My wish list: Impossible? (Lowell, Cambridge: middle-class, sale, 2009)

[Martha Anne]

We would be paying cash for our house, but we want to keep the price in the upper $200's (we could pay more, but want to have money left over.) We are late middle aged, not starting out, and want this to be our last house. Actually, we could pay as much as $500 or more in cash, but will likely not do that.

Our first choice is always the same thing: Watertown, Arlington, Bedford, Concord - the main idea being that it would be great to be near the "intelligensia" (tongue in cheek), i.e. the classical music, museum going, literary, science types. We are also liberals and have numerous cats and a dog, so we need a place with a good yard for an enclosure for the cats and a place for the dog to run around.

But of course the $200's is not going to cut it AT ALL! and we know that.

So, where does one look for a single family house, with a spot of land, or more, with our fantasy wish list?

We are in no hurry - will be looking more diligently in the fall of 2008 to buy maybe as early as fall 2009.

[goyguy]

Why not enlist a buyer's broker? All realtors have some on staff now. Their job is to represent you in a home search. After a detailed discussion wherein you'd outline your criteria, they'd keep an eye on the MLS listings and notify you of potential buys. To the best of my knowledge, the only cost to you would be a commission after a sale goes through, as it is for a seller's broker.

While Arlington, Watertown, Belmont, and even less "prestigious" sections of Cambridge might have modest homes within financial reach, I strongly suggest to not stay limited geographically. Have you considered Melrose? It's the home of America's oldest continuously operating all-volunteer symphony orchestra, has a town center which can still boast of containing independent hardware AND drug stores, and carries a distinct suburban feel yet is not far from "town" by commuter rail and Orange Line (the latter from Oak Grove, at the south end of the city.) For dwellings, there's everything from sprawling Victorians and oversized Colonials to bungalows and ranch houses. Then there are also the West Medford and Medford Hillside sections of "Meffa," quiet middle-class areas of that city bordering the Tufts campus and Arlington.

For affordability, reconcile yourselves to being a greater distance from the city in exchange for getting more house (and land) for the money. North and west of town, I like Maynard, Beverly, Ipswich, Tewksbury, North Reading, Acton, Billerica, Malden, Chelmsford, Rockport, Tyngsborough, Rowley, and Essex, in addition to "good" sections of Salem, Lowell, Lynn, and Haverhill. In the other direction, think about Halifax, Framingham, Millis, Norfolk, Franklin, Norwell, Weymouth, Marshfield, Natick, Plymouth, North Attleborough, Bellingham, Walpole, Hingham, Sharon, Quincy, Carver, and Hopkinton as well as the "better" parts of Randolph and Brockton. And definitely don't rule out Dorchester, which is far from a juvenile-gang war zone in most of its locales. The areas surrounding Ashmont station and from there east to Cedar Grove and Neponset are the quietest. You thought Dorchester was all three-deckers? Not around those parts, it isn't! Melville-Park also holds onto its charm, and Savin Hill is "hot" now on either side of 93, but a domicile to suit your space needs would be harder to come by.

I always say that if you paint with a broad brush, you miss spots. From that fairly exhaustive list of communities I have "cultured," (sounds like yogurt, lol), educated, and progressive-minded acquaintances in most. You don't have to have the makings of a full chamber orchestra or book club within short walking distance to enjoy your surroundings and have an uncompromised social life. Forgive my stating the obvious, but I felt that I should put that out there anyway. My friends in Maynard, North Reading, Chelmsford, Norfolk, et al, are all content with where they're situated despite the popular perception of where they live. So I hope that when we've embarked upon the second decade of this millenium you can say the same.