Calling anyone from MA!!!! relocation advice

[Brandie&Maggie]

Ah taxes....I hate to say it, but there is a nickname for Massachusetts...some call it "Taxachusetts"

Basically, if you move to MA, you'll pay property taxes if you own the home. You are taxed on the value of your house. It's a huge expense. You don't pay this directly if you rent, but the costs are passed along to you in the cost of your rent.

You'll also pay state & federal income tax. You'll pay sales tax on everything you buy. (NH does not have state income tax or sales tax so that is a big draw for many people who live there).

You'll also pay an excise tax. That means on any vehicles, boats, RV's, etc. that you own, you will pay an annual tax to the state in addition to the costs of registering these items annually. Be aware that if you buy a car, you pay the whole cost of the tax in cash when you register it.

It's manageable but just be aware of it when negotiating salaries.

 

[Milliejb]

I do love Boston but Ireland is one of my favorite places EVER! How about you move to Jersey and we can just switch houses

 

[NewfieMama]

Please explain property tax to me 17.05% of what? annually? etc? we don't do property tax in Ireland just all in one pot mainly with a few smaller taxes. i need to understand what i'm getting myself into before i find what i thought was was a big wag vanishes in stealth taxes!!

ps
i'd be renting do i still pay property tax?

It's tax on the assessment of the property not the purchase price. Usually purchase prices are higher. Towns also adjust the mill rate (what % they charge) from time to time to cover expenses. Property taxes help pay for schools, fire, police, snow removal, etc. MA taxes were FAR lower than our NJ taxes were.

if you rent, the property owner pays the taxes and insurance as well as the mortgage, if any. So if their total cost is $1500 a month your rent might be $2000 which gives them some income plus funding for maintenance. They can deduct the interest paid on their taxes; as a renter, you get no deduction for rent. This may not matter if you are only here for a year...

 

[Newfs Forever]

thanks thats some good advice, i guess we'd have to wait and see where we would be working and hopefully we are both in the same area roughly. we would be working in the pharma sector but for a company that services the industry so we could be at their office or elsewhere depending on projects. gues we can't have a big house that accepts dogs and be in the city!! so the dogs win!



from what i've seen on the net it looks a nice area




for sure the irish puppies will be delighted to be the novelty newcomers to the dog clubs and doggy daycares of MA

But, do they only speak Gaelic? :run:

 

[skillie]

Ah taxes....I hate to say it, but there is a nickname for Massachusetts...some call it "Taxachusetts"

Basically, if you move to MA, you'll pay property taxes if you own the home. You are taxed on the value of your house. It's a huge expense. You don't pay this directly if you rent, but the costs are passed along to you in the cost of your rent.

You'll also pay state & federal income tax. You'll pay sales tax on everything you buy. (NH does not have state income tax or sales tax so that is a big draw for many people who live there).

You'll also pay an excise tax. That means on any vehicles, boats, RV's, etc. that you own, you will pay an annual tax to the state in addition to the costs of registering these items annually. Be aware that if you buy a car, you pay the whole cost of the tax in cash when you register it.

It's manageable but just be aware of it when negotiating salaries.

say your house is worth $1m how much property tax do you pay per year? or is it a once off. i'm ok with sales tax and excise etc we have all that too but here it is built into the price whereas in the states its added on afterwards if i remember correctly. thanks again

I do love Boston but Ireland is one of my favorite places EVER! How about you move to Jersey and we can just switch houses

thanks that may be a good plan we'll need to find good tennents for our home!

It's tax on the assessment of the property not the purchase price. Usually purchase prices are higher. Towns also adjust the mill rate (what % they charge) from time to time to cover expenses. Property taxes help pay for schools, fire, police, snow removal, etc. MA taxes were FAR lower than our NJ taxes were.

if you rent, the property owner pays the taxes and insurance as well as the mortgage, if any. So if their total cost is $1500 a month your rent might be $2000 which gives them some income plus funding for maintenance. They can deduct the interest paid on their taxes; as a renter, you get no deduction for rent. This may not matter if you are only here for a year...

thanks is the % per year or based over a time period eg 17% of the value over the next 30 years? here they are taking of bringing in property tax of 0.5% of the house value per year so if your house was €400K you'd pay €2K per year property tax.

