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IIRC there are a lot of old Victorian multi bedroom houses for sale a couple of blocks from Main Street in Concord. With your household population I would think you would be looking for more room as the kids get older. Some of these old houses have a lot of room.
I was being sarcastic about NH cities as I work in Boston and have lived in NYC.
Kristin, Andover is just over 20 miles from Concord traveling on rt 4. There's a Hannafords grocery store close by in New London as well as some shopping in neighboring Franklin. Salisbury is just south of Andover and is a pleasant looking small town (and close to Concord).
Thanks to both of you. Yes, Greg, we are mightily tempted by some of those old Victorians, unfortunately, they are usually in very congested, deteriorating neighborhoods and on tiny lots. Within most of those neighborhoods, a good number of those Victorians are turned into apartments. Just not the environment I want for me or my kids (thought the homes are large and gorgeous and I lament at how amazing they were in their prime.
We will look in that area, Lady fern -- not ruling out anything yet! I thought that Andover was quite a bit further than that, so that is good news.
Do you care about the politics of any particular towns in the Merrimack Valley region or does that not factor into where you are looking? You could get a lot more for your housing dollar & lower property taxes in other states that have a lower cost of living since you have a very large family.
OK, a bit dumb here -- what constitutes the Merrimack Valley exactly? I've lived in the Upper Valley of the Connecticut River for the past 26 years and am unfamiliar with most of the rest of the state. Saying that, yes, conservative politics appeal very much. We are looking for lowish property taxes and are NOT interested in social/government programs (including public schools.)
OK, a bit dumb here -- what constitutes the Merrimack Valley exactly? I've lived in the Upper Valley of the Connecticut River for the past 26 years and am unfamiliar with most of the rest of the state. Saying that, yes, conservative politics appeal very much. We are looking for lowish property taxes and are NOT interested in social/government programs (including public schools.)
For the most part, property taxes are not going to be low at all anywhere in the Merrimack Valley. This region includes all the towns surrounding Concord and most of the ones south of there down to Manchester and Nashua. The western boundary of the region is the gateway to the Sunapee & Kearsarge region and the hilly topography that is west of the Merrimack. The northern boundary is the Lakes Region gateway towns of Tilton and Belmont. No, the area is not that conservative, but the smaller towns tend to be moreso FISCALLY. Most of the towns by Concord are not socially conservative and they certainly don't care for population growth or paying for new infrastructure to support additional growth because taxes are already high enough, altough many have stabalized at an equalized rate range over a period of time. That would be a conservative principle. This isn't a politics thread so I would be going off-topic regarding other points.
Another poster said to not only look at tax RATES, but assessments when evaluating towns. I will add that you should also look at listing prices compared to surrounding towns. Pittsfield, for instance, has an exceptionally-high tax rate. The assessments are roughly the same as in surrounding towns, so you'll pay more in taxes than you would for an equivalent house in a nearby town. But, the listing prices for even nice newer houses in nice areas are also lower than in surrounding towns because of the whole high tax rate issue... the market in Pittsfield cannot bear higher prices. What might be a $210,000 house in one town may be a $180,000 house in Pittsfield. (Of course that varies - just throwing out general numbers.)
So, do the math very carefully. It would not be unusual to find that you can live more cheaply in a high tax town than you could in a lower tax town, simply because prices are a bit depressed. If your mortgage payment is significantly lower in a high tax town, things may end up evening out, or you may even make out better than you might elsewhere.
Look carefully at maps - some towns may seem too far-flung for a reasonable commute, but if you're on the edge of a town, and/or close to major routes, your commute may be relatively short and easy.
If you have 12 people, what kind of house are you looking for? You'd be extremely hard-pressed to find a 4- or 5-bedroom house that's in reasonably good condition for less than $200,000 anywhere in the greater Concord area. There are lots of older houses available for that price, but they will likely need a fair amount of work.
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