Moving to Boston from New Zealand (Cambridge, Quincy: housing, condos, rental)

[lrmkiwi]

Hi, My husband and I along with our near on 4 year old and near on 2 year old will be moving from NZ in March 2008. We obtained greencards via the "lottery" which means we can all work and have decided on Boston as the place we want to live in. My questions are:-

In the Metro west areas i.e Newton, Weston and Wellesley are these areas good for families and people from outta town will it be easy to fit in? We are wanting a place with a short commute into Boston and near a commutable line, good schools although they will first be attending Day Care as I would like to look at working 2/3 days a week. Is 800-900 spending on a house OK, will we get a nice place, with a village feel that has decent restaurants and perhaps pubs/bars (for when we find babysitters and can go out!) are the places that you can walk to the shops vs driving every where and getting unfit.

My only fare is living somewhere where it snows....is it really that bad? Are summers always humid (I did live in Syndey for 6 years) so am used to humidity.

Well thanks for any future feedback it all helps in our preparing as this si self funding vs a company so we need to make sure we are making the right choice, our other place we talked about was San Fran but the cost of housing was toooo high and Boston was our second choice although yes totally different cities.

[skytrekker]

It can snow in Boston in the winter-last year was relatively snow less-about 20". On average the amount is around 40"- and again sometimes can be much more. Temps in the 20s in the daytime are not uncommon-although temps to zero or below at night are not common in Boston itself.

Global warming/climate change is making Bostons and all of New England's weather milder and more unpredictable like everywhere.
The cities western suburbs are the coldest, while the north and south shore are the mildest, because of the oceans moderating affects. Summers in Boston are moderately humid-but less hot and not as humid as Sydney.

[shiplore]

The metro west area, especially the "greenbelt" towns you mentioned are very nice but very pricey. There's not a lot of diversity, but the school systems are very good, (99% of students go on to college with a good % going to ivy leagues, in towns like Weston Wellesley and Wayland) Newton, while also pricey especially Chestnut Hill, has a little more diversity, and feels more urban and alive.

MBTA.com is the site for public transportation. Newton is on the Green subway line, wellesley is accessible through the commuter rail, Wayland Weston for the most part has no public transportation.

if you're budget is 800-900 US dollars a month you might have a really hard time. Currently i'm in a two bedroom apartment for 1200, in Arlington (cheaper than Newton but fairly comparable) I've never rented in Weston, Wayland, Wellesley but I don't think 900 would get a studio out there, and for the most part it's a suburban house area, so there aren't alot of rental units at all.

From your budget I'd recommend, Arlington, Medford, and Cambridge or Somerville, more urban, less great school systems, but lots of public transportation, very safe, close to lots of employers and also diverse.

Boston is probably the 3rd or 4th most expensive place to live housing wise. NYC, SF, LA and Boston are all in the top 5 for sure.

I'd say plan to spent 1200-1500 at least on a 2 bedroom place.

Weather wise, it's very humid in the summer, and can be very cold in the winter, but i'd say 32-40 is the average in the winter. Snow isn't usually a huge issue, but we can have a big storm now and again, it's usually not non-stop.

[OREGONRAIN]

I am from Massachusetts originally, but live in Oregon now, Massachusetts as the previous poster listed is one of the most expensive areas of the USA. I lived in southern Mass near Rhode Island and even that is expensive now. You really cannot escape the cost of living there especially the areas you listed. Housing, taxes, utilities and auto insurance can put a damper on living in Massachusetts. If you find the areas you mentioned over your budget, I would also suggest Somerville, but I would take a close look at it, and make sure you would be comfortable there before renting a place. It can get frustrating looking for housing, so I would set as much time as you can in finding a place rather than just taking what comes along there. You will find Mass to be a nice decent place to live, with much to do especially in the Boston areas, you can take day trips to Cape Cod, or up to New Hampshire to the mountains, Winters can be rough, and getting from point A to B in snowstorms can be rougher. Public transit is plentiful in the Boston region. Yes summers can be humid, but there is always some beautiful warm dry summer days. Winter I do not miss at all, I hate the cold, not that Oregon is all that warm, but warmer than Mass in winter. Good luck, I am sure you will find a nice place in Massachusetts to set up housekeeping.

[30apples]

Quincy to the south of Boston is pretty nice and is, I believe, more affordable. also look into Watertown, just west of Cambridge, Chelsea, and Revere (last two both closer to Boston). Welcome to America!

[smarty]

Originally Posted by 30apples

Quincy to the south of Boston is pretty nice and is, I believe, more affordable. also look into Watertown, just west of Cambridge, Chelsea, and Revere (last two both closer to Boston). Welcome to America!

These towns are affordable because they are not as desirable. Some of the parameters people look at are education level, median income, crime rate, ... etc.

