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THIS is the segment that my snarky posts are targeting, because they're perpetuating the myth that $900K "barely gets you into the market." Wrong. Even in Newton, the median price is in the $600-700K range. $900K only "barely gets you into the market" if you start with lofty presumptions about what a minimally acceptable home is.
What I'm doing is not complaining and whining. What I'm doing is pointing out how out-of-touch many of you are. Sure, it's class resentment with a touch of shaming, but there's a purpose. Although most of this demographic will brush it off as jealousy and trolling, the hope is that some will at least pause before making sweeping generalizations that about how $X won't even get you a shack, when the reality is that half the town is living in those shacks.
The complainers and whiners are the ones making comments about how it's "unfortunate" that $900K doesn't get you that "incredible dream home." Maybe you should recalibrate your expectations.
I have no particular expectations. Would I love a 3500 square foot home? Sure. But I'm not going to get one, especially in Newton. Moaning about how someone asks for a yard where they can throw a ball isn't going to help. Yes, how dare someone want to throw a ball with their kids in their yard. Sheesh.
You can spend 900K in Brookline and get a house with a kitchen from 1940. I do happen to find it unfortunate that you can spend $1 million dollars and not even get a home that's large and nice and has a great kitchen and a nice yard. To me, a million dollars is a lot of money.
OP is trying to figure out the options, and the listed needs are not unreasonable. I've seen plenty of people whine and moan that they can't get 4000 square feet with a gourmet kitchen for 200K.
Lashing out at OP, making assumptions about him/her, just because the post stated a desired area and budget, with fairly standard needs -- 3 BR, small yard, preferably not adjacent to a highway, and not in need of a major renovation just to provide structural integrity, isn't helping anyone. Whine and moan all you want out loud to the computer while reading a thread, but if you don't have any constructive advice, move on to another thread where you may be able to offer some.
Is it possible OP is "out of touch?" Certainly. But based on what OP has posted, I have no reason to jump to that conclusion.
The desire for a 20 minute commute puts Needham and Natick out of the picture, unless the OP commutes at very off hrs. And even then, it's cutting it close. I'd go with Newton. yeah, it's expensive here but 900k isn't a tiny budget by any means. A home in one of the Newton Neighborhoods can be had for that.
I feel your pain OP. We have a super active boy and are in Brookline. We used to own a home but are now in a condo, I'm not complaining. There are many benefits to condo living - many. And the house we owned had a very large yard with a big old oak tree and was all fenced in. I do miss it (certainly not the upkeep though) but we’ve adjusted well.
There are tons of families here with active kids and live in a condo. THat's why the parks in Brookline are so utilized. It's a nice atmosphere actually. The parks are like disco clubs for kids. My kid always see’s someone he knows, usually many others and enjoys the buzz of the town. We thought a yard was what he needed but now, we think he’s happier with the parks because with a yard, it would have been just him but with the park, he gets an outdoor experience rather than just the outdoors – kids exchange bikes and scooters, they play football or soccer or throw the frisbee around, etc. When we go to one of the parks or schools (after school lets out) in the burbs, it’s usually a dead zone. Go to one of the Brookline schools (Lawrence or Devotion will do) at 5pm, the place is packed with crazy kids doing crazy kid things. Giving up a yard hasn’t been as hard as I thought and I absolutely underestimated the awesomeness of an atmosphere like Brookline where people spend a lot of their time in public spaces rather than their home – I’ve even just thought of a new slogan: Public Space – it ain’t just for poor people anymore.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
I do think this is a huge point that a lot of folks don't consider. I think city kids get more outdoor time than suburban kids, and they walk more. Condo living doesn't work for everyone, but I think it isn't given enough consideration by many people who would, I think, like it if they were able to do it. As was said earlier, something's got to give. For some people it would be the detached house with a yard and some more space, but for other people, they'd trade that for a longer commute. Either decision isn't morally offensive.
The complainers and whiners are the ones making comments about how it's "unfortunate" that $900K doesn't get you that "incredible dream home." Maybe you should recalibrate your expectations.
Sorry, but it is unfortunate that $900K will buy you a lovely, updated home in the majority of the country.
THIS is the segment that my snarky posts are targeting, because they're perpetuating the myth that $900K "barely gets you into the market." Wrong. Even in Newton, the median price is in the $600-700K range. $900K only "barely gets you into the market" if you start with lofty presumptions about what a minimally acceptable home is.
What I'm doing is not complaining and whining. What I'm doing is pointing out how out-of-touch many of you are. Sure, it's class resentment with a touch of shaming, but there's a purpose. Although most of this demographic will brush it off as jealousy and trolling, the hope is that some will at least pause before making sweeping generalizations that about how $X won't even get you a shack, when the reality is that half the town is living in those shacks.
The complainers and whiners are the ones making comments about how it's "unfortunate" that $900K doesn't get you that "incredible dream home." Maybe you should recalibrate your expectations.
I don't see anything wrong with people complaining about the affordability of the area. It's one of the most expensive places in the country to live. If you spend this kind of money on a home, you want to be happy there. Sometimes being happy at home, means having to suck it up when it comes to commuting. Others, prefer a shorter commute to being happy with their home.
Also, I believe your data may be flawed. The median sale price in Newton is nowhere near $600 to $700K. Even if you are talking about all types of housing lumped together (i.e. condos, single families, multi-families, etc.). If you look at condos alone, the median sale price in Newton is in the 6's. The median sale price for single families though is currently well over $1M. So, a $900K house would be below "average."
