# Talk me into or out of moving back to Upstate NY!



## fire_man (Oct 30, 2021)

I lived in Rochester for 5 years and Albany for 6 years in the 80's and 90's and loved every minute. Relaxed life style, low cost of living, easy driving and lots to do surrounded by beautiful country and 4 great seasons. And I like the cold! But the jobs for Engineers were Awful.

I moved to Boston in 1997 to  present for a great job  but I hate living in the Boston area because I'm sick of the crowds, horrible traffic and endless wall to wall cities with little rural space. Now I'm retired and want to go BACK to Upstate NY. The only disadvantage I see is the horrendous property taxes. The income and Sales taxes are a bit higher than MA but not terribly. Housing costs in Upstate NY look to be about half  for the same type house and land area.

Anybody out there living in Upstate NY with an opinion? I know there are other areas but I like living near cities with populations of 100K-200K for the numerous conveniences but they have to be surrounded by lots of rural space that's  friendly to woodburners and NOT near any Megalopolis.

Oh yea, the other things I don't like about Boston is they have no idea how to make a proper Italian Sub, Buffalo Chicken Wing or Pizza!


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## ABMax24 (Oct 30, 2021)

IMO, get out of the city. I'm not a big city person, I like to visit them, but not live there. I like being close to nature and having the option to take day trips away from civilization. Quite frankly I'm not sure how many of you do it living so close to so many big cities, maybe I'd get used to it if I had to. I live in a city of 75,000, and that's plenty big for me, with the nearest city a 4.5hr drive away.

If you really want to get away there's lots of room in Canada, especially out west, but then I really hope you like the cold.


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## fire_man (Oct 30, 2021)

ABMax24 said:


> I'm not sure how many of you do it living so close to so many big cities


I ask myself this same question almost every day.


ABMax24 said:


> I I live in a city of 75,000, and that's plenty big for me, with the nearest city a 4.5hr drive away.


I think the sweet spot for the right population size is maybe 75K on the low side to 200K on the high side. Too low and you lose convenience to stuff you need and have to drive far. Too big and it's  too crowded.

I like the idea of being really far away from a big city (4.5 hrs is great) - that way there is much less influence from that big city. What sense is it for me to move to Keene NH which is a nice small city if that's only 45 miles from Nashua which is really just a suburb of Boston.


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## stoveliker (Oct 30, 2021)

I'd say to find a state without income taxes (save 401k paying less taxes, withdraw from it paying no state taxes).
In the north east, New Hampshire only levies taxes over interest, not income.
Saves you a decent percentage right off the bat.


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## fire_man (Oct 30, 2021)

We are considering NH. Southern NH is like a giant suburb of Boston. Central NH might be intriguing - but somehow I get the feeling Boston will always be the hub of anywhere in New England and I want OUT from this hub.


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## all night moe (Oct 30, 2021)

I live in rural upstate. I love where I am but dislike NY. The politics flat out suck. Geographically gorgeous with the many lakes and mountains. Some other options are VT, NH, and ME. All beautiful lands and have there share of cold.


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## fire_man (Oct 30, 2021)

I keep hearing how Toxic are the politics in NY. I'm not sure how that  affects day to day life but it is a valid point.


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## peakbagger (Oct 30, 2021)

I live up in Northern NH but I can be at the ocean in about 2 hours or up in an area of undeveloped lakes in about 45 minutes or at a trailhead to my favorite mountains in about 5 minutes. N income or sales tax but property taxes can be steep if you pick the wrong town. If you are an ATV person there is the biggest ATV network in the Northeast nearby, in some towns you can ride right from your house.


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## PaulOinMA (Oct 30, 2021)

Leaving the Boston area?  Sounds good to me.


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## fire_man (Oct 30, 2021)

I  think I have a disease I'm calling FOBC!

FOBC 
Fear of Big Cities


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## ispinwool (Nov 1, 2021)

fire_man said:


> I  think I have a disease I'm calling FOBC!
> 
> FOBC
> Fear of Big Cities


I AGREE!   our little borough holds roughly 3,500 people and it's too big for me.  I'd really prefer to move a bit further out in the
country; but not too far from our grown kiddos.


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## fire_man (Nov 1, 2021)

Wow 3500 and it's too big!  I would not be happy in a place where I need to drive 20 miles every time I need something at the big hardware stores or for weekly shopping. I also appreciate having good access to cell service, internet and over the air TV.

There is definitley a sweet spot for me, not being to close to a big city, having nice rural surroundings but still being close to major conveniences.


