Hi

The Lincoln area is really ideal as it has become a true 3 season destination area centered around Loon and also close to other ski mountains and attractions. While land prices have not declined that much, there is an ocassional great buy with some scouting. Our family has rented homes there for the Highland Games and there are several log homes in the area. Another option is a post & beam or timber frame home that gives you the look and feel of wood on the inside but is more conventional on the outside. They are built with insulated panels so easy to get an Energy Star rating which is what most of our buyers are looking for. Also reccomend you incorporate as many "green" features as possible as that will give you an edge over the existing housing stock for rental or sale porposes.

Hello Phil- Great answer by Chuck below.
One other thing is the appraisal will be a little tougher than a "normal" home. There won't be a lot of sales comps for log homes in the last 6-9 months- wherever you end up building. Appraisals are real tough these days anyways- as you know in Florida- so keep that in mind for your eventual end buyer (assuming you're looking to sell it soon after construction...).
In NH, watch out for the dreaded "View Tax"- which penalizes you for having a nice view of anything. Any if you're trying to market this as a vacation spot, you'll want a place with a nice view and some clearing.
If I can be of any help, please let me know. Thanks and good luck,

Ken L.

Can't comment on Stowe, VT though I like the taxes here in NH better. I feel that there are several "hot spots" in the Lakes & Mountains Region of NH and will gladly work with you on a referral basis to find the right property to site your home. After a loooong slow period, land buyers have awakened as prices have started to get back to reality. "Hot" is a relative term and today, the level of interest feels hot compared to the past 24 months or so. Compared to, say, 2004 the market is tepid, but I interpret your thinking as "long term value."
Since you are looking at it as an investment, I would recommend parcels of 10 acres or more with either a view or privacy or both (rare, but there are lots of buyers looking for this) in low tax towns that are sought after as that will produce the largest set of prospective buyers. Among low tax towns, Meredith, Lincoln, Tuftonboro, Alton, Moultonborough, Center Harbor, Hebron and Bridgewater are a few. As you move into towns with tax rates above, say, $15 the costs of ownership get steeper whereas the aforementioned towns have tax rates ranging from $7 to $12. Some towns in the area will be over $20 per thousand of assessed value. All rates are quoted at 100% valuation. My website has some articles about land in the region and if you drop me an email, I will send you my upcoming updates.
As far as log homes are concerned, these are beautiful and ideally suited for Lakes & Mountain Regions settings. One drawback to log homes is the need for continual maintenance. Buyers are getting savvy about that now. Frankly, log homes do not appeal to all buyers, you will leave a fair portion of them out with that type of offering. Anyway, I suggest that you contact Mike and Julie Hayward at http://www.haywardandcompany.com to get their expertise on the construction side. They build Energy Star Rated log and timberframe homes (a big selling point).
Warm Regards, Chuck Braxton, REALTOR GRI 603/677-2154 cbraxton@metrocast.net