help with a place to buy our first home! (Boston: condos, how much)

[juststartingout]

I am hoping to get some advice from folks here on good neighborhoods in the Boston suburbs for first time homebuyers/new families. I am recently married, live in the Brighton area, and my husband and I are 30yr. old young professionals looking to buy our first home in the next year. We want to start looking at areas within 30 or so minutes of the city with good school systems (for eventual kids) where we might be able to get a house in the 300-320k range. The thing we would really like is a town that has some personality and its own stuff going on outside of just being a Boston suburb (restaurants, small downtown, arts...). We would love anyones thoughts or ideas of places to look- thanks in advance!!

[jayrandom]

My wife and I were just in a very similar situation. In looking for the suburbs it helps to know where you will be commuting to and how you plan to do that commuting. For instance, where we live is 30 minutes to South Station by rail (where my wife works) but is more like 50 minutes to Cambridge (where I work). Some distant areas are very quick to Boston (Mansfield, say, on the Providence line), whereas some relatively close areas can take forever--so the more specific you can be the better answers I think people will provide. If you're planning on driving, when you drive and where you're going also make a big difference, so if you know that it can only help.

In that price range you may have some trouble being 30 minutes away if you're looking for a single family house with really good schools. Of course, as prices keep dropping your task will become easier. I think that's the list of anyone looking for their first house--so you have to decide what your priorities are and where you may have to settle on something less than perfect. Would you be willing to live a bit further away? Perhaps settle for a decent but not outstanding school system? Maybe increase your price range or look for a condo?

With all those caveats, some places to maybe think about (i.e. places my wife and I looked at) would be:

North

Melrose--nice, generally more expensive, decent rated schools

Wakefield--just past Melrose, a little newer in look and feel

Reading--just past Wakefield, good schools. Far enough that 30 minutes is a stretch

Woburn--west of Wakefield, seems to get a pretty bad reputation around here but seemed nice--has some issues, but cheaper than Melrose or Wakefield

West -- too expensive, you have to go way out before it starts getting affordable, so we gave up on west, even though 90 is a lot better than 93

South

Dedham -- a nice community, pretty close to Boston. Schools aren't super

Sharon--great schools, a lot further out, but on a nice fast train line.

Canton--just in from Sharon. Good train connections.

Norwood--west from Canton. Easy commuter rail, very nice town center. Schools aren't as well ranked as Sharon or Canton, but seems like a nice town.

I'm sure there are a bunch others, but that is the list my wife and I went off of.

[smarty]

Great job Jayrandom

Just want to add... expectations.. what one consider a reasonable house is different to another person... For example, a 50yr old house... some may think it has character... some think it is a dump...; 1200 sq ft house... some think it is reasonable... some think it is too small...

How much time and energy you have to upkeep a house is another major factor. Condos charges $300-500/mo to mow lawn, do painting, vacuum, clean, minor repairs, ... are you willing to spend XX hrs every week to serve your house? Are you willing to pay others to do those things? You may not be able to go to beach, mountain bike, travel, ... every weekend anymore... My friend after 2 years of mowing lawn, commuting 35 minutes each way to Boston, ... decided suburb is not for him.

[Boston Bill]

Why not West Roxbury? It's getting pretty cool.

[eevee]

OP may want a better school system than BPS (I can't for the elementary and middle school level or the new charter schools, but most of the Boston Public HS aren't that great)

[smarty]

If they are smart... there are exam schools(Boston Latin)... they are rank very very high.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by smarty

If they are smart... there are exam schools(Boston Latin)... they are rank very very high.

very true, but the "kids" don't even exist yet, so there's no guarantees on getting in (not saying the OP aren't gonna have brilliant kids, just that admittance to these schools is cutthroat). but West Roxbury is nice, WAY too suburban for me, but overall very nice. but it's socially dead, little night life to speak of

[smarty]

What is good school? To many people ... test scores.. where do test scores come from.. students...

if one gets average or below average scores... doesn't it contribute to making the school bad or average? Hence, if you want a good school... you better contribute and have great scores.

[HurrMark]

Some South Shore towns like Quincy or Weymouth, you should be able to get a small house for the amount you're asking for. The only problem is that the schools...while not the worst, are not really the best. You may want to look a little further out...Mansfield-Sharon-Canton have good school districts and are within 30 minutes by train, although it may be a tad pricey (perhaps you can get a small house for around that much, but it may not be the most modern).

[eevee]

Originally Posted by smarty

What is good school? To many people ... test scores.. where do test scores come from.. students...

if one gets average or below average scores... doesn't it contribute to making the school bad or average? Hence, if you want a good school... you better contribute and have great scores.

well, test scores can be just as much as a reflection of the teachers and administration as the caliber of the students. a lot of the BPHS are (well, maybe were; seems like the major problem schools have been closed or turned into charter schools, like English and Dot HS) plagued w/ violence, drugs, truancy problems, have high rates of drop outs, high rates of teen pregnancy, very high student-to-teacher ratio, crappy equipment, in general, a lot of the stuff that differentiate between good, so-so, and downright bad schools.

it's been a while since I've been in HS, and I've never gone to a typical BPS (was in a private school up until 6th grade, then went to one of the exam schools, which aren't really typical BPS), so a lot of my opinion is based on second hand experience from relatives and news reports. I could be over exaggerating the poor quality of these schools, but I don't think all that much