New England B.S. Thread

we’re right around 8200 for this house one town over; VERY little business in Upton so everything is on the homeowners. No town water or sewer on my street and I’m still paying for their department earmarks.

MIL paid 10,5 for her 1600sq log cabin across the lake last year. That’s absolutely insane to me. But that summer tho...

 

That’s honestly fine. The one on 109 is medical also, when it went recreational, it got a lot busier.

 

Upton is nice though. I've got a buddy who lives over on Mechanic Street.

 

literally next street over. Her Family’s childhood home is next to the Saab guy...

 

The house is at like $2200, for 2200 square feet & the garage, on a little under 3 acres.
The camp is actually a little less, right around $2000 a year. Of course, it's only like 1000 square feet, on roughly 1/3 of an acre, but it's still waterfront.

 

Our tax rate dropped by over $2 this year, but my bill is significantly higher. Somehow my assessment went up 20% from last year. There is no way my house would sell for what they've assessed it at. I am considering filing an abatement again.

Granted, I'm only at around $3k/year.

 

this is like my geico 15% back they gave everyone for covid. they took 15% off, but increased your premiums haha

 

Similar here. House went up a few tens of thousands of dollars. At the end of the day the taxes are still more than last year.

 

Damn. $2k sounds good to me. That's basically my quarterly payment.

 

There was a selectmen's meeting where they were talking about the rate decrease saying it was like a Christmas present for residents. Not when my house is now assessed at 20k more than I would realistically list it at, never mind what it would sell for! It's also so odd to me that out of the cluster of four houses near eachother on my road, mine is somehow valued the highest when I really think it should be either the lowest or second lowest.

I did file an abatement a few years ago when the valued a canopy out back at $10k. They dropped that to $3k and fixed the basement square footage so I saved about $10k off the value in the end. I don't know if I really feel like doing it again, though.

 

That's the biggest thing I've learned looking into buying a house, check the taxes for the city/town. My wife and I laugh now when we almost bought a house in Ashland when we still worked up north and thought those taxes were high. Compared to down here it's basically the norm

My understanding is the only way to make buying in high tax town worth it is owning a cheap house/property. But you can afford a more expensive house down the line in a low tax town. Which seems common sense I guess but it's the things you don't learn in school.

 

This year, it's anybody's guess. Houses around us were selling for double their appraised value or more this summer.

 

I wouldn't look at a few houses in Lanesborough and Adams due to the astronomical tax rates those towns have. We're at just under $16 per 1000 right now.

 

On the flip side, if you're planning on giblets and can make it work and the town has consistently high rated school system it may be worth it suck it up and move to the town with higher taxes as long as those taxes are providing a benefit such as good schools. If I was single/ had no giblets i'd have a much larger house in a town with a dogshit school system.

 

We are $3 something

 

$3 per $1000!

 

Very valid point

 

also good for your resale

 

This as well. Not lots, but more than usual quantity of people have sold houses on the lake we're on this past year and every single one has gone for more than asking. Some significantly. Like so significant I would call it downright dumb (which i'm sure after the appraiser does their thing and gets them actual value they find out..).

 

Yup. And access to most schools in the area, even can go across state lines to NY schools.

Best town in the state. I'd like to retire elsewhere in the country, or at least own some land somewhere mid to western USA, but I don't think I'd ever live in another town in MA. It doesn't have much, and thats 100% what I want from my government.