Relocation to Boston area (Lynn, Chelsea: houses, neighborhoods, schools)

[Njpep]

Budget really depends on several factors including sale of home here-possibly over 500,000 but not sure about renting as rental amounts seems higher in the area. Strongest points are decent commute to Chelsea and great schools-close to water is a bonus!

[gf2020]

Originally Posted by Njpep

Strongest points are decent commute to Chelsea and great schools-close to water is a bonus!

Then Marblehead is your best choice; $500K doesn't go too far there, however.

[Njpep]

How is healthcare and closest hospital to Marblehead?

[Boston21]

Originally Posted by Njpep

Hello all,
We are looking at a possible relocation and needed some help! Work would be in Chelsea and we are not familiar with the area at all. We are looking for a 10-25 minute commute as we want to be close to home base. Schools are very important as we have little ones and we would rather send to public but would also consider private if it was worth it. Looking for a more suburban area but would love to be on the shore closer to water. We would rent to get accustomed to the area first before buying. Right now we are in nj and while we have so much to do here, the area is over populated, some schools are just too pressure-cooker, and everyone is obsessed with "stuff"--or just really grumpy all the time! We would love a town that had activities where we could meet people and also get involved with schools. If you can suggest any towns that would work we would really appreciate it! Also, are their some towns with working farms? And finally, do most homes run on septic, oil, and well? Thank you

Chelsea is an industrial area, it is a tough place to live IMHO so I wouldn't live too close. I would live in Cambridge/Melrose/Somerville and Malden. I that order. GL

[professeurpablo]

I'd say Melrose for overall accessibility. It's relatively affordable by Greater Boston standards, has decent schools that will likely get better as more and more young families choose Melrose as a place to settle down and is pretty easy to get to from Boston and Cambridge via road and MBTA. The downtown has good shopping and eating options, and much of the community is walkable. In addition, you can commute to Chelsea on back roads pretty easily from there, so you wouldn't necessarily be subjected to the hideous highway traffic delays that often plague the major roads around Boston. I live probably midway between Downtown Melrose and Chelsea Square; it's probably about 10-15 minutes to either from here depending on traffic and lights, so that gives you a ballpark of what the commute would be like. You'd also have good MBTA service for trips into Boston and Cambridge. Most if not all of Melrose - with a few possible exceptions in the more woodsy Mount Hood part of town - is on the city sewer system. Gas or oil would depend on the house; many people in the area have converted to gas, but there are still plenty of homes on oil heat as well. The city is not on the shore, but it is not far from nearby beaches; you could be on the beach in Nahant for example in 20-25 minutes or so.

Swampscott and Marblehead are beautiful towns too, but they're relatively awkward to get to. If you want your life to be centered around the shore however, they would be good options. Both towns have good schools. Marblehead has more culture and dining options, but it is also more remote. Swampscott was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who envisioned Boston's Emerald Necklace park configuration. Because these towns are a bit less central to other amenities, the real estate prices, though still high, are lower than you might expect. Because of this, you'll probably want to keep them on the table as options.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Njpep

How is healthcare and closest hospital to Marblehead?

There is North Shore Medical Center in Salem and Lahey Clinic in Peabody, both reputable.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Njpep

Budget really depends on several factors including sale of home here-possibly over 500,000 but not sure about renting as rental amounts seems higher in the area. Strongest points are decent commute to Chelsea and great schools-close to water is a bonus!

Rents and purchase are both going to be high almost anywhere in the metro. And of course, you want to be pretty sure that if you're buying you're liable to be sticking around at least 5 years.

Unlike other states part of rent (lesser of 50% or 3,000) can be deducted from MA state income tax regardless of whether you itemize. Rent Paid

A place like Peabody will be cheaper to buy (and I believe for prop. tax), but the trade-off is the schools aren't as good.

[Njpep]

Is Topfield too far commute wise? Heard schools are great there.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by Njpep

Is Topfield too far commute wise? Heard schools are great there.

I have a coworker who lives in Topsfield and it takes her 1.5 hours to drive into the financial district during rush hour (door to door, including parking and walking 15 min from the parking lot to our building). Chelsea would be slightly shorter, but still more than double your 10-25 minute criteria.

[Njpep]

Wow-what if we left before 7am? Marblehead is out due to it being difficult to get in and out of and affluence-how are schools in Melrose?