A budget of $600,000 can net you a charming Cape-style abode in Chelmsford, Mass. Madore Photography
A Cape in Chelmsford
Price: $600,000
Bedrooms: 2
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Bathrooms: 1.5
Square feet: 1,409
Lot size: 0.17 acres
Estimated annual property taxes: $6,668
PRO: An easier commute
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CON: Less square footage
A budget of $600,000 can net you a charming Cape-style abode in Chelmsford, Mass. This recently sold home measures roughly 1,400 square feet and offers two bedrooms, one full bathroom, and one half bath. Among its selling points are a newly renovated kitchen, a finished basement, a new roof, new windows, a one-car garage, and a fenced-in backyard.
Life in Chelmsford is pretty pleasant, according to listing agent Emily Medwar with Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty. Licensed in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, she highlighted the value of free school busing for children who live more than 2 miles from their school.
A large deck looks over the backyard in Chelmsford. Madore Photography
“I think Chelmsford is a highly desirable location because the town provides excellent value for housing but also boasts a top-rated school system,” she said.
Other perks? The town offers free trash and recycling pickup, robust programming for seniors, and commuter rail access in nearby Billerica that can get you to Boston in roughly 35 minutes.
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While some of her buyers opt for New Hampshire because there is no income tax (Though New Hampshire residents working in Massachusetts must pay Massachusetts income tax),others are turned off by the increased property taxes in the Granite State. Still, they tend to even out, since home prices in New Hampshire are typically lower than in Massachusetts, Medwar said, explaining that it’s the daily commute that plays a bigger role in the decision.
“Many buyers weigh the trade-off between affordability and commute time, often choosing to live in New Hampshire for the lower home prices while accepting a longer drive to work in Massachusetts,” she said.
There’s close to 6 acres to grow fruits and vegetable and raise chickens at the Weare, N.H., home.Andrew Spieler Photography
Room to roam in Weare
Price: $600,000
Bedrooms: 3
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Bathrooms: 2.5
Square feet: 2,117
Lot size: 5.69 acres
Estimated annual property tax: $7,620
PRO: More space for your money (plus acreage to grow food)
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CON: Higher property taxes
If you’re the buyer who doesn’t mind a long commute, you’ll get more for your money in Weare, N.H., which is about an hour and 15 minutes from Boston via I-93 (on a good day). This newly sold home flaunts lots of room both inside and out, offering over 2,000 square feet of living space and almost 6 acres of land with flourishing gardens and a potting shed.
“The seller had every single vegetable, every single herb, every single spice [in her garden],” said listing agent Niki Loiko with Keller Williams Metropolitan, who’s licensed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. “And she had chickens.” That could be considered a cost-saving measure as egg prices continue to tick up.
Inside the home, there are a slew of new upgrades, including a primary bedroom with an en-suite bath, twin dressing tables, and a deck.
The town of Weare has benefits, too, with free trash and recycling pickup, free school busing for grades K through 8, free extra-curricular activities after school, and fantastic farmers markets, according to Loiko.
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“We do not have income [or sales] tax, which is wonderful when you’re shopping and working here,” she said. “But when it comes to our property taxes, I have to make sure when I’m helping my clients search for houses, I tell them, ‘Before you even get excited and look at the photos, we should look at the taxes first.’”
Proximity to the ocean and hiking trails are unique to this property in Wells, Maine. Andrew Connors/Hommati
New construction in Wells
Price: $600,000
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
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Square feet: 1,447
Lot size: 0.8 acres
Estimated annual property tax: $3,181
PRO: Free school busing and after-school programs
CON: No town-sponsored trash pickup
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Built in 2023, this recent sale came move-in ready — and assuaged any fears about outdated heating, cooling, or electrical systems. Open-concept living, a laundry nook, a primary suite, and a two-car garage are among its standout features.
While this house offers a bit more square footage and acreage than the home in Chelmsford, it does not come close when compared to the one in Weare. It’s about the same distance to Boston as Weare — via I-95 — but proximity to the ocean and hiking trails is unique to this property.
