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If your budget is $700K or under you will probably be in a bidding war in Melrose anyways. Not sure what people actually mean by "Townie" but it obviously has a negative connotation, there are few/limited undesirables in Melrose.
Melrose welcomes diversity, there was a contest recently to promote a new Melrose Logo "Melrose: One Community Open to All"; I am not sure I would call it a Blue Collar town my neighbor has his kids in Private School and is a member of the local country club and the house up the street is selling for over $800k. (But ever town in MA has people that bought homes before prices jumped).
Anyways, with this low house inventory environment I would at least pick two towns and just start bidding, at around $700K be ready for a fist fight in either Melrose/Arlington. GL
OP, to echo some of these suggestions, Medford could be a real nice choice here. Lawrence Estates is probably the nicest neighborhood in Medford (very very high end), and you can still find a home in your price range.
My wife and I (mid 30s) bought a single family in Arlington in 2013 and really enjoy the town. We lived in Inman Sq for a few years and wanted the to replicate what we loved about the area- walkability, good mix of restaurants, good cultural activities, but in an area where we could get a house with a driveway.
We love the Robbins library in the center, the two independent theaters (Regent and Capitol), bike trail, parks (Robbins has the best skyline view of Boston), mix of restaurants and family friendly activities. I work in tech and like the proximity to the major tech job centers (Cambridge to the south east, Waltham to the south west, Burlington to the north/northwest).
Melrose and Arlington are two of the most competitive town in MA to buy a single family. I think having tolerance for a fixer upper is important in both towns. We bought a house that wasn't turnkey and have no regrets about putting in the sweat to make it our own.
If you have any hyperlocal questions on Arlington and the different neighborhoods, send me a PM. Happy to help.
Anyways, with this low house inventory environment I would at least pick two towns and just start bidding, at around $700K be ready for a fist fight in either Melrose/Arlington. GL
Truth!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunnyinBoston
Not sure what people actually mean by "Townie" but it obviously has a negative connotation, there are few/limited undesirables in Melrose.
I think there are 3 definitions:
1. Literally someone from Charlestown
2. Blue collar, heavy Boston accent, never lived anywhere else
3. Someone who grew up in that town
For Melrose it's mostly #3. None of them are necessarily negative, just that it can be more difficult for transplants to break in / fit in when everyone already knows each other. And sometimes townies are just less inclined to seek out "off the beaten path" stuff like new music or art that's more easily accessible to city people.
Thanks so much for your input, everyone. We spent more time over the weekend in both towns, and we actually ended up bidding on a Melrose house that ticked many of our boxes. We lost the bid.
We just loved the vibe in Arlington (no surprises there, though it probably also helped that we had dinner in Arlington Center and walked around Spy Pond on a beautiful, busy Friday evening before Memorial Day weekend). We could definitely see ourselves raising kids there. As others have noted, the town is something of a long-shot on our current budget. We have our eyes out for fixer-uppers that aren't *too* far gone, though much of the stock isn't too our taste (more heavily post-war than Melrose).
House-wise, Melrose easily wins out. This is where we're struggling -- the house itself is, admittedly, also very important to us, especially as we find ourselves spending more time at home and less time out and about. Also in Melrose's favor, the commuter rail/Orange Line options seem more appealing than dealing with the 77 or Alewife at rush hour, at least for many destinations. "Culture fit," for lack of a better term, does remain a concern. I appreciate some of the takes on Melrose here, as it was difficult to get a read on a sleepy holiday weekend. The downtown was quite dead and the streets were quiet. We did pick up on more of a "townie" vibe, for lack of a better term, though we could see the area transitioning (Volvos in driveways and solar panels on roofs adjacent to dilapidated properties, though in retrospect we realized we weren't in the best neighborhood). Friends of ours from Europe bought there recently and are happy with their decision, and another set of friends (from out of state, well-educated) hope to buy there soon. We're both from New England (spouse is from Boston proper, in fact) and we certainly don't mind mixing with some local residents. But we do tend to feel more at home in settings where there is a solid transplant presence, since we ended up settling down in Boston somewhat by happenstance. And, in that regard, Melrose still feels more of a risk compared with Arlington, though we're beginning to think it's one we're willing to take. We're visiting more houses this weekend and hope to get more of a sense of the town with the younger families present, since it won't be a holiday weekend. (Apologies for the incoherence of this paragraph; I think it reflects our struggle to get a firm grasp on Melrose...and decide how much we're willing to bid up to be there.)
We explored Medford early on and ruled it out. Perhaps it's worth reconsidering. I agree that Lawrence Estates is beautiful, but elsewhere, we find it unbearably congested. The commuting options also seem so limited for a city so close to Boston, though I know that in some areas, the Green Line extension will improve things. Someone mentioned Andover and Milton. The former is too far out/a longer commute than we want at the moment; the latter may be worth considering, though we'd like to stay north of the city for a few reasons. We also have our eyes on Waltham.
