Condo to Single Family- and BIG move Qs ??? (Boston, Worcester: transplants, real estate)

[NY'er lost in MA]

Hi All,

I'm new here to the forum. As the tag states- I'm a NY'er here in MA. Went to school in Boston, moved back to NY for 6 years and then settled up here (for now).

My wife and I have a condo here in Salem, MA but have decided to list it and go for a single family home. I grew up in lower-upstate NY- New Paltz, which is all farmland and orchards, but only an hour from Manhattan- talk about the best of both worlds! I'll be brutally honest- I'm not a huge fan of Boston. Even now- being so close, my wife and I chose to dine in our own community and explore other areas. But that isn't an issue at all- I don't have any expectations for Boston except for work. My true expectations are to live in a rural area while remaining sane working in Boston.

Our hit list of ‘definites’ include:
• a yard- a quarter acre or more
• a nice town: small town feel, but close to a mall also
• reasonable car and commuter rail commute into South Station

We don’t have kids yet, so schools and test scores don’t mean much to us. We’re looking to stay in this first house for 5-7 years most likely.

I have a good friend that is a real estate agent who is working with us to sell our condo, but his community knowledge is limited to the North Shore areas. We definitely want to leave this area for several reasons: 95/128 + 93 commute, and the rail going into North Station. Originally we were pretty high on Wilmington and North Reading, but I have some second thoughts as of recently. My new focus has been Ashland, Hopkinton, Southborough, Westborough, Shrewsbury, and Grafton. Yes- WEST! The commuter rail goes into South Station, and the commute by car has options of Rt.9 and the Pike. I read an article that mentioned 93’s main flaw is that it funnels all Boston bound traffic right into the belly of the beast while the Pike offers many different exit opportunities, which could benefit me as I travel around the Boston area by car for work (not an office job). I love driving (as it is part of my job and life), but am not so fond of gridlock and bumper-to-bumper stop and go. Homes are definitely more appealing the farther west you go. More land, more sq. footage, more amenities, and newer homes for less money. Our thinking is that we rather get a turn-key home now than sacrifice just to be closer to the city which is just where we work.

My reason to post is to solicit feedback, advice, or just chat with people in Metro-west about the commute and different community identities.

Happy Holidays all

NY’er

PS- if anyone is interested in a great condo in Salem, it is MLS #: 70501921

[smarty]

Originally Posted by NY'er lost in MA

Hi All,
Our hit list of ‘definites’ include:
• a yard- a quarter acre or more
• a nice town: small town feel, but close to a mall also
• reasonable car and commuter rail commute into South Station

My new focus has been Ashland, Hopkinton, Southborough, Westborough, Shrewsbury, and Grafton.

Ashland - I somehow do not like it.. may be because of the toxic dump that was recently cleaned up.

Hopkinton and Southborough is small town feeling but fairly high price.

Westborough has BIG Rt9 business district, you may be able to find something away from Rt9.

Shrewbury, just beware of North vs South. Again, big Rt9 business district. Once you get out, it is much prettier.

Grafton - again a more reasonable price than Southboro with small town feel.

Try Mendon/Upton/Franklin also. They are not that far from Pike or Commuter rail.

[CaseyB]

If you want more rural but still a reasonable commute into South Station, look into Norfolk and the surrounding towns, (Millis, Medway, Wrentham). I believe the newer houses there have at least a half acre minimum and I know Wrentham has 1 acre minimum. The commute isn't bad - if you took the 7:14 from Norfolk you would be at South Station at 7:59. Much more relaxing in my opinion, to get a coffee and read the newspaper than battling the traffic on route 9 or the turnpike.

Another reason I think you might like Norfolk is that there are alot of transplants there. The town is not too far from either the Natick or Emerald Square malls and of course the Wrentham outlets are just a short drive. I sound like a real estate agent, lol, but I'm not - nor do I live there.

Of course, if money is no object and you want to drop a few million, there is always Dover.

[NY'er lost in MA]

Smarty & caseyB- thanks for writing!

Well- I went on a little drive today out Rt. 9 to Grafton & up to Shrewsbury. I had lunch in Shrewsbury right off the town square at a pizzeria. I like the town square and rural feel of it.

Re: Norfolk
I'll probably stay away from that general area because I want to avoid the 95/93 connector craziness. That also would force me to head north on 93 to get to most clients which would be a nightmare. I have heard from many colleagues, that 93 between Braintree and Boston is probably the worst traffic into the city in the morning.

I like the way the Pike has plenty of exits approaching Boston and within city limits. I'd probably just leave the house at 6 to try to beat the bulk of the traffic if we lived west.

