Any thoughts on Wayland? (Boston, Cambridge: houses, neighborhoods, buyers)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are relocating to the Boston area and we've identified a nice home in Wayland.
I'm trying to get a feel for why houses seem to move slower in the area. Also, any general feedback on the area would be appreciated. I know taxes are high but schools are good so taxes aren't key for us.
I think Wayland is just beyond the imaginary circle around Boston that people perceive as being within a tolerable commuting distance. Lack of a commuter rail station and a cohesive town center would also be a detractor.
It seems many people moving to Mass. all want to walk/take public transportation to everything ideally. Smaller towns like Wayland may be written off for that reason. I want to clarify- just because homes may not move as quickly as they do in other nearby towns does not make Wayland undesirable.
At any rate, Wayland is a solid town. If you are OK with not being able to walk to the nearest trendy yoga studio or coffee shop, you should appreciate the fact that your offer to purchase a home will not be up against 50 other offers like it would be in towns slightly east.
We are relocating to the Boston area and we've identified a nice home in Wayland.
I'm trying to get a feel for why houses seem to move slower in the area. Also, any general feedback on the area would be appreciated. I know taxes are high but schools are good so taxes aren't key for us.
Thanks in advance for any insights into the area.
We cut through Wayland frequently, and I think it's a pretty decent town but I can see why it has a slightly limited appeal. It's competing with other towns close by which have some stronger appeal to other buyers...for example Natick has the commuter rail, Concord has the town center, Sudbury has more big lot homes, Lincoln is closer Cambridge, etc. I actually think it's a great town if you are commuting into Waltham or Framingham.
I think Wayland is just beyond the imaginary circle around Boston that people perceive as being within a tolerable commuting distance. Lack of a commuter rail station and a cohesive town center would also be a detractor.
It seems many people moving to Mass. all want to walk/take public transportation to everything ideally. Smaller towns like Wayland may be written off for that reason. I want to clarify- just because homes may not move as quickly as they do in other nearby towns does not make Wayland undesirable.
At any rate, Wayland is a solid town. If you are OK with not being able to walk to the nearest trendy yoga studio or coffee shop, you should appreciate the fact that your offer to purchase a home will not be up against 50 other offers like it would be in towns slightly east.
In my mind, it's not just how far the town is from Boston but also highway access. Wayland is a hair better than Sudbury in that category, but your main thoroughfare is still RT20 which is 1 or 2 lanes on each side of the road max. This combined with the lack of public transportation makes it a less attractive town for commuters compared to some other area towns which have better highway access and/or good public transportation options.
Wayland varies in terms of convenience... If you're in the Southern part of town, near the Natick Mall, then you're very close to the Pike and Route Nine. If you're in North Wayland, especially North of Glezen Road, you are pretty far out there; in parts you're basically in Lincoln. Interestingly, this is the most expensive part of the town, while the most convenient is the cheapest.
The lifestyle center on Route 20 toward Sudbury has added some much needed shopping/dining to the town, helping to make up for the lack of a town center.
The lifestyle center on Route 20 toward Sudbury has added some much needed shopping/dining to the town, helping to make up for the lack of a town center.
Absolutely. Wayland was a virtual shopping/dining wasteland until Town Center opened up. Unfortunately, across the street the Whole Foods Market has closed (building a new location in Sudbury). However, I understand a Fresh Market is going to be opening in the space next year. There's also a wonderful gift shop in that plaza that a client of mine owns called Be Happy.
We were looking seriously in Wayland once we were priced out of Watertown, Arlington, Burlington etc. The Cochituate neighborhood was especially attractive since it feels more neighborhood-y with sidewalks, closer houses, and food and shops nearby. What ended up turning us off from it was partly the commute time and partly the nature of the commute. It might be because there are so many bodies of water lacing the area, but the town seems to have an unusually high percentage of cul de sacs/dead end streets/neighborhoods with only one access point. As a result there are really only a handful of routes through and out of town. If one of those is cut off (which happens due to flooding more badly there than in other towns, it seems) you have to go way around to find another way. Some people like that because it allows a more peaceful and quiet character than towns with lots of roads cutting through them, but for us convenience was a really high priority.
I don't think the commuting options from Wayland are that bad. The green line, Lincoln stop and Wellesley stops are only a short drive. Cambridge and Boston are only 16 miles away. Nice bright people but it is hard to meet them with no town center and no community centers in town. The town library is one of the more active ones in the area and does have some interesting talks and organized groups. They have an okay farmers market during the week. People seem to mostly buy their goods and leave, same as Acton's. Not a big party like the Natick one, where everyone stands around and socializes for hours. Friends of mine from there typically go to Natick or Concord for more recreational things to do.
We still think Wayland is nice but have locked on Natick. I think the commute would be better and it seems to have a nice, active community. Thank you to all for your thoughts on Wayland. We definitely like it but think Natick might be a better fit for us.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
