Post by Kim Cedarstrom, REALTOR®, Roche Realty Group, Inc.
Want to spend your summers in the Lakes Region and your winters somewhere warm? Locals around here have known about this secret for years and now I’m breaking the local code of silence and sharing it with you. You don’t have to hit the lottery or cash in your Apple stock you bought at $24, but you are going to have to put in some effort and invest some cash, for which you should receive a nice return on down the road. What’s the magic formula and where do you send thirty easy payments of $499? There really isn’t any magic involved, but you can send me the money if it makes you feel better.
Most seasonal businesses here in the Lakes Region are in the hospitality (restaurants, hotels/motels) or service (landscaping, property maintenance, marine sports/boating) industries. These businesses are very seasonal (believe me I know, I’ve owned and run a few). Trying to make these businesses a year round enterprise is folly (again, believe me I’ve tried). So the wise local thing to do is run these businesses SEASONALLY! Buy a local business or location and start your own- a restaurant, motel, boat business, landscaping company–and run it for the season. Close down in the fall and go south! Many folks love to host others and find the hospitality business more fun than work. If you love boats and the water that industry might call to you. Love to garden? Then landscaping may be a career you can love. I know of many examples of this working, we just don’t make a lot of noise about it. We have to keep something for ourselves. Over the past 40 years I’ve started, run, and sold my own businesses here, and for the past 10 years I’ve sold them for others. I’ve got a pretty good handle on what works and how it can work for you. There has never been a better time to invest in a business here in the Lakes Region. Prices and interest rates are historically low. There are great deals out there for the picking, but don’t hesitate. This market can’t last long.
OK, so here’s the down side. You probably aren’t going to get rich doing this. The big payoff is in lifestyle and freedom. This isn’t for everyone. If you have a 1 percent income already, this isn’t for you. Conversely, if you have a 1 per cent overhead, this is a long shot. What you can expect to do is make a living in the summer season and have the winter off to do what you like–go south or hang around and enjoy the winter skiing or snowmobiling, ice fishing or whatever.
Bah humbug you say (note the seasonal reference-clever huh?). Name one business like this that’s available. I’ll see your Bah and raise you one. Right now I have three great opportunities available.
Example number one: The William Tell Restaurant. This ready to go 150 seat restaurant sits on two and a half acres on busy route 11 in Alton and comes complete with all equipment and even an owners three bedroom apartment. The owners have retired and all you have to do is bring your skills and determination. This opportunity is available for only $295,000. More information is available www.nneren.com at MLS #4174645
Example number two: The Lake Winnipesaukee Motel. Located in Weirs Beach this fully operating now operates seasonally and affords the owners the income and flexibility they want to travel in the off season. Priced at $599,000, this could be your ticket to winters off! www.nneren.com MLS#4176301
Example three: A prime commercial site on Rte 11 in Gilford. A disclaimer here; I have an ownership interest in this property. This site sits at a four-way traffic light, has almost two acres, over 500 feet on busy Rte 11, and over 300 feet of shore frontage on Lily Pond. It’s perfect for a landscaping or retail garden center, restaurant, or for any commercial/retail use. Bring your imagination. Go to www.nneren.com MLS#4155213
Call or email me with any questions. Kim Cedarstrom kcedarstrom@roche.g.corvida.com or 603-279-7046. Now is the best time to get started on the path to your new lifestyle. Searching, financing, planning approvals if necessary, all take time. I know it seems that winter has just arrived, but believe me if you want to be up and running for the summer season, you need to start now.