Relocating to Boston-area from Charlotte, NC (Arlington, Franklin: real estate, 2013, crime)

[LaterCharlotte]

Hello!
My wife and I have been planning a move back to the Northeast for the last couple months. We're temporarily moving into a house in RI for as long as it takes to find an awesome place to live near Boston.

That's where you guys come in! I've been tracking real estate in some recommended areas (I've had some colleagues grow up in Norwood) but I'd really love some deeper insights and other options. If we love it, we'll likely make this our last move for quite some time.

Important things I know you folks will ask (not really prioritized):
- Top range budget is about 500k (ideally someplace mid-400k) for a 2k-ish sqft place.
- A town with some culture, quaint down-towns with some shops and things that are walkable will make my wife happy
- Family-friendly -- we've got our first on the way so schools, safety, community, etc.
- We're in our early 30's
- 1 hour maximum commute downtown would be ideal (I work from home for now, but need to keep options open)
- I'd love a yard and some trees

Some places I've been tracking are Norwood, Walpole, Norfolk, Westwood and further out to Franklin and Wrentham.
If these places are the right choices, any insight into the details (i.e. too much commerical traffic here, not much culture, loads of crime around xyz) would be great. More importantly, are there other places we should be considering?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

[Baaston]

Sharon! Look no further!
[url=http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2013/08/sharon_mass_named_best_place_to_live_money_magazin e.html]Sharon, Mass. named Best Place to Live in America by Money Magazine | masslive.com[/url]

[CaseyB]

You'd be priced out of Westwood, maybe Sharon as well (unless you want a small cape). Norfolk doesn't have much in the way of a downtown, so if that is a must I'd look in Walpole or Franklin.

[LaterCharlotte]

Thanks for the replies! Sharon was on my radar, but I haven't been focusing on it. I'll also move Norfolk down the list.
I've just accepted the fact that I'm going to get "price out of" most places with my budget. We aren't afraid of a fixer-upper type scenario, as long as it is move-in ready.

Thanks again!

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by LaterCharlotte

Hello!
My wife and I have been planning a move back to the Northeast for the last couple months. We're temporarily moving into a house in RI for as long as it takes to find an awesome place to live near Boston.

That's where you guys come in! I've been tracking real estate in some recommended areas (I've had some colleagues grow up in Norwood) but I'd really love some deeper insights and other options. If we love it, we'll likely make this our last move for quite some time.

Important things I know you folks will ask (not really prioritized):
- Top range budget is about 500k (ideally someplace mid-400k) for a 2k-ish sqft place.
- A town with some culture, quaint down-towns with some shops and things that are walkable will make my wife happy
- Family-friendly -- we've got our first on the way so schools, safety, community, etc.
- We're in our early 30's
- 1 hour maximum commute downtown would be ideal (I work from home for now, but need to keep options open)
- I'd love a yard and some trees

Some places I've been tracking are Norwood, Walpole, Norfolk, Westwood and further out to Franklin and Wrentham.
If these places are the right choices, any insight into the details (i.e. too much commerical traffic here, not much culture, loads of crime around xyz) would be great. More importantly, are there other places we should be considering?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Any reason you're looking southwest of the city? You've got more options if you aren't restricted to areas surrounding Norwood.

happen to live in that area so I can give some comments.

I guess prices have gone up here, but it does look like that you might be priced out of a 2k sq. ft home in Westwood. You could get a 1500 sq. ft home there. Not much of a downtown, but convenient to Boston. Norwood has a good downtown and good restaurants. Much of it is walkable. Some areas are very family friendly and it would be in your budget. Schools are not as good as the other towns mentioned, though, at least in conventional "best schools"-type rankings. Those should all be taken with a grain of salt, though.

Walpole has a pretty good downtown, better schools than Norwood but not quite as good as Westwood and Sharon. It's that much further from Boston, though. Norfolk is a good option, as others have mentioned. Medfield is a great town, too, but maybe a little tight for your budget. Canton is close to Boston, relatively convenient for commuter rail or driving, and within your budget. Schools are good but not great. Worth considering. Mansfield is another, more affordable option even further out.

Sharon is pretty close to Boston if you go by commuter rail times (it's about the same distance as Walpole, but the Providence line is faster than the Franklin line). Schools are excellent and it seems to be a relatively tight-knit community. Property taxes are high there, though. This might be your best bet.

As for traffic, etc. that will vary considerably depending on where you live within the town. Walpole, especially around Rt. 1, will be a mess during Patriots games and other events at the stadium in Foxborough. Crime doesn't seem to be a major issue in any of the towns except for certain neighborhoods in Norwood. There is a prison in Walpole/Norfolk, but it's really inconspicuous.

[chill22]

If you single out family friendly then all of the towns that you mentioned would probably work. If you want quaint towns with some culture then none of those towns will work. Also the schools are meh. I agree with the other poster that in that part of MA (I'm also not sure why you're focusing on that region of the state), Sharon might be the best but the town is fairly pricey in - not sure that you'll get much for 500K. Actually that goes for most towns that are family friendly and quaint an hour a way from Boston. As long as you're not expecting a mansion you might be able to find smaller homes in that price range in Belmont, Bedford, Concord, or Arlington - all of those towns are family friendly and have community, culture and good schools - especially the first 3. None of those towns are more than a 30/40 min. drive to Boston and they are all safe. Melrose is another possibility. Actually - it might be you're best bet of all because you'll get a lot more for your dollar. There is a cute downtown area and it's easy to get into Boston (about 20/ 30 min). I'm not sure about the quality of the schools but I haven't heard anything bad - I am a former teacher.

[LaterCharlotte]

Thanks for all the great information. We aren't at all tied to that area -- it just so happened to be some of my first recommendations. However, we are trying to be South of Boston to remain close to our families (especially with kids on the way).

So really the only restriction is "South" of Boston. Not so much "South West."

[massnative71]

LaterCharlotte all those towns with the exception of Norwood (they are just average) have good schools, and I might also add Mansfield to the mix. I agree that Walpole and Franklin might be your best bets.

[Jane Taylor]

Hi,
I lived in the Boston area for 4 years and would highly recommend Wellesley, Wellesley Hills and Weston. Downtown Wellesley is very quaint and all of those towns are wonderful for families. The police reports in the newspapers literally only consisted of calls about "suspicious raccoons" and "turtles crossing the road". It was a safe area and very clean. You can get to downtown Boston in 30 minutes on the train from several different stations in those towns. I'm not sure of current real estate prices, but you may find something in your range. Good luck with your move!

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Jane Taylor

Hi,
I lived in the Boston area for 4 years and would highly recommend Wellesley, Wellesley Hills and Weston. Downtown Wellesley is very quaint and all of those towns are wonderful for families. The police reports in the newspapers literally only consisted of calls about "suspicious raccoons" and "turtles crossing the road". It was a safe area and very clean. You can get to downtown Boston in 30 minutes on the train from several different stations in those towns. I'm not sure of current real estate prices, but you may find something in your range. Good luck with your move!

With a top range of $500k???