Retiree relocation Raleigh to MA (Boston, Worcester: employment, construction, good schools)

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

Unfortunately $350K won’t get you much anywhere in MA unless you’re OK with opioid zombies outnumbering the living, especially if you’re looking for 1800+ sqft. Why not move to Asheville instead if you want nature, mountains, hippies and an occasional snowfall?

There's more to Mass than inside 128

[bigfatdude]

Sure, if you want a town with a Dunks, Wendy’s and not much else - $350,000 will buy you half the town assuming you’re content with a five figure property tax bill. It sounds like OP is looking for something more along the lines of Lenox.

Originally Posted by scorpio516

There's more to Mass than inside 128

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

Sure, if you want a town with a Dunks, Wendy’s and not much else - $350,000 will buy you half the town assuming you’re content with a five figure property tax bill. It sounds like OP is looking for something more along the lines of Lenox.

Mister Hyperbole claims a five figure property tax bill on a $350k house. That is technically impossible under Proposition 2 1/2. $8,750 is the max. No town is going to vote for an override to boost the property tax rate over the $25 mill rate cap in the state constitution.


Outside 495, housing prices are tied to interest rates and the local economy. There will be lots of 1,500 sf houses at $350k once interest rates on a 30 year fixed mortgage get back to 4%.


Here's a 1,481 sf split for $369,900 in my town. $10 mill rate. Mall Hell is 5 minutes. The hospital is maybe 2 miles. Nice town beach. I'm closer to salt water so I'm growing zone 7A. Not sure with 3 miles inland.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...55971788_zpid/

[bigfatdude]

That's $370K for a sub-1500sqft house with half of the living space in the basement that is essentially in New Bedford with all the wonderful fentanyl zombies - don't think that's what the OP is looking for.

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Mister Hyperbole claims a five figure property tax bill on a $350k house. That is technically impossible under Proposition 2 1/2. $8,750 is the max. No town is going to vote for an override to boost the property tax rate over the $25 mill rate cap in the state constitution.


Outside 495, housing prices are tied to interest rates and the local economy. There will be lots of 1,500 sf houses at $350k once interest rates on a 30 year fixed mortgage get back to 4%.


Here's a 1,481 sf split for $369,900 in my town. $10 mill rate. Mall Hell is 5 minutes. The hospital is maybe 2 miles. Nice town beach. I'm closer to salt water so I'm growing zone 7A. Not sure with 3 miles inland.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...55971788_zpid/

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Outside 495, housing prices are tied to interest rates and the local economy. There will be lots of 1,500 sf houses at $350k once interest rates on a 30 year fixed mortgage get back to 4%.

Here's a...

Or there's this - I wouldn't necessarily say it's great for OP, they seem to more want a ranch than a (very) old Federal
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...57561245_zpid/

$350k, ca. 1780, 2000 sf, 4/3, in the weird old part of Auburn. 10 miles from Purgatory Chasm, 15 miles from Douglas SF, 15 miles to Wells State park. 6 miles from Hanover Theatre, DCU center. And (too?) close to the pike.

Property tax was $4200 last year.

[milliehubbard]

Thanks all for the constructive input.

Regarding the WNC mountains and Asheville specifically, that area was first on our radar. However the real estate prices in that area have skyrocketed in the last couple of years. Even worse now during the COVID panic. I wouldn't move to A**eville if you gave me the house. We tend to run contrary to popular opinion...all the retirees are moving to the Carolinas and we want OUT.

I also expect that with the influx of people moving to the state it won't be long until NC has property tax rates approaching some of the NE states. Our property taxes have increased 37% in the last eight years, and I don't see that rate of increase slowing down at all with the amount of new infrastructure that will be needed. New subdivisions alone can't pay for the water/sewage treatment facilities, schools, police/EMS, etc. Growth is great, but someone has to pay for it! On top of that all new developments have HOAs and the rates are insane. If we add what we pay annually in HOA fees to what we pay in property taxes, we can easily afford MA property taxes - maybe not in Boston - but we don't want to live there anyway :-)

Besides all these points, we want to be in the NE since that is where our family is located. We have been away from them for over fifteen years and want to be closer for many reasons.

BTW...scorpio516 I would LOVE an old Federal, however the rational side of my brain is telling me "don't be stupid" buy a place you can age in. Can't say I love ranches but realistically I probably won't want to be doing stairs when I'm in my 80s!! Maybe I can find a modestly priced mid-century that hasn't been ruined over the years...yeah right! So much to think about which is why we are here. Thanks again everyone, the location suggestions are very helpful.

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

Sure, if you want a town with a Dunks, Wendy’s and not much else - $350,000 will buy you half the town assuming you’re content with a five figure property tax bill. It sounds like OP is looking for something more along the lines of Lenox.