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## bholler (Nov 1, 2021)

You could look at northern pa also.  The Poconos aren't far from cities but offer fairly low property taxes.  Then there is central and north west pa where it's really cheap but not very close to much of anything.


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## fire_man (Nov 1, 2021)

We actually are considering parts of PA.

From what I have heard about PA,  you are either in a big city or out in pure rural country. Upstate NY intrigues me because it  offers the conveniences of mid size cities without being overwhelming and has rural characteristics all around.


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## bholler (Nov 1, 2021)

fire_man said:


> We actually are considering parts of PA.
> 
> From what I have heard about PA,  you are either in a big city or out in pure rural country. Upstate NY intrigues me because it  offers the conveniences of mid size cities without being overwhelming and has rural characteristics all around.


Not really we have Williamsport Harrisburg Scranton that are small cities.  And lots of medium sized towns.


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## clancey (Nov 1, 2021)

City-Data.com - Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more


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## bholler (Nov 1, 2021)

I do like upstate NY we have friends with a place near buffalo and spend a fair amount of time there.  But the property taxes certainly are high.


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## fire_man (Nov 1, 2021)

clancey said:


> City-Data.com - Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more


Thanks Clancey that looks helpful


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## fire_man (Nov 1, 2021)

bholler said:


> I do like upstate NY we have friends with a place near buffalo and spend a fair amount of time there.  But the property taxes certainly are high.


If it weren't for the property taxes in Upstate NY the decision would have been made already.


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## Bad LP (Nov 1, 2021)

all night moe said:


> I live in rural upstate. I love where I am but dislike NY. The politics flat out suck. Geographically gorgeous with the many lakes and mountains. Some other options are VT, NH, and ME. All beautiful lands and have there share of cold.


Maine is full.


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## fire_man (Nov 1, 2021)

Bad LP said:


> Maine is full.


Full of what?


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## stoveliker (Nov 1, 2021)

Trees. So it's quite inviting for us here ...


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## fire_man (Nov 1, 2021)

Maine is definitely a possiblity.


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## peakbagger (Nov 2, 2021)

Take a look at overall tax burden per state 


*Overall Rank (1=Highest)**State**Total Tax Burden
 (%)**Property Tax Burden
 (%)**Individual Income Tax Burden
 (%)**Total Sales & Excise Tax Burden
 (%)* 



1New York12.79%4.40%
(6)4.96%
(1)3.43%
(22)2Hawaii12.19%2.45%
(35)3.09%
(10)6.65%
(1)3Vermont10.75%5.04%
(2)2.41%
(22)3.30%
(26)4Maine10.50%4.60%
(4)2.45%
(21)3.45%
(20

And way down there


46New Hampshire6.84%5.47%
(1)0.13%
(42)1.24%
(48)

Notice a trend? 

Property tax varies significantly in NH, pick the right town and taxes can vary significiantly. There are a few  unorganized townships that have no property taxes (there is a commercial timber tax that pays them).


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## Bad LP (Nov 2, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Take a look at overall tax burden per state
> 
> 
> *Overall Rank (1=Highest)**State**Total Tax Burden
> ...



Like NH local taxes vary a great deal. If there were less people getting easy hand outs the state tax would be a bit more palatable but I can’t control that by myself.


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Take a look at overall tax burden per state
> 
> 
> *Overall Rank (1=Highest)**State**Total Tax Burden
> ...


Thanks for posting.  Kind of frustrating, my top picks are the worst tax wise. I'm surprised California is not in the top 4.


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## peakbagger (Nov 2, 2021)

State tax policy is definitely a big subject. NH relies way to much on local property taxes, state government runs lean and pushes a lot of mandates to the towns and counties who rely on the property tax. Income taxes in theory are progressive in that the folks who are earning a living are paying them while the retired folks who are not are not. Obviously the well off have gamed the system by living off of capital gains (taxed at low rate) than on earned income.  So the game in NH is to look for a property tax rich town that has high value seasonal properties in it  and low year round population base. Then buy a house in corner of town away from the seasonal attraction.  Those towns are getting lots of property taxes from seasonal residents with no kids in school.  Meanwhile property poor towns with old housing stock and no seasonal attractions have high local property taxes and lot of families with kids that need to be educated. So when shopping for real estate it worth looking into property tax differential in different towns. I think that applies in all states with property tax but since NH depends more heavily on them there is more of swing then elsewhere. NH also has a very generous current use law for undeveloped properties, my 83 acre wood lot get taxed around $150 a year.  Its quite noticeable that large forest parcels go on the market much less often than VT or Me.


