Considering moving to Boston (Cambridge, Quincy: for sale, apartments, rent)

[maribelita35]

I am considering taking a job in Cambridge and would like to know where do people who work in that area live? Here is what I would consider:
- Condo or small house with a small yard for my dog
- I rather take the train to work than drive (commute less than 45 minutes though)
- Kids are grown, so schools are not a factor
- Two bedrooms minimum; looking for something not smaller than 1000 sq ft.
- Less than 600k

Is this possible?

What neighborhood may fall under that criteria? I've lived in a mid-size town for the last 20 years so I am looking forward to city life and not necessarily looking for a big house or a suburb, or having to get in the car to go everywhere.

[masssachoicetts]

Quincy is right on the red line and 25 minutes from Cambridge.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...56593551_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...77924735_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9...99495832_zpid/ (New Construction)

Watertown MA too

[Crystalre]

Definitely check out Medford. They are putting in a new green line and it has an amazing walk ability score. You can get a great spot for the price and size your looking for

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by Crystalre

Definitely check out Medford. They are putting in a new green line and it has an amazing walk ability score. You can get a great spot for the price and size your looking for

Theres really nothing in Medford in that price range at OP's request.

[John Rose]

Originally Posted by maribelita35

I am considering taking a job in Cambridge and would like to know where do people who work in that area live? Here is what I would consider:
- Condo or small house with a small yard for my dog
- I rather take the train to work than drive (commute less than 45 minutes though)
- Kids are grown, so schools are not a factor
- Two bedrooms minimum; looking for something not smaller than 1000 sq ft.
- Less than 600k

Is this possible?

What neighborhood may fall under that criteria? I've lived in a mid-size town for the last 20 years so I am looking forward to city life and not necessarily looking for a big house or a suburb, or having to get in the car to go everywhere.

I live in Cambridge. I've lived here most of my life, although I've also lived in Somerville, Brookline and Arlington, and have lived in the D.C area (Northern Virginia) and South Florida (Broward County). 2 bedrooms and 1k+ sq ft. for under $600k in Cambridge is not feasible. Just checked on Trulia and there are only two 2-bedroom condos available in Cambridge for under 600k and the largest of them is 803 sq ft.

You didn't mention bathrooms, but it's worth noting that even the larger apartments/condos/homes in the area tend to not have a lot of bathrooms. Right now, I'm living in a 3-bedroom apt. that's 1,097 sq ft. and still only 1 bathroom. Whereas EVERY 2-bedroom apt./condo I had in South Florida had TWO bathrooms, even though they were smaller. Even a lot of the 1-bedrooms in SF have 2 bathrooms.

Right now I'm renting a 3-bedroom with 2 other people. Soon I will be moving to a large studio in a more centralized location in Cambridge. Honestly, forget about buying in Cambridge for now. If you can afford to pay close to $600k then you should easily be able to pay rent in Cambridge for a year or two.
Take your time to figure out if Cambridge is the perfect location and if you can either downsize to stay in Cambridge or figure out the financing for a larger place in Cambridge. Or if moving to a suburb close to Cambridge with more affordable options can work for you.

Personally, while I am moving to an affordable place to me in a more centralized location, moving to somewhere like Watertown or Belmont would also work for me. They're both connected to roads and bus routes that can get you in and out of Cambridge and Boston pretty quickly. I live near where Cambridge, Belmont and Watertown meet and it's very easy to take the bus into Harvard Square. I can even walk to Harvard Square or into Allston-Brighton fairly quickly.

I was easily able to afford to buy a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo in a nice neighborhood near the beach in Fort Lauderdale. Was able to sell it at an almost 80% return on investment. But buying is just not feasible for me in Cambridge so I am renting for the time being. I very well may end up buying a condo or whatever somewhere warmer and cheaper down the line...

[John Rose]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Theres really nothing in Medford in that price range at OP's request.

I found 18 places in Medford that fit the OP's criteria (2+ bedrooms, 1k+ sq ft., under $600k). Found a variety of home types, including single-family homes, condos in buildings, units in multifamily houses, etc.

https://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Medf...ce/1000p_sqft/

That's just from searching one site and city (since you specifically mentioned Medford). I imagine you could find similar results in other suburbs besides Cambridge (and Somerville, most likely). Like Arlington, Malden, Watertown, Quincy, Revere, Everett, Chelsea, Braintree, Belmont, Dedham, Needham, etc. But the twin city inner-ring suburbs of Cambridge and Somerville really stand out in terms of pricing. Not much cheaper than right in Boston, if at all.

[Boston Shudra]

Considering that schools aren't a factor, I'd consider looking around the red, orange, and blue lines in Boston proper and maybe Revere. I see a few on Zillow in Dorchester and JP that might fit.

[zachparker7]

Found this condo in Somerville right on the Cambridge border. 1062 sq ft. 3 bedroom condo for $558,000. If you can get over the yellow exterior, the inside looks updated and in good shape.

There's only 92 listings in MLS for homes for sale in Boston under $600k min. 1000 sq ft., but there's a sale listing in South Boston that looks like a steal, 1300 sq ft. 2 bedroom for $599K. Definitely keep an eye out in Somerville and Quincy, both great cities in their own right and both within a 45 minute commute to Cambridge.

[GeePee]

https://bostonpads.com/roslindale-ma...dale-72835433/
This one here looks like a bargain. I have seen far less recently sell for well over 7

[diegomar2007]

maribelita35, don't move to the city, choose the suburbs. The city of Boston is an overpriced dump with superiority complex. I recommend Medford, Arlington, Newton, Lexington, Melrose, etc. Avoid the city.