Between Worcester & Boston (Framingham, Natick: house, travel, work)

[basicringo]

Hi all -
I have been reading this MA forum and it is very informative. Thanks for sharing the information. Although I gained lot of info -- I thought I would post my specific questions here.
Our work reqs. mean that one of us has to work in Worcester and the other in Boston [we have flexible work hours i.e. work from home and odd hours some days]. So, we are looking to buy a house somewhere in between. We are pretty flexible and that is making things difficult. Any information on towns/areas that matches our reqs is appreciated.

1 - price - 350K to 400? may be a little more.
2 - Commute, nice to have easy access to pike and also rt. 9
3 - safe, educated, broad-minded location.

From reading these forums, areas like Westborough, Framingham, Southborough come to mind. Your thoughts & opinions? Thanks --

[Ronniec78]

Northborough is actually cheaper than Southborough. Framingham is a good option as well. I know towns like Natick, Wayland, and West are pricey. Another good town might be Boylston or West Boylston. I would say those and Northborough are your best bets as far as your price range goes. You'll get more in these towns than the other towns.

[basicringo]

Thanks Ronnie..is Grafton a good option?

[Ronniec78]

Grafton's not too bad at all. The Metro West area is pretty decent for the most part. Framingham isn't that nice but a lot of the surrounding towns are decent.

[scarletfire]

You can get more for your money in Grafton than in West/North/Southboro. If you choose a place near the T or the Mass Pike the commute wouldn't be too bad into Boston since you're travelling during off hours. I don't know if you're looking for a home or a townhome but there are some really pretty townhomes in Grafton not far from the Mass Pike in the low to mid 300s. If you can find something you like in Southboro or Westboro your commute there will be shorter but taxes will be higher.

Westboro tax rate: 13.66
Grafton tax rate: 9.54
Southboro tax rate: 12.58

All three are nice, safe towns.

Re: Framingham, North Framingham has some very pretty areas not far from Rt 9 and the Mass Pike. However, S Framingham isn't very desirable and, in my opinion, is somewhat seedy (esp downtown).

Pls feel free to PM me if you have questions. I've lived in all of these towns over the years, except Grafton. :-)

[ncwannabe2]

We live in Hopedale, which borders Grafton. You will get more for you money in this area than Southboro, Northboro area. You could also look into Mendon, Upton and Hopedale. All good towns relatively close to highways and centrally located.

(Basicringo - sent you a private message regarding a home you may be interested in)

[basicringo]

TY scarletfire and ncwannabe...your posting are helpful for my cause. Have a good day!

[129boomer]

Shrewsbury may also be an option for you. it's west of westborough

[Ronniec78]

Isn't Shrewsbury kind of pricey? I've only been there a couple times but I was under the impression it's expensive. They do have a great steak/sushi restaurant but I can't think of the name of it.

[scarletfire]

Prices in Shrewsbury vary widely. You can get a starter home in the low 300s or go up and up from there. There are actually a few pretty cute ones in N. Shrewsbury in that price range.

I think the restaurant you're talking about is called Willy's, in downtown Shrewsbury. I was skeptical of it but we ate there once and the food was quite good.