or the surrounding area?
DW and I are going up this week to look at a house. Actually, it is a BnB, being foreclosed on and auctioned off. Owner is still trying to sell it before seizure, so she can get a little bit out of it. It is set up for more guest rooms than we would like to run, so I would be looking at some interior renovating – also increasing the owners living area.
Already know that property taxes are high (~ 10K year). The town has been fighting a landfill for years and has to raise money for it.
The town itself seems nice, open towards newcomers. Anyone know of the area?
Replies
I think I drove through there once about 35 years ago.
Lots of summer tourism in the general area but there's plenty of choices for places to stay. Summers season is barely 8 weeks. Peak autumn season lasts 2 weekends, three at the max. I can't imagine much in the way of business from mid-Oct until late November. Maybe a Xmas blip for everyone who wants to have their greeting cards postmarked from Bethleham. Past couple of winters have been very poor for skiing. Ski areas are loaded with condos and time shares and are right on the slopes. Many sedentary travelers are at the Mt. Washington Hotel getting pampered. BnB's don't appeal to the hiking crowd, they'll be staying at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch. Shoppers are staying in North Conway area. Hunters are not pulling into BnBs
It's a very nice area for sure but if the BnB would be your sole source of income, I'd think it would be challenging. I travel in that neck of the woods frequently, and have for years, but for some reason I've never actually spent the night there. Not that I've avoided it, just that there are plenty of other choices that are closer (or better suited) to the things that travelers seem to want to do (ski, hike, hunt, and shop).
Edited 8/18/2007 11:07 pm ET by RedfordHenry
If there are any snowmobile trails connecting to the property it would definately help with the off season rentals but it is extremely weather dependant. The last two years heve been pretty bad for snowmobiling. I have a place in Freedom, NH on Ossipee lake and I gatta say, that is a very deslate place in the winter. I love it though. No place I'd rather be, especially in the summer. Winter's are great if you like your privacy.
hi
i live in bethlehem and also own a b and b. are you referring to the pink one that used to be called the angel of the mountains. if so, be careful...the bank has been trying to unload it for over a year, even went to auction here in town and no takers. too many "hidden" expenses that the bank would not disclose. the previous owners, now in maine spent a great deal of money on advertising every year and therefore had a good book to show, the latest owners from ny did nothing, sorta like if you open it they will come.well, they didnt. tourism here in the north country has declined since 9/11 and rising gas prices has not helped either.
the dump issue has been going on for over ten years, Casella Waste Management owns the dump has tons of money for lawyers, etc., hopefully we will prevail. As far as taxes go, nh has some of the highest property taxes in the us, but no income tax or sales tax.
need more info, let me know
mbmmd,Actually we are looking at the Northern Star Inn:http://www.northernstarinn.com/We are looking to relocate, because the mid-atlantic area sucks; too crowded, expensive, people are just to busy to enjoy life. Thinking was that a BnB would be one source of income - I am a remodeler/handyman, my wife is looking for a job as a counselor.One thing that has been bothering me a little is why has no one else snatched up this property? And why did it go under? Was it the operator or the area- decline in tourism. From what I could gather in the online reviews, the property was neglected from the standpoint of decor and furnishing- people said it was dirty and worn out. It has 14 rooms and baths, not sure if we want to run one that large. Looking at the potential for enlarging the rooms and reducing the overall number. I guess it comes down to whether the area can handle another BnB or is it already saturated. Your thoughtsThanks,John
the northern star has alot of potential, a large structure on a side street about a block or so from main st. Understand that bethlehem is a small town, bout 2000 when everyone is here at the same time. i believe that it went under because of neglect and because of the population it catered to. Most of the other inns in the area are rather upscale, finely restored properties from the victorian era but the northern star is sad to look at, would take some work, but as they say its got potential.
we are not saturated with inns, in fact it is speculated that as the Mt Washington Hotel and the MountainView Grand expand, the actual traffic thru town will increase, hence more business. to be honest as i mentioned before, things have really gone downhill since 9/11. the wife and i used to be the only americans in the house during foliage season, it was like we had lost the revolution...so many brits, etc staying here. Now no one is fully booked. that appears to be a trend in tourism though. Up here you just have to have something else to fall back onto when the going gets tough. Having a regular paycheck sure helps..
mbmmmd, What is the story with the landfill? As I understand it, the legal battle has been over their desire to expand. My wife is concerned about toxic emissions (or just a stink) into the air/leachate in to the water.You have a way I can contact you if we are in town? Don't want to impose, but it would really help to talk to someone local, especially running a BnB. If not, no worries.Thanks again.john
did you get my email?
mbmmd,didn't get your email, but thanksWe got back last night. The Northern Star needed way more than we had to put in- at least $100K in renovations, not including decorating. Needed new roof, 10 new baths, entire 1st floor ceiling replaced... Aside form that, the place was pretty much devoid of any charm or character. Zero ornamental woodwork or plasterwork, or even a halfway decent paint scheme. To tell you the truth, I don't know how it ever made it as a BnB, maybe as flophouse for ne'er-do-wells and lie-abouts. The property was probably worth what she wanted (or would have taken), but we didn't have the capitol to make turn it into a profitable business. It was auctioned Friday, no idea what they got for it.On the other hand, we really liked that part of the White Mountains, and will continue to look for property there, though probably not a bnb.John
My brother and I and our families have been hiking and vacationing in the white mountains for over 20 years. 2 hour drive from Boston. He bought a small farm house in Bethlehem about 8 years ago. Good timing, he did well.
A couple years ago, I was up there, decided to spend the night with DW, we stumbled on The Grande Victorian Cottage. 53 Berkley st. Grand house, classy hosts. Old money. Francess had an antique business, used her best items to furnish the place. Steve, ex lawyer turned remodeler, hired the best locals to restore the place.
We were the only guests that night. Dead of summer. Our stay was memorable. They were doing it for the fun of it, but told us how hard it was to make a business of it. People calling them from NYC trying to nickle and dime them on a night's stay. They had also purchased another place in town, big acreage with a view of Mt Washington, and were redoing it. The guy wanted to cut his losses and sell it as is. All his talk was around how hard it was to make a buck, and how fast things had turned south.
That was 2 years ago. It hasn't gotten better since.
YMMV.