Peterborough (Concord, Keene, Jaffrey: real estate, neighborhood, buy)

[JCPTNH08]

What you will find in some of the towns surrounding Peterborough though is that the homes are valued higher, so even with a lower tax rate, you'll be paying higher taxes.

I can't remember what my home in Hancock was assessed for but I think it was around $249K and I paid about $5400 per year in taxes. It sold a couple of years ago for $329K. My house in Peterborough which is on the market is assessed at $226K and I pay $5100 in taxes.

The difference is that in Hancock there weren't many services. It was a beautiful small little town with a small police force and fire department but not much else. Peterborough is larger and so your taxes are paying for larger forces, the excellent recreation department and much more.

The smaller the town, the fewer the expenses, therefore, lower taxes. But like I said, some of those smaller towns are very desirable, like Hancock and Sharon for instance, so the houses will cost more.

[Rexicana]

Sharon is nice and the kids there are bused to Peterborough schools. You would be even closer to the Sharon Arts Center too . Sharon Arts Center

[losingcontrol]

OK, I'm feeling like the tax police, but here goes again...

If you have lower property taxes, you're probably giving up something. The something you may be giving up could be fire/ police coverage which WILL affect your homeowners insurance.

In addition, find out what the roads look like in the winter in that lower property tax town. I know a friend moved to the adjacent town because the property taxes were a bit lower. Come to find out, they do a less than stellar job at keeping the roads clear in the winter. Does the town have garbage collection?? recycling?? a rec department??? A lot of times, if you want to use the rec facilities in another town, you have to pay -- that assumes they have room for you.

As with most things, you generally get what you pay for. Before just jumping on the lowest property tax bandwagon, do your homework.

[WannaComeHome]

Yup, all very good points. I think that's why I said 'what are you willing to give up?'

[gradRun]

Thanks for the info on the towns surrounding Peterborough! I think we'll spend a weekend in the area this Fall and look at houses. It seems like an area that's perfect for us right now.

Did you see that the Manadnock region was featured in this month's Yankee Magazine? Cool!

[renlouis]

What do you think of the schools in Peterborough? (Do Harrisville residents go to Peterborough schools?) Also, what do you all think of the commute between Peterborough and Keene? If my husband is working in Keene and doesn't want to commute more than 30 minutes, is Peterborough an option? I was hoping to find a town with a main street w/a coffee shop, restaurants, shops that we could WALK TO from our home - home in a nice, safe area w/ very good schools. Sounds like that will be tricky in Keene as the downtown area/homes within walking distance might be tough. Do you think Peterborough is a good option? Oh - as far as schools - I have a 10 and a 13 y.o. Thanks so much for any information!

[WannaComeHome]

That commute might be workable. It's about 45min from New Ipswich to Keene (which is why my nephew pulled out of our plan on having him caretake our 'storage' house) in good weather. And NI to Peterborough is about 20-30 min. You might check on googlemaps just from the city centers and see what kind of time it gives you. And remember: that's good weather, not winter. Although the roads are plowed if it's actively snowing while you're driving, the drive time will go up.

[renlouis]

Thanks Wanna - I'll check that. Do you think the other criteria - i.e., walk to main street, etc. are workable in Peterborough??

[gradRun]

There are quite a few homes on the market right now that are within an easy walk to the Peterborough downtown. There's a diner, some restaurants and a great book store and nice library all within the small downtown area. You can find out a little more about the town on it's website: Peterborough, NH -- Welcome to Our Town's Web Site!

The parks and rec department seems to offer a lot for the kids to do in the Summer. Check out Town Departments/departments/current recreation brochure

[renlouis]

That sounds really nice gradRun!! I will look at those listings on MLS. Appreciate the info.