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I've been searching the forum and realize there are a ton of moving/relocation threads, but we would still appreciate some new advice. We've visited Boston as tourists and are excited to make it home, but there is so much to consider!
I am bringing my family to the area for a new job opportunity, which is located in Seaport. My wife will be working virtually from home in the near term but may eventually be willing to transfer to Boston Children's Hospital. We have two elementary school aged boys. It's important to us that we be near a good catholic church and that our children attend catholic schools, so the public schools are immaterial but proximity to a good catholic school matters.
We are looking for a suburb with a commute (via car) under an hour (we can be a bit flexible here) and would prefer a place with its own local downtown as well. House budget is ideally $1.5 - 1.8m. We could stretch that a bit if we absolutely needed to.
We currently live on the water and would naturally gravitate to a coastal town if possible. We also are avid golf and tennis players and would want to join a country club (one that would actually let us in without a long wait) so ideally the place would have a nice club option as well. Initiation fee budget for that would be up to $100k.
Does anywhere fit the catholic school/country club/proximity/budget matrix? We've been thinking maybe Hingham but haven't found a lot of info on the catholic school/country club front.
Sounds like the south shore would be right up your alley. I'd start with Milton as it's the closest to suburb to Boston and has Catholic Churches and schools. Then the further south you go there are towns like hingham, norwell, scituate and duxbury. Also offer Catholic Churches. Not entirely sure on the Catholic schools for elementary schools in this towns but Milton has two different ones, st agathas and st Mary's.
Hingham has St. Paul's school and black rock country club. Also south shore country club.
Thanks! St. Paul's looks like it may be viable, we will need to see how it is academically but I can look into that. The country club situation seems a little bleak. Black Rock is on a waitlist and South Shore seems a little underwhelming from what we can see online, but I appreciate the insight!
I've been searching the forum and realize there are a ton of moving/relocation threads, but we would still appreciate some new advice. We've visited Boston as tourists and are excited to make it home, but there is so much to consider!
I am bringing my family to the area for a new job opportunity, which is located in Seaport. My wife will be working virtually from home in the near term but may eventually be willing to transfer to Boston Children's Hospital. We have two elementary school aged boys. It's important to us that we be near a good catholic church and that our children attend catholic schools, so the public schools are immaterial but proximity to a good catholic school matters.
We are looking for a suburb with a commute (via car) under an hour (we can be a bit flexible here) and would prefer a place with its own local downtown as well. House budget is ideally $1.5 - 1.8m. We could stretch that a bit if we absolutely needed to.
We currently live on the water and would naturally gravitate to a coastal town if possible. We also are avid golf and tennis players and would want to join a country club (one that would actually let us in without a long wait) so ideally the place would have a nice club option as well. Initiation fee budget for that would be up to $100k.
Does anywhere fit the catholic school/country club/proximity/budget matrix? We've been thinking maybe Hingham but haven't found a lot of info on the catholic school/country club front.
Would appreciate any help!
Golf club communities don't really exist here in Massachusetts. There are a few but they're not plentiful. There are plenty of country clubs around here though and like anything that's really sought after, the most desirable ones have wait lists to get in and some can be hard to get into in general. Catholic churches and schools are also pretty plentiful in the Boston area.
I would also caution you about disregarding the public schools of the town you live in. The quality of the school system will greatly impact your ability to resell in the future. If you're a family that relocates with any frequency that's a critical concern IMO.
One piece of information that's missing from your post that would be really helpful to know is . . . what kind of house do you expect that your budget will get you? Are you thinking you'd like 5 acres and a brand new 10,000 sq foot house for that money or are you happy with a 2500 sq foot house from the 1800's on 1/4 acre?
Aside from playing golf and tennis, what else is important to you? Do you want to feel connected to the city? Do you like easy access to shops and restaurants? Do you want to be near the shore because you have a boat? I'd love to hear more about what it is you're looking for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311
Sounds like the south shore would be right up your alley. I'd start with Milton as it's the closest to suburb to Boston and has Catholic Churches and schools. Then the further south you go there are towns like hingham, norwell, scituate and duxbury. Also offer Catholic Churches. Not entirely sure on the Catholic schools for elementary schools in this towns but Milton has two different ones, st agathas and st Mary's.
Hingham has St. Paul's school and black rock country club. Also south shore country club.
