Houses with space/rural areas between Newton and Medford? (Boston: for rent, mortgage)

[Cato the Elder]

With a barnyard of animals, your options will be even more limited. It's one thing for a landlord to accept three dogs and three cats (already grim), but if you throw in the rest, I think you have little chance outside of another farmhouse. You might get lucky and find a rural place between I-495 and 128. Definitely check out Framingham; I think it should be your #1 target. The place is guaranteed to be a bit rustic and farmhouses are a dying breed, but there are some still some out there for rent. Honestly, I think your best bet is corridor that straddle I-495 between Route 2 and the Turnpike - Harvard, Bolton, Berlin, Stow, Hudson, Marlboro, Southboro. The commute won't be great for the first two years, but doable. Frammingham doesn't sound so bad now, eh?

[brightdoglover]

Also consider Lancaster or nearby towns on Rt. 2.
BC Law School is certainly outside the edge of serious Boston housing/traffic- you could live well west of that part of Newton and still have an easy commute to that school. If I were OP, I'd still give serious consideration to closer to Grafton now, and not further, especially if you are going to continue to want to keep animals in the future. Not all new law jobs are going to be in downtown Boston, either- they might well be in a western suburb.
I actually really like Grafton, too. I think it would be worth two years of getting to Medford on pre-reqs than a long drive to Grafton for a very tough program, as others have pointed out. Also, I hear that law school isn't exactly a walk in the park, but it's shorter than the vet program.
If I couldn't find a suitable rental (and I think it's very unlikely in a "nearby" area) then I'd consider buying what I want wherever it has to be as long as I could get to the two programs of study. Best wishes

[bne2103]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Also consider Lancaster or nearby towns on Rt. 2.
BC Law School is certainly outside the edge of serious Boston housing/traffic- you could live well west of that part of Newton and still have an easy commute to that school. If I were OP, I'd still give serious consideration to closer to Grafton now, and not further, especially if you are going to continue to want to keep animals in the future. Not all new law jobs are going to be in downtown Boston, either- they might well be in a western suburb.
I actually really like Grafton, too. I think it would be worth two years of getting to Medford on pre-reqs than a long drive to Grafton for a very tough program, as others have pointed out. Also, I hear that law school isn't exactly a walk in the park, but it's shorter than the vet program.
If I couldn't find a suitable rental (and I think it's very unlikely in a "nearby" area) then I'd consider buying what I want wherever it has to be as long as I could get to the two programs of study. Best wishes

This sounds like good advice. I am traveling to Boston tomorrow for a function at BC Law and I will be spending most of Saturday driving around these towns before I leave Saturday evening.

I think perhaps its too early to speak with a realtor and have he/she show me things around these various towns, but what do you think? We are planning another trip to Boston in a few weeks when my girlfriend can come along, so perhaps I will just do reconnaissance now.

I'm staying in Newton, so I think I will drive as far out as west as Grafton, then head northerly and go through Marlboro, Sudbury, Concord and then south through Lincoln and finally Framingham and then back towards Newton. I will have about 6 hours -- can I cover that much ground on a Saturday morning/afternoon?

Thanks so much!

[brightdoglover]

Yes, easily. But I think driving around Framingham, Newton, Sudbury and Concord will be an exercise in sightseeing. It's hard to understand just how expensive towns can be, never mind with a small farm set-up.
Oh, and think of Leominster or Lunenburg. Some former rural life there and not badly located for Grafton/Newton.

[bne2103]

I had a very productive trip to the Metro West area and discovered a few things about certain areas. First off, I really liked Newton (where I will be going to school next year) and I also liked Medford (where my girlfriend will be going to school). Some of the towns I visited that were closer to the city proper, like Brookline, did not appeal to me very much. I think we are definitely looking for a more rural feel. I LOVED Concord. To me, it seemed to have a perfect mix of accessibility to major highways that reach both our schools conveniently while still feeling 'away from it all.' Also high on my list were Weston, Wayland, Lincoln and Sudbury. Lexington and Woburn seemed nice too. I didn't like Framingham much, and felt that Marlboro was a bit too far away.

I think our target area will be East of 495 and West of 128/95 and South of Rt. 3 but North of the Tpike.

All that being said, I think the Concord area is the number one spot for us right now. Any advice on Concord and surrounding towns? Thanks as always!

[donewithpretty]

Without knowing your monthly budget, it's hard to give any advice. As a few people have mentioned, the towns you're picking are some of the most expensive in the state (and the country, for that matter).

If money isn't an object, I'd go for Concord. I agree it's a great mix of accessibility and open space.

All that said, farmhouse rentals may be few and far between. You would be better off knowing the general area you'd like to rent and letting a real estate agent help connect you with the right place. There's no point being picky about a particular town when what you really need is a lot of space and a doable commute.

[bne2103]

Originally Posted by donewithpretty

Without knowing your monthly budget, it's hard to give any advice. As a few people have mentioned, the towns you're picking are some of the most expensive in the state (and the country, for that matter).

If money isn't an object, I'd go for Concord. I agree it's a great mix of accessibility and open space.

All that said, farmhouse rentals may be few and far between. You would be better off knowing the general area you'd like to rent and letting a real estate agent help connect you with the right place. There's no point being picky about a particular town when what you really need is a lot of space and a doable commute.

Great advice -- I think prior to my next visit I will speak with a real estate agent and arrange for him/her to show me around. I have done a lot of research on various real estate websites and there are just so many listings in the area its hard to navigate. I think the help of a professional will be the ticket.

We are beginning to debate our plans to rent and are now considering the option of buying. Our rationale is that if we are going to be around the area for a bare minimum of three years (but more likely ten years) it doesnt make much sense to sink 3k a month into a rental property and have zero equity in the place after our time...having said that, anyone care to weigh in on what a good ballpark price is for a 1 acre+ property, 2+BR, 2+Bath in the area? 500? 700? 900???

[donewithpretty]

Just a note: for most towns, including Concord I believe, not every piece of property is zoned for farm animals. You might also need to apply for a permit to have them. I love shopping online without a real estate agent too, but in your case, having one could save you hours of useless work.

[SoFresh99]

For Concord $700k at the bottom and a 1.5 acre or so lot would be more suburban than farmy at that price point. An acre in Sherborn and Carlisle are cheaper and more "rural" but dunno about the actually having animals thing.

There is this, so having animals might not be a deal in carlisle: 998 BEDFORD RD, CARLISLE, MA 01741 - MLS# 71324526 - ZipRealty

[bne2103]

Originally Posted by SoFresh99

For Concord $700k at the bottom and a 1.5 acre or so lot would be more suburban than farmy at that price point. An acre in Sherborn and Carlisle are cheaper and more "rural" but dunno about the actually having animals thing.

There is this, so having animals might not be a deal in carlisle: 998 BEDFORD RD, CARLISLE, MA 01741 - MLS# 71324526 - ZipRealty

Nice find! Thanks for that one! Just to clarify, we aren't in need of a place where we can have true 'farm' animals, just a space where our 3+ dogs can stretch out and run and not bother anyone / get hit by a car/train. I will check out Sherborn and Carlisle for sure!

Do you recommend using ziprealty.com to look at listings?