibility I always say “Feng Shue” and they answer with a blank stare.  What I mean is that you may or may not believe in the idea of Feng Shue but when you walk into a hotel lobby or waiting room of an office that has been professionally designed and decorated to give it’s occupants a sense of serenity and warmth YOU JUST KNOW IT.  Isn’t that what you want in a home?  Will you get that when you have to get to your washer / dryer using a hatch in the kitchen floor?  Is this a plausible long-term arrangement?

You probably CAN get that serene and warm feeling (the one that really “sells” a home) with this structure as the starting material.  Consider the limitations and the costs carefully, talk to pros and if it really is your dream then follow your path, paint your parachute any color you like and most definitely “Live-it but Budget” because whether you do it for yourself or for a future buyer - SOMEONE’S slightly tattered idealism will demand  it!

Ask The Urban Refugee: Should Non-US Residents Jump-in?

“I live overseas and am thinking it may be a good time to invest in real estate in the States.”

Is it Bargain Hunting Season?

I am living overseas but being from New England I am looking at NH in particular. The thought of searching and purchasing from so far away is daunting…. Any advice?  Is this a good idea?

Thank you,
Elektra, Singapore

Dear Elektra,

Thanks for your great question & in true Urban Refugee form I am going to say “Yes…and No!”  What I mean is that currency differences argue strongly for spending Yen, Pounds, Euros - just about ANYTHING in land of the weak greenback.  The parallel phenomenon of sliding prices and increasing numbers of foreclosures also seem to argue for jumping-in.  I recently heard a radio talk show host speaking about real estate say “America is On Sale!” and I tend to agree.

So where is the NO part?  I have two reservations, Continue Reading…

Do’s & Don’ts For Real Estate Buyers: Tip 2

Hanover, Lyme, Lebanon, Norwich, Thetford Buyer’s Guide: Don’t Overshoot

Insufficient Amenities ?

At least four times per year we get a telephone call or a visit from one peculiar client segment.  It always starts the same way…”I never thought I would be speaking to an agent so soon but…” and although the dialogue will continue for several minutes we know precisely what comes next!

Here is the classic OVERSHOOTER’s Story:  Two years ago I moved here from (BLANK) because I had experienced many wonderful times recharging my soul in the area.  I thought that what I really needed was to be here full-time.  Don’t get me wrong - I did need it and I have never been happier BUT I bought in (Area A) and now I find myself spending all my time in (Area B).  I truly love my house and I hate the thought of leaving it but I spend so much time driving back & forth that I rarely stay at functions as long as I would if I lived closer to (Area B).” Continue Reading…

The New Yorker Magazine Captures The Urban Refugee Message

Street Cred for “The Way of the Refugee”

Like only The New Yorker can do, a comic tells a 10,000 words!  This is from their 12/22-29/08 edition:

Really, how perfect is this?  Anything I add would just detract from the message!

Hanover NH Schools: Bernice A. Ray Elementary

Why the Ray School has worked so well for us

We made the choice to move to the Hanover / Dartmouth area based on one guiding principle - find a community where our children would stay in one school system the whole way through. Giving a single, well-managed school system the opportunity to have your kids from an early age straight through to graduation means that the child’s education has a beginning, a middle and an end with the continuity of a single philosophy. Essentially - kids are “fully minted” when they leave.

Bernice A. Ray School’s dedication to excellence

So it was in this vain that our two kids entered the Bernice A. Ray Elementary School & we were not disappointed in the outcome!

Ray School Playspace

The first thing that hit us was the dedication of the staff. I really can’t think of any way that transitions into the school or between grades could have been handled any better. I think teachers have the autonomy to bring their own personalities and passions to their classrooms. The process of matching the child to the teacher with the most appropriate teaching style is done thoughtfully and in our case, the matches worked out very well.

If you go beyond the experiences with classroom teachers and into arts, languages, special needs and phys-ed the school only gets stronger.

Continue Reading…

Do’s & Don’ts For Real Estate Buyers: Tip 1

Hanover, Lyme, Lebanon, Norwich, Thetford Buyer’s Guide: Don’t forget seasonality

Startling Fall Views

We are fortunate in the Upper Valley to have 4 distinct seasons (summer, fall, winter & mudseason - smile) but the pernicious side of seasons is that they can really mask the “liveability” of a house. Depending on when in the year you look certain aspects of a property will be highlighted and others will be hidden.

For example, you may be impressed by the amount of winter light that floods in as the sun tracks low in the sky but you might not be thinking of how much of the view you will lose when the leaves are on the trees. One Dartmouth alum buying a second home was chagrined to find that he only got his view of Baker Tower when he was up on ski trips! Continue Reading…

2008 Upper Valley Housing Market (in Miniature)

Like the actual housing markets in Norwich, Hartford, Hanover & Lebanon…

A Highly Desirable Neighborhood !

the ranks of houses on the ginger bread market have swelled and buyers can certainly command a great deal!   Each year in December a huge number of gingerbread creations are displayed and bids are collected silent auction-style throughout the day with the winners announced at 4:00pm.   The proceeds of these “closings” go to benefit The Family Place, a shining example of a Vermont Parent Child Center doing what they do best - helping parents and families in the Upper Valley find the services they want.   Continue Reading…

Weekend Warriors - Flee for your lives!

I want to admit to one of life’s little thrills.  It has happened to me a whole bunch of times and it doesn’t get any less pleasurable!

Let me set the scene…it’s a Sunday evening and my family & I are driving north on Interstate 93 to our Hanover, New Hampshire home some 200 km north of Boston.  On the southbound side of the divider are canoes, kayaks, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, snowboards, bass boats, ATVs and horse trailers as far as the eye can see - nearly every one of them sitting on top off or behind an SUV stuck in stop & go traffic 3 lanes wide.

If I had a way to poll the people heading back to the urbs and the burbs I guess that most would say that they wish they could swap their Monday-Friday gig for their Saturday-Sunday gig.  And that’s what makes my smile the widest - because we did.  Every mile I put between us and the crowd is another guarantee that my Mondays will be traffic-free, low-stress and spent with neighbors who not only yield to a commuting cyclist but gladly offer a smile and a thumbs-up.

When I pass the Dartmouth College campus and step out of the car after the trip back from Boston I breathe in sweet, cool air and see a dazzling display of the heavens.  And I don’t even feel so bad for the Southbounders because when they get home they are probably being lulled to sleep by the sweet sounds of highway traffic.