Posted: 1/7/2026 2:26:53 PM EDT
[Last Edit: kc1911][Edited]
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Just wondering any good places to look for housing. Hopefully I can get a house or something. Any advice will be appreciated. Update: Job location will be with the Dartmouth Medical Center. Priority wise would be definitely clear roads to the hospital (I will have to take call on some weekends and holidays). I would like to have some privacy. I will have my significant other with me and hopefully raise a family there. That being said I would like a house at least 3/2 but right now I live in a 5/3.5 and hopefully at least 1 acre but won't complain if more. Price wise around 400k I hope but can be flexible. I do have some motorcycles and a jon boat so some storage for toys would be nice. |
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NOT my AO at all. I only go down there for the VA hospital. Have heard it gets pricey right in town. Common suggestions are to stretch out 15-30 minutes N/S or along I89 for cheaper digs. With a commute in mind, all numbered routes are maintained by the state. They do a pretty darn good job in the winter. With Dartmouth and DHMC, there is plenty of stuff there from shopping to food. I always stop at a Mexican place there. Last time I was in they had Happy Gilmore on one TV and The Waterboy on the other.  Good luck. If you're trying to swing a larger parcel of land (>10 acres) know there are potential property tax incentives in it. The term is "Current Use", which sounds backwards as you're incentivized for keeping things green/not building. |
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Lebanon is located in what is known as the Upper Valley. This consists of a handful of towns in NH and VT surrounding, basically, West Lebanon, which is the shopping hub for the area. Housing is tight in the valley right now, with resulting higher prices. If you're willing to commute a bit, though, you can find pretty reasonable property prices within 25 to 30 minutes of W. Leb and Hanover (where Dartmouth College is). Properties in small town VT across the river are cheaper than over here in NH. But then again, you'll pay VT taxes. What's your budget? Rent or buy? What town is the job in? |
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
| Job location will be with the Dartmouth Medical Center. Priority wise would be definitely clear roads to the hospital (I will have to take call on some weekends and holidays). I would like to have some privacy. I will have my significant other with me and hopefully raise a family there. That being said I would like a house at least 3/2 but right now I live in a 5/3.5 and hopefully at least 1 acre but won't complain if more. Price wise around 400k I hope but can be flexible. I do have some motorcycles and a jon boat so some storage for toys would be nice. |
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You're going to find decent places in towns like Enfield and Canaan and that general area. Those places are about 15-30 min away from Dartmouth. stay away from Hanover and the greater Lebanon area, as Hanover is upper crust and housing prices reflect that. Lebanon area is well, small city suburb living. VT will be pricey, you'll have to pay VT state income tax, even though you work in NH. Property taxes are about the same as NH as well. VT 2a rights are being stripped away by flatlanders moving in. So, be weary. As a former Vermonter, I am so glad I moved to NH. |
"Hey Teacher, if my kid is misbehaving, slap the kid next to him." -diesel1 (May 2024)
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@kc1911 Your budget is on the low end for that area. This is not mine - but it’s an example of a 3/2 near the hospital: Link here. You’ll need to push out into the more rural areas to even get close to $400k for an 3/2, and depending on your exact needs as far as road access, that may not meet your expectations, since I don’t know your frame of reference when you mention road maintenance. How many minutes are you looking for in your commute? Depending on how far you can push that, I might be able to suggest some places to look. Knowing the area/region you’re coming from would help as well, so that I can gauge what your expectations in general might be and take that into account in any recommendation. |
| As another poster mentioned, Canaan and Enfield are popular commuter towns to Lebanon and Hanover. But if you want to drive just a little further check out Grafton. No zoning in Grafton, you can pretty much do whatever you want out here. I routinely hear FA/FRT fire. A house with somewhat close proximity to route 4 will get you on State maintained roads ( well plowed/salted). |
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Originally Posted By usaceranger: As another poster mentioned, Canaan and Enfield are popular commuter towns to Lebanon and Hanover. But if you want to drive just a little further check out Grafton. No zoning in Grafton, you can pretty much do whatever you want out here. I routinely hear FA/FRT fire. A house with somewhat close proximity to route 4 will get you on State maintained roads ( well plowed/salted). I would never buy a place where I had to commute west on Rt 4A to get to Rt 4 headed toward DHMC. The intersection of 4A and Rt 4 is a nightmare. Rt 4 is the main artery for traffic to and from the Upper Valley center from the bedroom communities to the east. It gets quite busy during commute times. You might want to get on zillow and poke around. You'll see the high dollar properties in Hanover, Lyme, Orford, and across the river in Norwich, VT. Expand your search to the surrounding areas and you'll see the prices drop considerably. |
