Broadband availability increases real estate attractiveness

The availability of high-speed internet has become one of the driving factors in attracting new residents to settle in the Monadnock region, giving some towns a competitive advantage for people who work or attend school remotely. Rebecca Morse, broker for RE/MAX Town Square in New Ipswich, said towns with lower internet services are generally less desirable, though not entirely off the table to most buyers, unless they have specific work-from-home needs. In particular, it was a bigger issue pre-COVID, whereas in the past few years, towns such as Mason, Rindge and Jaffrey have all rolled out town-wide broadband projects, bringing fiber internet capability to every home in the area. Brenna Cove, who specializes in southern New Hampshire and the Monadnock region, said she has used broadband as a marketing tool with clients. Cove said broadband is particularly important in smaller Monadnock region towns, which lose power frequently due to weather events and heavy tree cover. “The towns that have broadband, it really helps to be able to tell people, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not an issue,’” Cove said. “It might not necessarily be a deal-breaker, ... but it definitely helps people to know they don’t have to worry about communications."