Where 2 Live: Near Reading & Burlington? (Lynn, Arlington: cul-de-sac, 2013, townhome)

[dogfogdog]

Hi everyone -

Great forum with some useful perspective! I would greatly appreciate some help.

My wife and I are interested in moving ourselves and 2 children (almost 4 and 1.5) to the northern suburbs. I'll have to split my commute between Reading (close to Wakefield) and Burlington (near the mall) - spending some days working in one area vs the other.

We'd like to spend less than $600k on a single family home in a town with excellent schools and family-friendliness --- keeping my commute to either work location less than 30 min.

What are our best options? Why?

Can you provide a realistic description of a typical house in our price range in recommended town(s)?

Thank you.

[gf2020]

Reading and Burlington are so close together that commuting distance between the two of them is insignificant. With a budget of $600K you might consider Burlington itself, Woburn, Stoneham or a little further, Tewksbury.

[495neighbor]

My picks in this order:

Reading, older house in good condition with more character, more of a town center, more sidewalks.

Burlington, house will be newer single family or detached luxury townhome, big mall shopping, lots of pine trees, spread out.

Danvers, doable commute, closer to ocean, house with character, a favorite town of my North Shore friends with families.

[scratchie]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Danvers, doable commute, closer to ocean, house with character, a favorite town of my North Shore friends with families.

I don't think I'd want to commute down 128, especially to Burlington. I would pick somewhere that could be reached via city streets. Reading, Burlington, Woburn, Wilmington. Maybe Stoneham or Melrose if they want to be a little closer to the city. They might even find something in Arlington for 600k, which should still be within 30 minutes.

[Allharv]

I think Burlington would be a good choice. Schools have a good reputation, it's very convenient for shopping, and in 2013, even new construction 4 bed, 2.5 bath houses 2500-3000 sq ft, often on ~0.4 acre lots, could be purchased for ~$600k.

[dogfogdog]

All - Thank you for your replies!

In sum - Reading, Burlington, or Danvers are top choices.

What are pros/cons, opinions of Andover, N. Andover, Carlisle, Acton, Westford, Bedford?

How do these towns compare in terms of commute time (again, splitting the commute between Reading and Burlington)? How would you consider them vs your top choices?

Thanks again.

[Shizim]

Lynnfield? you can get a 3/4 br 2,000+ sq ft house with 2+ BR in Lynnfield for $600K. commute to either would be less than 30 min.

[gf2020]

Originally Posted by Shizim

Lynnfield? you can get a 3/4 br 2,000+ sq ft house with 2+ BR in Lynnfield for $600K. commute to either would be less than 30 min.

Not much inventory in Lynnfield. I would sell my 2300 sq ft 4 BR 2 BA cape for $600K, however. ;-)

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by dogfogdog

All - Thank you for your replies!

In sum - Reading, Burlington, or Danvers are top choices.

What are pros/cons, opinions of Andover, N. Andover, Carlisle, Acton, Westford, Bedford?

How do these towns compare in terms of commute time (again, splitting the commute between Reading and Burlington)? How would you consider them vs your top choices?

Thanks again.

Commute Acton to Burlington, I have done it during peak traffic. About 40 minutes and backroads through Bedford is the best way to go. To Reading, I would estimate an hour.

[masshawk]

Originally Posted by dogfogdog

What are pros/cons, opinions of Andover, N. Andover, Carlisle, Acton, Westford, Bedford?

How do these towns compare in terms of commute time (again, splitting the commute between Reading and Burlington)? How would you consider them vs your top choices?

I'm not familiar with the Andovers, but with the last 4 you have the classic spectrum of price vs. convenience vs. size/quality of house and lot. They all have excellent school systems and consistently come near the top of Massachusetts rankings.

Bedford: most convenient, both to Burlington/Reading and to shopping and highways, and most expensive. It gets spillover traffic from Burlington and Rt 3. Least rural, but the lots in are still decent sized and spread out. You will probably get smaller and older house for 600k here than in the other towns, but they should be in decent shape. Lots of new families in the tech/bio sectors, and there's an academic/bookish vibe to it. I've heard it called "Lexington with more elbow room." Lots of people working at the Hanscom base too. There's one high school and one middle school, both in the town center, and 2 elementary schools divided by K-2 and 3-5. Probably the only town where you might get municipal sewer rather than private septic.

Carlisle: very rural/pastoral. On the map it looks like the second most convenient, but because it's all back roads it can take a while to get to the highway. You can get slightly bigger houses and much bigger lots (acre +) than Bedford, but it's still pretty pricey because of being in the Concord-Carlisle school system. Kids go to the regional high school in Concord.

Acton: very reasonably priced for their excellent schools. You can easily get a large, newish house on a decent lot for 600k. If you don't mind slightly older you can find a bunch in the 400's. It is generally pretty rural but also has suburban cul-de-sac type neighborhoods and is becoming more developed. Most diverse in terms of ethnicity and background (though Bedford is catching up). Tons of new families who like outdoor activities - probably the most family-friendly. My coworker has noted that when she takes her kids to playground in Acton, she meets mostly other parents, whereas in Carlisle/Concord they're mostly with nannies. Has the only Trader Joe's in the area, along with a small walkable commercial area in West Acton and commuter rail stops. The commute along rt 2 or 225 could be slow if you hit right during rush hour. Commute to Reading would probably be longest.

Westford: longest commute to Burlington, maybe slightly faster to Reading than Acton, but can get the most house/land for your money. House will likely be newer. Character of the town wavers between rural with horse farms etc. and strip-mall suburbia (see "Keeping up with the Jones" thread, though keep in mind that's a caricature). Most gun-friendly (by MA standards), easiest highway access, more centrist politically.

One note for western towns and Acton particularly is that some major construction will be going on with Route 2 in the next few years. So traffic will be nasty in the short term, but will hopefully be much improved in the long term.

If you want my personal opinion I'd go for Burlington, with Acton as a second choice only because of the commute, then maybe Bedford. Burlington schools aren't in the "top tier" like those other four, but they're still very good, and I'd say for the location and what you can get for your money it would be worth it. There are plans for development of the town center (which is currently just a green space with a few buildings) into more of a classic New England town center with shopping and restaurants. It seems to be "up and coming." The only thing to avoid might be living right near the mall area - Middlesex Tpk can be a traffic nightmare on weekends.