My biggest concern about directing the OP to the South Shore is that they specifically stated they'd like to commute by car. I93 Northbound heading into Boston is one of the worst stretches of traffic in the Boston area and using RT3 to commute to/from places like Hingham, Norwell, etc. is no joy ride either especially during the summer when everyone from Boston and points north is using that highway to get to Cape Cod and the islands. Sure, you could commute off hours but who really wants to do that if they don't have to? The Seaport commute from the South Shore wouldn't be bad if the OP was willing to consider public transportation. However, commuting to Children's Hospital from the South Shore via public transportation is going to be pretty unpleasant. I once had to drive from Quincy (which is nowhere near as South as many of the South Shore towns mentioned - FYI for the OP) to the Longwood Medical area during rush hour and it took me over an hour.
As I've expressed on here before, I'm a landlubber and I don't feel any need to live by the shore. I love boating, fishing, going to the beach, etc. as much as the next guy but my feeling is the Boston area is a small enough place that on weekends when there's no traffic it's easy enough to get to the shore in a short amount of time.
Well if getting somewhere by car is what they really want I'd say Milton. There will still be plenty of traffic from Milton into Boston as well.
No advice on the country club situation then. I think it's common to be on a waiting list. My parents waited years to get into some yacht club on the cape.
I also don't know how much rigor the Catholic schools offer these days. Many of the public schools do seem to be better.
Golf club communities don't really exist here in Massachusetts. There are a few but they're not plentiful. There are plenty of country clubs around here though and like anything that's really sought after, the most desirable ones have wait lists to get in and some can be hard to get into in general. Catholic churches and schools are also pretty plentiful in the Boston area.
Totally get it. We don't care at all about club prestige, we just want the amenities. Where we are there are country clubs that are great but not prestigious and they can be joined for the right money while others are more of a process to join regardless of cost. I am getting the impression finding an immediate solution here will be difficult.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU
One piece of information that's missing from your post that would be really helpful to know is . . . what kind of house do you expect that your budget will get you? Are you thinking you'd like 5 acres and a brand new 10,000 sq foot house for that money or are you happy with a 2500 sq foot house from the 1800's on 1/4 acre?
We would strongly PREFER a 2500 sq ft house from the 1800s on 1/4 acre to a new 10k sq ft house on 5 acres. We value character and a good history. I generally won't buy new houses, and am further of the opinion that those that renovate antique houses to modern floor plans should be hung and their bodies left as a warning to others (j/k....kinda). 2500 sq ft is probably about our minimum size but we don't need much more than that if any.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU
Aside from playing golf and tennis, what else is important to you? Do you want to feel connected to the city? Do you like easy access to shops and restaurants? Do you want to be near the shore because you have a boat?
Currently, if we are not working we are at our current club playing tennis, golfing or at the pool. That's what we do with all of our free time. We do not care at all about feeling connected to Boston proper, but we do want easy access to shopping and restaurants near us. We do have a boat but the shore piece is more of a feeling. We often will walk on the beach daily here and would like to just be able to get near water and enjoy the views regularly.
Your points on the commute are helpful. I'd be willing to explore using public transit but I've tried it elsewhere in the past and it hasn't been my cup of tea. I am used to a slow commute and I am also a bit of a car guy.
I'd appreciate any further thoughts with this new info. thanks again!
Winchester / Winchester Country Club. Fairly close in for commuting and a quick drive to the ocean. Houses with character that fit the budget. St. Mary's for the younger kids and Arlington Catholic for high school. Walk-able downtown and also near Medford and Arlington downtown areas for variety.
Thanks! St. Paul's looks like it may be viable, we will need to see how it is academically but I can look into that. The country club situation seems a little bleak. Black Rock is on a waitlist and South Shore seems a little underwhelming from what we can see online, but I appreciate the insight!
Black Rock is decent, South Shore Country Club is public.
Well if getting somewhere by car is what they really want I'd say Milton. There will still be plenty of traffic from Milton into Boston as well.
No advice on the country club situation then. I think it's common to be on a waiting list. My parents waited years to get into some yacht club on the cape.
I also don't know how much rigor the Catholic schools offer these days. Many of the public schools do seem to be better.
Milton is not on the water though and if you're not insistent on living South of Boston and you're not going to be on the water then there's really no point in looking to the south. Why deal with the traffic on I93 North if there's no reason to? Milton to Longwood Medical Area is not going to be a breeze either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neultra
Totally get it. We don't care at all about club prestige, we just want the amenities. Where we are there are country clubs that are great but not prestigious and they can be joined for the right money while others are more of a process to join regardless of cost. I am getting the impression finding an immediate solution here will be difficult.