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

Excellent point about how property taxes can vary significantly within the same state. According to smartasset.com, Albany county in NY has an average county tax rate of 2.1 % ($5250 on a $250K home) and Monroe county near Rochester NY has an average county tax of 3.22 % ($8050 on a $250K home). The take away is you have to do a deep dive to understand where the higher property taxes really are within a state and using a one size fits all  calculator can be misleading.

True about the comment on capital gains. It is kind of a loophole of sorts.

There is another factor that the calculators dont always take into accouunt - NY is very tax friendly for social security and pensions.

"In New York, all Social Security retirement benefits are exempt from taxation. Income from retirement accounts or a private pension is deductible up to $20,000. Sales and property taxes are both relatively high in New York."


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## peakbagger (Nov 2, 2021)

Its trap a lot of folks get into at the low end of the market, they buy  a cheap home to get their payments affordable but then get nailed by the property tax bill. At least with high payments on a mortgage there is chance of making money when the house is eventually sold. With property taxes it lost money that goes down the drain once the kids are educated. In my town which used to have average property taxes but are now high, the school system is academically highly rated. ITs small school so per pupil costs are quite high. Many families move into town with kids when they are going to school and then move to the adjacent rural towns once the kids are out of school. Many of the teachers live in the rural towns (its school co-op so the folks in the rural towns get to vote on school costs).


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

The disadvantage to moving to  rural towns with lower property tax and less academically rated schools is the property values dont tend to appreciate as well but I suppose retirees might not care.


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## clancey (Nov 2, 2021)

Thanks for the tax chart and my they get you one way or another and I think I do notice a trend --that is the property taxes for New Hampshire is raising and (if I am reading it right)--people are retiring there for that tax seems much lower for seniors and items you buy but if this is so--then then land taxes will raise too...hoping I got this right---terrible and now all the fuel costs..clancey


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## peakbagger (Nov 2, 2021)

fire_man said:


> The disadvantage to moving to  rural towns with lower property tax and less academically rated schools is the property values dont tend to appreciate as well but I suppose retirees might not care.


Rural towns are attractive in my area for second homes.  The homes sell for a premium in those towns. These towns are located partially in the White Mountain National Forest which is a magnet for the Mass crowd to get their first retirement homes. They tend to move away in 15 or 20 years as they need more social support services.


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## Bad LP (Nov 2, 2021)

fire_man said:


> The disadvantage to moving to  rural towns with lower property tax and less academically rated schools is the property values dont tend to appreciate as well but I suppose retirees might not care.


I absolutely don't care about the school and never have. We never had kids.


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Its trap a lot of folks get into at the low end of the market, they buy  a cheap home to get their payments affordable but then get nailed by the property tax bill. At least with high payments on a mortgage there is chance of making money when the house is eventually sold. With property taxes it lost money that goes down the drain once the kids are educated. In my town which used to have average property taxes but are now high, the school system is academically highly rated. ITs small school so per pupil costs are quite high. Many families move into town with kids when they are going to school and then move to the adjacent rural towns once the kids are out of school. Many of the teachers live in the rural towns (its school co-op so the folks in the rural towns get to vote on school costs).


Are you saying it's a trap because these people are blindsided by a high property tax bill which they should have known about? They buy a low end market house and then get wacked with a high property tax bill?


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## peakbagger (Nov 2, 2021)

Yes, the real estate agent really doesnt care  what happens after they get the commission. So a homeowner buys a home on the edge of their budget and then has to come up with an extra $400 a month for property taxes.


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## Fiddler (Nov 2, 2021)

Bad LP said:


> Maine is full.


so is PA...........


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

Fiddler said:


> so is PA...........


Sorry but this is not helpful and  not very hearth.com friendly.


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## stoveliker (Nov 2, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Yes, the real estate agent really doesnt care  what happens after they get the commission. So a homeowner buys a home on the edge of their budget and then has to come up with an extra $400 a month for property taxes.



The real estate agent has no business educating customers about their financial  capacity. That is something the mortgage provider should do as they look at what you can afford. They have skin in the game. The real estate agent wants a commission, and being close to or just over the edge is not his problem. The excuse to an unhappy customer is always "you should have known; you give me a budget to work with, and I delivered".

Going to Long island, I explicitly asked about the crazy property taxes (more than 10 times those in TN...) so that I could take that into account in my monthly costs.

Thinking that one can pay the mortgage and that taxes etc won't factor into a budget is just intellectually disqualifying someone from owning a home imo.


