Moving to central MA (unemployment, taxes, island)

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by kgil73

I have been to MA once in my life and visited Marlborough, Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner. Initially considered the Fitchburg area, until I visited and was not impressed in the least. My husband got a job in Marlborough and is living there now, very nice but too pricey, unfortunately. Now I am considering the Grafton/Millbury area. Will also consider a more rural area as the homes seem to be more affordable. I hope to visit again soon to check out these cities.

Grafton might be a good choice for you. Personally, I'd rather live in Grafton than Marlborough.

Scituate Al, do you know that we have oodles of city/town statistics on our homepage? http://www.city-data.com/city/Massachusetts.html

[ro7586]

have you checked out towns in between Worcester and Marlboro? I suggest Hudson, Northboro, Berlin, Shrewsbury.

Hudson: more of an old new england industrial feel. Nice houses and adjacent to Marlborough. Access to 495 (a major north/south interstate) and 290 (east/west serving Worcester and surrounding communities). Not sure about the school system tho...10-15 minutes to marlboro, tops.
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Northborough: out of the four I mentioned, probably the 'nicest' in terms of aestetics. Quiet, New England Town with an old white church and colonial graveyard in the center, the whole nine yards. Direct access to 290 and a quick 5-10 minute drive to 495. The Solomon Pond Mall and the surrounding retail is right there too. Good-Great school district as well. 20 minutes to marlboro on Rt. 20.
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Shrewsbury: closer to worcester so you'll have access to all of Worcester's amazing restaraunts...yum! right on rt. 20, rt. 9 and 290. Good schools they just built a brand new high school about 4 years ago, state of the art) Rt. 9 and all its buisness will have EVERYTHING you need and then some. 25 minutes from Marlboro
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Berlin: very small, quaint, rural / suburban town with access to 495 and 290, close to shopping. You'll see more farms here than any other town. not sure about the schools, but worth checking out. about 30 minutes from marlboro.
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[Lowerdeck]

Originally Posted by ro7586

Berlin: very small, quaint, rural / suburban town with access to 495 and 290, close to shopping. You'll see more farms here than any other town. not sure about the schools, but worth checking out. about 30 minutes from marlboro.
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Correction: Berlin borders Marlboro to the northwest, by the area of the Solomon Pond Road.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by ScituateAl

As for prices, one option is to go for a multi-family. Might not be the most fun after owning your own single family, but is another way to build equity, etc.

Al offers an excellent suggestion. My sister and I bought a 3 flat outside Chicago 12 yrs ago. We went FHA and put very little down. If you're buying a 2 or 3 unit property, you are allowed to use a portion of the rents as income for qualifying purposes which increases the size loan you can get. If you are careful choosing your tenants, it's great. By that I DON't mean discriminating! I just mean non-smoking (important to us), quiet people. I have generally just gone off my impression of the tenant after showing them the apartment and talking to them. We've had very good luck with all our tenants and it's been a godsend. I was laid off last June and only started working again this spring. The rent covers almost all of our principal and interest.

[rossiangels]

hi have you looked at Barre it is a lovely quaint town with an excellent public school system and the housing prices are very reasonable winchendon and gardner are ok if you like city living if not look into may- barre lol very safe very freindly

[Lowerdeck]

Originally Posted by rossiangels

hi have you looked at Barre it is a lovely quaint town with an excellent public school system and the housing prices are very reasonable winchendon and gardner are ok if you like city living if not look into may- barre lol very safe very freindly

Barre might be too far from Marlboro for the OP.

[kgil73]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have looked for a house in about every city within an hours drive from marlborough. Many are too expensive, as I am moving from Elyria, OH, a city where houses are very affordable. You can get a really nice home for $200-$225k, and still live in the city. The same house in MA would go for $300-$400k, as i am learning from searching houses on the internet. I was able to find something in Hubbardston. Can anyone tell me something about this town? Thanks!

[Lowerdeck]

Hubbardston: Rural, up in the hills northwest of Worcester, not near a highway. Commute would be at least an hour if not more, depending on traffic and the weather. I could not imagine it being that great in the winter coming down to Worcester and 290.

[medievalbooks]

Grafton is very nice but expensive, Sterling is same as is Holden. We found a very good and inexpensive place in West Boylston. School system is one of the best - it should be! Shrewsbury might be doable. I aggree that Millbury might be the best choice. Wondering if you should rent out here before settling on a house. That way, you can take your time looking.

medievalbooks

[MassachusettsReloExpert]

Winchendon is a great town. Schools in Massachusetts are all much better than anywhere else in the nation. You will be pleased with the town... it is also very reasonable - you can find a new house there on 5 acres for 275000. Overall impressive town