Are there signs of people leaving Boston for cheaper parts of the state yet? (Worcester: renters, condo)

[cupola_]

I'm figuring with Boston-area housing prices the way they are combined with a lot of jobs becoming remote, people would be leaving the city to move to cheaper parts of the state. Are there any signs of this yet? Where are people moving? Worcester? Springfield?

[ben young]

The young will stay for first jobs and the social scene ,the older will stay because they are intrenched with friends and neighbor hoods .However I think the more mobile and well heeled 28 -50 yos will move out for better schools and Remote Business..
I live in New Hampshire but regularly Skype with business interests in Europe ,Japan and Australia .I don't need Boston ,I I Pvt. plane to NYC and connect through there.

[masssachoicetts]

Boston is for the super Elite and young who want to have fun. Nothingf in between anymore.

My dads friend just dropped 13 million for a brownstone in the Back Bay while my three middle income friends escaped to the suburbs.

[cupola_]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Boston is for the super Elite and young who want to have fun. Nothingf in between anymore.

My dads friend just dropped 13 million for a brownstone in the Back Bay while my three middle income friends escaped to the suburbs.

Aren't the suburbs getting crazy expensive too? I was hoping to hear about more people moving out to Springfield and revitalizing that area... Maybe once they open that commuter rail from Springfield.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by cupola_

Aren't the suburbs getting crazy expensive too? I was hoping to hear about more people moving out to Springfield and revitalizing that area... Maybe once they open that commuter rail from Springfield.

If they are going to go that far, they might as well just leave the state for similarly affordable but far more appealing options.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by cupola_

Aren't the suburbs getting crazy expensive too? I was hoping to hear about more people moving out to Springfield and revitalizing that area... Maybe once they open that commuter rail from Springfield.

Idk what I think, but I don't see anything west of Worcester reaping the "benefits" of a Boston exodus, small or large. If anything, this may simply mean a more "balanced" set of middle-upper class suburbs?

Maybe that young family that needed to be within striking distance to Cambridge will now consider outer ring/Central MA towns like Northborough as opposed to Arlington? Most certainly this will be the final push for a starter family/28-35 year olds renting in the South End to move to the suburbs for the first time.

I don't expect housing prices in the suburbs to sky rocket.. They're already expensive. But I do expect less inventory stretching further and further as demand will essentially be high anywhere and everywhere east of Worcester. That is, unless the market tanks like it's primed to.. Then, idk. A lot of renters in the suburbs?

[NewfieMama]

My city friends (all parents) are actively trying to move to the 'burbs right now. They need space desperately.

My suburban friends are staying put.

I would LOVE to move somewhere more remote, but it's impossible to do that without sacrificing schools. And what offices will look like long-term (how many days/week you may need to be in the office) are still too up-in-the-air to make a decision that could lead to a very long commute.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by cupola_

Aren't the suburbs getting crazy expensive too? I was hoping to hear about more people moving out to Springfield and revitalizing that area... Maybe once they open that commuter rail from Springfield.

Not "getting" - are. I live in Marlborough and pay $1700 a month (with heat/hot water, pet rent, and parking) for a 1 bedroom. This was the closest I could get to work in Waltham within my budget at the time I was looking, though rent has increased close to 18% since I moved in 2 years ago.


Try looking for a condo under $300,000 in the metro Boston area and see how far away you would have to buy or how dumpy you would have to accept (with high condo fees, of course).



I was planning on buying next summer and am concerned that if the suburban housing market doesn't cool off, I'll be priced out once again.

[wolfgang239]

I just went through this exercise myself. Although it didn't coincide with the pandemic it was at the very beginning of it by coincidence, and certainly was the right choice in retrospect. As an early 30s parent I started to think about how often I was really utilizing all of the things around me and whether the sacrifices of space, crime, noise and future schooling were worth it.

As masssachoicetts put it the area has definitely become a place for the elite and young, but subsidized low/moderate income as well (which to clarify I feel is a significant benefit). That puts the squeeze on people in the middle, and due to extremely high daycare costs parents get priced out. It was great that the value of my place went up so much but that wasn't really helping to pay the bills.

The folks at the bar nerding out about their CRM software over $10 beers will stay because they can afford it. I couldn't afford to have so much tied up in an area I really couldn't afford to enjoy. Now I can hop on the commuter rail and be back in under 30min, or drive and be right in my old neighborhood in about 20. Can still walk to the grocery store, the liqour store, a few restaurants etc.

Who knows what will happen after this clears up but a lot of the shininess has worn off and remote work from your deck overlooking the Berkshires might beat your creaky old porch facing some townies aluminium siding.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by cupola_

Aren't the suburbs getting crazy expensive too? I was hoping to hear about more people moving out to Springfield and revitalizing that area... Maybe once they open that commuter rail from Springfield.

I don't think there will ever be a commuter rail from Springfield. But now that so many can work remotely, they could move to the surrounding suburbs of Springfield. There are gorgeous suburbs like Wilbraham, Longmeadow, Hampden and they are much cheaper than anything you'd find out in eastern MA. You end up going to CT more than to Boston for things but the lifestyle is more laid back and you get a big yard and a nice house. There are lesser towns too that could use some population growth and there you will find houses dirt cheap--Ludlow, Palmer, Monson. Palmer is right off the Mass Pike if you could stand to live there and wait for it to come back to life, if ever. All of Hampden County is ripe for the picking.