Some questions about housing in Northern MA / southern NH (Boston: renting, homes)

[sal1181]

122 Abbott St, North Andover priced at $599k
364 Chestnut St, North Andover $609k both have garages and both are in great neighborhoods

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by robr2

The vast majority of the suburban housing stock in eastern MA was built in the 50's - 70's. Garages were found in split level and the better homes in the finer suburbs. My neighborhood was built in the 60's. The only houses with garages are splits or had them added as part a of renovation. These were starter homes back then (now $500K plus) and starter homes didn't get garages.

Sorry, I'm still chuckling about the bolded. Growing up, my family's first house was built in the late 50s and had a one car garage. Somewhere down the line, another owner closed off the garage and made it another room. Our second house (in the same town) was built in the 60s and also had a one car garage. This was in Dedham. Back then, Dedham wasn't one of the "finer suburbs"

[Leo58]

Originally Posted by Nobodybody

Simply put, the Greater Boston area is full. There isn't much space to build new, so typically, an older home is bought, torn down, and this is where the new construction comes from. The problem is, it has to be in a market that makes the teardown and rebuild profitable, so ultimately, new construction is very costly. Increase your budget limit, and you will find it. Unfortunately, the majority of us out here can't afford it.
.

This makes sense, except when I look at an aerial view of the area North of Boston, what do i see? Acres and acres of forest. Hard to see where the area is full. maybe too swamp to build?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Leo58

This makes sense, except when I look at an aerial view of the area North of Boston, what do i see? Acres and acres of forest. Hard to see where the area is full. maybe too swamp to build?

Depending how far out you zoom, the tree cover conceals a lot of homes and other buildings. Then there is a lot of conservation land and NIMBY zoning in many towns. And yes, a lot of wetlands. Land in MA is notoriously bad. It's either sandy, rocky or swampy much of it. It's bad for farming, bad for building.

[elysianjewels]

Hi and welcome to New England! I am a midwesterner who moved here for grad school and stayed. I would suggest looking at Tewksbury - larger lots, right next door to Andover, good schools, great library, close to highways and your money goes a lot further. Downsides - not a lot of good restaurants nor a cute downtown but you would be close to Andover which has both of those and you could definitely find a nice house with a garage in your price range. Good luck on your move!

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Depending how far out you zoom, the tree cover conceals a lot of homes and other buildings. Then there is a lot of conservation land and NIMBY zoning in many towns. And yes, a lot of wetlands. Land in MA is notoriously bad. It's either sandy, rocky or swampy much of it. It's bad for farming, bad for building.

And by 'rocky' we locals actually mean 'one continuous slab of granite which requires blasting'. In towns with private septic, good luck finding a lot which percs.

[Leo58]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

And by 'rocky' we locals actually mean 'one continuous slab of granite which requires blasting'. In towns with private septic, good luck finding a lot which percs.

Funny, I never had to worry if my lot "perked"! Thanks to all who responded to this thread.

[OutdoorLover]

Yes, prices are high in the area, and yes, lots of homes, especially older in-town homes have no garage. In fact, it's not rare for a house not to have off-street parking in-town.

You're right that real estate taxes in southern NH suck, and yes, you'll be paying MA state income tax and NH real estate tax if you work in Andover and live in southern NH - double whammy.

Still, Andover isn't too far down into MA, and if I were working there and wanted more house for my money and especially wanted a newer home with a garage, I'd look at any of numerous developments from Manchester on down. There is a lot more land, even in southern NH that is undeveloped, so you can easily find new (and new-er) housing there.

[frank910]

We live in New Boston, NH and LOVE it!!! It is not too far from Boston, MA and the quality of life is 100 times better.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by frank910

We live in New Boston, NH and LOVE it!!! It is not too far from Boston, MA and the quality of life is 100 times better.

But's it's a 75 minute commute per google maps to Andover through the widening project. Add in a little snow and it's all over a sudden 2+ hours.