Where to live near Boston (Beverly, Franklin: 2015, condos, houses)

[ChicagoJS]

Moved from Jamaica Plain in 2008, moving back from Chicago in 2015. What are some towns/burbs that we should consider that give the most bang for the buck? We're looking to buy a single family home in the mid-300s.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by ChicagoJS

Moved from Jamaica Plain in 2008, moving back from Chicago in 2015. What are some towns/burbs that we should consider that give the most bang for the buck? We're looking to buy a single family home in the mid-300s.

Do you have any idea what part of the Boston area you will be working in?

How did you like Jamaica Plain?

Kids?

[timberline742]

Where will you be working?

Might be a long commute.

[kingeorge]

Mid-300K SF are disappearing from areas close to Boston. You will have to compromise on neighborhood desirability/safety/ resale value or move quite far out to get place in your budget. I would be careful in weighing cons and pros for moving back East. Even condos in this price range are getting harder to get by in desirable neighborhoods with good schools.

You might want to check Franklin, Walpole, Noorwood, or Canton south, and Reading, Wakefield, Beverly or Ipswich north. Be prepared for older, smaller, and homes that are often not updated since 60's or 70's.

Also make sure you do know your job site. Boston commute is miserable if you find yourself on the wrong side of the metro area.

Good luck.

[NS-GR]

Swampscott is another good option too. You can definitely find a SF house, since the median price is $400K (i.e., 50% of houses are sold at a lesser price). There are totally renovated houses that are sold for $420K at Swampscott. It has a very easy commute via commuter rail, but it is a bit more difficult if you need to drive. Good schools, great shoreline, very picturesque. One downside is the tax rate. It is traditionally considered high, but if you check online, you will see that there are at least 40 towns with higher property tax.

[MikePRU]

If you can bump up your budget to the mid 4's it will open up a lot more options. The Boston area is a lot more expensive than the Chicago area.

[scratchie]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

Mid-300K SF are disappearing from areas close to Boston. You will have to compromise on neighborhood desirability/safety/ resale value or move quite far out to get place in your budget. I would be careful in weighing cons and pros for moving back East. Even condos in this price range are getting harder to get by in desirable neighborhoods with good schools.

You might want to check Franklin, Walpole, Noorwood, or Canton south, and Reading, Wakefield, Beverly or Ipswich north. Be prepared for older, smaller, and homes that are often not updated since 60's or 70's.

Also make sure you do know your job site. Boston commute is miserable if you find yourself on the wrong side of the metro area.

Good luck.

All of this.