[Ulysses61]

I'm about 10 years away from retirement and am a native Californian, still living in that state.

For 20 years I have spent every summer hiking in Vermont and spending a lot of time in VT, usually 5 weeks every summer. I've been in 49 states and Vermont has something very special to it. There are more beautiful states, but none that have that nostalgic feel to it as VT. I just feel at home in VT, always have. The general stores, the lack of crowds, the attitude of the people... I love it.

Anticipating eventual retirement, I've also spent Christmas break for two weeks in VT to see if I could handle the winter. No problem.

However, the property taxes are truly horrific. California has ridiculous property taxes, but nothing can approach Vermont! Because of the real estate crash, prices have declined dramatically in VT, but the property taxes remain crushingly oppressive.

For instance, there is a great house for $350,000 in beautiful Woodstock on an acre. The property taxes? $10,000! In Colorado, a home for the same price on 20 acres would be about $1,100. Every day I scour real estate listings all across the state, and every single house has property taxes through the roof, even in the Northeast Kingdom. Once in awhile, I find a house that has property taxes below $5,000, but usually the house is a shack that no one would want to live in.

Vermont would be a desirable retirement destination for many people, but the property tax situation is usurious. I accept that taxes are inevitable whenever we are, but it's tragic that countless good people are prevented from moving to VT or retiring there because the property tax bill would gobble up much of a fixed income. I will probably end up retiring to Colorada, simply because the property tax situation there is favorable. I would prefer Vermont, though.

Rant over.

[joe moving]

I don't know Woodstock but our taxes are 1.6438% of the assessed value ... most of that goes to education it seems.
that would make the taxes on the 350k place, assuming its assessed at 350k for < $6000.


I see taxes on a 1 year old 1500 sq ft 3/2 house on 1 acre in Waitsfield at $4400.

$400k 2600 sq ft home on 4 acres taxes are $6500 - also almost new, just a few years old
Located just minutes from Waitsfield Village. This home has been beautifully renovated with new granite kitchen counters & custom cabinets, new hardwood floors, fresh paint & high performance Hardiplank siding. Kitchen stove is an industrial Imperial Range. Relax to the sounds of the babbling brook from the Sunroom. Full basement. Treehouse included!

[harry chickpea]

Sounds about right to me?

Vermont is a small state. It has large expenses. A+B = ???

[mallthus]

Another thing to check is how recent that $10,000 number is. With the market having declined so much in the past couple years, it's possible you're seeing an old number. I too am originally from California and one thing that makes Vermont desirable to us is that services haven't been gutted to appease those that want lower taxes.

Just my 2¢...

[MRVphotog]

Real estate prices in Vermont have not crashed, especially when compared to like places like Nevada, CA or FL. Property taxes depend on assessed valuation( based on the town's most recent townwide valuation) and vary from town to town so places like Woodstock, Burlington area, Stowe do have higher property taxes. Several places in the MRV in the $300,000 range with property taxes in the $2000/3000 range/yr and after a year if you make less than $90,000/year you get a rebate cutting your taxes by as much as 50%, depending on your income.

Bottomline, the more expensive the house, the more you pay. More due diligence and you will find towns with a lower town tax rate(the state part of the tax is the same in every town) and the property tax is much lower than the examples you have posted. A place with 10 acres will have alot higher taxes than a place on 1 acre.

[arctichomesteader]

The taxes on a relative's cabin in the NEK with 10 acres is a little under $1,000. It's possible to find sort of affordable property taxes in VT, but most of the state does indeed have absurd taxes. NH property taxes are often even worse, believe it or not.

However, regarding the post above about VT not cutting services to lower taxes...that can't go on forever. The biggest part is the schools. Many schools refused to even cut when the legislature requested it. Shumlin said he will use some federal money to basically bail them out, but that is a temporary bandaid. They need to cut, and cut drastically...we can't have so many separate districts and so much wasteful spending. I saw a clip the other day from some school board meeting and one member was explaining why he voted for some massive spending...he was going on and on about how the school needed this and that....all stuff my school never had....and not needed at all (and I say that as an ex-teacher)...this is the problem...

[tkln]

Also, looking in towns like Woodstock or Stowe, taxes are going to be significantly higher than towns where there is no tourist/second home base....

[Ulysses61]

I am basing my statement that real estate prices has crashed in Vermont on the fact that home prices have fallen dramatically in the places I am looking at: southern Vermont, roughly from Brattleboro on up to Woodstock. Also Stratton Mountain.

In 2005, I came close to buying a second home in Stratton Mountain for $400,000. That exact same house is on the market now for $219,000. And home prices in Woodstock have fallen dramatically since 2004-05 as well.

It's just so sad that I love Vermont so much, but just refuse to pay property taxes up the yazoo.

[Ulysses61]

Here's an example of high property taxes I ran across this morning. Here's a home in Queechee for $499,000 and the yearly property taxes are... (gulp)... $13,740. MY GOD!

Real Estate Woodstock Vermont - Williamson Group - Woodstock VT Homes

[arctichomesteader]

Queechee Gorge is beautiful, but I couldn't be paid to live there...Woodstock, Queechee, Stowe...all tourist towns. Some of the touristy towns are nice (I like Weston, I couldn't stand Woodstock or Queechee) but you will have higher taxes there...and there are some touristy towns with high taxes even in the NEK...

I do agree with the fact that real estate has crashed in VT with few exceptions. I've seen many properties just sitting on the market, some for over 2 years, through multiple, drastic price reductions...but the prices aren't low enough yet to find a buyer. I know of areas where road and after road is full of properties for sale, nothing selling. The market was always a bit slower in the NEK but even in Central and Southern VT it's that way now.

If you're intent on Southern-Central Vermont, look in Rutland County outside of Rutland City...towns like Hubbardton, Tinmouth, Ira, Danby, Wallingford, and some others, will be a little more affordable than around Brattleboro...just stay away from "mcmansions" and "developments" featuring all sorts of restrictions, those will be where you'll get worse taxes, etc. And stay off the main highways. It's amazing sometimes how a crummy dirt road can make the real estate slightly less expensive...