Moving from Va to NH looking for some advice :) (Exeter: apartment, hotels)
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Ok well NH is “very rural”. Southern NH is mostly large lot zoning similar to less dense suburbs of Boston (Sudbury, Wayland etc.)
Milford (let alone Bedford) to Pease is not a commute I’d want to do, it’s probably near an hour and a half. the sea coast is usually considered a better place to live if you can afford it. Exeter is a great town, so is north Hampton and Rye. 500k is doable in Exeter, but rye is very $$$.
What Levi.Dunn said is so true about driving in nh- everything seems to be so close yet so far. I live in a big nh town and find myself driving 40 mins to get to any decent stores or outlet malls. I’m usually in Mass every weekend anyway to get something I need anyway. NH is not the place where every town has decent restaurants and stores- I’m only saying this because I used to live in NOVA and NH seems very rural compared to inner areas of NOVA (McLean, Dulles)
Property taxes are high, but compared to any big metro area NH looks dirt cheap! Partially why some people choose to offload their modest 1.2 million house in Newton and move up here and pay cash. The real estate market is good for sellers now, inventory is at an all time low so expect to be competing with multiple offers. Sea coast is where everybody wants to be!! And for good reason, beaches, Portsmouth, Boston, it’s all nearby!
Ok well NH is “very rural”. Southern NH is mostly large lot zoning similar to less dense suburbs of Boston (Sudbury, Wayland etc.)
Milford (let alone Bedford) to Pease is not a commute I’d want to do, it’s probably near an hour and a half. the sea coast is usually considered a better place to live if you can afford it. Exeter is a great town, so is north Hampton and Rye. 500k is doable in Exeter, but rye is very $$$.
What Levi.Dunn said is so true about driving in nh- everything seems to be so close yet so far. I live in a big nh town and find myself driving 40 mins to get to any decent stores or outlet malls. I’m usually in Mass every weekend anyway to get something I need anyway. NH is not the place where every town has decent restaurants and stores- I’m only saying this because I used to live in NOVA and NH seems very rural compared to inner areas of NOVA (McLean, Dulles)
Property taxes are high, but compared to any big metro area NH looks dirt cheap! Partially why some people choose to offload their modest 1.2 million house in Newton and move up here and pay cash. The real estate market is good for sellers now, inventory is at an all time low so expect to be competing with multiple offers. Sea coast is where everybody wants to be!! And for good reason, beaches, Portsmouth, Boston, it’s all nearby!
Enjoy NH!
The Lakes Region is where I want to be when I'm retired, preferably Moultonborough... Prices are going up for even smaller homes there, anything decent is north of $350-400K which is a sizable chunk of change compared to many other rural areas of the US. Mountains, lakes, and trails make it more desirable for what I prefer compared to the Seacoast.
I know this won't be a popular thought in this forum, but have you considered MA as a place to live? There are plenty of "suburban" towns along 95 where you could find a home in your price point, have the amenities you look for, and allows for a 30-50 minute ride to Pease.
You know we really haven’t. I think bc of the no state tax/income tax currently as a one income family we get excited about that stuff but with property taxes being so high in some areas it’s almost cancels those pluses out . Thanks for the suggestion I’ll definitely discuss with DH I do like the idea of calling New Hampshire home though
Yeah MA isn’t as bad as it used to be tax wise. 5% flat income tax and lower property taxes. Sales tax is one thing, but it doesn’t apply to groceries and clothing under $175. Also a much better gov structure w/better services.
I’m here to help, not to preach NH as the holy land!
It's going to be hard to find one town with everything one might conceivably want, for example:
- Modest home prices
- Low taxes
- Reasonable commute to work
- More than one employment option if things go south at first job
- Great schools and services
- Good medical care options
- Nice downtown with things to do
- Convenient to shopping
- Beautiful nature and parks
- Not too remote for family visitors
...so I think you're going to have to do some personal prioritizing and accept some things that are less than optimal in order to get the important things (for your family) right...
I know this won't be a popular thought in this forum, but have you considered MA as a place to live? There are plenty of "suburban" towns along 95 where you could find a home in your price point, have the amenities you look for, and allows for a 30-50 minute ride to Pease.
I live on the north coast of MA myself, just across the NH border. It is very nice here, but prices have gotten kind of out of hand. Also, you'd incur the state income tax, so with hubby working in NH, I don't know...
If you do want to check out the North coast of MA with a decent commute to Pease, I'd look at Amesbury and Georgetown. You can check out Newburyport too, but these days it's going to be pretty hard to find a family sized place for $500K. It's like Portsmouth for pricing.
From what I have understood of what's important to you (the original poster), I'd be looking at Exeter and Durham most.
If you want good schools and ready access to shopping, under $500K, and near Pease, Exeter is a fine choice. I'd also check out Durham - the Oyster River school district has a very good reputation. Madbury and Lee, which are more rural and probably a little less expensive, flank Durham and I believe share the school district.
I'm an Oyster River HS alum. Definitely one of the best schools in the state, then and now. The high school and middle school offer a broad variety of great scholastic, sports, and arts offerings. Durham is a wonderful place to raise kids, with the extra amenities available due to UNH (wonderful concerts and exhibits at the Creative Arts Center, etc., which are often free of charge). It's also fun (and free or cheap) to root for a wide variety of UNH sports teams.
Madbury and Lee do indeed share the OR school district with Durham; K-5, I believe each have their own elementary schools in each town. For middle and high school, the entire district goes to Durham. Both ORMS and ORHS are walkable to each other and to downtown Durham.
Seeing the sights in Portsmouth is a quick drive away, as is a quiet walk in the woods (Durham Point, on the Durham/Newmarket line, is closeby and offers beautiful water vistas).
I know this won't be a popular thought in this forum, but have you considered MA as a place to live? There are plenty of "suburban" towns along 95 where you could find a home in your price point, have the amenities you look for, and allows for a 30-50 minute ride to Pease.
After living in NOVA, I would think the OP would rather be in a less traffic-y area.
Another expense to budget for is the annual car registration. Can be several hundred if you have a newer car.
After living in NOVA, I would think the OP would rather be in a less traffic-y area.
Another expense to budget for is the annual car registration. Can be several hundred if you have a newer car.
Trust me. No traffic compares to DC. Anything else is better than that traffic.
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I do like the idea of calling New Hampshire home though 
