Portsmouth NH is an hour from Essex County and worth a serious look. Plus: the widow's walk myth has been debunked, and the North Shore spring market is moving faster than most people expect.
The Boat Shop That May Have Taught Henry Ford a Thing or Two
In 1793, a man named Simeon Lowell started building wooden boats on the Merrimack River in Amesbury. His grandson Hiram developed what historians describe as one of America's earliest assembly-line manufacturing systems, producing over 2,000 boats by hand in 1911 alone. That system is said to have directly influenced Henry Ford. The shop is still there, still building boats, and it costs eight dollars to walk in and watch.
Read more on the TDS blog →Amesbury, MA: All the Essex County Character, Minus the Newburyport Price Tag
Amesbury sits at the top of Essex County with a genuine walkable downtown, three breweries in converted mill buildings, Lake Attitash for summer weekends, Cider Hill Farm for the rest of the year, and direct access to I-95 and I-495. It's under 20 minutes from Salisbury Beach and 7 miles from the Newburyport commuter rail station. If you've been priced out of Newburyport and don't want to compromise on actual town character, this is where to look next.
Read more on the TDS blog →Rates Are at Their Best Level Since 2022. That Actually Matters.
The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.00% as of March 5, down nearly a full point from this time last year. Massachusetts inventory is still tight — 16,978 homes statewide, down 4.3% year-over-year. Meanwhile Southern NH hit a new median high of $535,000 in 2025. If you got a pre-approval six months ago, your purchasing power has likely shifted by $40,000 to $60,000. The spring window is open.
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