Which suburb - commute + schools (Boston, Worcester: real estate, budget, condo)

[tamilgirl07]

Hello,

We recently moved to Quincy, MA and live in a high rise building which we don't like. We moved from a small town and find that we are like fish out of water in boston. We are planning to buy a house and our budget is around $300000 - $350000. We are looking for a townhome/condo close to some commuter rail or T and also an area that has good school districts. I know it is asking for more but we are not familiar with boston suburbs and need some info on which suburbs are good in terms of closeness to commute and also has decent schools. I am looking for a townhome that has a small backyard is it possible to find in my price range,

Thanks for your replies,

[scarletfire]

In the metrowest, I'd recommend Hopkinton (near the Southboro commuter rail station), Westboro, and Grafton.

[scarletfire]

Here's some school info in Westborough.

Money Magazine named Westborough one of the 100 Best Places to Live 2005. In a 2004/2005 study by School Matters, a service of Standard and Poors, Westborough Public School system was rated as one of the top public school systems in Massachusetts that consistently outperformed peer schools on MCAS reading and math proficiency test over the last four years. Westborough was the only school system in Worcester County other than Harvard, MA to achieve this top state wide ranking.
Westborough was ranked 16 out of 204 school systems rated in the state of Massachusetts. In 2005, Money Magazine listed Westborough #36 in its survey of Top 100 Best Places to Live, citing the financial support and staffing levels found in the Westborough Public Schools. Graduation rates in the high school are consistently above 95% and the vast majority of these graduates attend a four-year college.

Also, you can go to Boston.com to view demographic info on any Massachusetts town and there's a nice feature where you can compare two towns. (Click on real estate, then communities, then enter the town name).

[tamilgirl07]

Thank you, what is the typical travel time i am looking at from leaving the house to going to south station from westborough. Also does it have good shopping centers and good community activities for kids??

Also we won't be staying in this area for more than 5 years so we need to buy a house that will be easy to sell at later part too,

Thanks,

[scarletfire]

If you take the "express" train from Westboro you'll get to South Station in an hour. MBTA Commuter Rail > Framingham / Worcester Lines Schedules and Maps

There are lots of community activities for kids & families. The town has a ton of sports activities for children & adults (http://www.town.westborough.ma.us/Pu.../fall%2007.pdf), plus a really nice swim/tennis club that has its own activities, a civics club, newcomers club, garden club, Lions club, etc.

Westborough stores include Tatnuck Booksellers, Home Goods, Staples, Boston Interiors (furniture), BJ’s Wholesale, two Stop & Shops, Spices Indian grocer, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Landry’s Cycle, as well as smaller shops in the downtown area. The best mall nearby is the Natick Mall www.natickcollection.com.

If you're looking to resell in 5 years you might consider a single-family home over a townhome as they tend to have better resale value.

[beachlady58]

Originally Posted by tamilgirl07

Thank you, what is the typical travel time i am looking at from leaving the house to going to south station from westborough. Also does it have good shopping centers and good community activities for kids??

Also we won't be staying in this area for more than 5 years so we need to buy a house that will be easy to sell at later part too,

Thanks,

I would think that for S Station you want to stay on the S Shore. Hanover, Weymouth, Braintree are all more "local" and small town feel than Quincy.

Good LUck!

[kaioak36]

Hi All,

Weymouth/Braintree are more blue collar. Hanover is a nicer town and tends to be more white collar.

Originally Posted by beachlady58

I would think that for S Station you want to stay on the S Shore. Hanover, Weymouth, Braintree are all more "local" and small town feel than Quincy.

Good LUck!

[Panther16]

I would recommend Ashland as a great town - the commuter rail runs through it and the ride to Boston is about 45 minutes on the express train and the drive to Boston is about 30 minutes without traffic. A friend of mine has a beautiful townhouse on the market in your price range. Is in under 10 years old - a large unit - with a nice yard and only 3 minutes to the train. You can email me if you would like more information about it or about the town in general! Good luck!