from the netherlands to Winchester (Boston, Cambridge: apartment, rentals, buying a house)

[brakkie35]

hello there,

I have accepted a job offer in Winchester MA. From the start of April 1th I will be in the usa every month, to sort things out.
After this, we could move from Holland to the USA, Can anyone tell me more about Winchester? Also looking for information on renting a family home. Have not found anything on the internet yet. Last but not least, what is a good salary info for this regions, diificult to compare, because we are used to the euro.

Thanks

Justin

[LovelyBoston]

For salaries: that depends so muc on your job and training and experience, that it is really impossible to give anything specific without knowing more. But, in order to be comfortable in this area, without children, I'd generally want at least $50k. On that salary, buying a house is more or less out of the picture, but you can rent in that price range comfortably. For something more specific and probably more helpful, let us know what type of job you have and would have if you moved here.

I really don't know anything about Winchester, except that it is a fairly decent commute into Boston. It is in a good area.

If you are looking to rent a home rather than an apartment, look in the yellow pages online to find some realtors; calling a local realtor will probably be the best bet for rental houses. You can also check out http://www.townonline.com/winchester for more info on the town and to look for local realtors.

[scarletfire]

Welcome to Massachusetts!

I don't know much about the area of Winchester but http://boston.craigslist.org/about/apts.html is a good source for rentals.

Best of luck,
Leslie

[ChunkyMonkey]

Welcome!

Winchester is actually one of the more expensive towns in the Boston area. The reason is that it has a very good school system, close proximity to Boston and Cambridge (2 or 3 stops by commuter rail, and close to I-93) and beautiful nature nearby (Middlesex Fells). It has a quite vibrant quaint town center that is very walkable. Expect to pay for houses in the 500,000+ range for decent house not in the best part of Winchester. The nice leafy streets close to the town center will cost you upwards of 700,000+ to well over 1 million dollars. However, youu can get cheaper housing in the surrounding towns such as Medford, Arlington and Stoneham.

Check out the town's website at www.winchestermass.org

[Parsec]

Yes, craigslist as someone pointed out is the best place to get an idea of rental prices in the area. Just go to the Boston apts for rent section and type in "Winchester house". Also, for salary, a recent study by the US government said the typical married couple with 2 kids would require a combined salary of $68,000 per year just to rent a modest home and buy items necessary to live in the Boston metro area. If you want to see how your salary compares to others in the area for your particular job, go to www dot salary dot com.