Not true, You can have a very nice life in Western MA in a home for 350K (or less). And there is plenty of both civilization and nature here.

[jmmex]

Great thread. I live in S Florida and am 7 years away from retirement. opposite migration, i know, but would love to buy now or as a 2nd home. I have family in W MA and i see a sense of community where they are: Amherst and Turners Falls. There are many hidden gems in the area: Greenfield, S Hadley, Shelbourne, if you want to stay close to highway and commerce, hospitals, etc. So much to do! Gardening heaven! I had the best herbal garden for years.
The RE market is crazy now and its too hard to find a reasonable anything even in the Hilltowns and Berkshires. I also need a barn or property for 2 horses. I know not to buy anything pre 1970s. Been there, done that. I am actually thinking of buying land and building.
I will tell you that senior services in Northampton and Amherst areas have greatly improved in the past 15 years. Cooley Dickinson Hospital is VERY good. More doctors and specialists, all kinds if holistic modalities. Theres everything you could ever want in the Noho- Hadley- Amherst area.
CT is not my cup of tea. We were in Cheshire for 5 years. It was unremarkable and zero anything open after 9pm. Good gardening though, but a bunch of epa superfunds and so many cancer cases in the area that it was so obvious something was/is wrong in that part if the state. Fairfield is through the roof, might as well go to NY.
I too was told to check out Asheville. Had been there in the early 2000s, felt fake and blah. Raleigh is cool, but the prices are insane. Where ever we go, it had to be horsey.
Id advise you to go to western mass in the summer and again in the winter. You’ll have two very different experiences.

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by jmmex

Great thread. I live in S Florida and am 7 years away from retirement. opposite migration, i know, but would love to buy now or as a 2nd home. I have family in W MA and i see a sense of community where they are: Amherst and Turners Falls. There are many hidden gems in the area: Greenfield, S Hadley, Shelbourne, if you want to stay close to highway and commerce, hospitals, etc. So much to do! Gardening heaven! I had the best herbal garden for years.
The RE market is crazy now and its too hard to find a reasonable anything even in the Hilltowns and Berkshires. I also need a barn or property for 2 horses. I know not to buy anything pre 1970s. Been there, done that. I am actually thinking of buying land and building.
I will tell you that senior services in Northampton and Amherst areas have greatly improved in the past 15 years. Cooley Dickinson Hospital is VERY good. More doctors and specialists, all kinds if holistic modalities. Theres everything you could ever want in the Noho- Hadley- Amherst area.
CT is not my cup of tea. We were in Cheshire for 5 years. It was unremarkable and zero anything open after 9pm. Good gardening though, but a bunch of epa superfunds and so many cancer cases in the area that it was so obvious something was/is wrong in that part if the state. Fairfield is through the roof, might as well go to NY.
I too was told to check out Asheville. Had been there in the early 2000s, felt fake and blah. Raleigh is cool, but the prices are insane. Where ever we go, it had to be horsey.
Id advise you to go to western mass in the summer and again in the winter. You’ll have two very different experiences.

Well, if you do decide to move here, try to find a bigger barn, maybe I'll board with you! I left my horse in NH with my trainer when I moved here.

[BosYuppie]

Originally Posted by jmmex

Great thread. I live in S Florida and am 7 years away from retirement. opposite migration, i know, but would love to buy now or as a 2nd home. I have family in W MA and i see a sense of community where they are: Amherst and Turners Falls. There are many hidden gems in the area: Greenfield, S Hadley, Shelbourne, if you want to stay close to highway and commerce, hospitals, etc. So much to do! Gardening heaven! I had the best herbal garden for years.
The RE market is crazy now and its too hard to find a reasonable anything even in the Hilltowns and Berkshires. I also need a barn or property for 2 horses. I know not to buy anything pre 1970s. Been there, done that. I am actually thinking of buying land and building.
I will tell you that senior services in Northampton and Amherst areas have greatly improved in the past 15 years. Cooley Dickinson Hospital is VERY good. More doctors and specialists, all kinds if holistic modalities. Theres everything you could ever want in the Noho- Hadley- Amherst area.
CT is not my cup of tea. We were in Cheshire for 5 years. It was unremarkable and zero anything open after 9pm. Good gardening though, but a bunch of epa superfunds and so many cancer cases in the area that it was so obvious something was/is wrong in that part if the state. Fairfield is through the roof, might as well go to NY.
I too was told to check out Asheville. Had been there in the early 2000s, felt fake and blah. Raleigh is cool, but the prices are insane. Where ever we go, it had to be horsey.
Id advise you to go to western mass in the summer and again in the winter. You’ll have two very different experiences.

A lot has come into Asheville even in the past 15 years. It's definitely worth revisiting.