But, do they only speak Gaelic? :run:

Afraid to my shame even I don't speak Gaelic, just a little remembered from school "Conas ata tu (how are you)"

 

[NewfieMama]

thanks is the % per year or based over a time period eg 17% of the value over the next 30 years? here they are taking of bringing in property tax of 0.5% of the house value per year so if your house was €400K you'd pay €2K per year property tax.

It's variable year to year, but it is NOT based on the purchase price. For example, we bought my old house in Melrose MA for around $468,000. Our assessed value was something like land 200,000 + improvements (house, garage, etc.) 120,000 = assessed value 320,000. We paid taxes around $4,000 per year, split into monthly payments. We lived there 4 years and I think our last annual tax bill was around $4,500.

We sold the house for $460,000 (ouch) and the new owners inherited our taxes and assessed value - the town doesn't care what the house sells for only what it's assessed at. The assessment will be on any listing sheet you see, as well as the taxes.

You will pay property taxes if you buy a home - I do not know how any local government (in any state) can fund services without property taxes. They do vary widely from town to town, though.

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

Hey! You know what's cheap? OHIO!! Forget all this Mass crap, come to the midwest!!

And I'll totally fight someone for your house in Ireland. We honeymooned there and had the time of our lives! I can't wait to go back someday soon.

 

[Newfs Forever]

Well, Eddie when I had 3 years of Latin, all I can remember is "ubi est agricola" as in "where is the farm/er". That's it.

However, getting serious, the property taxes in Newf Hampshire can be deadly, if you are planning on buying, For an example, Exeter has decided that the value of my house is $379,900.00. And, I am sure that my property taxes for this year of 2012 will be skirting $9,000.00. Our select board in Exeter really likes to spend money. Other towns may have more conservative select people on their board. Like anything else, you just need to search around.

So again, it depends on what you want to do, rent or buy. And all depends on the location.

 

[skillie]

thanks guys appreciate the advice on everything USA tax related its hard to get your head around when you come from a completely different system. our whole country (which is smaller than some states i guess) has the same taxation no matter where you live. there is VAT on every item and service you buy, you pay annual car tax, tax on the price of a new car, tv license, income tax, small property tax and they are bringing in water and a value based larger property tax. income tax is high once you earn over a certain threshold, you pay 20% on the lower part of your income then 42% above a cutoff point. we don't notice a lot of the other taxes as prices of things aren't shown pre tax just an all in price.

 

[skillie]

oh also when you buy a house you pay stamp duty, we built our house and when we bouht the site we had to pay €18K stamp duty as a one off and €5K "donation" to the local council!!

 

[NewfieMama]

oh also when you buy a house you pay stamp duty, we built our house and when we bouht the site we had to pay €18K stamp duty as a one off and €5K "donation" to the local council!!

This is why we seceded from England! :lol: Wonder if there are stamp taxes throughout Europe? I know in France (renting) my taxes were much higher than they are here - but I had healthcare, dental, vision, etc. all covered...a fair trade IMO.

 

[PamHelenLaw]

i agree with Brandie&Maggie. if you could find a place in southern NH it would probably work out better money and pet wise (as long as you don't mind the commute). plus no sales take in NH while the taxes in mass are crazy!
i live in a small town (Rockport) about an hour from Boston. the beaches here are open from September 15 till late spring for dogs but closed in the summer. we're getting our first dog park soon so that should be a bonus. lots of quarries if your dogs like to swim (i bring my newf swimming all the time, she LOVES it!) also it would be hard to find an apartment thats animal friendly. again i agree with Brandie&Maggie saying it would probably be better to rent a cottage or house
Good Luck!

 

[Tricia2]

I think you might be pleasantly surprised to find a number of very nice, upscale rentals in the periphery of Boston that are dog friendly and have easy access to green space and water. South Boston (formerly known as West Galway) has a large Irish ex-Pat community and an even larger number of folks who think they're Irish because their grandparents were. Once a tough area it has undergone gendrification over the last 10 years. There is a long stretch of harbor beach and several large parks where dog owners enjoy off leash activities.

Jamaica Plain/Brookline are also nice areas with lots of open space along the Jamaica Way, including Jamaica Pond and "Emerald Necklace" along the Fens. This lush area was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and stretches for miles just behind some of the best Museums, Colleges, Hospitals and Universities. It's a great place to walk dogs. There is plenty of night life and easy access without being in the downtown area.

A very nice updated, 2 bedroom apartment/condo will run $2500-$3500/mo depending on ammenities. A 2-3 bedroom house in the 'burbs would be in the range of $2000-$3000 plus utilities. Public transit runs into and out of the city with most of the biotech industry in the belt between Rt.128 and Rt. 495 (both encircle the city at about 20 and 40 miles out, respectively.)