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

stoveliker said:


> Thinking that one can pay the mortgage and that taxes etc won't factor into a budget is just intellectually disqualifying someone from owning a home imo.


Hard to believe anybody would do that but I guess it happens


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## EatenByLimestone (Nov 2, 2021)

If you like the Albany area, but desire less political BS, look into Schoharie County.    It's a half hour from Albany.   Plenty of trees, mountains, wildlife, etc.


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

Thanks will add that to the list to look at. I lived in Schenectady and Troy way back in time.
The Albany area looks like it has some areas with lower property taxes, at least relative to Rochester.

There is some kind of Star program for seniors in NY to reduce porperty tax over age 65. I'm a bunch of years away from that but something to consider.


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## Bad LP (Nov 2, 2021)

fire_man said:


> Are you saying it's a trap because these people are blindsided by a high property tax bill which they should have known about? They buy a low end market house and then get wacked with a high property tax bill?


If somebody that stupid does not know all related costs then maybe one shouldn’t own.


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## stoveliker (Nov 2, 2021)

Bad LP said:


> If somebody that stupid does not know all related costs then maybe one shouldn’t own.



Or knows to ask about them. (Because Interstate moving has a lot of these "I don't know but I sure as heck need to know"-issues.

There are states where property taxes are simply not a thing one really has to budget for (if middle class and buying a middle class home).


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## Bad LP (Nov 2, 2021)

stoveliker said:


> Or knows to ask about them. (Because Interstate moving has a lot of these "I don't know but I sure as heck need to know"-issues.
> 
> There are states where property taxes are simply not a thing one really has to budget for (if middle class and buying a middle class home).


Call me stupid or whatever you want but knowing how to pay your way is 1st grade knowledge. 
We all don’t get to land on the moon. 
We still need ditch diggers and people who can work their hands.


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## stoveliker (Nov 2, 2021)

Bad LP said:


> Call me stupid or whatever you want but knowing how to pay your way is 1st grade knowledge.
> We all don’t get to land on the moon.
> We still need ditch diggers and people who can work their hands.



No, not stupid. I agree with you. However, just so you know, there are states where an 1800 sqft home on half an acre adds up to $70 property tax per month. If one then moves to, let's say, Long Island, one needs to realize that one has to ask what things really cost.  For someone who has not lived (or looked) beyond ones own county, such a move can be problematic as it's not always clear what is going to be important to ask...


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## Bad LP (Nov 2, 2021)

stoveliker said:


> No, not stupid. I agree with you. However, just so you know, there are states where an 1800 sqft home on half an acre adds up to $70 property tax per month. If one then moves to, let's say, Long Island, one needs to realize that one has to ask what things really cost.  For someone who has not lived (or looked) beyond ones own county, such a move can be problematic as it's not always clear what is going to be important to ask...


Ahhh. It’s called homework.


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## stoveliker (Nov 2, 2021)

Yes. But sometimes it's not clear even what questions to ask. 
Same as folks moving to another country. (I know...)


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## fire_man (Nov 2, 2021)

stoveliker said:


> there are states where an 1800 sqft home on half an acre adds up to $70 property tax per month.


No way really?


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## stoveliker (Nov 2, 2021)

Yes. Did so myself. Ow..and also no state income tax (unless you had more than $1500 in interest income I believe - but I wouldn't know that).


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## stoveliker (Nov 2, 2021)

Of course total sales tax was 9.25 pct or so. So it (no income tax but higher sales tax being advantageous) depends on the fraction of income one spends at stores.

Good for higher incomes less to for lower incomes.


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## bholler (Nov 2, 2021)

fire_man said:


> No way really?


I pay about $110 a month on 5 acres 2000 sq ft house and roughly 10000 sq ft in 3 out buildings.


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## bholler (Nov 2, 2021)

Bad LP said:


> Call me stupid or whatever you want but knowing how to pay your way is 1st grade knowledge.
> We all don’t get to land on the moon.
> We still need ditch diggers and people who can work their hands.


Excuse me but what does being able to.work with your hands have to do with intelligence or lack there of?


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## Bad LP (Nov 3, 2021)

bholler said:


> Excuse me but what does being able to.work with your hands have to do with intelligence or lack there of?


I work with my hands.


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## EatenByLimestone (Nov 3, 2021)

Digging ditches by hand is often a menial job that the least capable can do, and have done in the past.   It doesn't mean all those who do it are unintelligent.   I have 2 bachelor's degrees, run a company with 7 figures in sales, and dig ditches when needed.   It was only a couple years ago that my business partner and I were the only ditch diggers.


