Best town to BUY near Framingham, MA

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by shoboo75

Thank you all for the great input. I have been looking at all these towns and am surprised by how little the inventory of homes is, for rent or for buy. Boston market seems quite hot.

A lot of the Boston area is quite hot especially inside of RT 128. Low inventory is an issue we've been dealing with since last Spring. There were far more buyers than there were sellers last Spring/Summer and it drove prices up quite a bit. I'm hopeful that there will be more sellers this year.

Originally Posted by shoboo75

Any thoughts on Waltham?

Waltham certainly has some pluses. The Moody Street area has some great restaurants & shops. It has some areas that are a bit more urban/dense feeling kind of like Arlington or Brookline but along the western border near Weston, Newton, etc. it's more suburban feeling. The only thing I would say about Waltham is that the school system is not as well regarded by some people as many of these other towns we've talked about. While that's fine for someone without kids, it does have an impact on RE prices and appreciation. There is definitely a healthy rental market in Waltham though as there is in most of the towns we've discussed here.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by shoboo75

I am a fairly suburban person who likes to workout, catch the occasional play or musical, love the outdoors and most of all lives to travel and see the world. I want to be a reasonable distance from Boston for a weekend outing or so but would love a neighborhood with some nice parks, a shopping mall or two and fun coffee shops.

I love both Bakery on the Common in downtown Natick and the Charles River Coffee House in the historic district for wifi and treats.

If I were looking for continuously increasing value, I would put Natick above Arlington and Waltham. I think a friendlier town than those other two.

[horsechick71]

I move a lot for my job..right now in SC but a MA girl. With the fact that I move for jobs I would rent first and make sure you like the job, the job likes you and it gives you a chance to find the area you like the most. What one person likes may be something you don't.

Personally if I was going to move back to MD I would be back in the Worcester county area and drive to Framingham.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

A lot of the Boston area is quite hot especially inside of RT 128. Low inventory is an issue we've been dealing with since last Spring. There were far more buyers than there were sellers last Spring/Summer and it drove prices up quite a bit. I'm hopeful that there will be more sellers this year.

Off-topic, but I'm curious if you were seeing a lot of investment buyers (don't always self-identify, but tend to pay in full with cash at a higher rate than regular buyers). In some west coast markets it's estimated roughly 30% of the buying market in 2013 was speculative/investment.

Early signals seem to suggest that may be reduced in 2014, but I'm not sure how it applies to MA either on the up- or downswing.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by bler144

Off-topic, but I'm curious if you were seeing a lot of investment buyers (don't always self-identify, but tend to pay in full with cash at a higher rate than regular buyers). In some west coast markets it's estimated roughly 30% of the buying market in 2013 was speculative/investment.

Early signals seem to suggest that may be reduced in 2014, but I'm not sure how it applies to MA either on the up- or downswing.

I saw a lot of that last year when working in Brookline, but I haven't seen or heard of it in the more suburban areas like Newton, Needham, Wellesley, etc. I would imagine it's because there's much lower demand for rentals in these towns.

[dravogadro]

The rental market is very good in Waltham. I'm not sure where you are from in the midwest, but your definition of suburb will be very different than a Boston suburb. Many of the condos in Waltham are located closer to the city center to be closer to shops and restaurants and it is very dense. I think the ones in the more suburban areas of Waltham will be out of your price range.

There are some new condos going in near the Waltham/Watertown border which will probably be in your price range so you could get something brand new.

[shoboo75]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

I'm not sure where you are from in the midwest, but your definition of suburb will be very different than a Boston suburb. Many of the condos in Waltham are located closer to the city center to be closer to shops and restaurants and it is very dense. I think the ones in the more suburban areas of Waltham will be out of your price range.

There are some new condos going in near the Waltham/Watertown border which will probably be in your price range so you could get something brand new.

I am moving from downtown Minneapolis where I rent very close to work. But in Framingham, I am looking to rent for a bit and buy so looking for nice neighborhoods. When I say suburban, what I mean is that I don't need to be in the heart of a big city. A smaller town with a nice downtown will work too.

[horsechick71]

Originally Posted by shoboo75

I am moving from downtown Minneapolis where I rent very close to work. But in Framingham, I am looking to rent for a bit and buy so looking for nice neighborhoods. When I say suburban, what I mean is that I don't need to be in the heart of a big city. A smaller town with a nice downtown will work too.

That is half the New England towns...

[Synchromesh]

I lived in Framingham on Rt 9 for 8 years. What a complete and utter hell hole. You can't really walk anywhere. There were no parks near me around except the reservoir and that was closed to public for the last couple of years. North Framingham is a little better if you like typical suburb type of living. South Framingham is a bit of a ghetto with tons of Brazilians. That includes the downtown. The only good place about it is Natick Mall. Which turns your commute into utter hell the month of December because all the suburban yuppies are going to that mall to stuff their fancy SUVs with overpriced crap.

Now, if you plan to work anywhere close to Boston proper - DON'T BUY IN FRAMINGHAM. The morning commute sucks big time with Pike, Rt 9 and everything in-between filled with traffic during rush hours. That goes double for moronic Boston drivers if it's raining. I had to give up all Boston downtown jobs because taking the commuter rail would entail about 1:15 commute each way and I wasn't about to spend 2.5 hours each day commuting. Natick is definitely nicer but it is sort of right in the middle which makes driving during rush hour even more painful providing you're taking a major route to work.

If I was to ever go back to Taxachusetts, there are 2 towns to live in if you don't have a family - Waltham or Somerville. Add Cambridge if you're artsy. Everything else I'd avoid.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Synchromesh

I lived in Framingham on Rt 9 for 8 years. What a complete and utter hell hole. You can't really walk anywhere. There were no parks near me around except the reservoir and that was closed to public for the last couple of years. North Framingham is a little better if you like typical suburb type of living. South Framingham is a bit of a ghetto with tons of Brazilians. That includes the downtown. The only good place about it is Natick Mall. Which turns your commute into utter hell the month of December because all the suburban yuppies are going to that mall to stuff their fancy SUVs with overpriced crap.

Now, if you plan to work anywhere close to Boston proper - DON'T BUY IN FRAMINGHAM. The morning commute sucks big time with Pike, Rt 9 and everything in-between filled with traffic during rush hours. That goes double for moronic Boston drivers if it's raining. I had to give up all Boston downtown jobs because taking the commuter rail would entail about 1:15 commute each way and I wasn't about to spend 2.5 hours each day commuting. Natick is definitely nicer but it is sort of right in the middle which makes driving during rush hour even more painful providing you're taking a major route to work.

If I was to ever go back to Taxachusetts, there are 2 towns to live in if you don't have a family - Waltham or Somerville. Add Cambridge if you're artsy. Everything else I'd avoid.

LOL! You live in CA and you're talking about "Taxachusetts"?