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My Fiance and I are starting our house hunting process and are figuring out what areas we should be looking in. We both work in Framingham currently, but are looking in these areas:
For commuting to Framingham those are your best bet. All nice towns with good school systems. You could also consider North Framingham (zip code 01701) itself but if schools are a factor of consideration in the future you might leave Framingham off your list. You might possibly find something in Natick as well. Are you new to the area? Please feel free to PM me if you'd like more info about the pros/cons of each town. I've lived in several of these over the years (Lived in Southboro, Hopkinton, Holliston & grew up in Westboro)
We currently rent in Natick (Natick Village), but are now wanting a house. It seems that these communities are the only ones in the area that are affordable (to some extent) and also have good schools, etc.
My boyfriend and I have lived in Shrewsbury for almost 2 years now. I would try searching Shrewsbury, Ashland, Northborough or Westborough. All are very nice areas and close to all major routes. (495, route 9, Mass Pike etc. Happy house hunting!
You might want to consider Marlborough. I rented there for 2 years and enjoyed my stay in that city. In your budget Shrewsbury/Northboro/Marlborough/Ashland look like potential destinations.
You will find Southborough/Westborough/Hopkinton will be beyond your budget, specially if you are going for a single family home.
Actually you can find some deals in Westboro, Hopkinton & Southboro in your price range. Not a ton of inventory but some good finds. Re: Ashland, I'd steer clear of the area near the Superfund site (Pleasant St/Megunco sp?)
You are right on target with the towns you chose and great school systems. Marlboro is less expensive but the schools don't rate anywhere near the other towns.
Southboro will be the priciest, followed by Westboro and Hopkinton, followed by Northboro, Shrewsbury and Holliston.
You could certainly find a home for under $325,000, especially in Northboro and Shrewsbury. As Scarletfire mentioned, there won't be a ton of inventory but they are out there - athough they sell very very quickly.
I realize this was an older post, but I felt obliged to reply. I have to disagree slightly with the exemption of Framingham from your possible search. It has an incredibly convenient location for commuting to Boston, as well as shopping and other amenities. Additionally, Framingham spends more per student than most towns, and has more clubs & sports teams. Additionally students score very well on MCAS and SATs. Personally, I appreciate a little diversity in my town, and I think the schools embrace this diversity via programs like the 2-way billingual program in one elementary school which is considered very successful. Currently, there's school choice at the elementary level which I think is a positive.
My husband and I have bought and sold three homes in Framingham over the years and have always been pleased with our return on investment.
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