South shore best places to raise a family (Boston, Braintree: affordable houses, neighborhoods)

[vtecluder617]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Uh..I wouldn't totally put them in that order. Keep in mind some other things here.

450K should get you something but the trouble is the inventory just isn't there. There's a lack of planning in the region. Much of the south shore does not have adequate sidewalks and public lighting.

What order would you put them in then? I based it off of their ratings and general reputation.

And I never said 450K won't get you anything, it just won't get very much. Or something not as updated. If you can find me a somewhat modern colonial with 4 beds, 2 baths and a 2 car garage with an ok size yard in those areas in that price, please steer me in the right direction. Even when there was inventory, those types of homes wouldn't sell for less than 500K in the more desirable parts of the South Shore.

[Whatsnext75]

'Most of the towns listed are a vast majority white. You aren't going to expose your kid to new cultures or people'

Not everyone wants to. In case you haven't noticed the most expensive/desirable neighborhoods to live in around here happen to be white.

It amazes me the 'tall' orders that people still have still on such a small budget. If you only have 350k today in the Boston area to spend on a house you better get a reality check on what you're actually going to get. Or rent.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

'Most of the towns listed are a vast majority white. You aren't going to expose your kid to new cultures or people'

Not everyone wants to. In case you haven't noticed the most expensive/desirable neighborhoods to live in around here happen to be white.

It amazes me the 'tall' orders that people still have still on such a small budget. If you only have 350k today in the Boston area to spend on a house you better get a reality check on what you're actually going to get. Or rent.

I always laugh when people post that they want "diversity" then completely exclude towns that are actually diverse.

[Whatsnext75]

Originally Posted by Dm84

I always laugh when people post that they want "diversity" then completely exclude towns that are actually diverse.

Right!? I know if you want diversity move to Dorchester, HP, Roxbury or Mattapan. Or give Randolph or Fall River a try. South Shore towns like Hingham, Weymouth, Cohasset, Duxbury, offer virtually no diversity.

[edsox15]

What about Quincy? It certainly has more diversity than any other south shore town. Real Estate has gone up but not quite to the degree as some other nearby towns. The schools are okay. The downtown is being redone and the commute is the easiest on the south shore.

(oh, and I would categorize Weymouth as being quite diverse as well. Certainly by South Shore standards)

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by edsox15

What about Quincy? It certainly has more diversity than any other south shore town. Real Estate has gone up but not quite to the degree as some other nearby towns. The schools are okay. The downtown is being redone and the commute is the easiest on the south shore.

What? Quincy is crazy expensive. As far as the commute being easier, that's very questionable given the Red Line's performance issues.

[vtecluder617]

Originally Posted by edsox15

(oh, and I would categorize Weymouth as being quite diverse as well. Certainly by South Shore standards)

Absolutely. You could include Braintree to that list too.

[Whatsnext75]

I dont know that i'd call quincy crazy expensive...it's certainly overpriced lately it seems but still comes across as 'affordable'.

Is Braintree the next up and coming town on the south shore? I keep hearing that any place near the redline is the place to be. I still cant wrap my head around it because commuting on the MBTA is the worst and I cant imagine it being such a big reason for people to move somewhere. And to be honest I personally havent heard anyone say, well we decided to move to such and such place because the redline is there.

[vtecluder617]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

Is Braintree the next up and coming town on the south shore? I keep hearing that any place near the redline is the place to be. I still cant wrap my head around it because commuting on the MBTA is the worst and I cant imagine it being such a big reason for people to move somewhere. And to be honest I personally havent heard anyone say, well we decided to move to such and such place because the redline is there.

Honestly, I've always thought/heard it was a popular town to buy in. Before the wife and I landed in Hanover, we initially began our search in Braintree. We quickly learned that we couldn't afford what we were looking for. So we unfortunately looked further south. The reasons we strongly considered Braintree:

-Low property taxes (due to the high commercial presence)
-Good public school system
-Relatively low crime
-Proximity to the redline (my wife worked in Cambridge at the time)
-TONS of amenities,restaurants, entertainment, and retail options.
-Close to Boston, and not crazy far from the Cape either (In-laws)

All of that unfortunately came with a price, and one that we couldn't fit in our budget.

I do remember though, going to open houses in the spring/summer of 2013, there would be at least a DOZEN couples in each one on a given Saturday or Sunday. It was nuts. We'd have to wait in the hall way to see a room, because too many people were already crammed in there!

[Whatsnext75]

Yeah growing up I always wondered what made Braintree not as good towns like Milton and Hingham. I mean Milton is home to Milton Academy and Braintree is home to Thayer Academy, but the prestige of that prep school never seemed to help Braintree. Braintree kids always seemed to have more of an edge to them than Milton kids. I recall getting threatended by a group of very scary girls for no reason at all when i was at the braintree mall in the 8th grade. Boy were they scary! Braintree just didnt seem to be in the same class as milton. I think maybe it was too built up and didnt have a hometown feel. It has always been home to the south shore plaza and perhaps the redline brought in some riff raff. But the train is all over the place now. But of course things are changing now and people are getting forced to be less picky with rising costs. So maybe braintree will have its day.

I know a real estate agent from milton who was living in quincy the past few years who just moved to braintree with his family (two boys 3 and 5) I was pretty shocked that he chose braintree over milton...i'm not sure if his plan is to move to milton eventually...but he obviously though buying in braintree was a good idea for now.