We have a lot of thinking to do, for sure, and we know we can't both have our cake and eat it at our price point. Thanks again, everyone!
..Volvos in driveways and solar panels on roofs...and we certainly don't mind mixing with some local residents. But we do tend to feel more at home in settings where there is a solid transplant presence...
I think Melrose is fantastic and our friends that live there are generally very happy. However, they value the down to earth aspect of the town. Some of them are grew up in Melrose, and have moved back. They are educated, quite successful and some of them even like expensive cars. I'm not sure if they'd fit your criteria of local residents, but if such things are really important to you Melrose might not be the right fit.
Thanks so much for your input, everyone. We spent more time over the weekend in both towns, and we actually ended up bidding on a Melrose house that ticked many of our boxes. We lost the bid.
We just loved the vibe in Arlington (no surprises there, though it probably also helped that we had dinner in Arlington Center and walked around Spy Pond on a beautiful, busy Friday evening before Memorial Day weekend). We could definitely see ourselves raising kids there. As others have noted, the town is something of a long-shot on our current budget. We have our eyes out for fixer-uppers that aren't *too* far gone, though much of the stock isn't too our taste (more heavily post-war than Melrose).
House-wise, Melrose easily wins out. This is where we're struggling -- the house itself is, admittedly, also very important to us, especially as we find ourselves spending more time at home and less time out and about. Also in Melrose's favor, the commuter rail/Orange Line options seem more appealing than dealing with the 77 or Alewife at rush hour, at least for many destinations. "Culture fit," for lack of a better term, does remain a concern. I appreciate some of the takes on Melrose here, as it was difficult to get a read on a sleepy holiday weekend. The downtown was quite dead and the streets were quiet. We did pick up on more of a "townie" vibe, for lack of a better term, though we could see the area transitioning (Volvos in driveways and solar panels on roofs adjacent to dilapidated properties, though in retrospect we realized we weren't in the best neighborhood). Friends of ours from Europe bought there recently and are happy with their decision, and another set of friends (from out of state, well-educated) hope to buy there soon. We're both from New England (spouse is from Boston proper, in fact) and we certainly don't mind mixing with some local residents. But we do tend to feel more at home in settings where there is a solid transplant presence, since we ended up settling down in Boston somewhat by happenstance. And, in that regard, Melrose still feels more of a risk compared with Arlington, though we're beginning to think it's one we're willing to take. We're visiting more houses this weekend and hope to get more of a sense of the town with the younger families present, since it won't be a holiday weekend. (Apologies for the incoherence of this paragraph; I think it reflects our struggle to get a firm grasp on Melrose...and decide how much we're willing to bid up to be there.)
We explored Medford early on and ruled it out. Perhaps it's worth reconsidering. I agree that Lawrence Estates is beautiful, but elsewhere, we find it unbearably congested. The commuting options also seem so limited for a city so close to Boston, though I know that in some areas, the Green Line extension will improve things. Someone mentioned Andover and Milton. The former is too far out/a longer commute than we want at the moment; the latter may be worth considering, though we'd like to stay north of the city for a few reasons. We also have our eyes on Waltham.
We have a lot of thinking to do, for sure, and we know we can't both have our cake and eat it at our price point. Thanks again, everyone!
Thank you for checking back in. Really nice breakdown, and nice to get an idea of what your impressions were of both both towns.
It's funny, I actually thought that Andover would be the perfect fit, but it would be a tough commute. That said, if you can't seem to find the right house in Melrose/Arlington, I have been a very strong advocate for Reading. A bit further, but if you can eat the extra 25 minutes via your commute, the town would be quite a nice fit. Downtown Reading continues to see nice expansion, and the train is built right into the west side of the main drag. The neighborhoods, specifically West/Southwest in Reading are beautiful. Every bit as nice as Melrose/Arlington. There is a pride of ownership aspect to much of Reading... I don't know what it is, but things are very well kept in the area west of downtown. It's known to have solid schools, and though it has some of that "townie" feel everyones referencing, it's a crazy hot market for new home buyers. Folks between 28-35 are pouring in, so bidding wars are not uncommon in Reading either.
No material difference in "Culture" between Arlington and Melrose....
Memorial Day weekend is dead everywhere, you want to get a feel for a town? Go to the Starbucks/Wholefoods and see what kind of people are shopping in there...and go to the town parks. Go to this park Melrose Common on Saturday to see families/etc.
you want to get a feel for a town? Go to the Starbucks/Wholefoods and see what kind of people are shopping in there...and go to the town parks.
This is great advice, and can be a real eye opener. This is what I told my wife to do when she thought it would be great to live in Wellesley. She came home pie eyed.
North Medford and West Malden are beautiful areas that could be options. The areas between Oak Grove/Malden center and 93. Still close to T, less congested, close to all the town centers in the area, and more affordable. Theres also an express bus that serves exclusively North Medford(2 stops) straight to Haymarket. Only possible concern would be schools but as mentioned not a big concern, although if lucky Mystic Valley would be an option.
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