“If you’re someone who likes to be outside, especially at beaches, Maine has a lot more oceanfront than New Hampshire,” said Troy Williams, the listing agent with Williams Realty Partners. He’s licensed in both Maine and New Hampshire, and added that even registering your boat is more expensive in New Hampshire than in Maine due to the state’s tax structure.
In Wells, trash pickup is not included — instead, you’re tasked with bringing trash to the town transfer station, where a vehicle sticker costs $5 annually, plus added fees for select items. School busing is free, however, as are after-school athletics and programs for kids. As a homeowner or renter in Wells, you can buy a seasonal beach parking sticker for $40. In addition, depending on where your home is located, you’re eligible to get your electricity from Kennebunk Light & Power, a local and cheaper alternative to Central Maine Power, the dominant utility provider in the state. As a commuter, you may end up paying between 50 cents and $7 in tolls on I-95, depending on your trip length and whether you have an E-ZPass transponder.
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Open-concept living is one of the attractions of this home in Wells, Maine. Andrew Connors/Hommati
The pros and cons for each option are many. Deciding where to move may involve a cost-benefit analysis, or it could just come down to personal preference.
A staple of many New Hampshire town fairs, the pig scramble may soon look a little different.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte last week requires the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture to create best practices for any event in which people compete to capture a pig. Those guidelines will be published before the 2027 fair season, so they won’t be in place for any fairs with pig scrambles this year, such as the upcoming Deerfield Fair in the fall.
Generally, a pig scramble involves people of the same age competing to capture pigs that have been let loose in a large pen. Contestants have to catch the pig in a drawstring bag, and the first one to do so can take the pig home.
Rep. Cathryn Harvey, a Democrat from Spofford, is the prime sponsor of the bill. She said each fair has different rules for their pig scrambles, meaning some can be more humane than others. One aspect of the events she hopes will change is the bags pigs are captured in.
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“They’re putting an animal in a plastic bag on a hot summer day,” Harvey said. “It isn’t a great idea.”
Although some fairs already use more breathable bags out of burlap, Joan O’Brien, president of the New Hampshire Animal Rights League, said she’s also seen pigs being kept in plastic bags for long periods of time after the event. Not only would a burlap bag improve the pig’s ability to breathe in the heat, she said, but she also wants fairs to require participants to bring an animal carrier for the trip home. Her organization was ultimately in favor of the legislation.
“If you don’t have a carrier, you should not be allowed to leave your pig lying in a bag,” O’Brien said, adding that some fairs already ask contestants to bring carriers. “You should be taking them right home.”
The Deerfield Fair has implemented another rule that O’Brien and Harvey hope becomes part of statewide best practices — having parents supervise their child in the pen. O’Brien once witnessed a child hang a pig upside down by its legs and then lower it headfirst into the bag.
“In the heat of the moment, the kids get excited and they just do whatever it takes to get the pig in the bag,” O’Brien said. She said parents should work with the event referee to make sure their kid is handling the pig humanely.
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Harvey’s bill originally called for pig scrambles to be banned around the state, but both she and O’Brien feel that universal guidelines for fairs would still make the experience better for the animals. Even seemingly small things, Harvey said, like giving the pigs water after the scramble, would be an improvement to the current situation for them.
“I think that the bill will embolden people to speak up at these events,” O’Brien said. “If they think a pig is being mistreated, they’ll be able to say to themselves, ‘I know that there’s supposed to be a rule, so I’m going to say something.’ So I think that would be a good outcome.”
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services collected samples of the unknown substance found in Sunapee Harbor and will be testing them tomorrow. Authorities say the spill was contained and prevented from spreading further.
HAMPSTEAD, N.H. (WHDH) – Authorities have launched an investigation after responding to a reported untimely death in Hampstead, New Hampshire, officials said.
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the untimely death of a woman at a home in Hampstead, Attorney General John M. Formella announced.
While the investigation is just beginning, there is no known threat to the general public at this time.
The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain under active investigation.
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This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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