Moving to MA, Burlington job, where to live? (Boston, Arlington: best town, sales)

[jomas]

You all seem like a helpful bunch, so I have another location I hope you put your 2 cents in about....housing near the Burlington area. I have been looking online, and have also been told housing prices in that area and Bedford are high. Can you give me some names of towns to look at where the commute would be 30-40 minutes (job located around Burlington Mall). I prefer a price range between 300-400, but have been looking in the 400's because reality is setting in. One of our top criteria is finding a good middle school and high school. We're not ruling out NH living either, so any information you can share would be great.

[Valerie C]

Hi Jomas Here's my 2 cent's worth... You've been told correctly that this area is still commanding high prices for real estate (though somewhat lower than 2006 and 2007). What part of the country are you coming to New Engand from? As a Realtor in MA & NH, I've seen responses to the prices here to be either thrilled to get so much for the $$ OR "shocked and awed" at how much they'll have to give up by coming here. That area of Massachusetts seems to be a bit more insulated from the rash of foreclosures that are common in less well to do areas, but Buyers are definitely able to get some relative bargains.

Some of the best schools in the Burlington area are (in no particular order) Bedford, Lexington and of course Winchester. Buying the worst house in the best town is always a better idea than the reverse.

Should you decide to give New Hampshire a shot, your best route to Burlington will be Route 3, and one of the best school districts in southern NH is super convenient Hollis. Amherst (Souhegan High) is up there as well, but that would add 10-15 minutes onto the commute. Another nice community in NH is Windham, and although it's listed as a 35 minute commute to Burlington, don't believe it for a minute. You do NOT want to be on Route 93 heading south in the morning...

Also, you may have heard that NH does not have an income tax or sales tax. Keep in mind that if you work in NH and live in MA, you WILL be paying MA income tax (5.3%). Also while NH's property taxes are significantly higher than MA, MA propety values are somewhat higher. Lots of differences between the 2 states (services, insurance prices, etc) so you'll want to be sure you're comparing apples to apples.

Ok, that's my .02 worth Looking forward to seeing more opinions

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

Also, you may have heard that NH does not have an income tax or sales tax. Keep in mind that if you work in NH and live in MA, you WILL be paying MA income tax (5.3%).

Just to clarify, I think Valerie, in a very helpful post, also meant to say that if you live in NH and work in MA, you will pay MA income tax.

The towns Valerie mentioned in NH are all very nice. It is more rural away from Boston and in most NH towns, while the area between Burlington and Boston is much more built up. Burlington is kind of the cusp between the built-up metropolitan area and the beginning of more rural locales. Fortunately for you, Burlington is much closer to more affordable towns than downtown Boston is.

Burlington, Bedford, Concord, and Carlisle, and most of the places closer to Boston will be expensive. Within MA, one town not that far from Burlington that gets good reviews is Westford. Acton and Boxboro may be a bit more expensive than Westford but their schools are also highly regarded and residents are generally happy with the towns. The Acton-Boxboro High School was renovated and expanded a few years ago and the high school football team is one of the state's most storied.

[maggiekate]

have you checked Arlington out? Also why not rent for now.

[Valerie C]

Whoops!!! Thanks Holden for keeping me honest--that's exactly what I meant to say

Originally Posted by holden125

Just to clarify, I think Valerie, in a very helpful post, also meant to say that if you live in NH and work in MA, you will pay MA income tax.

[jomas]

Thank you all for your good advice and tips. And Valerie, I understood what you meant. We've been doing research and asking questions about the whole NH vs MA living. I have family up that way, but none live in MA, so they had no clue about schools, nice towns, etc. I really appreciate all your advice. Please, keep it coming. In the meantime, I will check out those towns mentioned.

About renting, it's always a consideration, but once the kids start school, I don't want to move them out of that district, so if we move only once, than that would be less unsettling for all of us. It's hard though to know the best thing to do. I guess if we get to MA and can't find a house, then we would definitely have to rent.

[jomas]

Hello everyone, I checked out the houses in NH (very nice) and the ones in the MA towns mentioned. I was really bummed about what's on the market in the MA towns. I put in the following criteria: $300-500, 4bd, 2200+ sq ft. A handful of houses pop up in the high 400's, but none that I would want to buy. Could it be this time of the year, not much is on the market?

We've had a good life in the military, and I am struggling with wondering if we are making the right decision starting over in MA. I will continue to seek your advice, so please keep it coming.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by jomas

Hello everyone, I checked out the houses in NH (very nice) and the ones in the MA towns mentioned. I was really bummed about what's on the market in the MA towns. I put in the following criteria: $300-500, 4bd, 2200+ sq ft. A handful of houses pop up in the high 400's, but none that I would want to buy. Could it be this time of the year, not much is on the market?

We've had a good life in the military, and I am struggling with wondering if we are making the right decision starting over in MA. I will continue to seek your advice, so please keep it coming.

I'm not sure what you're looking for in a house beyond what you specified, but I took a quick look online and found some nice looking 4BRs in Westford for 425-475.

Beyond that is a bigger issue. A lot of people in New England live in homes that are older and a bit smaller than elsewhere in the US. The McMansion that sells for $250K in Texas will be almost a million here. Obviously making regular payments on a home, and figuring out how much you'll have left to live on afterward, are important issues. In my opinion, though, there's a lot more to determining whether MA is right for you than the house hunt.

I'm completely biased but to me there are so many positives to this area that I'd rather pay more for 1900 square feet here than for 4900 somewhere else. Other people move to Mass. and don't really like it for various reasons. The place is definitely unique and it really calls out to some people and not to others; that's a bigger question than even the right sized house.

I've spent a good amount of time in New York City and in Europe, where you're amazed how much it costs for how little space. But you can learn to organize your things a little differently and make a slightly smaller space work. If you love it in New England as much as I do, you might be laughing in a couple of years that you were doubting the whole plan because you might end up with a house of 2000 sq ft instead of 2200.

Good luck and I hope you're happy with wherever you end up

[jomas]

Thanks Holden, I needed to hear that. I realize we will not get the kind of house we can get elsewhere. I will look again at those Westford houses and try to have more of an open mind.

I'll have to look you up in a couple of years, and you can say, I told you so!

[Valerie C]

I agree with Holden on this one. It's REALLY important that you take alot of things into serious consideration. Where are you coming to the area from? The cost of living here is substantially higher than in many other areas of the country. It's also less than some areas, but I'll leave that for you to determine...

Regarding the current inventory, this is typically the slowest time of year, and also the typical time for bargains. People generally don't put their home on the market in November thru February unless they have to (relo, divorce, etc.) Especially this year, with all of the foreclosures, doom and gloom on the daily national morning shows, etc. many are chosing to wait and see if things improve in the 1st quarter of 2009.

I also wouldn't go too crazy over the square footage, and in fact would omit it from your search. Gross living area is what is listed, and some of this may be below ground finished area. Also, many listings don't show the square footage, but it's easy enough to estimate with you know the house style, typical additions, etc.

I don't want to talk you out of coming here, but there are definite considerations that you need to make for your family...