Berkshires (Boston, Springfield, Pittsfield: for sale, crime, how much)

[mwgans]

Thinking of buying land in the Berkshires for building a small, simple, private, rustic vacation home. Anyone have info on Washington, MA? How about Monterey versus Otis or Becket??? Thanks...

[winnie]

Most of the berks are nice. Otis has the reservoir and they allow jetskis so it makes it a big attraction.

They are trying to get another exit off Rte 90 to go to Otis, the people there fight it tooth and nail because they know once it happens the tourists will come, crime will go up and the traffic will get nuts. Other than that, I don't know of any negatives about living in any of the towns you mention.

Otis is a tiny bit more expensive than the rest too. But Otis is a little closer to Springfield than the rest of the towns you mention so that may be another factor, and that it is close to Blanford and skiing.

Land should be pretty cheap still, if you want an improved lot the prices have gone WAY up in the last 5 years and there is not a lot of inventory.

You might want to check out Middlefield area too - nice and quiet and scenic, still near Pittsfield.

happy househunting!

[mwgans]

Thank you.... I appreciate the info on Otis especially -- we looked at a pice of land that is beautoful but it's in the northeast corner which is in the direction of the Pike and thus, I would think, a prime route for a new exit if one ever gets accomplished. I'm not a fan of the noise from jetskis, so that is helpful, too. Middlefield is nice but very far to anything -- even basic staples -- we looked there -- if you really want to be nowhere, it is great, but I do not want to have to do too much driving every time we need something.... One other thing we have considered is potential resale value -- we have never owned a 2nd home and we want to be in an area/town that will allow us to sell reasonably quickly if we decide the 2nd home thing doesn't really work for us. There are tons of properties on the market in Otis and Becket and they've been on for a long time, so that worries me.... The problem, though, is we can get 10+ acres in Otis or Becket for the same price as 2 in Monterey!! We'd prefer more acreage but the other factors have been weighing against Otis and Becket..... I'd be interested in any other info or input you have... Thanks!

[winnie]

I see Otis as having the most potential and you can get land that is lakefront, or you can get land that is a little off the beaten path.

Once the pike gets their exit open the property value there is going to rise. IMO it is just a matter of time before the people there lose their battle and there is an exit. But you might want to talk to a realtor in the area about that issue and see if they know anything a little more up to date.

I would also tell you to give the Pioneer Valley a look, our house in Ware, which was 1/4 mile from the lake, appreciated 40K in 3 years, from 110K to 150K with absolutely no work on our part. We lived in Ware, at the time it was one of the fastest appreciating areas of Western MA. We COULD have gotten 160K if we had not been in a rush selling. There is land for sale up there still, and there are no jetskis allowed on Beaver Lake. 35 min to Springfield, 10 min to Wal-mart, shopping and the hospital, and 5 min to the quabbin reservoir. It really depends on how much you are able to spend on a lot up there - when I was there you could get 2ac lakefront for 60K. And it is a BEAUTIFUL lake, bald eagles and beautiful trees, nice community. There are several places in Western MA that are attractive to build a 2nd home.

[tomhooople]

Sound like you are on the right track with the Otis area. Becket can be a little "dumpy" in areas and has kind of a bad reputation, although there are some nice spots there. In Monterey and those towns farther south you are going to way overypay for land. Hinsdale or Peru might be an option also, although I am not sure if there is any more lake front property left. I know the land is cheap in Peru and it's only 20 minutes to Pittsfield.

[netman4u]

The closer you get to Lenox and Great Bearington the easier to sell and more expensive the property will be. Many NYC folks and celebs have homes there. They have Tanglewood where the Boston Symphony Orchestra summers, Jacobs Pillow, the Bershire Performing Arts Center, Canton Ranch etc.

[kaday]

You may want to check out Lanesboro. It's very close to Pittsfield. Also some areas of Pittsfield are inexpensive and it is definately and up and coming area.

[whimsylinsy]

I just bought property in Adams so I am making my push
for Adams, North Adams and that whole area near the Mass MOCA.
It's up and coming. . .

[DJLoPy]

Originally Posted by mwgans

Thank you.... I appreciate the info on Otis especially -- we looked at a pice of land that is beautoful but it's in the northeast corner which is in the direction of the Pike and thus, I would think, a prime route for a new exit if one ever gets accomplished. I'm not a fan of the noise from jetskis, so that is helpful, too. Middlefield is nice but very far to anything -- even basic staples -- we looked there -- if you really want to be nowhere, it is great, but I do not want to have to do too much driving every time we need something.... One other thing we have considered is potential resale value -- we have never owned a 2nd home and we want to be in an area/town that will allow us to sell reasonably quickly if we decide the 2nd home thing doesn't really work for us. There are tons of properties on the market in Otis and Becket and they've been on for a long time, so that worries me.... The problem, though, is we can get 10+ acres in Otis or Becket for the same price as 2 in Monterey!! We'd prefer more acreage but the other factors have been weighing against Otis and Becket..... I'd be interested in any other info or input you have... Thanks!

Just wondering if you ever found the place you were looking for. I am also interested in a similar vacation home such as the one you described, and am primarily looking in Becket and Otis, but was interested in your comments. Would love to know what you ultimately decided.