Looking for somewhere not more than 30 Mins from Boston, very high budget (Cambridge: rent, houses)

[scarletfire]

To answer your question, yes, most agents will represent a buyer and show them around to all the area properties they want to see. At least that's how it works in Massachusetts. I'm not sure about Rhode Island, etc.

In Mass, if you go directly to someone who's listing a house that's the listing agent, whose job it is to get the best price for their seller. The buyer's agent represents you, scouts out properties for you, arranges your home tours, and negotiates on your behalf. Usually having a buyer's agent doesn't cost you anything. The commission is paid by the home seller and is split between the buyer's agent and the seller's agent so if the full commission is 5%, each gets 2.5% or if the seller's agent brings their own buyer they get the full 5%. However I'd ask up front. I know there are some buyer's agents that charge buyers but for the most part they don't, at least not around here.

(I'm typing without the benefit of my glasses so please forgive any typos).

[sue629]

Not to burst any bubbles and Mr P Man if you are for real please excuse but the internet is filled with scams and people who are not who they say they are run rampant. In this age of technology and the ability to remain anonymous while reaching a wide audience will bring out the best and worst in people. This site is very helpful for those "real" people looking for "real" infomation but there are many who post for other reasons- boredom, looking for an internet 'friend" ,trying to get a rise out of someone, even trying to get personal information. There are many posts that come out where the person asks for infomation, people respond and then they mysteriously disappear, you do not hear back from them. Why ask the ? to begin with. Or someone will ask the same thing over and over even though the ? has been answered ad nauseum. Another public forum which is well known and used to advertise anything from things for sale-services -properties for lease is riddled with fake people. They want to send cashier checks that are no good, they want to overpay for something by check and have you send back the balance in cash. You have to be careful on line. It is not always what you think. I am amazed sometimes at people who post their pictures or their kids pictures on public forums. There are places to do that that are by invitation only so you know who is seeing the pictures. As for this gentleman from England, I also question his posts, I am not sure he is for real but he is certainly recieving alot of attention. The story does not add up really. Why would someone in the medical field have to be close to the financial district in Boston? As far as I know it is not an area known for medical practices. And someone looking for a property costing over 10,000,000 and claims he can afford it would not be advertising it on line on a forum such as this. Just something to think about. Please excuse the rant but really ....Comments are welcomed.

[Providential Man]

Sue: Perhaps, however, I don't really have any other source of information. I'm also mindful to say that whilst one shouldnt say how much one has to spend, as no body knows who I am, I have no need to worry. I do work in the medical field, however I do not need to be next to any medical facilities.

Homes in the UK which are 15K sq ft are not that common, but a great many exist. Especially the more "historic" homes.

Which areas are in New England ? or is New England in Massachusettes ? is boston in New england ? I can't see it on a map.***please pardon my ignorance***!!

In manchester by sea, what shopping is around, cinemas, restaurants etc ? Any universities around that area, and if so are they well known ones ?
what are crime rates like ? What sort of people live in the area ?
Does it regularly flood ?

I know im hitting blind here, but i'm trying to find a starting point! Also, just out of curiosity, is Manhattan more than 2 hours away by car ? It doesn't look that far on the map - but the scale of everything is so different in the US, it's difficult to tell. It's funny to think that England can fit into most states 1 if not many more times.

What is a "noreaster" ? Is council tax very high ? is it paid based on number of residents in a home, or the size of the home ?

If a property has a private beach, does that mean it is fenced off, or can anyone just walk on to your property ?

Now some stupid questions:

What is the difference between a

1. freeway
2. express way
3. interstate

Are they all just motorways? When you mention roads with Ixx is the I for interstate ?

I'm sorry for all the silly questions, but one has to begin a quest somewhere!

[findingmesomeday]

Do you really need 15,000 sq ft?

[CaseyB]

Today's Boston Herald has an article on a beautiful house in Brookline with 18,000 square ft.:

McCourt finally sells Brookline mansion - Real Estate - BostonHerald.com

[pondhopper]

Providential, If you want to PM me go ahead if you are serious. I have moved several Brits to America and I have now made the reverse transfer and live down near Southampton. All the roads you mentioned are "M" roads with local names/variations. New England is the territory settled by those from Old England and is made up of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. So Boston is in the County of Suffolk in the State of Massachusetts in the region known as New England in the United States. In the US unlike UK you can figure the mileage is nearly the same as the time for travel so NYC is 220 miles so 220 minutes is about 3 hrs 40 minutes (best to plan on 4) for allowances. Shopping is readily available and you needn't worry, though for high end stuff you will want to go to Boston or Natick (they are finishing a new high end shopping center there). We don't have council tax but have real estate tax which works abit different than the UK (no second home discounts, no tax free status if the property is vacant); tax is based on value of the property and each town has its own tax rate. A nor'easter is a fairly unusual storm that comes out of the north east and is therefore more violent especially to the coasts, most storms come out of the South or west. Most property interpretations say you own the beach down to the high tide mark but that people can oftern have rights of access to the beach that is public. There is a fair amount of debate as to what the full rights of access are and many are determined by local tradition and ordanance.

As WInston Churchill said (paraphrasing): two great nations seperated by a common language!

[MovingForward]

"is New England in Massachusettes ? is boston in New england ? I can't see it on a map."

Please. This is such a crock.

[Providential Man]

You are entitled to your own opinion. Realise however, that just as if I were to ask you about distances or geography in the UK, i'm sure I could stump you.

Quite frankly, I'm not in the habit of wasting my time or others, and I have picked up quite a lot of information from those willing to provide it. Just because my post appears unusual, does not mean it's not genuine. However, once again you are entitled to your opinion!

I would however like to thank everyone for their time awnsering my questions!

I'm now looking at a few other areas around Boston, like Weston and Brookline, but having seen photos of Manchester by sea, i'm really enticed by the idea of living in or near it! I think it's probably worth the extra time commuting.

Pondhopper: thanx for your reply. Does real estate tax include services such as rubbish bin collection? Do you know approx what the tax would be in % terms for Manchester By Sea ? Also, is labour for things such as gardening services, and property maintenance very expensive?

[MovingForward]

Providential Man: If you plan on immigrating to our country, you could at least have the decency and manners to learn something about it, first. It's a country, with a history, a culture, and a geography. If you know nothing about our country--can't even geographically place the city you claim to want to live in--why do you want to immigrate here? I still don't believe that you are for real, however. You don't know where New England, Massachusetts, or even Boston is, precisely, yet you happen to know that there's a quarter in Boston called "the Financial District"?

[Providential Man]

Moving forward: You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that, and for the record, I know exactly where Boston is!