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## Sawset (Nov 3, 2021)

There is a local comedy group here, where one of their skits is "are you smarter than a county worker". Boos in the audience turns around pretty quick, when some archane no-one could possibly know question gets answered not by the PhD but just by a chance comment from "the guys". You won --. High fives, simulate a beer or two. Next question. The PhD never did get the hang of it.


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## peakbagger (Nov 3, 2021)

Sad to say, basic budgeting is a skill that is independent of ones profession, Look at how well Dave Ramsey has done repackaging Crown Financial Ministry concepts into a commercial empire. His borrowed radical concept starts with getting some envelopes, labeling them for all household  expenses and then putting all the cash from a paycheck in them. When any envelope is empty they do not get refilled until the next paycheck. People pay money to take the courses and buy the books mixed in with a slightly lesser tie to fundamentalist christian faith.

I was brought up by a bookkeeper and while he didnt force us kids to learn it, I did. I still balance my checkbook every month and keep track of debit card purchases. Many do not and banks and financial institutions make lot of money on overdraft fees.

In my case on property taxes, I moved to a small town in 1987 with a large papermill that paid most of the taxes, the town next door had a large pulp mill that also paid a majority of the taxes. The nearby rural towns were bedroom communities for the managers of the mills. So my property taxes were reasonable. Fast forward 30 years and the pulp mill is gone, the papermill is struggling and usually behind on their rent with plans to tear down 75% of the buildings to concentrate on running on last papermachine (out of 6 previously)and the state decided to renig on deals on school funding and medicaid forcing more costs on the towns and county . Property taxes started going up and with a loss of major employers home values went down.  Its now a split market, seasonal places with good views in the surrounding towns are in demand while cheap places in town sell to out of town ATV owners who can drive on town roads to get to the local 1000 mile plus ATV network .  So $415 a month for one acre and 1500 foot home with garage. That is actually a bit low as a 3rd bedroom and bath was never finished, if they were it would probably jump up to $465 a month. Pick up my house and move it one town over and my taxes would be about 60% of what I pay.


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## Sawset (Nov 3, 2021)

My sister lived in Watertown newyork for 30yrs. It was interesting how when the family was grown, one by one they all moved back to WI. I think they wanted a more urban/rural combination vs the north woods feel of Watertown. He was a physician in town. I think the rest wanted more employment opportunities. Other extended family had a lot to do with it too.


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## carsox2000 (Nov 3, 2021)

fire_man said:


> I lived in Rochester for 5 years and Albany for 6 years in the 80's and 90's and loved every minute. Relaxed life style, low cost of living, easy driving and lots to do surrounded by beautiful country and 4 great seasons. And I like the cold! But the jobs for Engineers were Awful.
> 
> I moved to Boston in 1997 to  present for a great job  but I hate living in the Boston area because I'm sick of the crowds, horrible traffic and endless wall to wall cities with little rural space. Now I'm retired and want to go BACK to Upstate NY. The only disadvantage I see is the horrendous property taxes. The income and Sales taxes are a bit higher than MA but not terribly. Housing costs in Upstate NY look to be about half  for the same type house and land area.
> 
> ...


I live on Long Island and can't wait to get out.  For what it's worth, NH had cheap prices on wine and liquor.


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## PaulOinMA (Nov 5, 2021)

My wife gets e-mail of homes from Zillow.  There are some really neat old homes in West Hartford and Hartford, CT that she will send me.  Neat homes around the UConn law school area (Mark Twain house is in the area).  Always amazed at the property taxes, which are prohibitive.

West Hartford Mill Rate is 42.  Hartford is 74!  By contrast, I grew up in Shelton.  Mill Rate there is 22.



			https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/OPM/IGPP-Data-Grants-Mgmt/Mill-Rates-20GL-22FY-8-6-21.pdf


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## firefighterjake (Nov 5, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> ... I still balance my checkbook every month and keep track of debit card purchases. ...



Same here. My buddy thinks it is hilarious that I balance out the checkbook each month . . . me . . . I like knowing how much money I have on hand and if the bank or myself have made any errors. I also am old school in that I keep all of my debit slips and do everything with pen and paper and a calculator vs. tracking things on line. Sometimes I think I am a 81-year-old man and not in my early 50s.

Oh yeah . . . my wife and I also are exploring a possible move . . . north to The County.


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## PaulOinMA (Nov 5, 2021)

I balance my checkbook and check all credit card receipts for the month.

