Barrington/Lee (best neighborhood, real estate, houses)

[K&S100607]

My husband and I are torn between 2 houses, one is in Lee and the other is in Barrington. We're just starting out and can't afford our dream house yet. The house in Barrington would be brand new and we would be able to pick everything out ourseleves. Which would be sooooo nice but the road driving up to the new development is kind of tacky. There is a NH State inspection garage and a trailer on the opposite side of the development. I'm from a city and that road just reminds me of what I would think of as a typical NH neighborhood, now that I live in NH I realize how great this state is. The other house is in Lee and is cute, needs little work like replacing the carpet in the livingroom and upstairs bedrooms and maybe adding some nice shurbs in the front. Has good square footage and a pretty big yard. I've heard Lee has a great school system and am not sure about the Barrington school system. Any advice on these 2 towns would be great, we're new to the area. Thanks!

[steveusaf]

Guess you wouldn't have to go too far to get your car inspected if you lived in the Barrington development. Wouldn't bother me as long as I couldn't hear or see it from my house. Garages tend to make noise. As for the trailer, same thing. I lived next to a trailer at my last house in Vermont, and the guy was as nice as could be. A true Vermonter who would do anything for you. I wouldn't let that scare you away. Barrington schools are good - my neice and nephew go to the middle school. You can compare test scores at www.greatschools.net. That would give you some insight. Barrington is on my short list of places to move to when I retire.

Lee has a top rated school system with a very good reputation (Oyster River). Can't go wrong with schools there.

[Valerie C]

There are a couple of tired old cliches in Real Estate. "Location, Location, Location" is one, and the other: "Buy the worst house in the best neighborhood". If you have second thoughts based on the Automotive Garage and trailer, guess what--other people will as well. While there is certainly nothing wrong with either (nothing worse than people moving to a new neighborhood and immediately wanting to change it to their taste) but it doesn't sound like the neighborhood is entirely residential (is the trailer by chance the builder's trailer, which will be removed once the subdivision is nearly complete?)

Take a 2nd look at the tax bill in Lee before you decide. Taxes in the Oyster River district are quite a bit higher than surrounding towns. Yes the schools are excellent, but you'll want to be sure that the higher tax burden will allow for living expenses, and doing those little jobs like replacing that carpet and doing some landscaping.

I wish you all the best in your decision