What will Mass. be like in 4-5 yrs? (Boston, Peabody: fit in, real estate market)

[Travelin2012]

What will life be like in the next few yrs?? I cannot come back until then when son graduates high school. Is the real estate situation rebounding yet?? I have been on other New England boards and read the same thing...anti-California sentiment. I had to leave MA five years ago for serious reasons. Came to SoCal to live with mother, brought children here also. I hope that when I return that I am not labelled as a "Californian". There is NO ONE that hates CA as much as me. This is not just rhetoric, coming here (extreme change of environment) has caused me mental health issues. Are people coming a lot to NE becaue of jobs? I check the real estate boards all the time looking at communities that I might be interested in.....I always hope that the weather keeps a lot of people out, and I never see greater Boston as one of the "best places to live" on Yahoo front page.
I guess it depends what you are looking for??? How about MORE tradition, the seasons, greenery and trees.....I feel like I am trapped in HELL living in SoCal, plus I am so home sick it makes me sick.....I don't have to ask anyone what to do. But I know that it will be quite an undertaking to come back. I have to sell 2 pieces of property here.....with the worst real estate market in the country besides FL.
Sorry to ramble,,,,,should just be asking about the individual towns of interest.

[Valerie C]

Hi Travelin
You need to vent, that's all.... I hear people from So Cal all the time who can't stand the way of life out there, and want to get here to New England where the people are real (along with the snow LOL). My prediction is that in 4-5 years, the real estate market will have rebounded, and we'll see modest appreciation (not the foolish run-up that we experienced over the last 6 years. That's my hope anyway! What part of MA are you wanting to get back to? Regarding Yahoo's never listing the Boston area as a "best place" to live, well I'll consider that a good thing--we'll just keep it a little secret

[RMP059]

Yeah, I agree that in 4-5 years we'll see modest appreciation. I think it will still be on the skids for a couple years yet, not really losing value but not gaining either.

I don't know anyone who hates californians. Except the Chargers. And maybe the Raiders. And of course the Lakers.

[Travelin2012]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

Hi Travelin
You need to vent, that's all.... I hear people from So Cal all the time who can't stand the way of life out there, and want to get here to New England where the people are real (along with the snow LOL). My prediction is that in 4-5 years, the real estate market will have rebounded, and we'll see modest appreciation (not the foolish run-up that we experienced over the last 6 years. That's my hope anyway! What part of MA are you wanting to get back to? Regarding Yahoo's never listing the Boston area as a "best place" to live, well I'll consider that a good thing--we'll just keep it a little secret

Thank you for the response. I guess I should write on this board only specific questions not personal baggage.....I see that you are a realtor, then you can really see the trends. Not sure where I want to be, but I know that is not good and must be narrowed down. That is not easy because I am not there. By the time that I am ready to come back I will have been gone for 9 yrs....things will have changed dramatically. I tend to want to go back to where I am familiar; like Saugus or Wakefield area (although I did not live in these towns specically)...I have a pretty good understanding of why things cost as they do......for example, many people have blogged here about Billerica (a town I was looking at). I see somewhat negative responses.....noticed that property there was somewhat reasonable. Well if it is more reasonable, there is a reason. Also Peabody, which seems to have a glut of proerty (last time that I checked) on the market. Wakefield and Saugus, for example do not have that many properties on the market. I am sure as a realtor you could answer this.
I should see if city-data has specific blogs for real estate questions. Last yr (2007) I went back and started to look at property....leading the raltors on wild goose chases, I do not want to do that again prematurely. But when the time is right to begin seriously looking I really have to find the right person. I reanted for many years with my EX, do not ever want to go thru that again waiting to find a place. I know that people say to rent while you look but I hope that I do not have to go that route.

[Valerie C]

Even tho you're not planning on getting back to this area for a few years yet, it's always good to keep an ear to the ground. You mentioned that it's not good to have a wide search area--I disagree, at least for now There is plenty of time to narrow down, and besides, it appears that you're leaning toward the North Shore vs. South Shore or Western MA. See, you've narrowed it down a bit!

I left MA for 5 years at one point, and settled in the St Louis area. I realized when I came back to New England that I just didn't "fit" in Mass. any longer. My viewpoint had changed, my city had changed, and we settled in New Hampshire. It would probably be best for you to rent for awhile instead of buying right away--the last thing you want to be is STUCK in a place that doesn't fit!

Got to run, TTYL...

[Travelin2012]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

Even tho you're not planning on getting back to this area for a few years yet, it's always good to keep an ear to the ground. You mentioned that it's not good to have a wide search area--I disagree, at least for now There is plenty of time to narrow down, and besides, it appears that you're leaning toward the North Shore vs. South Shore or Western MA. See, you've narrowed it down a bit!

I left MA for 5 years at one point, and settled in the St Louis area. I realized when I came back to New England that I just didn't "fit" in Mass. any longer. My viewpoint had changed, my city had changed, and we settled in New Hampshire. It would probably be best for you to rent for awhile instead of buying right away--the last thing you want to be is STUCK in a place that doesn't fit!

Got to run, TTYL...

Thanks again Valerie...you are right. But...I have dogs and it is always difficult to find places to rent with dogs (went thru that many times before). Sorry, did you say that you were from MA?? Why didn't you think that you fit in? I hope that I don't feel that way, because that is how I feel in Calif. Plus I will be into my 50's when I return and it will be different, my son wants to go to college in Boston. I have considered So. NH or even So. Maine,,,,,people think that it is so much cheaper.....but most of us know how high the property taxes are there.