The most prestigious clubs are impossible to get into to. I'm not really even talking about those. The nice clubs with good courses, nice clubhouses, and active memberships often have waitlists. I'm not sure how long they are these days. I'm sure you could find a club to call home. I'm just thinking given the amount of money involved in paying an initiation fee that it might be better not to have a membership on day 1 and get on a waitlist for the club that's the best fit for you and your family.
There are some decent clubs around that are fairly desperate for membership right now and many of them are waiving/lowering the initiation fee. So, perhaps you could park yourself at one of them until you get off the waitlist at a place you'd like better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neultra
We would strongly PREFER a 2500 sq ft house from the 1800s on 1/4 acre to a new 10k sq ft house on 5 acres. We value character and a good history. I generally won't buy new houses, and am further of the opinion that those that renovate antique houses to modern floor plans should be hung and their bodies left as a warning to others (j/k....kinda). 2500 sq ft is probably about our minimum size but we don't need much more than that if any.
Haha! I appreciate your strong opinions and your fairly graphic depiction of them.
Personally, I just think it's kind of ridiculous when someone tries to make a house into something it's not. Putting contemporary elements into an antique or antique elements into a contemporary home just looks plain silly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neultra
Currently, if we are not working we are at our current club playing tennis, golfing or at the pool. That's what we do with all of our free time. We do not care at all about feeling connected to Boston proper, but we do want easy access to shopping and restaurants near us. We do have a boat but the shore piece is more of a feeling. We often will walk on the beach daily here and would like to just be able to get near water and enjoy the views regularly.
Your points on the commute are helpful. I'd be willing to explore using public transit but I've tried it elsewhere in the past and it hasn't been my cup of tea. I am used to a slow commute and I am also a bit of a car guy.
Where is it that you live now? Someplace with a warmer climate than Boston? I'm just asking because the country club season around here is a fairly limited part of the year and many clubs completely shut down for a time in the winter. So even at clubs with really active membership bases, it's hard to make your entire social life revolve around the club.
Living on the shore is nice, but unfortunately in Boston that can create a more problematic commute if you really want to drive and again the "beach" season is pretty limited in this area. Hingham has a commuter boat and commuter rail and is a lovely suburban town. However, if you want to drive to work you'll have to leave at an inhumane hour. Also, not many antique/older homes in Hingham. A lot of the homes there are from the last 30 years or so but if you live there in the right part of town you'll see the ocean on a regular basis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neultra
I'd appreciate any further thoughts with this new info. thanks again!
Honestly if you're willing to give up on living by the water, I would look at Newton. It's probably one of the most versatile towns in the Boston area in terms of commuting and it's riddled with antique homes being that it's one of the oldest suburbs in the country. There are many nice country clubs in and around Newton as well. Newton is also highly sought after for it's great commuting location, town amenities, and top rated school system. So, real estate values tend to be pretty stable there.
I'll also insert here my standard schtick about why you want to live west of Boston and not North/South (some here will disagree). West is more of a central location in the Boston area. It makes it easy to go in any direction and enjoy any of the wonderful environments that New England has to offer. Living west of the city I feel it's easy for me to of course get into Boston and enjoy a night out at a restaurant, the theater, Fenway park, etc. (commuting is easier into Boston from here as well IMO compared to many other locations). Also, I have no bias when it comes to choosing where to go for leisure. I feel just as comfortable going to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, the Berkshires, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, etc., etc., etc. Plus, my wife and I take trips to NYC because it's fairly easy to get there by car or from the Amtrak station which is maybe 15 minutes drive from my house.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlurryCat
Winchester / Winchester Country Club. Fairly close in for commuting and a quick drive to the ocean. Houses with character that fit the budget. St. Mary's for the younger kids and Arlington Catholic for high school. Walk-able downtown and also near Medford and Arlington downtown areas for variety.
A potential commute to the Longwood Medical Area wouldn't be completely horrific from there. However, I think Newton would be more convenient than Winchester.
I’ll second Newton. You could probably look at West Roxbury as well. You could even consider Dorchester.
I mostly agree with Mike and he’s definitely more knowledgeable about real estate, but I wouldn’t get too hung up about finding a town with great schools. It helps when selling, but you pay a high premium when buying. On the average it is a wash.
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