Work Transfer to the Boston area... I need opinions on location (Cambridge: rent, daycare)

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by rameleg

Contrary to this I did a search on realtor.com and found quite a few in the $400-$500k range

most in the 2k sqft range with updated kitchens and baths... which is what we are looking for

example:
9 Alden St, Natick, MA 01760 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®

mind you... I have never been there so the example house could be in a terrible part of town... I have no clue...lol

That's because you're picking and choosing what you want to see online. If you look at all the listings, you will see the majority of homes for sale in Natick at that price point are 3 bed, 2 bath with 1600-1800 sf. MLS pictures in this area are very deceptive because it doesn't show you the layout of the house. There are very few homes in that price range which have a "normal" layout. They are usually poorly done expansions of Capes with maybe 2 bedrooms upstairs and 2 bedrooms downstairs, sometimes with only a 1/2 bath upstairs. The condition of the housing stock here is very old and depending on where you're coming from you might be in for a shock once you start looking in real life.

Originally Posted by rameleg

is the commute from Natick to Peabody that bad?

In the mornings it might be doable in 1 hour if you're lucky, but in the evenings it's impossible and can vary quite a bit. My wife used to commute from Natick to Woburn and it was anywhere from 1 hour to 1h45m during the PM commute. Add 30-45 min from Peabody. You're looking at a 2 hour commute on Friday evenings. I would *strongly* suggest staying North of Boston if I were you. You mention you travel for work. There's a very convenient bus service (Logan Express) that takes you from Peabody to the airport that I highly recommend.

[scratchie]

Originally Posted by SpringMom3

From the towns you mentioned, I like Natick for proximity/things to do/schools.

I wouldn't commute from Natick to Peabody if you put a gun to my head.

OP: If your wife is working in Peabody, I would recommend restricting your search to the North Shore proper, ideally east of I-93.

[gf2020]

I like the list that traffic posted, you might want to add Ipswich and Georgetown too. $500K will go a lot further there than some of the towns mentioned and you can be in Peabody in 20 minutes.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by rameleg

Contrary to this I did a search on realtor.com and found quite a few in the $400-$500k range

most in the 2k sqft range with updated kitchens and baths... which is what we are looking for

example:
9 Alden St, Natick, MA 01760 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®

mind you... I have never been there so the example house could be in a terrible part of town... I have no clue...lol

Originally Posted by Parsec

That's because you're picking and choosing what you want to see online. If you look at all the listings, you will see the majority of homes for sale in Natick at that price point are 3 bed, 2 bath with 1600-1800 sf. MLS pictures in this area are very deceptive because it doesn't show you the layout of the house. There are very few homes in that price range which have a "normal" layout. They are usually poorly done expansions of Capes with maybe 2 bedrooms upstairs and 2 bedrooms downstairs, sometimes with only a 1/2 bath upstairs. The condition of the housing stock here is very old and depending on where you're coming from you might be in for a shock once you start looking in real life.

What Parsec said. I would also add there are a lot of homes in Natick with no basement which is considered a negative in this area. So, keep your eyes peeled for that. Also, not every neighborhood in Natick is created equal. Some neighborhoods are quite pristine and well cared for while other streets are quite shabby looking. Location! Location! Location! As we like to say.

[masshawk]

I would recommend Melrose, Reading, and Wakefield in that order. Houses in that price range will be harder to find in the first two, but I think they sound like better fits for OP than places like Lynnfield, Middleton, Ipswich, and Georgetown which don't meet point 2 (proximity to Boston) or 3 (not "rural"). Melrose has a lot more going on for 30-somethings and tons of resources and activities for young families. Reading has the best schools of the 3 towns, though all of them are good.

If point 2 turns out to be not as important, then Beverly and Swampscott/Marblehead are decent options too. I would cross Natick off the list. Yeah, the commute would be just manageable if there were a compelling reason to be in that specific town, but there are so many closer options that are just as good and won't make your wife want to equip her car with rocket launchers.

[rameleg]

Wow.. you guys are helpful!!!

we will be out there this weekend and into next week doing our house hunting.. so I'm excited to see the areas first hand..

No basement would be a killer... where would I stick all my useless crap? :-)

Just a heads up because someone asked..: We are Moving from Michigan (lived in Akron ohio fro 30yrs) so yeah.. price is absolutely SHOCKING!!...lol

$450k in Akron ohio gets you 4500+ sqft a pool and every possible nicety you can imagine...

[Ninotchka P]

Originally Posted by traffic_lover

natick to peabody is impossible. no way.

Natick, just, NO. Rt. 95 is a parking lot at rush hour. Just from Burlington to Wakefield on that stretch easily takes 45 minutes in the evenings.

I find Melrose to be slightly overrated (ducking now). Do your research about the schools - they've had some issues. The town does not seem to be particularly well run.

I would look in
- Reading
- Lynnfield
- Wakefield
- Beverly

All of these would give you a manageable commute to Peabody and also to the airport.

As a former Clevelander welcome to the area. It's gonna be different!

[SpringMom3]

Originally Posted by scratchie

I wouldn't commute from Natick to Peabody if you put a gun to my head.

OP: If your wife is working in Peabody, I would recommend restricting your search to the North Shore proper, ideally east of I-93.

That makes sense, I never did the commute from Natick to Peabody. I would map out commute via public service using google maps and clicking on the public service button or if driving, you can plug it into google maps at the time you would be commuting to see what kind of traffic delays are out there. if you did that for a week or 2 you'd get a good idea on typical driving or public service commute.

[johngolf]

Originally Posted by traffic_lover

this should be your list (in no order)
reading
n. reading
middleton
beverly
lynnfield
marblehead
swamp
danvers

tons of shopping/history/restaurants in salem, beverly, & marblehead.
do not volunteer for a metro-west commute to north shore

I would add Andover and Melrose to that list.

[bler144]

I'm curious where she's working in Peabody (east/west split is most important, though if she were up at North Shore CC that would be a consideration).

For basic purposes, assume 128 is impassable along its entire length during rush hour (it overlaps with 95 south/SW of Peabody - 95 north of Peabody isn't quite so bad). She'll be happier if you pick a town that's accessible to her work via a back route.

In general, if she's on the west side I'd look at Reading/Lynnfield/Wakefield. You could look at Andover and come down via 114 (it doesn't bottleneck until you hit Rt. 1 and if she were working west side, she'd be turning south before then via 62 or back roads).

If she's up by NSCC, she's probably looking at 62 as a primary route (Beverly from the east or Middleton/Andover/Reading from the west. I'd recommend Topsfield/Boxford, but you might find that too rural. Though it's a great school system, and on weekends it's a short hop to lots of destinations.

The real issue with Andover - great town! - is that 500k is on the low end of what's there. But as a commute, if she's working on the west side of Peabody, it's a fairly nice, roughly 20 minute drive.

Middleton is a nice town as a compromise, though you may find it too rural. It doesn't have much of a downtown of its own - it's more a central point for bouncing to enjoy the downtowns of the surrounding towns (like Andover).

If she's working over towards Salem I'd lean towards Swampscott or Beverly.