Suggestions South of Boston (Midway between Boston and Providence) (Attleboro: for sale, to rent)

[ccmd00d]

Hi All,

Since graduating college in '06 I have been living at home in Johnston, RI, and commuting 1 1/2 hrs to Boston for work (it's getting old!) I have been also saving as much as possible to get eventually move out. I believe there is a fairly high chance that I spend the rest of my working career in the Boston area even if not at the same job, so I am looking to move South of Boston close to the midway point between Providence and Boston as all my family resides in RI.

I have done some quick research on Mansfield, Norton, and Easton so far. I would like to be within a 10-15 min drive to a commuter station (i think the two in the area are Mansfield and Sharon).

Just some background info...I am 25, have a serious girlfriend, with family plans say in the next 5 years. I would not be completely against a condo / town home community with a "neighborhood" setting. One problem i do see is that Mass is definitely more expensive than RI and looking at ~250k.

Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated!

[holden125]

The towns you named are good choices. I think Sharon is little more high end than Mansfield, but Mansfield is a nice town. As I understand it there are condos there under $250,000 right now. Since you're only 25 and looking to move to a new town, you might benefit from renting for a year or two while deciding if you actually want to take the step of buying in this place. You may also save some on income taxes if you work and live in MA, since RI tax is higher than MA at income over $35,000 or something and you pay the difference to RI. If you do buy, mortgage interest deductions, etc. may give you more cash to live on than you have now.

You might also look in Walpole. It's on the other train line (Franklin line), which is slower, but it's closer so maybe about the same train time as Mansfield. Bear in mind that you have to go to work every day, and a drive on the weekend to see the family won't take all that long, so you might want to inch closer to Boston. Sharon to South Station is 30-35 mins train time, plus time getting to the train station in Sharon, plus a little buffer so you don't miss the train, plus time getting from South Station to work. So you might get the 1.5 hours down to an hour. Obviously, though, a good town closer to Boston will cost more. So you might want to rent and give it more time to decide and to research.

[ccmd00d]

Thank you for the quick reply!

I do somewhat agree with the idea of renting for a bit, however I am hoping to take advantage of the $8,000 credit for first time home buyers which means i would need to buy by the end of the year. Also, my rent now is essentially 0 since I'm living at home so it's hard to justify moving out and not own...ha so stressed.

I will add Walpole to my list, though.

[nate14ri]

i like attleboro too

[holden125]

Originally Posted by nate14ri

i like attleboro too

Gotta say, not a fan. If you've spent most of your life in the Providence area, you probably have been through Attleboro at some point, so I leave it to you. Also too far from Boston. Hardly worth moving if you're only going that much closer.

[ccmd00d]

Originally Posted by holden125

Gotta say, not a fan. If you've spent most of your life in the Providence area, you probably have been through Attleboro at some point, so I leave it to you. Also too far from Boston. Hardly worth moving if you're only going that much closer.

I would have to agree. I take the train from South Attleboro right now (about 20-25 min drive) from Johnston and depending on where I would live in Attleboro, it would essentially only save maybe 15 min off my commute. More north will be the way to go for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[lrfox]

I'm not an Attleboro fan, but North Attleboro is much nicer and still has the same rail access. Mansfield, Sharon, Norton, and Easton are also great choices.

[CaseyB]

No, North doesn't have the train, I think there used to be one a number of years ago. You have to drive to So. Attleboro or Mansfield now.

To the OP, I'd look in Walpole 1st. I saw some nice townhomes for sale there last year in the low $300's, so maybe something like that would be priced even lower by now.

[ccmd00d]

Thank you all for the info / suggestions. I believe i am primarily going to focus on a condo / townhouse in these areas again due to $$ limitations. Does anyone know / recommend or know where i can find a list of complexes (rather than individual listings) in the above mentioned towns to get a feel where some are located?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by ccmd00d

Does anyone know / recommend or know where i can find a list of complexes (rather than individual listings) in the above mentioned towns to get a feel where some are located?

No, but if you look up individual listings through boston.com they will have the address and a map showing location.