Affordability at Barefoot Beach, Misty Harbor

By Frank Roche, President, Roche Realty Group, Inc.

If you Google "beautiful sandy beach," gorgeous images of beaches from all over the world will pop up, and website after website will give you lists of "The Top 10 Beaches in the World." Imagine these white, powdery stretches of paradise, a haven that all of us seek for peace and tranquility. Now let's stay closer to home and imagine a gorgeous stretch of sugar-sand beach with unbelievable mountain views in the distance. It's right here at Misty Harbor, located on the exclusive Barefoot Beach in Saunders Bay in Gilford on Lake Winnipesaukee. I've been practicing real estate for 40 years in the Lakes Region and I've seen many fine beaches but this will always remain one of my favorites.

Misty Harbor is a very unique condominium complex located on Route 11B/Weirs Road in Gilford. The resort operates as a condominium hotel where owners can place their condo in the rental pool and have the onsite management take care of all rental matters from their lobby reception area. If, on the other hand, a unit owner wants to utilize their condominium purely as a second home vacation property without renting it, it works out favorably because of all the wonderful amenities.

Misty Harbor was developed by Bob Harding, who also purchased the Meadowbrook Farm located behind the resort and eventually turned it into one of New England's finest music venues. Mr. Harding set up the temporary stage in 1996 and by 2002 the pavilion roof and stadium seating were added, the rest is history. Everyone in the Lakes Region is so proud of what he accomplished. Mr. Harding's foresight brought some of the music world's top artists to the Lakes Region by bringing the Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Keith Urban and so many other fine artists to our area. Just like he did at Meadowbrook (now known as the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion), he accomplished so much at Misty Harbor.

Not only does Misty Harbor have its own private 335-foot sandy beach area, it also has so many amenities. Indoor heated pool, hot tub, locker rooms with their own saunas, lobby/reservation area, café and function area that can accommodate up to 150 guests with 50 seats. Among the grounds you'll find an outdoor pool with deck area perfect for sunbathing, canoe and kayak racks, jet ski spots for owners, a lighted tennis court, picnic and barbecue areas alongside the lake. The community itself is ideally located in the central part of Lake Winnipesaukee and is only an eight-minute drive to Gunstock Mountain Resort and Recreation Area, ten minutes to major golf courses, five minutes from shopping and restaurants, and at least five marinas and boat launches are within walking distance.

There are more than 90 individual condo units, 25 of them are located on the lakeside, each of those include two bedrooms, fully-applianced kitchens, one bath and either balconies or decks overlooking the beach. All of the buildings are three stories. The buildings on the opposite side range from expansive motel suites to one-bedroom suites which include private decks or balconies. On this side of the community is surplus parking for owners' boats and trailers.

It's pretty amazing when you see a community like this, where you can take advantage of so many year-round amenities packaged together at such an affordable price. One bedroom suites start out in the lower $60,000 and the two bedrooms on the lakeside (right on the beach) have been selling from $115,000 to $135,000 over the past year.

We've had a large number of sales at Misty Harbor during the past couple of years because of the affordability of the community on "The Big Lake". If you're out there looking for good waterfront value on Lake Winnipesaukee, where you can enjoy the four seasons of the Lakes Region, this is a community I would highly recommend. Take a look on Google.com and search "find condos for sale at Misty Harbor" – RocheRealty.com shows up first and directs you to the Misty Harbor community page on our website showing all available properties. Or check out MistyHarbor.com, the community's website for more information and photographs of this fine community.

On Tripadvisor.com, a vacationer from Vermont commented, "Misty Harbor is a wonderful family vacation" and another user from Maine said, "it has a beautiful beach and scenery and a wonderful condominium unit," a vacationer from Indiana thought, "It's family friendly and on the lake," a couple from Massachusetts, "Excellent! Best beach at a Gilford resort!" A Connecticut lady on Expedia.com commented, "Great place on the lake!" and a couple from Maine commented, "Misty Harbor is THE place to stay!"

Please feel free to visit www.rocherealty.com to learn more about the Lakes Region and its real estate market. Frank Roche is president of Roche Realty Group in Meredith and Laconia, and can be reached at 279-7046.