Moving to NH's Lakes Region? Meredith vs. Laconia vs. Gilmanton — Prices, Lifestyle & More — Transcript

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1. 0:00Meredith, Laconia, Gilmanton. Three
2. 0:02towns in Belknap County, New Hampshire.
3. 0:05All beautiful, all different, and all
4. 0:08with buyers who are asking similar
5. 0:10questions.
6. 0:11Today, I'm going to give you an honest,
7. 0:14straightforward comparison, so you can
8. 0:17figure out which town fits your
9. 0:19lifestyle. No sugarcoating, no sales
10. 0:22pitch, just real information.
11. 0:26Hey everyone, I'm Christine Johnson,
12. 0:27your favorite Lakes Region real estate
13. 0:29agent. And I love helping buyers find
14. 0:33not just the right home, but the right
15. 0:35town, because where you live shapes
16. 0:38everything. Your morning routine, your
17. 0:40commute, your weekends, your whole life.
18. 0:43So, let's break down three very
19. 0:45different Belknap County towns and
20. 0:47figure out which one might be calling
21. 0:49your name. Let's start with Meredith.
22. 0:52The one that makes people gasp a little
23. 0:54when they first drive through.
24. 0:56Meredith sits right on Lake
25. 0:58Winnipesaukee and has that classic New
26. 1:01England lakeside town feel that people
27. 1:03dream about when they picture New
28. 1:04Hampshire.
29. 1:06The downtown is walkable, genuinely
30. 1:08lovely, and packed with independently
31. 1:10owned shops, restaurants, and cafes. If
32. 1:14a cozy coffee shop with a water view
33. 1:16sounds like your idea of a perfect
34. 1:18Saturday morning, Meredith is already
35. 1:21whispering your name. Meredith's
36. 1:22lifestyle is active and scenic. You've
37. 1:25got easy lake access, beautiful
38. 1:27waterfront walking, and a town that
39. 1:29genuinely comes alive in all four
40. 1:30seasons. Summer is busy and full of
41. 1:34energy. Tourists come through, the lake
42. 1:36is hopping, and there's always something
43. 1:39going on.
44. 1:40Fall is jaw-droppingly beautiful. And
45. 1:43winter?
46. 1:44Peaceful in the best possible way. The
47. 1:46community feel? Meredith has a strong
48. 1:49sense of local pride. It's the kind of
49. 1:51town where people actually go downtown,
50. 1:54know their neighbors, and show up for
51. 1:56community events. For an introvert who
52. 1:58likes having the option of community
53. 2:00without being overwhelmed by it,
54. 2:02Meredith strikes a really nice balance.
55. 2:05As far as a commute, if you're working
56. 2:07locally in the Lakes Region, Meredith is
57. 2:09well positioned. If you're commuting
58. 2:11south toward Concord or Manchester,
59. 2:14you're looking at roughly 45 minutes to
60. 2:16an hour depending on where you're
61. 2:17headed. It's doable, but worth factoring
62. 2:20in.
63. 2:21Especially in the summer when that
64. 2:22traffic might be a little
65. 2:27Meredith's prices do carry a premium,
66. 2:29especially anything near or on the
67. 2:31water.
68. 2:32For the current active listings, the
69. 2:34median home price in Meredith is 7899
70. 2:38with an average price of 2.3 million
71. 2:40when you factor in the high-end
72. 2:41lakefront properties.
73. 2:43You're paying for the location, the
74. 2:45lifestyle, and the view. And most buyers
75. 2:48feel it's worth every penny. Bottom line
76. 2:51on Meredith, if lifestyle, walkability,
77. 2:54and that quintessential Lakes Region
78. 2:56feel are your top priorities,
79. 2:58and your budget has some room,
80. 3:00Meredith just may be your town.
81. 3:03Next up is Laconia, the heart of Belknap
82. 3:06County, and the city that sometimes gets
83. 3:09underestimated. It has more going on
84. 3:12than people sometimes give it credit
85. 3:13for.
86. 3:14It's got the infrastructure of a city,
87. 3:17more services, more amenities, more
88. 3:18options, while still being surrounded by
89. 3:21the natural beauty of the Lakes Region.
90. 3:23And it's right on Winnipesaukee, has
91. 3:25Paugus Bay, and is absolutely beautiful.
92. 3:30Lifestyle in Laconia is more urban in
93. 3:32feel than Meredith or Gilmanton, and I
94. 3:35mean that in the best way.
95. 3:37You've got a broader range of
96. 3:38restaurants, shops, healthcare options,
97. 3:40things to do. Laconia has Bike Week that
98. 3:43draws a massive crowd every June if
99. 3:46that's your scene. And if not, well, no
100. 3:49worries, it is only one week out of the
101. 3:51year.
102. 3:52Although you will find those bikes
103. 3:54rolling up and down all through the
104. 3:56summer.
105. 3:58Prescott Farm Environmental Education
106. 4:00Center is a wonderful local gem, over
107. 4:02150 acres of trails, history, and nature
108. 4:06that Laconia residents have
109. 4:08practically in their backyard.
