Real Estate Investment in Massachusetts & New Hampshire

[Blaise Doremus]

I'm considering purchasing a duplex or triplex house in southern New Hampshire or the North Shore of Massachusetts, living in one of the units, and renting out the other(s). Any advice on where to buy? $500,000 is my max. I think Boston and its bordering suburbs are too expensive for me. Not sure where I'm going to be working. 

It's also easier to be a landlord in New Hampshire, so I would prefer buying there. The Portsmouth, NH area looks good/growing. The further south I am, the better. I want to pay attention to foreclosures, which could be very cheap. 

[Ann Bellamy]

@Blaise Doremus, NH definitely has higher taxes, but it also has a much more landlord friendly climate. And sometimes a better tenant base, depending on where in NH you buy. (Note this varies tremendously by location.) I never had trouble getting tenants or making a profit, and I never bought anywhere else but in NH, because I didn't want to deal with MA tenant-friendly courts. But at this point in the market cycle, foreclosures are definitely not "very cheap". The best deals are found by doing your own marketing for leads, not by buying off MLS. @Mike Griffin as long as the total numbers work, the taxes by themselves are not relevant.  When you value-add by separating utilities, the tenants pay utilities and that more than overcomes the taxes.