[New_Zealand_Princess]

I have a question how long did it take you to get the Green card and the Visa etc. Im from NZ 2 the Manawatu I realy want to move to America. About how much NZ dollars did yall have to save?[if u dont mind me asking]

[MovingForward]

I'm sorry to say this, but Massachusetts may not be the best choice for you. For $800-$900/month housing costs, you would have to live far from the city, and not in a vibrant and safe area with good schools. Even Somerville is expensive now--it's a much different place than 10 years ago. It's unfortunate, but that's simply the state of Massachusetts today. On the other hand, New Hampshire might really be a viable option for you: it's beautiful, the people are nice, and the cost of living is much less. Plus, it borders Massachusetts, so any time you wanted to visit, you could do so easily.

[lrmkiwi]

Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to reply.

I think I may have confused a few people I was meaning when we are ready to buy a house we would be spending 800/900K and to rent I think we need to spend $3000 a month in the areas that I mentioned - do you all think this is about right?

I must look more in Arlington as it looks a bit cheaper and still has the things we require.

We have lived in London before so have experienced cold winters (although not really snow) so do you think we could adapt especially as we have spent the last 6 years in Sydney!

[ogre]

Originally Posted by lrmkiwi

Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to reply.

I think I may have confused a few people I was meaning when we are ready to buy a house we would be spending 800/900K and to rent I think we need to spend $3000 a month in the areas that I mentioned - do you all think this is about right?

I must look more in Arlington as it looks a bit cheaper and still has the things we require.

We have lived in London before so have experienced cold winters (although not really snow) so do you think we could adapt especially as we have spent the last 6 years in Sydney!

3,000/mo. rent should work for you in the Boston area. It does depend on how much space you need for your whole family, since of course it's usually going to cost more to rent a house than an apartment, but that rental budget should get you something decent, even pretty nice.

Arlington would be a good possibility for what you're looking for. Of the several western sububrubs you mentioned in your first post, Newton might be the best possibility. I'm not sure what you mean by "a village feel." If you're looking for a really small town, in the suburbs west of Boston you'll have trouble finding that and also finding restaurants, pubs, and stores right in town. There are some small towns that are fairly close to these kinds of businesses in nearby larger towns. Newton is a large town that is primarily residential, but it has a number of small business districts throughout town, where you can find those shops and restaurants and pubs. It also has good public transit access to Boston.

If Newton sounds good, another town you might check out is Brookline. It's the next town in closer to Boston, and has a fairly similar feel as Newton: single-family houses, some apartments and condos, largely residential but with small shopping areas, close to the city, so it's got a moderately high population density, but still a suburban character.

Of the towns you listed originally, Weston is the most expensive in terms of house prices. You might find nothing at all for 800-900, and your choices would be limited at best. Other people have mentioned Wayland, which is next door to Weston, and has a similar feel, without being quite as costly. Neither of those towns has a lot right in town in the way of restaurants, pubs, etc., though these are available in towns right next door (Waltham next to Weston, and Framingham/Natick next to Wayland, though a lot of Framingham's and Natick's restaurants are chains). Wayland does have a section called Cochituate on the south side of town which has a small downtown kind of area. There are some basic stores, even some small restaurants, but it's small. If you're renting, as Shiplore pointed out, Wayland and Weston are made up almost entirely of single-family houses. You might find a house for rent, but your options would be somewhat limited. If you're interested in public transit, there's commuter rail on the north side of Weston. On the south side you're fairly close to commuter rail stops in Wellesley. From Wayland you would need to go to Natick, the town immediately south of Wayland, for commuter rail.

Wellesley has kind of a snooty reputation in the local area. Take that for what it's worth, since I'm only repeating what I've heard people say, but if there is truth to that, Wellesley might not be as friendly as the other towns you're considering. It does have a more substantial downtown area than Weston or Wayland, though still does not offer a lot in the way of restaurants. Wellesley also has several commuter rail stops right in town.

The weather? Hmm, your experience in Sydney might help you get a feel for warm, muggy summer weather, but it's not like Boston in the wintertime. Sydney's winters are cool, maybe chilly, while Boston's are cold. That's just a reality that you have to deal with if you're going to live in Boston. On the other hand, Boston's winters are not cold like a snow-bound village in the far north. It's frosty, and a typical winter will have a few brief spells (two or three days) of really frigid weather. Winters vary a lot, but, as pointed out in an earlier post, you typically get some moderate and a few heavy snow storms with maybe a couple of weeks between them, not day after day of snow all through the winter. I think most people in Boston would prefer shorter and/or milder winters, but many people do grow to appreciate the variety of seasons, and the winters in Boston are less severe than those even in a number of other large U.S. cities (Buffalo, Cleveland, Minneapolis, for example).

A lot of detail, I know, but I hope it gives you something additional to work with. Best of luck with your move.