Never Mind Upstate–Move to Massachusetts!

  |  November 16, 2011

I don’t really mean this. I mean, if I did, I wouldn’t have a website called Upstater. Plus, as the old saying goes, I heart New York. But one extremely helpful commenter yesterday alerted us to the potentially specious claims of low taxes on Chatham properties, and then passed on this article, about why property taxes are higher in New York State than just over the border in Massachusetts.

“In Troy, Angela Renna lives in a 21-year-old, 1,850-square-foot, split-level home in a quiet residential neighborhood far from the city center. Taxes on her home run $6,564 a year.

‘Troy is outrageous, Renna said. ‘Rensselaer County is out of control, too.’

An hour away in Pittsfield, Carl Callahan has an 11-year-old, 1,850-square-foot residence, also located on a tranquil street away from the bustle of downtown. Taxes on his home run $4,579 a year.

The $2,000 difference is significant, but consider this: Renna’s house likely would go to market at about $164,000; Callahan recently sold his for $305,000.

A $164,000 home in Pittsfield would carry a tax bill of $2,489, or just over one-third of the cost in Troy.”

To which we say, so eloquently: Dang.

Of course, I’d rather live in Troy than Pittsfield. How much is that worth?

Read On, Reader...