I know it’s crazy, but I continue to shop for lake houses. In fact, one day I got so excited about a lake house in New Hampshire that I convinced my husband we should go look at it. But, ten minutes later my common sense kicked in. It was the property tax that got me. Over $11,000 in 2025. OMG, that’s onerous! That much tax on a primary home would be tough to bear. On a second home? Impossible.
But the heart wants what it wants, and no matter how many times I come to the conclusion that I can’t afford a lake house, I can’t let the dream die. So last weekend I convinced my hubby that we should go see a house in western Massachusetts, where property taxes are more reasonable. To be clear, I’d never make a realtor show me a house I had no intention of buying. This was an open house, though, and open houses are another matter.
The house had a lot of things going for it, its location being the primary one. It was on a lovely, good-sized lake and placed high above, where the views were amazing, and where flooding wouldn’t be a concern. It had a lot of downsides, too, the price being the biggest. They’d recently dropped their asking price, actually, but I suspect they’ll have to drop it more before they sell. We arrived just before the end of the open house, and there was only one other name on the sign-in, suggesting that interest is limited. We were somewhat interested, but we’d never be able to offer anything close to the asking price. Plus, the house needed updates and had some bathroom/kitchen issues that I’d never be able to tolerate unless we got a really good deal on the price.
None of that really matters, though, since we aren’t ready to buy a house. The value in seeing it and, I hope, additional houses later this season, is to get an idea of what’s out there. To figure out what we like and don’t like. To decide where we might want to settle in a few years, after the kids finish school. Because that time is coming fast, and then we’ll have nothing keeping us here but habit. It would be good to have a plan and a destination already in mind.