Smile12

Hi

I am fairly new to this forum. I know there is lots of information here already but couldn't find some specific info related to New Hampshire.

We are moving to manchester NH through my husband's work with 5 year old daughter and 3month old son. We are still in early stage as visa is still to be applied for but hoping it will happen soon, so trying to get as much information.

My first question is where to live? We will be renting and don't want to spend a lot on rent so thinking about 2 bed apartment but in good school district. My husband will work in Central manchester so half an hour commute should be fine. Please suggest good school areas. And how much is usually rent?

How are private schools? How much should I expect to pay roughly?

Would really appreciate if someone can answer my questions.

Cheers

civilservant

Good school district and cheap rent are mutually exclusive.

HumphreyC

Manch-Vegas - great place to move to as its a short hop from there to Lake Winnipesaukee, the White mountains etc... Lower cost of living than the more densely populated parts of New England. Aside from the property taxes and the odd right wing lunatic New Hampshire is a great state.

I thnk Bedford has the best schools in the area - not sure about rentals though. If you go on zillow and scoll down on property listings it should give you a 'Great Schools' rating which should help with your choice of location. You should also try the city data forum for more info.

Smile12

Thanks a lot for your reply, really appreciate it.

It looks like Bedford is the place to be for good schools.

Also how much are the fees for private schools?

Is it easy to find rental property? As I don't know yet when I will be moving, when should I contact rental agents? Is one to two weeks good enough time to find a rental property?

Apologies if anyone finds my questions bit annoying.

Cheers

Nutmegger

I suggest you Google the town in which you would like to live, then Google for private schools. No one can tell you what a school will cost, the range of fees will run the gamut. Why are you interested in a private school for a five-year old? It would be a good idea to check out the quality of the town schools first.

loubiblu

We're heading out to Chicago next month for a recce visit. Been looking on Zillow for rentals. Some say 'ready now', others 'available from (eg) Nov.

Re school fees, they are on the websites. They vary much as they do here in the UK. We're looking at the British School of Chicago because of their ages. Some might say we're mad for moving them out mid GCSE and A Levels!

Good luck with your move

WEBlue

They're not annoying--they're quite understandable. But there may not be that many BE members with a family situation like yours who can answer your specific questions about NH towns.

Excellent source of info. When we were house hunting I was always on this forum checking things out.

You can search the New Hampshire forum for posts by people (who live there) on all sorts of topics--schools are a huge concern on City-data. Or you can register and post your own questions, as many who are planning to move there do, and the NH members (some long-time residents) will answer. Some of the discussions become 'lively' but most are informative.

New Hampshire Forum - Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum

Bob

It's a shit hole though.

Well located, to get to places as you listed and decent place to work, but living in it, is a shit hole.

That said, it's a massive student town, so there are a lot of bars and stuff that is associated with stuuuudent living.

Salem NH, it's a doable I-93 commute that'll be against the Boston grain, so might not be to horrid and it's a much nicer town. Same for Concord.

Rent, shouldn't be a problem, but want to find something before September ideally and definitely before the colder months because rental stuck tends to take a dive as landlords don't want empty places over winter.

If you use a realtor, expect a months rent as a fee. Expect to put down first, last and a couple months rent for a deposit. Might want to offer more if you're going for a house, because you'll have no credit history.

Things to look out for - Who takes care of snow removal, is rubbish collection included and if not what's the system (dump, town bag, private collection etc), parking (is it winter zoned, permit, off street and if it's covered it'll reduce insurance)

HumphreyC

Yeah - that's why I suggested Bedford. It's a safe assumption that the Op would want to live in a more quintessentially New England town like Hollis, Amherst / Goffstown rather than a run down triple decker in Manch-Vegas. Looks like quite a fun place when i've been through on the way up north though - active downtown, few theaters and the Verizon wireless center. I got the impression it is like Nashua - beat up neighborhoods but pretty lively.

Great town but I would be scared of taking a wrong turn and ending up in Lawrence.

Bob

Yes...it's a fun place...but it's a bit of a shitter for day in living. BIL went to uni there, so we went down a few times. The mall is rather nice ish though.

And there's no chance of making a mistake and accidentally making it to Lawrence...the plumb of shit can be seen from miles

Smile12

Apologies, haven't been able to reply sooner. Thanks for all the replies and all the information. Really appreciate it.
Now my husband's company has just applied for visa and it is going to take at least 90 days. So it will be probably January when we will be able to move. Is it going to be difficult to find a rental property around that time?

Also my husband is going to visit his office in manchester next week. I am thinking he can visit some schools and register with rental agents in the area, obviously he won't be able to look at the houses. Does that sound right? Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks again

Bob

In winter, yes. Especially if you want something more than a couple rooms and especially a house.

Most of these cold weather states, landlords don't want places being empty over winter so will ahve people on a lease to run through the winter, they also aren't able to evict people over winter. This will reduce the rental stock available.

Getting a one bed apartment type thing shouldn't be a problem and possibly some sublets. You'll certainly find stuff, but it might not be the best stock available.

There's a thread on realtors, might want to read it. You don't want to sign up for a bunch because chances are, you'll either have a retainer fee, or more likely, have to pay them a finders fee that'll be anything from 1-3 months rent, even if you go find a place yourself. If the company is paying, it doesn't matter as much.

Waste of time looking now, they won't be available when you move, unless you sign the lease and don't mind paying the rent while you're not living there.

Visiting schools shouldn't be a problem. Depending on the area, you might have to arrange via the school district office, or direct to the schools themselves.