I'm really not sure what your point has been either here or in that thread you started. No one comes on here whining that they want a palatial estate for $1. Everyone has their own wants and desires. Questioning someone else's is absolutely ridiculous as it's an entirely subjective decision.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoliz
I do think this is a huge point that a lot of folks don't consider. I think city kids get more outdoor time than suburban kids, and they walk more. Condo living doesn't work for everyone, but I think it isn't given enough consideration by many people who would, I think, like it if they were able to do it. As was said earlier, something's got to give. For some people it would be the detached house with a yard and some more space, but for other people, they'd trade that for a longer commute. Either decision isn't morally offensive.
I wouldn't say that's limited to Brookline. Here in Needham, people seem not to care much about how much yard they have and the playgrounds are packed on a daily basis as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaseyB
Sorry, but it is unfortunate that $900K will buy you a lovely, updated home in the majority of the country.
Agreed although I like to think there are other benefits to living in these parts. I do kind of laugh a little when I work with someone moving from another area of the country and they complain about having to buy an "old" house from the 1960's which was probably built 100x's more solidly than the Toll Brothers-built house they just moved out of.
I wouldn't say that's limited to Brookline. Here in Needham, people seem not to care much about how much yard they have and the playgrounds are packed on a daily basis as well.
There are actually a lot of positives to a smaller yard, like it takes less time to mow. For me, I might be happy with just a deck/balcony. My own personal reason why I'd like a fenced yard is I have a dog and I enjoy being able to be lazy, especially when it is super cold, snowing or raining, and dark outside, I really appreciate being able to let the dog out to do her "business" and I don't have to get bundled up and go out for a walk as well. I get that not everyone agrees, and in my current most suburban of suburban neighborhoods, we have neighbors with dogs and no fenced yard, so they are out multiple times every day, no matter the weather, walking their dogs. I'm just always so glad I don't have to when it's dark, freezing, and raining.
You don't understand. It has to be a detached single-family home, close to public transportation, on a side street, preferably a cul-de-sac, with a privacy fence and a large yard, modern updates, and at least 3500 square feet. Oh, and there has to be municipal trash pickup, because that's the only thing that truly separates us from the animals.
I don't have municipal trash pickup, so I guess I'm not separated from the animals. No, for real - there was a bear rummaging through my neighbor's trash earlier this week. I decided not to stick around and quickly went back inside my house! Wasn't there also a bear spotted in Newton a couple years?
There are actually a lot of positives to a smaller yard, like it takes less time to mow. For me, I might be happy with just a deck/balcony.
My lot is around 1/3 acre and that's more than enough for me. It definitely seems the section of Needham where there's acre+ zoning is much harder to sell now than it was years ago. I'm not sure how much of that has to do with the lot size and how much it has to do with it being so far from the town center.
Anyway, I 110% agree with you. I like having a "smaller" lot. Less upkeep and it keeps the RE taxes lower than if I had a larger lot. Often with multi-acre lots, people end up buying land they never use or sometimes can never use. I just couldn't see myself paying extra for that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoliz
My own personal reason why I'd like a fenced yard is I have a dog and I enjoy being able to be lazy, especially when it is super cold, snowing or raining, and dark outside, I really appreciate being able to let the dog out to do her "business" and I don't have to get bundled up and go out for a walk as well. I get that not everyone agrees, and in my current most suburban of suburban neighborhoods, we have neighbors with dogs and no fenced yard, so they are out multiple times every day, no matter the weather, walking their dogs. I'm just always so glad I don't have to when it's dark, freezing, and raining.
I remember those days from when I was a kid. We were so excited one day when we realized we could just let the dog out and she would come to the door when she was done and not run away. I don't have a dog currently though. Too many small children to deal with.
Living within a short drive to Riverside could open things up. That's on the D branch of the Green Line OP and it would provide a direct shot to Longwood, I think it's 10, or 11 stops from Riverside.
With a budget of $900k, you will be able to find a very nice, modern home within 20 miles of Boston. That budget will not go as far is towns such as Weston, or Dover as it would in a town such as Canton, or Dedham. FWIW, if I could afford it, I would love to live in Needham. It really has a perfect mix of things, imo.
There are actually a lot of positives to a smaller yard, like it takes less time to mow. For me, I might be happy with just a deck/balcony. My own personal reason why I'd like a fenced yard is I have a dog and I enjoy being able to be lazy, especially when it is super cold, snowing or raining, and dark outside, I really appreciate being able to let the dog out to do her "business" and I don't have to get bundled up and go out for a walk as well. I get that not everyone agrees, and in my current most suburban of suburban neighborhoods, we have neighbors with dogs and no fenced yard, so they are out multiple times every day, no matter the weather, walking their dogs. I'm just always so glad I don't have to when it's dark, freezing, and raining.
Walkable playgrounds and fields are everywhere, and buzzing with kids in Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont, Watertown, Newton, Brookline, Medford.. etc. It is one of the best perks of semi-urban living in this area. Sense of community, and connections you and your kids forge there are often priceless.
Young kids definitely do not need big yard. It is their parents who think they need to have one. In other parts of US where car is still the king, this might be only way to go. But not here in metro Boston
I agree with OP with living on a quieter side street. For $900K that is no brainier.
Thanks for the thoughtful replies. We have 2 active boys so we'd need a yard big enough to throw the ball around in. Yard doesn't need to be huge. Proximity to a public green space would be good if the yard is small. Architectural style is not real important. Proximity to the T would be great but if not, a 20 minute drive to Longwood would be ok. Would prefer a side street. Busy streets terrify me with my boys. Walking to shopping would be cool but not necessary. Thanks
As MikePRU said, Natick offers a decent commuting option via the commuter rail, and access to Mass Pike and Rte 9 would make for a bearable commute should you need to drive in. 900k would go pretty far in this town. Public schools are excellent, and plenty of neighborhoods with quiet streets and nice yards are available. Not as dense as Brookline or Newton but a bit further out. It's more of what I would think people expect a typical metro suburb to be like.
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