I also manually enter all monthly transactions from our financial statement and quarterly statements from my wife's multiple retirement accounts into Quicken.  I could download the information, but I like to be more hands-on involved in seeing what's going on.


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## fire_man (Nov 7, 2021)

carsox2000 said:


> For what it's worth, NH had cheap prices on wine and liquor.


Yes I know


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## fire_man (Nov 7, 2021)

bholler said:


> I pay about $110 a month on 5 acres 2000 sq ft house and roughly 10000 sq ft in 3 out buildings.


That is incredible. There is a huge  difference in property taxes between states.


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## fire_man (Nov 7, 2021)

Sawset said:


> My sister lived in Watertown newyork for 30yrs. It was interesting how when the family was grown, one by one they all moved back to WI. *I think **they wanted a more urban/rural combination vs the north woods feel of Watertown*. He was a physician in town. I think the rest wanted more employment opportunities. Other extended family had a lot to do with it too.


Yup I get that. It's nice to be near  major conveniences but still have the rural surroundings which is exactly the combo i am looking for.


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## bholler (Nov 7, 2021)

fire_man said:


> That is incredible. There is a huge  difference in property taxes between states.


It varies allot within the state as well though.


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## bigealta (Nov 7, 2021)

Try Utah, weather is So much better than the East. 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr North of Salt Lake City. Some Great places to live.


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## EatenByLimestone (Nov 7, 2021)

I just learned that NY is next door to the state that is the "sock capital of the world".    So we have that too.


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## stoveliker (Nov 7, 2021)

Fort Payne, AL....?


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## EatenByLimestone (Nov 8, 2021)

Wait, are you telling me that there is more than 1 sock capital of the world?

Oh, the humanity!   What is this world coming to when 2 places can claim such a title?


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## EbS-P (Nov 8, 2021)

Couple thoughts cost aside.  Having close  access to healthcare specialists is really nice.  Local orthopedic, oncology, cardiac specialist ect.  just makes life easier.    That an airport with more than one carrier 90 miles or less away.  

Easy in easy out for reasonable prices.


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## fire_man (Nov 8, 2021)

EbS-P said:


> Couple thoughts cost aside.  Having close  access to healthcare specialists is really nice.  Local orthopedic, oncology, cardiac specialist ect.  just makes life easier.    That an airport with more than one carrier 90 miles or less away.
> 
> Easy in easy out for reasonable prices.


Good points - decent health care and nearby airports are on the list of must-haves.


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## SpaceBus (Nov 8, 2021)

fire_man said:


> Full of what?


Full of wide open spaces, drug abuse, and poverty.


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## Fingerlakes Fireplace (Dec 24, 2021)

Upstate NY is beautiful country!
Here are the reasons i have seriously considered moving....
Super high taxes.. When my property was assessed at$250k my property + school taxes  where almost $7000. My property assessment just recently jumped to $400k for no reason.
The politics.  Upstate might be mostly conservative, but we are ruled by Albany and NYC, which are liberal. 
Just look at the number of people that moved out of NY this year!
That should give you a hint...


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## fire_man (Dec 24, 2021)

Fingerlakes Fireplace said:


> Upstate NY is beautiful country!
> Here are the reasons i have seriously considered moving....
> Super high taxes.. When my property was assessed at$250k my property + school taxes  where almost $7000. My property assessment just recently jumped to $400k for no reason.
> The politics.  Upstate might be mostly conservative, but we are ruled by Albany and NYC, which are liberal.
> ...


Did your property tax go up proportionally to the increased assesment?

It would be pretty much a no brainer of a choice for me if it were not for the high taxes. 
I agree about the beautiful country. We have considered the Ithaca area.


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## Fingerlakes Fireplace (Dec 24, 2021)

fire_man said:


> Did your property tax go up proportionally to the increased assesment?
> 
> It would be pretty much a no brainer of a choice for me if it were not for the high taxes.
> I agree about the beautiful country. We have considered the Ithaca area.


My taxes did not go up proportionately...
Our assessor is either crooked or incompetent...
My assessment went up that much, without any reason.
Some properties are way under market value.


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## fire_man (Dec 24, 2021)

Fingerlakes Fireplace said:


> My taxes did not go up proportionately...
> Our assessor is either crooked or incompetent...
> My assessment went up that much, without any reason.
> Some properties are way under market value.


That increase from 250K to 400K is a big jump.
If it were me I would want to see what is the assessment of other similar houses.
Maybe  the assessor is not consistently incompetent and you can contest it.


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