Visually impaired couple house hunting Waltham, Newton or Watertown? (Cambridge: renting, buying)

[nancy2cats]

Hello,
My husband and I sold our home of 25 years in Newton, bought a home in Florida and lived there for eight years now came back to be closer to family and friends. We are currently renting until May and trying to decide where to purchase our next home.
We used to live in Newton Highlands and are considering Nonatum or Newtonville because there seem to be more options for transportation and access to grocery shopping (although there is Peapod) and restaurants.
Waltham is growing on us. The people are very nice, housing is less expensive and there is great transportation by bus unless they cut bus routes like they are threatening.
We only know Watertown because of transportation to Cambridge, but don't know much about housing options there.
We don't have children and also are thinking about resale in the event we need to sell down the road. Any pros or cons about any of these three cities? I think the housing prices are highest in Newton, then Waltham and finally Watertown. Just wondering what it is that you would be losing by buying in Watertown over Waltham, and the same for Waltham vs Newton.
We are both visually impaired so access to transportation and stores and restaurants is necessary.
Thank you for any input.

[SoFresh99]

Where will you be needing transportation to? I am thinking that you will want to be within walking distance to grocery, drugstore and restaurants and on a bus or trainline to ?

I would recommend somewhere more typically pedestrian such as somerville, cambridge or brookline. I have a friend that is visually impaired and lives near Main street in Waltham (i.e. not truly suburban) and she finds the winter in Waltham and Newton difficult since while most people shovel many people don't. In a more typically pedestrian environment there is much more pressure to do so and it is much easier for her to navigate in the winter.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by SoFresh99

Where will you be needing transportation to?

A very important question! Until we know where you are headed the only thing I can really add is that if resale is important you'll do much better in Newton compared to Waltham or Watertown. Brookline was a good suggestion for a more pedestrian friendly area although it's certainly not any less expensive than Newton.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by SoFresh99

I would recommend somewhere more typically pedestrian such as somerville, cambridge or brookline. I have a friend that is visually impaired and lives near Main street in Waltham (i.e. not truly suburban) and she finds the winter in Waltham and Newton difficult since while most people shovel many people don't. In a more typically pedestrian environment there is much more pressure to do so and it is much easier for her to navigate in the winter.

Second this, particularly about the winter. I lived in Waltham for 5 years, the last winter was post college where I walked to work or to the bus stop. Many people - even down Main Street - do not shovel. If they do, there can be 2 to 3 feet of snowbanks separating the sidewalk from where the bus stops. I often had to walk and wait in the street. I called the Department of Public Works regularly about it and got no real response.

You can run into similar problems in Somerville and Cambridge, but since many more people walk, the city takes shoveling a LOT more seriously. My street in Somerville has a sidewalk plow come by.

[brightdoglover]

Didn't get the OP's budget, but Watertown Square area is very ped. friendly, and the streetlights have visual-impairment sound devices (because the Perkins School is nearby?)