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Old 05-25-2020, 06:10 PM
 
2 posts, read 1,653 times
Reputation: 15

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Hello Everyone,

Long time lurker but first post in the VT sub forum. I have been debating a move into southren VT and would like some input from the locals if possible. Thank you.

So the back story: I currently work at a small plumbing and heating company that is located in Eastern Rennsalaer county (~15 minutes from Bennington VT border). I am currently in the process of seriously buying either property (20-30 acres) and building a house or buying a house with property. Although I have been searching Rennsalaer and surrounding counties property prices and property/school taxes seem to be high.

Now after reading numerous threads on this website I have concluded that VT property and school taxes are in no way cheap however compared to NY they might be more affordable. Around here the rate for property taxes is 2.4% while I see Bennington County is 1.75%. I am unsure about VT school taxes though? Has anyone made a similar move from Upstate NY to VT and could compare the two?

My second reason I have been considering a move to VT is the county I live in now and my family has lived in for the past 7 generations is getting very built up. Amazon is constructing a 1,000,000 sqft warehouse and Regenron pharmaceuticals is also building up quickly. All of this construction is starting to spill over into more rural parts of the county. I know development is not a bad thing for a local economy and even the business I work for. However I have found that I prefer a more relaxed rural setting.

A couple more quick questions if that is alright...

Is constructing a small home (1000-1200 sqft) in VT a big hassle? (Permits for a septic system, Building Permits etc...)

Down the road I have considered doing plumbing+heating work in VT; Is there a demand for Plumbers inside VT?

The towns I have been looking into include Shaftsbury, North Bennington/Bennington, Pownal and Woodford. If you could pick a top two what would they be?

I guess my other option than VT would be Berkshire County Mass. could anyone make a comparison or case for Mass. over VT?


All in all would greatly appreciate any feedback just trying to make an decent decision and would really like to hear a VT locals opinion if they were in my boots. Thank you everyone in advance!
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Old 05-26-2020, 05:46 PM
 
2 posts, read 1,653 times
Reputation: 15
Anyone I know this is a loaded question but any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
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Old 05-26-2020, 06:05 PM
 
1,054 posts, read 1,277,283 times
Reputation: 2066
Quote:
Originally Posted by JF2141 View Post
Hello Everyone,

Long time lurker but first post in the VT sub forum. I have been debating a move into southren VT and would like some input from the locals if possible. Thank you.

So the back story: I currently work at a small plumbing and heating company that is located in Eastern Rennsalaer county (~15 minutes from Bennington VT border). I am currently in the process of seriously buying either property (20-30 acres) and building a house or buying a house with property. Although I have been searching Rennsalaer and surrounding counties property prices and property/school taxes seem to be high.

Now after reading numerous threads on this website I have concluded that VT property and school taxes are in no way cheap however compared to NY they might be more affordable. Around here the rate for property taxes is 2.4% while I see Bennington County is 1.75%. I am unsure about VT school taxes though? Has anyone made a similar move from Upstate NY to VT and could compare the two?

My second reason I have been considering a move to VT is the county I live in now and my family has lived in for the past 7 generations is getting very built up. Amazon is constructing a 1,000,000 sqft warehouse and Regenron pharmaceuticals is also building up quickly. All of this construction is starting to spill over into more rural parts of the county. I know development is not a bad thing for a local economy and even the business I work for. However I have found that I prefer a more relaxed rural setting.

A couple more quick questions if that is alright...

Is constructing a small home (1000-1200 sqft) in VT a big hassle? (Permits for a septic system, Building Permits etc...)

Down the road I have considered doing plumbing+heating work in VT; Is there a demand for Plumbers inside VT?

The towns I have been looking into include Shaftsbury, North Bennington/Bennington, Pownal and Woodford. If you could pick a top two what would they be?

I guess my other option than VT would be Berkshire County Mass. could anyone make a comparison or case for Mass. over VT?


All in all would greatly appreciate any feedback just trying to make an decent decision and would really like to hear a VT locals opinion if they were in my boots. Thank you everyone in advance!
You would be better off taking a drive and speaking with locals, especially if you plan on moving to a small rural town. My advice is to read some of the threads because everyone sees the cost of living here very differently. There is another poster that is better at throwing the numbers than I am and I'm sure he will be filling you in on how tax friendly Vermont is.
VT could always use a good plumbing and heating business. If you are good, dependable and don't over charge, you will do good. You may want to look at how both VT and MA tax small businesses, compared to NY.

Do your research before you build a home. Some areas have problems with wells and septic. The area I live in has a lot of problems. The next time I buy a home, the first thing I'm going to do is put a shovel in the ground to see what the soil looks like. If it's clay, that's a deal breaker.

Best of luck to you.
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Old 05-28-2020, 03:45 PM
 
3,106 posts, read 1,770,628 times
Reputation: 4558
Quote:
Originally Posted by JF2141 View Post
Hello Everyone,

Long time lurker but first post in the VT sub forum. I have been debating a move into southren VT and would like some input from the locals if possible. Thank you.

So the back story: I currently work at a small plumbing and heating company that is located in Eastern Rennsalaer county (~15 minutes from Bennington VT border). I am currently in the process of seriously buying either property (20-30 acres) and building a house or buying a house with property. Although I have been searching Rennsalaer and surrounding counties property prices and property/school taxes seem to be high.

Now after reading numerous threads on this website I have concluded that VT property and school taxes are in no way cheap however compared to NY they might be more affordable. Around here the rate for property taxes is 2.4% while I see Bennington County is 1.75%. I am unsure about VT school taxes though? Has anyone made a similar move from Upstate NY to VT and could compare the two?

My second reason I have been considering a move to VT is the county I live in now and my family has lived in for the past 7 generations is getting very built up. Amazon is constructing a 1,000,000 sqft warehouse and Regenron pharmaceuticals is also building up quickly. All of this construction is starting to spill over into more rural parts of the county. I know development is not a bad thing for a local economy and even the business I work for. However I have found that I prefer a more relaxed rural setting.

A couple more quick questions if that is alright...

Is constructing a small home (1000-1200 sqft) in VT a big hassle? (Permits for a septic system, Building Permits etc...)

Down the road I have considered doing plumbing+heating work in VT; Is there a demand for Plumbers inside VT?

The towns I have been looking into include Shaftsbury, North Bennington/Bennington, Pownal and Woodford. If you could pick a top two what would they be?

I guess my other option than VT would be Berkshire County Mass. could anyone make a comparison or case for Mass. over VT?


All in all would greatly appreciate any feedback just trying to make an decent decision and would really like to hear a VT locals opinion if they were in my boots. Thank you everyone in advance!
NY is sort of like regulation on steroids vs VT being regulation-lite. To build a home in the countryside in VT with septic would require a septic & design & well siting approved by the State. Beyond that in pretty much any small town at most you'll need is a building permit which is a very perfunctory exercise. After that no inspections or anything of that nature. You are assumed to be an adult capable of hiring contractors that know how to build a house.

My son recently built a new house in Pownal and it was totally hassle-free. His building permit process wasn't much more than the town affirming yes a house could be built on his acreage and assigning a house # based on where he sited his driveway. The septic installation had to be approved by the state but otherwise no inspections or anything else as concerns the house.

Good luck to you.
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Old 05-30-2020, 01:40 AM
 
130 posts, read 140,585 times
Reputation: 652
Before moving to southeast Vermont 3 years back, spent some time looking around in the Berkshires of northern Mass.
Liked a lot of the areas, but found I got a lot more for my $ crossing the border in to southern Vermont.

Not saying that is still the same 3 years later....
Best of luck to you in your search.
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