Do either of you know roughly when the morning/evening cut-off times are for Pike traffic?

I'm going to continue to explore Westborough & Grafton. I didn't find Rt. 9 to be an issue today. Yeah- it is loaded with strip malls, but we would need some big store shopping and traffic moves briskly out in those parts west of Framingham. I did find parts of South Grafton to be a little TOO rural- North Grafton seems to be move accessible too.

[2KidsforMe]

Take a look at Southborough! It can be pricey, but it has great access to Route 9/ 495 and the Pike, and we have a T Station right in town. We are close to Hopkinton state park, the Natick Mall, and the Route 9 businesses, but still retain a bedroom community feel. We have pretty good schools too (for future reference).

[NY'er lost in MA]

Originally Posted by 2KidsforMe

Take a look at Southborough! It can be pricey, but it has great access to Route 9 and the Pike, and we have a T Station right in town.

I will!

Thanks 2 kids.

Is there a town center, or is it more commercialized like Natick? I do love the Natick Mall however

Only other issues is that we are looking to spend under $400K and there are only 11 listings in Southborough....
It's weird how some towns just seem to have more active real estate listings. Perhaps alot of people stay put in your area?

[smarty]

Originally Posted by NY'er lost in MA

Smarty & caseyB- thanks for writing!

Well- I went on a little drive today out Rt. 9 to Grafton & up to Shrewsbury. I had lunch in Shrewsbury right off the town square at a pizzeria. I like the town square and rural feel of it.

I like the way the Pike has plenty of exits approaching Boston and within city limits. I'd probably just leave the house at 6 to try to beat the bulk of the traffic if we lived west.

Do either of you know roughly when the morning/evening cut-off times are for Pike traffic?

Umm.. I don't even know where the town square is... lol. My experience with Shrewsbury is mostly shopping on Rt9.

You should be fine leaving at 6am. The problem is getting on the Pike from Rt495. Rt495 always backs up. I would say it starts at 7am and 4:30pm. Just watch the morning news for traffic closer to Boston. There may be problem/slow down after Rt128 in the morning. As to getting out west, between 5-6:30pm is not an easy exit. Volume is very high. You should try it a few times next week after work to see if you can handle it.

[NY'er lost in MA]

Johnycakes- thank you for the very detailed information. Without sounding stupid- why would it be bad to have a septic system? Just the hassle and expense?

Also- if I were to jump on the Mass Pike around Shrewsbury at 6-6:15am and head into the city- probably getting to the 128 intersection around 6:35 (hoping there isn't much traffic), would that put me ahead of the bulk of the traffic? I'm trying to figure out when I would actually have to leave the house in order to beat most of it. Right now I am in Salem, MA and take 128 to 93 into Boston. If I don't leave the house by 7am, then I am pretty much screwed- I'll be into the city after 9am. So right now my commute is nearly 2 hours!! If I left at 6:30, I'd be into the city probably at 7:45 or 8 easily because I would be ahead of the rush.

Smarty- would you know when the traffic eases up? Maybe around 10am?

I can also head in a little later (I'm lucky I have that flexibility with my work!)

Thanks again!

[NY'er lost in MA]

Originally Posted by johnycakes

Yeah, the maintenance can be a problem. They need to be pumped out every few years or so... and if you've ever had one erupt - or had a neighbor who had one erupt in his yard - the everlasting stink is something you won't forget too soon, either. Finally, there's the issue of compliance with Title 5 if and when you want to sell or enlarge the house. And if the septic system flunks the perk test, it can be a relatively big expense.

gotcha- that is something I will definitely have to investigate and keep in mind.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by NY'er lost in MA

Also- if I were to jump on the Mass Pike around Shrewsbury at 6-6:15am and head into the city- probably getting to the 128 intersection around 6:35 (hoping there isn't much traffic), would that put me ahead of the bulk of the traffic? I'm trying to figure out when I would actually have to leave the house in order to beat most of it. Right now I am in Salem, MA and take 128 to 93 into Boston. If I don't leave the house by 7am, then I am pretty much screwed- I'll be into the city after 9am. So right now my commute is nearly 2 hours!! If I left at 6:30, I'd be into the city probably at 7:45 or 8 easily because I would be ahead of the rush.

Smarty- would you know when the traffic eases up? Maybe around 10am?

Not sure when the traffic ease up.

I don't think you can get on the Pike in Shrewbury. It is either Rt495 or Worcester (ie go West 10(?) miles to exit 11 before you can go East)