Moving from Massachusetts to New Hampshire: luxury guide

Taxes at the transaction

Massachusetts sellers pay the deeds excise of $4.56 per $1,000 of consideration, or 0.456%, in most counties; Barnstable County charges $6.12 per $1,000. On Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard the buyer also pays a 2% land bank fee, which is the one Massachusetts transfer charge that rivals New Hampshire's. Buyers pay the lender's closing attorney and, if they want one, an owner's title policy. Massachusetts closings are conducted by attorneys, and a lawyer certifies title. Sellers of homes with private septic systems must deliver a passing Title 5 inspection completed within the two years before transfer, and smoke and carbon monoxide detector certification is required at sale.

New Hampshire's real estate transfer tax is $0.75 per $100 of consideration paid by the buyer and the same amount paid by the seller, 1.5% in total, with a minimum of $20 each. Both parties file a Declaration of Consideration with the Department of Revenue Administration. On a $3 million lakefront home, the buyer's share alone is $22,500, a cost that does not exist in Massachusetts. Closings are handled by attorneys or title companies, and both are common. Land enrolled in the current use program is taxed on its productive value rather than market value; if a buyer takes it out of current use, the Land Use Change Tax of 10% of full market value comes due, which matters for large parcels in the Lakes Region and the Upper Valley.

Taxes on holding: income, property and estate

Massachusetts taxes most income at a flat 5%, and since 2023 a 4% surtax applies to the portion of income above a threshold that started at $1 million and is indexed for inflation. Short-term capital gains are taxed at 8.5%. New Hampshire has no tax on wages and, as of January 1, 2025, no tax on interest and dividends, so a household with substantial investment income sees the whole state income tax line disappear. Massachusetts continues to tax Massachusetts-source income after a move, including gain on the sale of Massachusetts real estate, and treats a person with a permanent place of abode who spends more than 183 days in the state as a resident.

Property tax is where New Hampshire recovers its revenue. Rates are set town by town, include a statewide education property tax, and are among the highest in the country as a share of value; there is no general homestead exemption, and lakefront and Seacoast towns vary widely, so the same house can carry a very different bill in two adjacent towns. Massachusetts limits the growth of a municipality's total levy under Proposition 2 1/2, and cities such as Boston, Cambridge and Somerville offer a residential exemption to owner-occupants. Neither state caps the growth of an individual assessment, so a rising market reaches the bill in both.

Massachusetts imposes an estate tax on estates above $2 million, with rates up to 16%; the 2023 reform raised the threshold from $1 million and removed the cliff so that only the portion above $2 million is taxed. It reaches Massachusetts real estate owned by nonresidents, so keeping a Cape or Berkshires home keeps that asset in the Massachusetts estate tax base. New Hampshire has no estate tax and no inheritance tax. Homestead creditor protection is modest in both: Massachusetts protects up to $500,000 with a recorded declaration, and New Hampshire's statutory homestead exemption is $120,000. The federal estate tax exemption is $15 million per person in 2026.

Agency and disclosure law

Massachusetts licensees must present the Mandatory Licensee-Consumer Relationship Disclosure at the first personal meeting to discuss a specific property. Designated agency is permitted, and dual agency requires the informed written consent of both parties. There is no general seller disclosure statute and the state follows caveat emptor with exceptions: brokers must disclose known material defects under the Board of Registration's regulations, lead paint disclosure is required for homes built before 1978, and Title 5 governs septic systems. Buyers rely heavily on their own inspections, and offers are usually followed by a separate purchase and sale agreement negotiated by attorneys.

New Hampshire licensees must deliver the Brokerage Relationship Disclosure form at the first business meeting, before any confidential information is exchanged. Disclosed dual agency and designated agency are both permitted with written consent. Sellers must make statutory disclosures about the water supply and sewage disposal system and about insulation, and must give buyers the statutory notice about radon, arsenic and lead; the New Hampshire Association of Realtors disclosure form is the standard vehicle. Waterfront property is governed by the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act, which restricts building and vegetation removal within 250 feet of protected waters, and a buyer planning to renovate on a lake should understand those limits before contract. Private roads, wells and septic systems are common even at high price points.

What to ask an agent on each side

On the Massachusetts side, ask the listing agent for the current Title 5 status and the smoke and carbon monoxide certification plan, since both can delay a closing. Ask whether the brokerage uses designated agency and who will be designated for any buyer it brings. Ask your attorney and tax adviser how the Massachusetts estate tax applies if you keep any Massachusetts real estate, and how the sale date should sit relative to a change of domicile given the 183-day rule and the surtax on a large gain.

On the New Hampshire side, ask for the town's current tax rate and the property's assessment history, and compare the bill against the same house in a neighboring town before you fall in love with a view. Ask whether any land is in current use and what the Land Use Change Tax would be if you build. On lakefront, ask for the shoreland permit history and any septic system age and design flow. Ask about the well test and any private road maintenance agreement. Confirm how the transfer tax is split in the purchase and sale agreement. The site's New Hampshire directory covers the Seacoast, Lakes Region and the Upper Valley separately.