There’s a wide selection of communities to consider when purchasing in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. Let’s take a look at Moultonborough, a popular choice. Moultonborough is blessed with 66 miles of pristine shorefront encompassing Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam Lake, and Lake Kanasatka. The town’s tax valuation, including utilities, amounts to $6,335,113,332. I’ve researched the Department of Revenue stats to see how Moultonborough compares to other cities and towns throughout New Hampshire. There are 260 towns and cities in the Granite State, and Moultonborough’s tax valuation ranked #7 in the state! The only cities and towns ahead of Moultonborough were Nashua, Manchester, Portsmouth, Salem, Dover, and Londonderry. Moultonborough’s valuation came in higher than Laconia, the Lakes Region’s largest city, at $4,414,876,331. It was also higher than Bedford, Concord, Hampton, and 250 other major cities and towns.
For a small rural lakeside town, it certainly packs a powerful punch! It also offers one of the lowest property tax rates in the state at $5.65 per $1,000 valuation (Ranked 5th lowest in the state). For trivia Charlestown is ranked the highest at $36.36 per $1,000, and Colebrook is ranked #2nd highest at $34.97 per $1,000.
By landmass, Moultonborough, New Hampshire, is the largest lakefront community in the Lakes Region, with 59.7 square miles of land area and 15.4 square miles of water. The town includes 66 miles of shorefront encompassing Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam Lake, and Lake Kanasatka. That’s a lot of shoreline, considering the state of New Hampshire has only 18.5 miles of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Moultonborough traces its history back to 1763 when the town was first chartered. Colonel Jonathan Moulton was elected town clerk, and the town was named in honor of him.
A large portion of the town is located along Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest lake. Moultonborough Bay is an 8-mile-long arm of the lake extending from the southern corner of town towards the center of town. The long peninsula of Moultonborough Neck separates the bay from the rest of Lake Winnipesaukee. At the end of Moultonborough Neck Road, a short bridge connects the mainland onto Long Island, the largest island on the “Big Lake” at 1,200 acres. Beautiful waterfront homes and lake access communities dot the extensive shorelines within the town. While several lakes are major attractions for tourists and second homeowners, the mountains are of prime interest to hikers, snowmobilers, skiers, and nature lovers. Mount Shaw, at 2,990 feet, part of the Ossipee Mountains, is the highest point in town. The Red Hill, at 2,030 feet offers popular hikes to its fire tower with panoramic lake and mountain views. Moultonborough is also home to Castle in The Clouds, a 6,300-acre estate in the Ossipee Mountains built by Thomas Plant, who made a fortune manufacturing shoes. The loon center is another popular attraction, as well as the Old Country Store in the scenic village dating back to 1781, one of the oldest country stores in the country. Moultonborough has two beautiful town beaches, one on Long Island just over the bridge and the second one at States Landing Beach. Boat launching areas include Lee’s Mills, Long Island, and States Landing.
In Moultonborough, a town of 5,271 residents, about 60% of its housing stock involves second homes or seasonal properties, the highest percentage in Carroll County and Belknap Country. Buyers have been flocking here because of the extensive shoreline (66 miles), attractive real estate taxes, and small-town character. Moultonborough is noteworthy for having one of the lowest tax rates in New Hampshire and an excellent school system. The Moultonborough School District (SAU 45) includes two separate buildings and three schools: Moultonborough Central for Pre-K to 6th Grade and Moultonborough Academy with the middle and high school. The Moultonborough Airport, on 63 acres, is a privately owned public-use general aviation airport. The town library, town hall, fire & emergency services, and police department are centrally located in the quaint village district with unique shops. The annual 10-day Lee Mills steamboat meet is a local favorite on going for 50 years. Fine restaurants, cafes, the 18-hole Birchwood Country Club, and Marinas offer lots of recreation opportunities.
Can you imagine 66 miles of shorefront within one town and think of how many waterfront homes have been constructed within each mile? It is estimated that there are close to 2,000 waterfront properties in Moultonborough.
Let’s take a look at what's happening in the real estate market in Moultonborough along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Lake Winnipesaukee Sales in Moultonborough, Including Islands:
- In 2020, there were 37 waterfront home sales. The median sales price was $1,310,000, the lowest sales price was $285,000, the highest sales price was $5,250,000, median days on the market was 23.
- In 2021, there were 41 waterfront home sales. The median sales price was $1,650,000, the lowest sales price was $700,000, the highest sales price was $5,400,000, median days on the market was 10.
- In 2022, there were 24 waterfront home sales. The median sales price was $2,402,500, the lowest sales price was $415,000, the highest sales price was $8,100,000, median days on the market was 7.
- In 2023, there were 26 waterfront home sales. The median sales price was $2,675,000, the lowest sales price was $860,000, the highest sales price was $5,685,000, median days on the market was 33.
- In 2024, there were 24 waterfront home sales. The median sales price was $2,647,000, the lowest sales price was $993,000, the highest sales price was $6,995,000, median days on the market was 25.
- YTD in 2025, there have been 3 waterfront home sales. The median sales price was $2,850,000, the lowest sales price was $2,075,000, the highest sales price was $3,325,000, median days on the market was 16. There are currently 8 active listings, the median sales price was $3,599,900, the lowest price $1,650,000, the highest listing price $7,300,000, median days on market was 201.
In summary, you can see why Moultonborough is such a desirable community to live in.
With only 8 active listings on its 66-mile shoreline, you can see the need for more listings. Without question, the best time to be on the market for sales is when there is limited inventory and prices are at an all-time high.
Let’s hope we see more inventory coming on the market to satisfy the demand for waterfront properties.
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With 66 miles of shorefront along three lakes there’s something for everyone.
This article was written by Frank Roche. Frank is president of Roche Realty Group with offices in Meredith, NH, and can be reached at (603) 279-7046. Data is subject to errors & sourced from Prime MLS. Please feel free to visit www.rocherealty.com to learn more about the Lakes Region and its real estate market.