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
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Originally Posted By usaceranger: But if you want to drive just a little further check out Grafton. No zoning in Grafton, you can pretty much do whatever you want out here. I routinely hear FA/FRT fire. A house with somewhat close proximity to route 4 will get you on State maintained roads ( well plowed/salted). Good point on the zoning. Grafton might be a bit of a haul, but no zoning is really really nice. I'm in Dalton with no zoning, permitting, inspections, fees, whatever. Build what you want when you want. Shoot whenever and whatever. ******************************* OP, on that topic every town has a different take on regulations when it comes to zoning, permits, inspections, fees, etc. Hunt around on town's websites if things like this is important to you. |
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Originally Posted By kc1911: Canaan and Enfield are definitely top of the list. Grocery stores, restaurants, and retail shopping is definitely limited here compared to what I am accustomed. Late reply. Again, not my AO, but a lot of NH is like that once you get away from the crowded areas down south. Things revolve around shopping hub towns or at a minimum, the town with the grocery and hardware store. Sometimes all your town has is a gas station with the obligatory pizza/sandwich counter. I'm surprised they don't have a Market Basket in town there, but I guess not. If I want to splurge on good groceries, I drive an hour to the super walmart. |
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Originally Posted By FDC: Late reply. Again, not my AO, but a lot of NH is like that once you get away from the crowded areas down south. Things revolve around shopping hub towns or at a minimum, the town with the grocery and hardware store. Sometimes all your town has is a gas station with the obligatory pizza/sandwich counter. I'm surprised they don't have a Market Basket in town there, but I guess not. If I want to splurge on good groceries, I drive an hour to the super walmart. Originally Posted By FDC: Originally Posted By kc1911: Canaan and Enfield are definitely top of the list. Grocery stores, restaurants, and retail shopping is definitely limited here compared to what I am accustomed. Late reply. Again, not my AO, but a lot of NH is like that once you get away from the crowded areas down south. Things revolve around shopping hub towns or at a minimum, the town with the grocery and hardware store. Sometimes all your town has is a gas station with the obligatory pizza/sandwich counter. I'm surprised they don't have a Market Basket in town there, but I guess not. If I want to splurge on good groceries, I drive an hour to the super walmart. As FDC stated, Super Walmart(s) have pretty much everything you need. Other "good" grocery stores are Hannafords, and Market Basket (The bucket). I searched for a local butcher for you, and the last good one seems to have shut down. I have friends that live in Enfield, I can ask if they know of a local butcher. |
"Hey Teacher, if my kid is misbehaving, slap the kid next to him." -diesel1 (May 2024)
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Originally Posted By Rooster-X: As FDC stated, Super Walmart(s) have pretty much everything you need. Other "good" grocery stores are Hannafords, and Market Basket (The bucket). I searched for a local butcher for you, and the last good one seems to have shut down. I have friends that live in Enfield, I can ask if they know of a local butcher. In addition to the chains mentioned above, Shaws is good for basic staples. You can take your pets to Cardigan Vet Clinic and while you're there you can buy some lamb or Elk that they raise on their own farm. There are lots of small farm operations like that in the area. |
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
|
I moved around most of my life for work. In fact, this is the first place I have ever owned property. IME renting and getting the feel for an area before buying is the way to do it. Learn the back roads, the traffic, what makes noise, the local politics, etc. I don't like people, so no clue about shooting. I shoot on my own property. For those that don't, lots of NH is club based with occasional club events. As you can tell, even though there seems to be a lot of NH members, this isn't the most talkative section of the board. Other regional based forums are northeast shooters which is 98% Mass residents and a semi active NH population. I stopped posting there a couple years ago, but occasionally browse. reddit has a NHGuns sub where someone posts Appleseed info from time to time. |
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