28 EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 344 



Property Characteristics and Improvement 



Waterfront properties ordinarily are created by subdivision, while 

 open country properties are purchased intact from former owners, or 

 with only certain outlying fields excluded from the transfer. Most 

 waterfront lots were an acre or less in size, the greater width and depth 

 of Tuftonboro holdings reflecting a less congested and higher class de- 

 velopment (Table 9). Open country properties ranged up to several 

 hundred acres in size, although most of them were less than one hun- 

 dred acres. 



There have been significant differences in the size of open country 

 properties purchased during successive periods of development. Before 

 191 S, village and main road properties were most accessible and avail- 

 able, and four-fifths of the properties bought were smaller than 25 acres. 

 During the decade following the first World War. there was a swing to 

 larger properties. Purchases increased after 1929 and embraced proper- 

 ties of all sizes. During 1939 and 1940, 19 of the 21 properties bought 

 were 50 acres or smaller. This significant decline from the level of the 

 previous 10 years resulted from a conservative reaction in purchasing, 

 a reluctance to assume large maintenance expense, and increased purchases 

 by lower income groups. 



Table 9. Distribution of 274 summer home properties by acreage 



Buyers of open country homes ordinarily acquired dwellings and 

 other buildings to be remodeled for summer use, while buyers of water- 

 front properties acquired unimproved lots upon which to build new 

 summer homes. Ninety per cent of the open country properties contain- 

 ed some buildings at the time of purchase, many of which were impor- 

 tant considerations in site selection. Excluding properties that had been 

 summer homes under former owners, only two waterfront properties 

 contained buildings when purchased. Barns, sheds, garages, and other 

 outbuildings were much more common among open country properties. 



Summer residents have reconditioned dwellings and other structures 

 through painting, repairing, remodeling, and the installation of modern 

 conveniences. Only one-third of all summer properties which contained 



