Possible Bay Area to Mass (Boston, Worcester: cul-de-sac, real estate, apartments)

[sonarrat]

I was born and raised in the Boston suburbs, but came up through a school system in the California Bay Area. Now that I've graduated from college and I'm on my own, I've been thrust into an area with real estate prices at an astonishing all-time high. I'd literally have to stretch to the limit just to own a 30-year old studio condo in the airport flightpath facing a busy freeway. And I miss Mass anyway! So why would I want to seal myself up here?

I don't care about great schools. I'd just like to have a small parcel of land and a modest home in a sort of quaint country setting where I could teach piano, have a pet deer or two, and go to Boston occasionally to see the symphony. Billerica seems to fit on paper but I've also read some not so nice things about it. Would it be realistic to get all of this in my "home" state of Mass?

If I did this, by the way, it would most likely be early 2009. I want to pay off my car first and save up for the move.

[holden125]

It would help to know what kind of a budget you've got. It sounds like you don't need too many bedrooms, etc.

Early 2009 might be an OK time to look, there are projections the prices will drop between now and then.

I assume you mean you want to "adopt" some free-roaming deer who will traipse through your yard on their explorations. I haven't spent that much time in Billerica lately but I don't know that there are too many deer being walked around on leashes.

[sonarrat]

I'd be fairly confident of being able to afford a $200,000 home, but ideal might be closer to $150K. Which, by the way, would barely get me a 100-year-old rancher in the worst part of Oakland here..

And no, I mean pet deer, the way some people have pet goats..

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I'd be fairly confident of being able to afford a $200,000 home, but ideal might be closer to $150K. Which, by the way, would barely get me a 100-year-old rancher in the worst part of Oakland here..

And no, I mean pet deer, the way some people have pet goats..

Housing prices in most of New England are much lower then the SF Bay area- but for 150K even here your choices will be limited to a condo. Boston home prices will be about 50% lower then the Bay area.

You might try eastern Connecticut- where the median home price in many towns is around 225k- As compared to greater Bostons 410K.

Another idea would be western Mass- Sturbridge. Townhouses in eastern CT 2 bedrooms are selling from about 160K and for nice quality.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I'd be fairly confident of being able to afford a $200,000 home, but ideal might be closer to $150K. Which, by the way, would barely get me a 100-year-old rancher in the worst part of Oakland here..

And no, I mean pet deer, the way some people have pet goats..

I am not sure $200,000 would even get you a 100-year-old rancher in the worst part of anywhere in eastern Massachusetts. That's a bit of an exaggeration but not by much. In Billerica there are probably a couple of small houses under 200, but most of what you'd find in that range would be apartments in townhouse complexes.

It seems like a townhouse or condo is not a great fit because it's not exactly conducive to pet deer...You could look west of Boston by quite a bit if you're not planning to come to the city much, but the question then becomes if you could get enough piano students to get by. West of Worcester is your best bet, like Rutland or Southbridge areas.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Housing prices in most of New England are much lower then the SF Bay area- but for 150K even here your choices will be limited to a condo. Boston home prices will be about 50% lower then the Bay area.

You might try eastern Connecticut- where the median home price in many towns is around 225k- As compared to greater Bostons 410K.

Another idea would be western Mass- Sturbridge. Townhouses in eastern CT 2 bedrooms are selling from about 160K and for nice quality.

I don't really want or need a nice new condo or townhome. Most of the real estate inventory here is 100-year-old fixer bungalows anyway, you just pay $800K for them where you might pay $200K in Billerica.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by holden125

I am not sure $200,000 would even get you a 100-year-old rancher in the worst part of anywhere in eastern Massachusetts. That's a bit of an exaggeration but not by much. In Billerica there are probably a couple of small houses under 200, but most of what you'd find in that range would be apartments in townhouse complexes.

It seems like a townhouse or condo is not a great fit because it's not exactly conducive to pet deer...You could look west of Boston by quite a bit if you're not planning to come to the city much, but the question then becomes if you could get enough piano students to get by. West of Worcester is your best bet, like Rutland or Southbridge areas.

Made my last post before reading this.

So it's still expensive, but the median incomes seem to be good enough to support those home prices a lot more than here. It sounds like I just need to plan carefully.

Interesting to note that rent for apartments seems to be about the same as here, maybe marginally lower.

[skytrekker]

Yes

200K in the Hartford area- in a town like Manchester or Vernon gets something much better then near Boston- new homes in Vernon (east of the river) start around 220K- so you can see prices here may be more in your ball park then Boston-which has the highest real estate prices in New England-except for Fairfield county Connecticut.

Good luck.

[twinpod]

I grew up in Marblehead and spent over 20 years in CA (Santa Cruz and the Berkeley area). We moved back east so I could be near my aging parents, get a cheaper house and possibly better schools for my twins who are about to enter kindergarten. We bought a fixer in Albany in 1996; a tiny house on a tiny lot for less than $150k and made a decent profit on it when we sold in 2004. Boston is still expensive for real estate but nothing compared to the Bay Area in my opinion.
In regards to your situation, you are in a different boat than us in terms of not needing a good school system. I'm not knowledgeable about Billerica, but for some reason it doesn't ring a positive bell for me. We're in Franklin which may be too far out for you (although it has a commuter train) and maybe too suburban. I will echo the thought that you may get more for your money the further out you are(and more space). We've also lived in Newburyport which like M'head is expensive but pretty and the commuter train (I've heard) is not as reliable.
If I were single I would look to places like Littleton (country atmosphere, upscale without as big a price tag as Concord) or anywhere on the commuter rail south/west of Boston. Other issues you might have moving from CA to MA is a lack of diversity and nightlife/culture/restaurants. If I wasn't a parent, I'd probably live closer to Boston, but then you're paying more for a house/condo. It all depends on how close to Boston you want to be.
In Franklin, you can get a small house for under $300k and there are lots of kids here who would benefit from piano lessons. There is a 2 year college here(Dean) so it's not completely without people 18-30 but it's not like UCB or Tufts.
Where did you grow up in MA? That might also determine where you'll want to be. I grew up on the north shore and didn't know anything about the south shore, so it's been interesting moving to Franklin. Overall, down here it's more affordable, friendly and has more open space but less scenic in that classic New England way.(Too many cul-de-sacs, less town commons with colonials etc).
That's my two cents, hope I didn't confuse you completely!

[Valerie C]

If you'd be looking to get into Boston only occasionally, consider the westernmost parts or the state, or possibly toward the New Hampshire border. The Groton/Littleton area has beautiful rolling hills, forests, etc. Pet deer, hmmm. Audrey Hepburn comes to mind (remember Pippin, her little fawn?) I'm not at all sure that you are allowed to have pet deer in the Commonwealth, but something you might want to check out, maybe anonymously

There's a saying that comes to mind... "better to ask forgiveness than permission"

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I'd be fairly confident of being able to afford a $200,000 home, but ideal might be closer to $150K. Which, by the way, would barely get me a 100-year-old rancher in the worst part of Oakland here..

And no, I mean pet deer, the way some people have pet goats..