Hill Town

Location location location. That’s what real estate is all about. What does location mean? Location means no two properties are identical. What should I consider to help me know if living away from a city is for me? Only you know if you are a cabin in the woods type of person. But here are some things to consider in making your decision. For me, living in a hill town near the Quabbin is perfect. But there are sacrifices to living away from city amenities:

1. Expensive satellite tv because there is no cable ($160/month with premium channels)

2. Dial-up internet because there is no high-speed internet available (except satellite, which I feel is not affordable for my needs). ($10.95 to $100/month)

3. No town water means drilling a 650-foot deep well in some cases. ($0/month)

4. No town sewer so a huge portion of the yard is devoted to a septic system. Tip: When purchasing a new home, be sure to write into your offer and purchase and sale agreement that “septic to be acceptable to buyer.” This is to prevent you buying a gorgeous, flat, unimproved lot one day and then walking onto the finished property months later and seeing a huge, six-foot high mound of dirt in the side yard. A high septic might be required if the soil doesn’t percolate (not sure of spelling but this is where water doesn’t filter-through the soil as required by the local health department, so filterable soil must be added in sufficient quantities that it does filter properly. This could result in a mountain a buyer might not have planned). Conversely, no sewer bills, a plus! A possible minus: Yearly clean-outs cost $$s and when selling, Title V inspections are often the costliest parts of preparing your older home for re-sale. Tip: Be sure the septic is rated for the same number of rooms as your home has. For instance, if your septic is rated for three bedrooms and your home has four bedrooms, that means your septic isn’t rated to handle as many people as will be using it. And when you try to sell, this will be a problem that needs to be dealt with. One way of dealing with it is by marketing your home with three bedrooms instead of the four it actually has. But this will often require a price reduction because today’s buyers have lots to choose from and a comparable home with a septic that matches the rooms might be chosen over your home. Consider correcting the septic discrepancy before marketing your property for sale if you wish to receive top dollar. ($0/month)

5. Water quality must be tested occasionally for salt or pollutants, an added expense. Conversely, no water bills, a plus! (not sure of cost as I haven’t yet tested my water)

6. Less traffic and road noise. A plus if you like serenity, a minus if silence drives you crazy.

7. Lots of nature, trees, spring peepers, snapping turtles, wild turkeys, birds.

8. No: public transportation, local shopping

9. Fewer: Neighbors, changes in the neighborhood

10. A different type of entertainment: In the hill towns, you will find that city halls and old churches transform in winter into Saturday coffee houses with live, local folk music. Local pubs transform into locations for monthly poetry readings, every month offers a different form of local social life.

11. Often, you will have a longer commute if you don’t buy a home in the same area as where you work. My son commented this morning that everywhere we go we drive great distances. That’s because I work and shop in Amherst and my spouse drives toward Boston. That means we drive everywhere for everything. We do have a local general store for last minute purchases and even video rentals. But for major shopping, the nearest grocery store is 10 miles away. And my favorite Whole Foods is closer to 20 miles away. These considerations matter over the long haul, so be aware of your priorities. Here’s why: For my spouse, being close to nature is priority number one. He walks everywhere everyday and goes to various sporting clubs three times a week. For me, coming home after work and being away from everything, hearing no frat parties or traffic in the middle of the night, knowing my school district rates fairly high on achievement and is safe and that the crime rate in my neighborhood is extremely low is important. Those things compensate for having to drive everywhere. But if that’s not true for you, and for you, preserving the environment by not driving any more than necessary is your priority, then living very close to where you work might be the place for you. But think long-term. Statistically, workers today change careers every five years. So keep that in mind when buying a home close to work when work might be elsewhere in five years. And for me, living away from where I work is a plus. I like that separation. (expensive with today’s gas prices)

12. Fewer town amenities received and often, fairly high taxes paid. Statistically, the hill town schools are the highest percentage of hill town budgets. And if other regional towns vote for higher school budgets, your town will be forced to pay that higher tax (in Franklin county, many hill towns have joined an alternative form of government and county government doesn’t really exist. They use the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and sometimes two towns will share one elementary school, which means bussing if you don’t buy your home near the school). So if you have lots of kids, this might be good for you. If you have no kids, you might not like this. But for property values, taking excellent care of our kids, statistically, makes for higher property values because a community is no better than its inhabitants. And I believe that good schools lead to great citizens. (four property tax bills are received each year and newer homes often cost more per square foot than older homes). Tip: When buying or selling, the taxes are pro-rated in closing. This means that when you receive your first tax bill, it will be correct, even if the bill is for June, July and August and you only owned the home since August 15th. But you can verify this by looking at your closing documents you received at the closing. If you are in the process of buying or selling, your attorney will see to this for you. But it never hurts to look for yourself before signing. Note: I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. I can refer you to an experienced property attorney, just ask!