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Hello, my husband and I are thinking about relocating as I recently accepted a position in Dover New Hampshire. My husband still works near the Lawrence mass area, so we are looking for something that would split our commute. When we searched for our first home we fell in love with Exeter, but decided at the time that it was too much of a commute for both of our positions. Below are things that are most important to us.
1.proximity to 95 as our family is in Maine and we both commute up or down the highway for work
2. Good school district, we are hoping to have children soon
3. We would like a private lot, 3 bed home for no more than 350k
4. We love to bike, hike, kayak so proximity to trails would be a plus
5. Short ride to restaurants/coffee shops
6. Taxes differences between these towns?
We have been debating between stratham, Exeter and Hampton falls. Looking for feedback on differences between these towns or other recommendations! Thank you for any feedback!
First off, with your budget you should be all set finding a home in any one of those towns!
All three of these towns are going to be within a reasonably close proximity to your work and to your husband's work as well as the outdoor activities that you like to do. What you really should take into account is the school district, taxes, and proximity to restaurants. I always think of Exeter as a downtown community with the shops and places to eat downtown area. Stratham and Hampton Falls are both great as well but Exeter just tends to have that feeling to me.
Stratham has the lowest taxes and Exeter has the highest with Hampton falls falling in between.
Hi Marcus, thank you for your reply. Exeter and Stratham share a school district correct? Someone mentioned on a different post that students attend the school in their own town until high school. Are the Stratham town schools comparable to Exeter?
Yes they do. Elementary and Middle school (up to 8th grade) are separate. For High School the students all attend Exeter High School.
Stratham has the Stratham Memorial School which is K-5 and then the Cooperative Middle School which is 6-8. Both of these schools have a good standing within the community. There is one site I like called niche.com where you can get a more in depth and analytical review of school based off student standard testing scores and teacher to student ratios.
Exeter High School is one of the top raking schools in New Hampshire for public high schools. It always falls in the top 10 for academics, college acceptance, and standardized testing results. The school has great athletics as well!
All six towns attend the cooperative middle in stratham for grades 6 - 8: Exeter, Stratham, Brentwood, East Kingston, Kensington, Newfields
$350K is on the low end for single family homes in Exeter and Stratham, expect smaller older homes. I would add Brentwood to your list, the extra drive time is minimal, same school district and your money will go further.
Consider checking our Durham or Lee. School system is good, there is a unique flair to the area, very farm oriented, almost old school in a good way.
However, I can say Exeter and Stratham do provide a few more amenities and are just very quaint and delightful as well.
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