110. 4:11The pier area has also been seeing some
111. 4:13revitalization in recent years, which is
112. 4:16exciting for the whole city.
113. 4:18Laconia has a gritty, real working
114. 4:20community feel. It's not a postcard
115. 4:23town, it's a real town with real people
116. 4:25and real character.
117. 4:27If you value authenticity, diversity,
118. 4:30and a city that's actively investing in
119. 4:32its own future, Laconia deserves a
120. 4:34serious look.
121. 4:36As far as a commute goes, you're
122. 4:38positioned right near 93 in Tilton,
123. 4:41and you can get to Concord in about 35
124. 4:43to 40 minutes, and Manchester in about
125. 4:45an hour.
126. 4:47Laconia makes it easier.
127. 4:50Price? Well, this is where Laconia
128. 4:53stands out. The current median home
129. 4:55price is 754, but the average is at
130. 4:58923,000.
131. 5:01You definitely have a wider range of
132. 5:03price availability than Meredith.
133. 5:06For buyers who want to be in Belknap
134. 5:07County with Lakes Region living and real
135. 5:10city amenities, Laconia offers strong
136. 5:12value per dollar. Bottom line,
137. 5:15Laconia for affordability,
138. 5:18convenience, and city life.
139. 5:21And then there's Gilmanton, which is a
140. 5:23completely different feel.
141. 5:26And honestly, some people hear about it
142. 5:28and immediately know it's theirs.
143. 5:30Gilmanton is rural, genuinely beautiful,
144. 5:34rolling hills, dirt roads, farmhouses,
145. 5:37forests.
146. 5:39For lifestyle,
147. 5:40if your dream involves privacy, land,
148. 5:43quiet mornings, and nature that feels
149. 5:45completely uninterrupted, Gilmanton
150. 5:47delivers.
151. 5:49This is the town for the person who
152. 5:50wants a little more space between
153. 5:52themselves and their neighbors.
154. 5:54There are no traffic jams in Gilmanton.
155. 5:57There is, however, an absolutely
156. 5:59gorgeous view, whether it's at Crystal
157. 6:01Lake, Sawyer Lake,
158. 6:04Loon Pond.
159. 6:05It has the kind of stargazing you forgot
160. 6:07was possible until you move somewhere
161. 6:09without light pollution.
162. 6:11For the book-loving, trail-walking
163. 6:14introvert buyer who just wants to
164. 6:16breathe, Gilmanton might be exactly what
165. 6:19you need.
166. 6:20As far as the community feel, small,
167. 6:22tight-knit, and deeply rooted. Gilmanton
168. 6:25has a real town meeting culture. People
169. 6:28are engaged and invested in their
170. 6:29community, even if that community is
171. 6:31small.
172. 6:33Don't expect a downtown strip or a
173. 6:35coffee shop on the corner, but do expect
174. 6:37neighbors who wave and that community
175. 6:40feel.
176. 6:41And that kind of quiet that people pay a
177. 6:43lot of money to find on vacation.
178. 6:45As far as a commute,
179. 6:47it's an honest trade-off. Gilmanton's
180. 6:49more rural, which means you're further
181. 6:51from the main routes. Concord's roughly
182. 6:5340 to 45 minutes, Manchester closer to
183. 6:56an hour. If you're commuting daily,
184. 6:59factor that in carefully. But for remote
185. 7:01work,
186. 7:02this may be a non-issue. Gilmanton
187. 7:04offers some of the most
188. 7:07land and square footage per dollar in
189. 7:09Belknap County.
190. 7:11The current median home price is 5999
191. 7:14with an average of 604.
192. 7:17And that tight spread between median and
193. 7:18average tells you something important.
194. 7:21Gilmanton is consistent. There aren't
195. 7:23wild swing.
196. 7:24What you see is pretty much what you
197. 7:26get. And what you get is a lot of
198. 7:28property for the price.
199. 7:30Bottom line on Gilmanton, if privacy,
200. 7:32land, rural beauty, and slower pace of
201. 7:35life are what you're after,
202. 7:37then
203. 7:38Gilmanton might be the hidden gem you
204. 7:40didn't know you were looking for.
205. 7:42So, let's bring it home.
206. 7:45Meredith for the lifestyle lover,
207. 7:48walkable, scenic,
208. 7:49and worth every penny.
209. 7:52Laconia for the practical buyer who
210. 7:54wants Lakes Region living with city
211. 7:56convenience, and Gilmanton for the
212. 7:58person who wants to escape the noise,
213. 8:01breathe deep, and put down roots
214. 8:03somewhere that actually feels like
215. 8:04somewhere.
216. 8:05The truth is there's no wrong answer
217. 8:07here. It really comes down to who you
218. 8:10are and how you want to live. And
219. 8:12figuring that out is honestly my
220. 8:14favorite part of this job.
221. 8:17If you want more details about each of
222. 8:18these towns, check out the links in my
223. 8:20blog in the description. And if this
224. 8:23video helped you, please give a like,
225. 8:25drop a comment which town you're leaning
226. 8:28toward, and subscribe for more real talk
227. 8:30about life and real estate in Belknap
228. 8:32County. I'll see you in the next one.