Moving from California - Newton, Arlington, Watertown,... (Boston, Waltham: house, to buy)

[Mi&Ka]

Hello, we are moving to Boston and not sure about areas to buy a house, our preferences:

- Single family house / aprx. 3beds, 2 baths, ideally remodeled or recently remodeled, nothing where we would have to invest too much money

- Close to public transportation to Boston (I'll be working in Lexington, my wife at Boston)

- Good schooling system / we are planning family in the future / in 2-3Y

We have been house hunting to immense frustration. Initially we wanted to buy a house (as above) in Newton however we found out that Newton is out of our price range, and so is Lexington. Is it worth considering eg. Watertown? Or would be Arlington or Needham better? Do you have any suggestions which location would be better from schooling system vs. transportation to Boston prospective?

Thank you for king help, Mi&Ka

[jayrandom]

What is your budget? Are you sure Needham/Arlington/Watertown fit?

Where in Boston are you going? Arlington would be bus + red line, Watertown would be bus, Needham would be commuter rail. Advantages/disadvantages to all three. Needham/Arlington schools are probably better than Watertown. Arlington would be much more convenient to Lexington, then Watertown, then Needham.

[chicagoliz]

We just did this -- that is, moved to the area with my husband commuting to Lexington and a potential commute to Boston for me. We did end up in Newton.

It does depend a lot on your budget. Arlington and Needham are both good choices, although both can be close to as pricey as Newton and Lexington. We lightly considered Melrose -- it was a bit longer commute to Lexington than was our ideal, and some might say it was too long, but for us, it was within our acceptable limits.

[Mi&Ka]

our budget is around 900k (even we can go higher we do not want to spend more money)

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Mi&Ka

our budget is around 900k (even we can go higher we do not want to spend more money)

For that budget, I'll once again suggest Burlington. You can get into new construction in the $850-900 range or a fully renovated home for $700. It's next door to Lexington so it makes for an easy commute. There is a bus route to Boston or Alewife and the commuter rail is next door in Wilmington for the city commute. Schools are very good and getting better. It's a solid family town with a good commercial tax base, low residential taxes, and great shopping and dining options at one end of town.

[gf2020]

Waltham, Woburn or Burlington makes sense. You could be 10 years away from having children in school so I wouldn't let that drive your decision making now.

[markmark09]

Originally Posted by Mi&Ka

Hello, we are moving to Boston and not sure about areas to buy a house, our preferences:

- Single family house / aprx. 3beds, 2 baths, ideally remodeled or recently remodeled, nothing where we would have to invest too much money

- Close to public transportation to Boston (I'll be working in Lexington, my wife at Boston)

- Good schooling system / we are planning family in the future / in 2-3Y

We have been house hunting to immense frustration. Initially we wanted to buy a house (as above) in Newton however we found out that Newton is out of our price range, and so is Lexington. Is it worth considering eg. Watertown? Or would be Arlington or Needham better? Do you have any suggestions which location would be better from schooling system vs. transportation to Boston prospective?

Thank you for king help, Mi&Ka

900k for a renovated 3/2 should not have priced you out of Newton and Lexington. Keep looking.

[jan0105]

Originally Posted by markmark09

900k for a renovated 3/2 should not have priced you out of Newton and Lexington. Keep looking.

I don't think this is true. If the OP means "renovated" as in "totally updated," $900,000 isn't going to get you far in either of those towns.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by gf2020

Waltham, Woburn or Burlington makes sense. You could be 10 years away from having children in school so I wouldn't let that drive your decision making now.

Wouldn't Burlington or Woburn be a bit of a commute into downtown Boston?

[robr2]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Wouldn't Burlington or Woburn be a bit of a commute into downtown Boston?

As would almost anything on/just outside the 128 belt. Further, it's all dependent on where in Boston, time, and the mode of transit. My wife works at Downtown Crossing and the commuter rail from Wilmington and the walk takes her about 45 minutes. I used to work in Charlestown and drove - it could be 25 minutes or 60 minutes.