Thoughts/opinions on Framingham vs Ashland vs Southborough (Boston, Worcester: appliances, houses)

[wk786]

So, we're still looking for a house in between UMASS Boston and Worcester. Budget $600 000 or less is ideal, but at the most 630K. Some areas we were considering are Southborough, Ashland, Framingham, Hopkinton, and Holliston. Our main considerations being the first 3.

- In terms of location, should be close to highways, and a half-decent commute to UMASS. Is it possible to get to UMASS from Ashland within 1 to 1.5 hrs?
- The house must be either new construction or relatively new within the budget. 4 BRs 2.5 Baths around 2600-3000 sqft (updated, granite counters, ss appliances, etc.)

How do the areas mentioned above compare with each other in terms of resale/home value, # of offers, commute times, etc. (numbers would be appreciated)? I have heard that some realtors call Ashland "trashland" (don't mean to offend anyone just saying what I've heard) in "real-estate" talk, which I think is absurd. Are Southborough and Hopkinton a LOT better than Ashland in terms of resale value? Tbh, I like the commute to both Worcester and UMASS Boston from Ashland, and we found some new construction houses there within our price range as well. But ever since I've heard this term, I thought I would get some other opinions.

Reading around, I see people generally prefer something along the lines of Hopkinton, Southborough, Ashland and then Framingham. Which would u choose if u were in a similar situation.

Thanks

[thomas_quinn]

I don't think Ashland is a bad town. If you want new construction it looks like on the mls there is 1 house that meets what you are looking for 2600sqft 4bed 2.5 bath with 6.7 acres and that's in Ashland. You have options in the other towns that have been updated with granite and ss appliances.

[tigerclaws]

Ashland and Southborough are mostly sleepy towns meaning it is possible that your neighbors are really far away. If you are willing to move west, then Westborough and Shrewsbury are other towns you could consider.

[MikePRU]

I have a question. Do you have any children or are you planning on having any children? How important is the school system in your decision? Even if you don't have kids, a lot of people do and the quality of the school system in the town you choose will have an impact on future resale.

Originally Posted by wk786

I have heard that some realtors call Ashland "trashland" (don't mean to offend anyone just saying what I've heard) in "real-estate" talk, which I think is absurd. Are Southborough and Hopkinton a LOT better than Ashland in terms of resale value? Tbh, I like the commute to both Worcester and UMASS Boston from Ashland, and we found some new construction houses there within our price range as well. But ever since I've heard this term, I thought I would get some other opinions.

I grew up next door in Framingham and even as teenagers we regularly referred to Ashland as "Trashland" or "Ash-can." Ashland and Framingham did not have any kind of sports rivalry with Framingham so I can't recall any reason why we did it. The only thing I can think of is that we must have overheard our parents talking about the superfund site in Ashland. It was one of the first superfund sites in the country and also one of the largest I believe.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by wk786

Reading around, I see people generally prefer something along the lines of Hopkinton, Southborough, Ashland and then Framingham. Which would u choose if u were in a similar situation.

Thanks

People moving to that area prefer Hopkinton and Southborough because of the schools. Ashland would be better for you because the schools are still pretty good (which makes for decent resale); however, prices are much lower. If I recall your father/brother are commuting into Worcester by car, so it will only be an extra 7-10 minutes for them to head west from Ashland instead of Southborough/Hopkinton. You should concentrate on getting your commute to under 1.5 hours which isn't possible coming from Hopkinton or Southborough if you are taking the train. From Ashland it's about 1 hour 20 minutes by commuter rail from Ashland to JFK/UMass including transfer time. Then you have to add about 5-10 min to drive to the commuter rail and pay for parking plus the time it takes for the shuttle to get you to campus once you get to JFK/UMass. You're looking at slightly more than 1.5 hours door-to-door from Ashland. From Southborough/Hopkinton (they share a station on the town line) you need to add an extra 5-10 min.

[Parsec]

Also I agree with Mike on Ashland being called Trashland. The bad rep is due to the Nyanza (?) plant that was dumping dye into the ground. Word on the street is, the cancer rate for those kids who grew up in the 70s swimming in those filthy waters is astronomically higher than the average national cancer rate (remember the Julia Roberts movie Erin Brockovich?)

[MikePRU]

Here's an interesting article from the local PBS affiliate about the site:

WGBH News: 25 Years Later, A Poisoned Town Can't Come Clean

According to the article the Nyanza site was once considered one of the 10 most toxic sites in the country.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Here's an interesting article from the local PBS affiliate about the site:

WGBH News: 25 Years Later, A Poisoned Town Can't Come Clean

According to the article the Nyanza site was once considered one of the 10 most toxic sites in the country.

Oh yeah, how could I forget A Civil Action? Hits much closer to home than Erin Brockovich!

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Parsec

Oh yeah, how could I forget A Civil Action? Hits much closer to home than Erin Brockovich!

OP, A Civil Action is about Woburn, MA.
Erin Brockovich happened in the Mohave Desert in California.

Just wanted to set the record straight on that one.

[wk786]

Thanks for all the info guys.