RETURN TO HOMERealtor Thursday
A conversation with Ginny Gorman, Realtor, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Whether you are relocating or moving around the state, you will want to explore this town with its centrally geographic location, historic village of Wickford within its boundaries and amazing waterfront homes and vistas.
Our Town and People
North Kingstown is considered part of ‘South County’ Rhode Island and is on the West Bay side of Narragansett Bay. Enjoying a population of about 27,000 residents within its 43.6 square miles of land and 14.7 square miles of water makes it a wonderful place to live with one’s family, vacation or just retire here. It truly is central to the state geographically. Being close to Route 4 which travels the route to our ocean beaches and to Route 95 which is 10 minutes away if you are heading to Providence is a bonus of living in North Kingstown.
With over 10,000 households in North Kingstown which have 36% having children under the age of 18. Household median family income is around $60,000. There are more females than males in town if you are looking for interesting statistics! First and foremost you will find a warm community of residents who appreciate their homes and love of the waterfront.
Culturally North Kingstown is a true New England town having been established in 1674. The waterfront historic Wickford Village is the centerpiece of the town with its brightly colored, well preserved antique homes that line the side streets of the village. Wickford Village has a Preservation Commission that works hard at keeping the village’s history and preservation of homes intact. It has the true New England charm, with the waterfront of Narragansett Bay close at hand, to enjoy especially if you are a mariner at heart marinas abound here. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy all it has to offer?
From the historic birth place of the famous portrait painter Gilbert Stuart and the museum in his honor here to an original colonial plantation of Casey Farm on the Old Boston Neck Road in town that still continues as a working farm today- the town is alive with great history. Many home buyers come to explore the real estate here because of the historic interest in the community while others come because of the family environment here.
Schools and Taxes 
Schools from elementary to high school have always been highly rated and have helped sustain property values too. Buyers are attracted to both the school systems for their children as well as how the good school systems prop up property values. It is a win-win situation. Property taxes support the schools and the taxes are higher here than some other southern Rhode Island communities. However, homeowners do reap the benefit ultimately when they are able to sell their home in the struggling real estate market.
Economy and Prices
Certainly the economy and home prices have been impacted by the downturn in recent years in the housing market but not as badly as other states. The ones on the waterfront or by the waterfront (which are many) have been able to hold their value. As the saying goes ‘they are not making any more waterfront’ property to build on. Again knowing locations are important in waterfront neighborhoods due to flood zone insurance that may be necessary on a home. Values of most other North Kingstown homes have come down as much as 25% from the highs of 2003 to 2006. However, we are seeing a plateau reached in North Kingstown in home values and an upswing in some instances with the beginning of the new year. What is attractive about North Kingstown and its home prices is that there are homes for $160,000 to $3.4 million so real estate accommodates many here. This all bodes well for the sellers as we try to reach a more equal footing for buyers and sellers on pricing of homes and selling prices.
Going Green in North Kingstown
North Kingstown is a recycling town with pickups around town weekly. Also, the landfill has an amazing amount of recycling going on for the do it yourselfers and it is all free. There are a number of green builders building smaller high energy efficiency homes too which is a great boost to the real estate landscape. Wind turbines for energy have begun to pop up locally and there is now a town moratorium on them as the North Kingstown planning commission tries to address all the benefits and concerns of local citizens regarding them. It is still a fascinating green energy alternative that will progress within the town this year.
The Future in North Kingstown 
North Kingstown offers potential buyers single family and condominium alternative living which is important as people move through different stages in their life. One of the most important factors in buying into the community is to find the neighborhood(s) you want to live in and working with a local realtor who knows the community well will help you sort your choices out. Do you want to be near Wickford Village, on the water, have waterview, on a quiet suburban street and cul de sac…the right realtor asks the right questions so you do not spend wasted time searching for the right home.
Personal ExperiencePersonally I spend a lot of time on the internet marketing my town and neighboring towns I specialize in and am at the forefront of social media awareness. From a sellers perspective that is all important to them because nearly 90% of all buyers search the internet first to find homes. My clients will always be assured that my savvy internet marketing will pull their homes up first and with the best pictures, slideshows, virtual tours and youtube videos because of my on line expertise. It is a must in the real estate field as social media optimization takes hold in this business.
A quick story I will share with you is that one of the most unusual buyers for a home in North Kingstown sent their two daughters who were twelve and fourteen years old out with me to find the family a home (parents never came out until the offer was made to see it). The parents said the girls knew what they were looking for, I showed them a number of houses until they found the ‘one’ and the parents bought it! It is quite the exception to the rule for most families to operate this way. It was actually a very smooth transaction.
Come see North Kingstown RI and all it has to offer you…give me a call and let me guide you through the home search process.
About Ginny Gorman:
Ginny Lacey Gorman is your go to Realtor® for homes for sale in North Kingstown RI and beyond…knowing the geographic area, schools, happenings, important tidbits of local information and businesses well. Waterfront, oceanfront and coastal RI homes for sale are my specialty. My real estate network throughout the country is extraordinary, so give me a call if you are relocating outside of RI and I will help you find the best Realtor to work for you. If you are looking for someone to guide you through the home selling or buying process, Ginny is a licensed Realtor® who sells RI homes in this real estate market, just call me at 401.529.7849.
Born in New York, raised in Connecticut and transitioned to RI allows me to call myself an honest to goodness New Englander. I respect and enjoy the heritage of the state, have had a strong financial services career background for many years, restored a number of historic homes and am now living my dream helping others find theirs in real estate. I work for Phillips Post Road Realty at 6454 Post Road, North Kingstown, RI and am always ready, willing and able to help out buyers or sellers. Being an internet savvy marketer, my RI House Hunt Blog (www.GinnysRIHouseHuntBlog.com) is well known in real estate circles in RI as well as my my web site too as you search for RI properties. I am known as the RI Realtor with the sparkly red shoes because I do believe there is no place like home!
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This guest post is part of our Realtor Thursday Series. We invite realtors from towns and cities all over the country, big or small, to participate. Our goal is to “travel” to as many towns as we can in every state. Every town is unique and wonderful to our readers. If you would like to showcase your town, your neighbors and your talents as a realtor, please contact us at liz@dalesiegel.com