4 Balsam Drive

Post and beam, and you feel it the moment you walk in. The exposed timber frame is the heart of this Gunstock Acres home. It gives every room a warmth and craftsmanship that new construction pays a fortune to copy, and it still cannot quite get right. Open, bright and full of character, it photographs beautifully and lives even better.

The layout is easy to love and easy to live in. Two bedrooms and two baths, plus a bonus room on the lower level that becomes whatever you need: a guest room, a home office, a studio, a den, or a place for the kids to disappear on a rainy afternoon. The kitchen has been refreshed with updated appliances and is ready for dinner on day one.

The same owners have cared for this home for more than two decades, and it shows. The driveway was just repaved. The yard sits on almost three quarters of an acre, beautifully landscaped and fully grown in, the kind of mature planting that takes years and cannot be bought at a nursery on a Saturday morning. This house has been looked after, not just lived in.

Then there is the lake. Ownership comes with membership in the Gunstock Acres Trust, which holds several acres on Lake Winnipesaukee, with a private beach and a boat launch for members. Swim, paddle, launch the boat, picnic, or spend a whole July afternoon at the water, without the taxes and price tag of lakefront ownership. It is the quiet advantage of this neighborhood, and the reason people who buy here tend to stay.

Four seasons, right outside the door. Gunstock Mountain Resort is minutes away for skiing, hiking and the adventure park. Gilford Village, Laconia, Weirs Beach and the shops and restaurants of the Lakes Region are close by, and snowmobile and hiking trails are practically next door.

Charming outside, solid underneath, and now priced to be the easy yes. Come see it before someone else writes the next chapter.