Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm between moving to these two towns. My wife and I are in our mid 20's and have a baby under 1 yr. I'm looking for a good place to raise a kid, a convenient location and decent access to restaurants/groceries. Which of these towns would you recommend?
But your property tax will MORE than make up for that.
...depends on how much money one makes. I did the math once to roughly determine the point at which someone would make out better in a high property tax/no income tax state than in a lower property tax/with-income tax state. There are a lot of factors to consider, not the least of which is difference in home prices between many areas of NH and many areas of MA, a difference which is somewhat (though not completely) balanced by higher salaries in those areas of MA with higher home prices. In any case, in my rough estimate that "break-even" salary wasn't really all that high. Homeowners with lower incomes and moderately-priced houses do not make out well in most areas of NH, though. Can't get away from the property taxes.... Sounds like this "no budget" poster will do well in NH, though.
Exeter has relatively high property taxes but is not one of the towns with the highest rates. And at least they actually give their residents something in return, such as great schools, unlike some of the highest-tax towns.
I like both. Personally I'm not sure you can go wrong here and I wouldn't stress over trying to maximize this decision.
If I had to choose I'd probably choose Amesbury. I find traffic in Exeter is notably worse - they're cramming too much through 108/111, and some of that is poorly optimized road layout. Plus I prefer Maudsley and the various events they hold better than the parks in Exeter, though it's not like it's hard to bounce back and forth between the two.
Though realistically we're talking about two charming towns, both with waterfalls and parks, and only about 8 miles apart as the crow flies. So really, I wouldn't lose sleep. I'd probably suggest shopping for houses in both and go with the house you like best.
Exeter is a nice town, but from what you are describing, Amesbury will more of what you are looking for, and with easier access. While the tax rate is high for MA (20.24 for 2013) it is much less than Exeter's 2013 rate of 26.03 per thousand. If you are thinking of buying, don't forget that NH has the highest in the nation transfer tax (aka tax stamps) at $15.00 per thousand of the sale price of the property. This is paid equally by the buyer and seller (7.50 per side, per thousand) unless it is written into the P&S contract that the Seller is paying a portion of closing costs (tax stamps are considered part of closing costs).
Exeter WOULD give you easy access to Hampton Beach and Rte 95 for points north and south (great for getting to Portsmouth, Maine, etc.), but I have to say that I prefer Amesbury overall. The downtown just keeps getting better all the time, and if you run out of things to do in town, Newburyport and all it has to offer (festivals, restaurants, art shows, night life and more) is literally just across the river.
That's my 2 cents worth
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
