Moving to western Mass -- need help! (Springfield, Chicopee: real estate, apartment)

[theh]

All the Hamptons are quite a haul from UMass, especially bucking the traffic on Route 9 and especially between about 3:30 PM and 6:00. Same thing in the morning.

Route 9 is indeed a pain. However, there are backroads through the farms that make the commute to UMass a piece of cake. About 20-30 minutes from any of the Hamptons and the only part of Route 9 you really have to deal with is the bridge. It's also a beautiful drive.

Also, Easthampton has changed A LOT the past few years and is becoming much more like Northampton IMO. Yes, there are some gross areas that resemble Chicopee, but overall it's a peaceful, quiet town to live in and it's one of the last liveable places near the colleges where housing rates haven't spiked yet.

[baron tweedmouth]

I think there are many good suggestions here. I would highly recommend Longmeadow. It is about a 30-40 minute commute to Amherst. It is a highly desirable town in western mass and I would argue the most "Boston-like" suburb west of Wellesley. Homes in this town tend to be a strong investment. The town's location is convenient to both Springfield and Hartford as it is on the CT line. If you need to be closer to Amherst, I would suggest Amherst itself or the immediate surrounding towns such as Hadley, S. Hadley, Northampton, Pelham, and Deerfield. If you are looking for a historic, well established park-like suburban community with good resale value it would be Longmeadow. There is also excellent highway access in Longmeadow as it is just off I-91. If you plan on moving to the area I would recommend checking Longmeadow out. Good luck to you!

[Belle Rita]

I live in Springfield, have lived here for 24 years having done the reverse move from Longmeadow in 1984. Springfield gets a bum rap from folks who don't live here.

Where you buy a house should be determined by a few things. Where will you work? Do you need easy access to the highway?

You don't need to live in Longmeadow or Amherst where the school systems are a draw and where the housing prices are the highest. Northampton is also high.

Holyoke has some lovely homes, ditto Springfield. City services are good. Housing prices are reasonable compared to some of the surrounding towns. Agawam isn't convenient unless you work on that side of the river.

Is proximity to UMASS going to be an important factor as to where you buy a home? Is he going to go to class/library, etc. every day? If so, is adding an hour and a half to the day going to matter a lot? He can access any of the other college libraries in the region.

Remember, the farther you go from one of the cities, the worse your town/city services will be. In Springfield we don't have to take our trash to the dump. We have city water and sewers. Stores are nearby.

We have many people living here who have moved here from someplace else and like it. Remember, no-place is a Utopia, so don't expect it to be.

Western Mass is terrific. Pretty, convenient to lots of stuff, and less crowded than Eastern Mass. Welcome!

[Xenos]

Not sure if this is still a live issue, but looking back on this one thing seems odd. If the reason for coming here to western Mass is UMass, why would you expect to stay after finishing up the degree? There are a lot of economic changes up ahead. Speaking for myself, I love Amherst and it is a great fit for my kids. But we may have to move out of the country in order to keep up with the changes going on. If we had bought a house, we would have a real problem on our hands.

Live light on the land, keep focused on your main goals, retain flexibility at all costs. And have fun being young... no hurry getting invested and tied down!

[howarth58]

You can not listen to what people say about towns. It is all relative. I almost bought a really nice house on Bank St. in Ware but my job did not go through. The house is listed for $179,000 but I am sure they would take less. Check it out on Realtor.com - it is grey and white colonial.
Good luck, be open minded and do what is right for you.

[ptbagger]

Ware isn't anything to write home about and yes there is reason why the cost of houses are cheaper in towns like Ware, Chicopee etc... I would seriously look at Easthampton or Hadley or even Sunderland. Those communities are small but still offer a decent commute to Amherst or Northampton. I think property values are going to dip a little but will climb back up in 5-10 years. Anything South of Route 9 except say Agawam or Southwick would'nt be a good place to settle even if it is only 10 years.

Good luck

[janiced]

If you want good property values and a nice neighborhood, definitely look at South Deerfield. It's convenient to UMass and has the added advantage of being right off I-91. You would be 20 minutes from Northampton or Greenfield, and about 40 from Springfield. Along with Hadley and Sunderland, it also has some of the lowest property taxes in the area. Hadley's nice once you get away from Route 9, and Sunderland is nice if you stay away from the apartment complexes full of students.
If you want something more rural, check out Whately (just south of Deerfield) or Montague (just north of Sunderland). The southern part of Montague has all the advantages of Leverett without the high property taxes.
Good Luck,
Janice

[VlyRoadKid]

Originally Posted by Xenos

Not sure if this is still a live issue, but looking back on this one thing seems odd. If the reason for coming here to western Mass is UMass, why would you expect to stay after finishing up the degree? There are a lot of economic changes up ahead. Speaking for myself, I love Amherst and it is a great fit for my kids. But we may have to move out of the country in order to keep up with the changes going on. If we had bought a house, we would have a real problem on our hands.

This caught my eye, since I am one of the MANY people who attended UMass or one of the other colleges in the area and simply could not leave! Almost everything about this area made me fall in love with it and stay that way, despite many changes and drawbacks, such as the economic problems and over-development in some areas.

First of all: it's utterly beautiful in The Valley, as it's often called (check out the photo thread!). There is a sense of belonging and quietude that defies description. Then there is the level of diversity, cultural and artistic opportunities and tolerance that is matched in very few other places in the country.

I know people from all over the U.S. who have come here and stayed and whose families have stayed as well, dating back to the 1600's! It's no accident and rarely a question of property values.

Just as some areas tend to drain the life out of you (like my teenage home in Central MA), THIS area tends to GIVE you more energy and spiritual/emotional strength. Even realtors know this as a selling point and often refer to the Valley as a "destination" area--a place people seek out deliberately, often regardless of economic factors.

[gouldmanj]

Originally Posted by VlyRoadKid

This caught my eye, since I am one of the MANY people who attended UMass or one of the other colleges in the area and simply could not leave!

Ah yes, my husband is one of those that lived in THE VALLEY and has been longing to return. He went to grad school at UMass Amherst and now 15 years later we are moving back to the area this summer.

Everyone I speak with about our move, if they have ever lived in the Valley, all say that they wish they could go back, or plan on moving there when they retire, etc. NOT ONE PERSON has said, are you sure you want to move there, or I had a bad experience there, etc.

Gives me high expectations, now if I can just find the right combination of house, lot size, house cost, school, commute, etc. I would be as happy about the move as he is.

[duker8012]

Originally Posted by jessii

I've done a quick search on realtor.com, and came up with some houses in Ware and Chicopee, but I have no idea what those towns are like.

Please reconsider buying a home in Ware. I lived there for almost 2 years and hated every minute of it. First and foremost, Ware is probably a 30-40 minute drive to UMass...come to think of it Ware is a 30-40 minute drive away from almost everything. Second, Ware is one of the dirtiest little towns I've ever been to...unless they've cleaned it up in the last 18 months. I suppose some areas are OK, but even so you're still in the boonies with at least a 30 minute drive to everything. On the positive side South Hadley is a fairly nice town, not far from UMass and I think more reasonably priced than Amherst and Northampton. Someone else mentioned Sunderland as well, that would also be a nice town to look at...