 

[Newfs Forever]

Again, Eddie, perhaps you have some exemptions because you are a UK citizen. Please do check into that.

Apparently, there is an agreement between the US and the UK as far as tax exemptions.

 

[skillie]

i agree with Brandie&Maggie. if you could find a place in southern NH it would probably work out better money and pet wise (as long as you don't mind the commute). plus no sales take in NH while the taxes in mass are crazy!
i live in a small town (Rockport) about an hour from Boston. the beaches here are open from September 15 till late spring for dogs but closed in the summer. we're getting our first dog park soon so that should be a bonus. lots of quarries if your dogs like to swim (i bring my newf swimming all the time, she LOVES it!) also it would be hard to find an apartment thats animal friendly. again i agree with Brandie&Maggie saying it would probably be better to rent a cottage or house
Good Luck!

thanks don't think that much of a commute would suit us even if it is a cheaper place to be etc. if moving over we are doing so to get a new experience and would like to be as close to the city as we can be while still having the comforts we are used to. right now we live ina large house on a 2 acre site in a lovely forest but can be in the city in 20mins. i know we won't have that luxury in MA but will try and get something that suits us as much as possible

I think you might be pleasantly surprised to find a number of very nice, upscale rentals in the periphery of Boston that are dog friendly and have easy access to green space and water. South Boston (formerly known as West Galway) has a large Irish ex-Pat community and an even larger number of folks who think they're Irish because their grandparents were. Once a tough area it has undergone gendrification over the last 10 years. There is a long stretch of harbor beach and several large parks where dog owners enjoy off leash activities.

Jamaica Plain/Brookline are also nice areas with lots of open space along the Jamaica Way, including Jamaica Pond and "Emerald Necklace" along the Fens. This lush area was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and stretches for miles just behind some of the best Museums, Colleges, Hospitals and Universities. It's a great place to walk dogs. There is plenty of night life and easy access without being in the downtown area.

A very nice updated, 2 bedroom apartment/condo will run $2500-$3500/mo depending on ammenities. A 2-3 bedroom house in the 'burbs would be in the range of $2000-$3000 plus utilities. Public transit runs into and out of the city with most of the biotech industry in the belt between Rt.128 and Rt. 495 (both encircle the city at about 20 and 40 miles out, respectively.)

thanks for all that info very helpful, we were staying with friends in brookline in June and its a nice area but we'll prob need to go further afield to get a ground floor lareg apartment or house that accepts dogs. we have found some newer village like developments on the net that are maybe a bit manicured and shallow but have good facilities, walks amenities etc and allow dogs. they are the likely candidates now some have weight restrictions on pets but others don't

Again, Eddie, perhaps you have some exemptions because you are a UK citizen. Please do check into that.

Apparently, there is an agreement between the US and the UK as far as tax exemptions.

Oh rookie mistake! Irish people are not UK citizens we are Irish citizens!:lol: not sure how tax exemtions work i would imagine the way they do is that i won't have to pay tax in both places but i will def have to pay tax in US as per anyone else according to the company. thanks

 

[skillie]

with most of the biotech industry in the belt between Rt.128 and Rt. 495 (both encircle the city at about 20 and 40 miles out, respectively.)

just looked at those routes on the map. makes sense then that the company offering me the work is based in Framingham

 

[Newfs Forever]

Ooooops! Sorry about that, Eddie!

 

[AngusMcDubhsMom]

If the company is located in the Framingham area you should find a lot of lovely towns in the Central Ma area that would be more amenable to dogs, both off the Mass Pike and Rte. 2. Have lived in MA since 1965, both Eastern and Western parts of the state and found it easier the further out from Boston I got; cheaper and less stressful.

 

[skillie]

Ooooops! Sorry about that, Eddie!

No problem it is a common assumption :lol:

 

[skillie]

If the company is located in the Framingham area you should find a lot of lovely towns in the Central Ma area that would be more amenable to dogs, both off the Mass Pike and Rte. 2. Have lived in MA since 1965, both Eastern and Western parts of the state and found it easier the further out from Boston I got; cheaper and less stressful.

cool thanks, comp will be in Framingham but i may be based at client site anywhere yet so not sure. have friends in the Brookline and like to be able to spend time in Boston too but i guess thats what weekends are for. thanks