LAND UTILIZATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 9 



away from the city during vacations. Of this number, roughly 1 in 10 

 made the purchase so that children could be in the country during school 

 vacations. 



The differences in size, type, and location of vacation homes reflect 

 a wide range of personal preferences. Some persons, with a ven for swim- 

 ming, boating, fishing, or summer resort life, liked small waterfront prop- 

 erties. Others, seeking quiet, seclusion, or space, preferred the isolation 

 of old farms or forest retreats. Still others, having a variety of desires 

 and the financial means for satisfying them, acquired secluded properties, 

 and bought or rented access to nearby lakes. 



One-fifth of the summer homes originally were acquired for non- 

 recreational purposes. These properties Mere obtained by gift or inheri- 

 tance, or were bought originally as real estate investments, homes for 

 retirement, or rural health retreats upon physicians' advice. The reasons 

 for change to recreational use were the same as those for purchase of 

 summer homes. 



Establishing Contact 



The mechanism for bringing together potential buyers of summer 

 homes and the owners of available properties is a crucial factor in the 

 process of transfer. Nearly half of the owners of summer homes either 

 were familiar with properties through previous acquaintance in the local- 

 ity and had purchased directly from former owners, or were brought in- 

 to contact with properties through friends already located in the area. 

 A smaller number contacted real estate agents or got clues through the 

 advertisements of agents in metropolitan newspapers. One owner in six 

 acquired his property by gift or inheritance, and thus did not exert effort 

 to make contact. A few owners looked for properties and established 

 contact without outside aid. 



The channel of contact generally was closely related to the motiva- 

 tion behind purchase. Most persons whose desire for a summer home 

 grew out of visits with or the persuasion of friends in the locality or out 

 of personal travel obtained properties with which they had been ac- 

 quainted formerly, had learned of through friends, or had discovered 

 through their own explorations. On the other hand, most of those not 

 motivated by contact within the locality acquired homes through real 

 estate agents or through advertisements in the metropolitan papers. 



Direct contact through personal acquaintance has been significant 

 in many parts of the State known to urban residents, and especially in 

 localities where summer residents settled earlier and attracted friends to 

 settle near them. Direct contacts between buyer and seller predominated 

 in Tuftonboro, an area well known to tourist visitors because of its ac- 

 cessibility by trunk line highway and its proximity to popular mountains 

 and lakes. Direct contact likewise was common in the case of Sanborn- 

 ton waterfront owners, many of whom were from nearby New Hamp- 

 shire cities, were familiar with the local properties, and in some cases 

 knew the previous owners. 



In localities remote from urban influence, real estate agents have 

 plaved a more important part in stimulating and directing the transfer of 



