little house for lots of money - Mansfield, Hopkinton, etc. (Boston: buying, income)

[curlystraight]

Originally Posted by maggiekate

have you considered J.P. or West Roxbury-both on the t bus line! I am sure you might see a great home in your price range!

I will definitely check out those areas. Would love to be that close to Boston.

Not sure about the commute to Gardner and Dudley to visit our babysitters, um, I mean parents. They are getting older so I don't want them to have to drive through crazy traffic when they come to see us either.

[on*the*move]

We have loved Hopkinton for the past 10+ years, but are in the process of moving to be closer to family on the South Shore. Easy access to rts 495 and the Pike, commuter rail stations nearby in Southboro and Ashland. Excellent schools.

We have lived close to the town center in an Antique Village colonial--walking distance to the local market, drug store, library, post office, coffee shops, etc. Concerts in the summer on Sunday nights at the town common. EMC playground for young kids, lots of ballfields for older kids. Sandy beach for town residents, Hopkinton State Park for hiking and boat rentals.

Anyways, our 3 BR, 1.5 ba is on the market for $308,900 right now if you're interested (though we have a second showing tomorrow, fingers crossed!!).

[ogre]

Re JP and W Rox, I'm curious as to what kind of community you're looking for. The other places you've mentioned are very suburban, or even a little bit in the country. JP and W Rox are more urban, largely residential urban in the case of West Roxbury, but still way more densely populated than Hopkinton, Mansfield, etc.

Also, be aware, JP and W Rox are not "close to" Boston. They are IN Boston. That means Boston city schools, unless you go the private school route, if that matters to you.

BTW, if you like Hopkinton, you might also look at Holliston. Right next door, and similar in character, though maybe a little less rural than Hopkinton.

[curlystraight]

Well, gee, thanks for asking!

We are looking to buy in a town or a city with a cute village or neighborhood that we can walk to nice places easily but still able to hop onto the highway to visit relatives or the T to get into Boston.

Would love to be able to have a pleasant walk to go grab a cup of coffee, go to the library, go to a nice playground or pick up a loaf of baked bread. Close vicinity to the library and a gym. My husband would like some land to grow a garden and we also have two big dogs. He commutes to South Station via the T.

Would like other "young" families in the area- we are in our late thirties but our kids are brand new, so friendly moms and dads walking in the neighborhood with their children would be nice and much different than the area we live in now.

School system is important. It doesn't have to be the best, though, as long as it has a good reputation and my kids will be safe.

[curlystraight]

Now we are thinking of Holliston - any Holliston lovers who want to share their thoughts?

[scarletfire]

Holliston is a lovely town. I grew up nearby there and now moved back next door to Sherborn. I like Holliston's quaint downtown. You can walk there to go to the park, tennis courts, antique shops, coffee shop, and Fiske's general store which has been there forever, and the Superette for small grocery items, the owners are very friendly. There's a cafe being built next door to Fiske's. There's also a public golf course in town.

Holliston has good schools & is one of the only towns around here that has a French language immersion program, which is pretty neat. My sister-in-law lives walking distance to downtown and loves it. She's met a lot of other moms since moving there.

[scarletfire]

I do know of a place for sale walking distance to town in the 260s that has a lot of space but it also needs updating. It's an antique & a bank sale.

[jbrogioli]

Hopkinton was just voted the 19th best town in the whole country to live, according to people magazine.

[AbsoluteFloors]

Lakeville does have the commuter rail though.

[seldomseen]

$300k is peanuts for many suburban, middle income, predominately white populated towns in MA located within a 25-35 mile radius to Boston. If you can step up your buying game to the $500-$750k range you will open up many more housing options.