Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-31-2007, 12:05 PM
 
305 posts, read 1,894,483 times
Reputation: 130

Advertisements

I live in Westchester County, NY but have always wanted to live in MA and would love to either buy a second home or a plot of land in a place where we will most likely retire (not anytime soon).

I recently came across the town of Newburyport through this forum and am in love! I'm planning a trip there when it gets a littel warmer but in the meantime, I am scouring realtor.com for homes/land for sale.

Most likely, I'd want to purchase land over a house as we will not be able to mantain a house from 4 hours away. I figure if we can buy land, we can eventually build. I'd like to live closer to the town than the beach. Is there a specific area I should be looking at? A certain street?

Or am I better off buying a condo and renting? Newburyport does not seem to be a summer destination and I don't want to turn it into one but if I can get a nice condo that I can rent out, that is an alternative.

I know this is vague but I'm just doing preliminary research for now. I'm hoping to potnetially get $$ from some land left to me overseas but until that happens, I can look but not actually purchase.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-01-2008, 01:34 AM
 
7,359 posts, read 10,275,515 times
Reputation: 1893
Land in Newburyport will be very, very expensive. As for buying a condo and renting it out--few students live in the area and I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to rent it out during the year and then occupy it yourselves in the summer. It's not really a "second home" kind of town, actually. If you can afford to purchase a condo and make the payments yourself, however, you will be able to find a reasonably priced and lovely condo in a nice area of the town. Good luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-01-2008, 08:49 AM
 
4,423 posts, read 7,364,436 times
Reputation: 10940
Newburyport is lovely. We just came back from spending 10 days there. Our son and his family are fortunate to live there. It is very very pricey as MovingForward stated. We also looked at condos for the purpose of a 2nd home (we live in Florida) but the lower priced condos look like lower income housing. Check out nearby Amesbury for loft style condos at a fraction of the price of a Newburyport condo.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-01-2008, 09:43 AM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,943,398 times
Reputation: 4626
Agreeing with Moving Forward--the few pieces of land available in Newburyport are very expensive, thanks to Nbtp. becoming somewhat of a "destination town" over the last decade or so. Summer months are very busy, crowded resturants, and last summer I was amazed at how many more docks/boat slips there are on both sides of the river.

I was going to suggest looking into Amesbury (Vero beat me to it!) in one of the converted mill buildings near downtown. About 10 minutes from Newburyport, Amesbury may suit your needs. However, if you're considering renting it out, be careful. Massachusetts tenants have what seems like more rights than the property owner--good luck trying to evict someone for non-payment of rent, or just about any other reason. It can take several months and a small fortune to get someone out of your property....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-01-2008, 10:09 AM
 
4,423 posts, read 7,364,436 times
Reputation: 10940
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valerie C View Post
However, if you're considering renting it out, be careful. Massachusetts tenants have what seems like more rights than the property owner--good luck trying to evict someone for non-payment of rent, or just about any other reason. It can take several months and a small fortune to get someone out of your property....
Valerie, been there done that! We owned rental property back in the 80s during the lead paint fiasco and we got fried by tenants. I remember talking with a lawyer friend who owned rental property just over the border in NH and it's completely different up there.

Another thing about Newburyport... my son who lives there complains that during the summer months or on weekends year round, they can't even go downtown to grab a burger or find a parking space to pick up take out. Nearby Plum Island is a summer area and they come into Newburyport for their entertainment and needs.

Amesbury is up and coming and a good 2nd choice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-01-2008, 11:01 AM
 
305 posts, read 1,894,483 times
Reputation: 130
Thank you for your suggestions. I will look into Amesbury. Does it have a nice downtown area?

I would be looking to spend between $300-$400K, not sure if I can get anythng for that price.

I really don't want to rent it out so maybe a condo for myself would be the best option.

Valerie - what is nbtb?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-01-2008, 06:12 PM
 
7,359 posts, read 10,275,515 times
Reputation: 1893
Amesbury is right next to Newburyport. Not much of a downtown area, but a quirky and safe little town, and you could certainly find an extremely nice condo for that price in Amesbury.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-02-2008, 05:41 AM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,943,398 times
Reputation: 4626
Sorry about that--NBPT is short for Newburyport, sometimes my fingers go on autopilot I really think that as a community for living in, Amesbury wins out. The downtown isn't huge, but it's nice, walkable, safe, and well maintained overall. A couple of very good restaurants, the chocolate shop, etc. I love all the Victorian homes along Rte 150... There's just alot to like about Amesbury. I just hope it doesn't change the way Newburyport has...

Don't get me wrong, I still think Newburyport is a beautiful place. But the downtown has become very "stuffy" to me, certainly not the fun place that I knew. Hearing that Chico's is going into town, I realized just how much things have changed. It appears that the long-time ban on chain stores in downtown Newburyport has been lifted- I wonder if places like Milagro's and The Brass Pineapple will survive. State Street Candle & Mug was the first casualty of the "new" Newburyport...

EDIT: Vero, I can imagine that it must be frustrating to live in Newburyport and not be able to get around easily. People I know who live on Plum Island year round bike into town because of backups getting on and off the island the last couple of years. They are frustrated with the changes as well.

Jyyanks, there is plenty available in your price range, single-family homes/condos, and even land. One thing to consider is buying a seasonal home near Lake Attitash, to enjoy vacations, etc, and when you're ready to make the move, upgrade the home to year-round. Lots of options...

Last edited by Valerie C; 01-02-2008 at 07:08 AM.. Reason: added comments to Vero and Jyyanks
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-03-2008, 08:30 PM
 
305 posts, read 1,894,483 times
Reputation: 130
One more question.... if I were to buy land in Newsburyport or Amesbury, are there local laws that state that I have to build within a specified time frame?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-03-2008, 09:49 PM
 
967 posts, read 4,784,748 times
Reputation: 263
Valerie, That's so sad. I adore the beautiful town center photo you posted awhile back. So pretty. I hope it stays the same!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top