Relocating to MA from WI with Family (Boston, Newton: apartments, rentals)

[goat-cheese]

We are moving from Madison, WI to MA (well, one of us will hold a job in downtown Boston, and my spouse can work from home). Having looked through zillow for rental prices and such, for the next couple years, we would like to live in Newton, Weston or Belmont. Are there any other communities close enough (reasonable commute, upto 1-1.5 hr in rush hour) that are good to raise kids in, have a good community/residential feel to it? I checked Framingham, but the school ratings online don't look nice. Again, this is me being a complete outsider, so I realize online ratings don't mean much...but still. I would love to get any suggestions I can. Thanks much!

[Dm84]

If you can afford those three you might as well just live in Newton because it's the closest to downtown and you'll probably find more rentals there than the other two.

[KiwiKK]

I would never suggest driving to downtown, just because parking would be very difficult. Belmont is an option but you'll get more for your money in Newton and its not super accessible to downtown. I would suggest Newton because the schools are good and there are a decent number of rentals in the area.

[goat-cheese]

I would say, honestly, the price bump, moving from mid-west is very heart-attack inducing, but it's job-based relocation and they are matching to an extent for cost of living. What is a reasonable range for a 3 br, 2ba townhome/apartment/house in newton/belmont area? zillow/trulia like sites have a wide-range, going from 2.5-9.5k, which is extreme. is it reasonable to expect to find something within 3k-4k even? If not, we would have to re-evaluate our choices for where we want live...

[495neighbor]

Between Weston, Belmont and Newton, Weston has the most attractive properties of those three.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by goat-cheese

I would say, honestly, the price bump, moving from mid-west is very heart-attack inducing, but it's job-based relocation and they are matching to an extent for cost of living. What is a reasonable range for a 3 br, 2ba townhome/apartment/house in newton/belmont area? zillow/trulia like sites have a wide-range, going from 2.5-9.5k, which is extreme. is it reasonable to expect to find something within 3k-4k even? If not, we would have to re-evaluate our choices for where we want live...

That wide range seems about right and will vary widely based on the type of unit.

I hope you've done your research on the cost of living in general. Boston is a very expensive place beyond housing.

[kingeorge]

I would stick to Belmont, Newton, and would possibly add Arlington. Weston is the priciest zip code in MA if you exclude Nantucket, and as such would be way too expensive. Just not worth it, if you will be renting.

If you like rural and woodsy, check out Lincoln, which is an amazing town, but not as expensive as Weston. Almost, but not as high.

3bed/2bath close to Boston and in decent shape? Count on at least $2800-$4000. I think that if you are not too fussy, and want everything new and renovated, you could find something for around $3000 pretty easily.

There are many apartments in two-and-three families to chose from in any of these places. TH is harder to come by, as we have too little new construction in general, and not much space for it anyway. Th would be more expensive I think.

Belmont, Arlington, Newton are all doable. All three offer pretty straightforward commute. All have great schools, and family oriented atmosphere. Go where you can the find the best place. All towns mentioned are safe and well regarded.

Lincoln is great town to call home as well, but it doesn't offer as many rentals, so you can not count on finding exactly what you need. Which is not to say that it is completely impossible.

Make sure you do understand Lead Law if kids under 6.

BTW be careful because it is not just housing that is more expensive, rest is pretty pricey too.

Good luck!

[gf2020]

Where, exactly, is the job in Boston? Different communities have better access to different parts of Boston due to rail or bus routes.

[Jaapots]

I've spent time in Madison and culturally, I would second the suggestion of Arlingon, maybe Waltham. Weston has no sidewalks- it's outland suburbs & you'll be driving for everything. If you like being able to bike places- stay inside 128 & Arlington has great community, bike path, close to the Red line, etc. I loved living there. The sticker prices may be a shock- cuz lots of folks agree with me- you can also check out parts of Newton, Waltham, Somerville, Brookline. The closer you get, the higher the price but the better community experience like Madison. Good luck!

[G-fused]

Forget Weston. Listen to kinggeorge - Belmont, Newton, Arlington are all good choices - some better than others perhaps, depending on where in Boston you will be working. So answer gf2020's question.

Best of luck and welcome