There are literally 273 lakes, ponds and rivers to enjoy in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. When you take Exit 20 off of I93 north, you only have to travel a few miles to Lake Winnisquam, New Hampshire’s 4th largest lake. Let’s take a look at this beautiful, popular lake in the heart of our Lakes Region.
The lake is approximately 4,214 acres, roughly 1/10 of the size of Lake Winnipesaukee in surface area. The lake includes a shoreline of 28.2 miles. The lake is roughly 10.5 miles long and approximately 1.5 miles wide. The maximum depth is 173 feet with an average depth of 49 feet. There are five towns that enjoy shore frontage along the lake; Tilton, Sanbornton, Belmont, Laconia and Meredith. Lake Winnisquam has five islands; Loon Island, Three Islands, Pot Island Hog Island and Mohawk Island. The lake is a natural habitat for Bald Eagles, Loons and many cold water species of fish including Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Salmon and White Fish. The warm water species include Large and Small Mouth Bass, Pickerel, Hornpout, White Perch, Northern Pike, Wall Eye, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch and Blue Gill.
A series of lakes create a wonderful watershed for the region. Merry Meeting Lake flows into the Merry Meeting River, into Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnipesaukee flows into Paugus Bay through the Lakeport Dam into Lake Opechee in Laconia, Opechee then flows through the dam in Downtown Laconia and into Lake Winnisquam through the Winnipesaukee River, from there Winnisquam flows through the river to Silver Lake and eventually reaches the Merrimack River ending up in the Atlantic Ocean.
There are also a number of natural springs that help create the quality of the water that our lakes are known for nationally. Additionally, the freezing of the lakes during the winter months helps to cleanse and regenerate the water before the spring season, in addition to the constant movement of water throughout the watershed.
Winnisquam has a large northern basin and small southern basin which is separated by the Mosquito Bridge on Route 3. From the bridge you can see in the distance a huge sandbar which attracts many boaters for swimming and water activities. There are several marinas on the lake offering boat sales, rentals, gas, service, boat slips, valet rack service, as well as winter storage. The public boat launch is located off of Water Street in
Laconia and has several staging lanes and large parking area. The general public can swim at Bartlett Beach and Ahern State Park which offers 3,500 feet of undeveloped shoreline with a gradual, natural sand beach on 128 acres with beautiful walking and biking trails. The lake is surrounded by all sorts of housing styles, from rustic camps, condominiums, elegant lake front homes and there are many neighborhoods and associations on the lake that offer private deeded beach rights to the members of each association. For example, on Shore Drive in Laconia the Lakewood Beach Association beach includes 1,280 feet of natural sand beach on 4.65 acres. Waldron Bay on the northern side of the lake includes 3.482 feet of shoreline with 170 acres of wooded conservation land bordering the community, a clubhouse with a large sandy beach and docking. Wildwood Village Condominiums and the Wildwood Association Beach is another example of private association beaches on the lake.
Lake Winnisquam is located in Belknap County and is within close proximity to shopping, music venues, hiking trails, restaurants, theatres, Gunstock Ski Area & snowmobiling trails. The Tanger Outlet Mall is only 3 miles from the southern end of the lake.
Let’s take a look at the real estate activity on Lake Winnisquam during the past 3 years.
· During 2022 to date, there have been 18 sales. The median sales price was $1,362,500. The lowest sales price was $650,000. The highest sales price was $3,500,000. The median days on the market was only 6 days. There are currently only 3 active listings for sale at a median asking price of $899,900.
· During 2021, there were 19 sales. The median sales price was $1,290,000. The lowest sales price was $145,000. The highest sales price was $2,950,000. The median days on the market was only 7 days.
· During 2020, there were 21 sales. The median sales price was $760,000. The lowest sales price was $265,000. The highest sales price was $1,500,000. The median days on the market was only 6 days.
You can see from the above that the increase in the median sales price in 2020 at $760,000 to $1,362,500 in 2022 was substantial. That’s a whopping 79.2% increase over 3 years! Days on the market of only 6 to 7 days is another indicator of the demand for waterfront homes on this desirable lake. With only 3 available lakefront homes for sale, all of us in the real estate industry are looking toward the early spring market for new inventory to appear.
There is one very interesting property that just hit the market, offered by Joe MacDonald of Roche Realty Group, Inc. The Lake House at Ferry Point, located at 100 Lower Bay Road in Sanbornton, is a totally unique and impeccable waterfront bed and breakfast. This B&B boasts 2 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, 10 rooms, a spacious great room with beam ceilings, gleaming wood floors, one-of-a-kind quartz fireplace for guests to relax
and enjoy, dining room overlooking the lake and prep kitchen. It also has a private 3 Bedroom owners quarters on site, 250 feet on Lake Winnisquam and a waterside gazebo. This is truly a one-of-a-kind, spectacular property is being offered at $1,950,000. (MLS 4938886)
This article was written by Frank Roche, president of Roche Realty Group in Meredith & Laconia, NH. Frank can be reached at (603) 279-7046. Please feel free to visit www.RocheRealty.com to learn more about the Lakes Region and its real estate market.
