Argghhh... Moving from Brookline, need a house, but where to live? (Boston: sale, renting)

[sna77]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

Don't rule out Westwood so quickly. Westwood is cheaper than Needham and Newton and much cheaper than Wellesley. My wife and I had a lower budget than you and were able to find a reasonably sized (2000 sq. ft 3bd/2ba) house in pretty good shape (you might think it a dump but we like it ;-) ) for under 500k.

Thanks! I have a friend who lives in Westwood--I'll have him show us around town a bit...

[clevedark]

I like Needham, too.

[sna77]

Originally Posted by clevedark

I like Needham, too.

I have yet to see anything liveable in Needham for under $650k

[clevedark]

My standards must be lower than yours.

[sna77]

Originally Posted by clevedark

My standards must be lower than yours.

ha, no I don't think that's it... But after 10 years of living in downtown Boston, Manhattan and now Brookline in small apartments / condos with tiny closets, no storage etc, I think we're just ready to have more space...

[sna77]

Well that was a bit depressing... We looked at 8 houses today in Scituate and Hingham ranging from $500 - $700k and didn't like a single one. Ugh. My wife gave me the "I thought we were moving away from the city to get more for our money..." I was really expecting the properties to be a bit nicer than they were for that $, when in fact it looked very similar to a lot of the junk we saw in Wellesley / Needham at that price point... oyyy

[Beachcomber4]

I'm surprised you didn't see anything in Scituate that was nice in that price range. In Hingham, not so much. You will not get more for your money there as it is probably the most coveted zip code on the South Shore for professionals who commute to Boston. Sorry to hear it was a fruitless day.

Have you looked online at anything in Norwell? Your money will go further than Hingham without a doubt.

What was the problem with the homes you saw? Just curious and it might help in suggesting other areas.

[maggiekate]

West Roxbury, Scituate, westwood, may work

[sna77]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

I'm surprised you didn't see anything in Scituate that was nice in that price range. In Hingham, not so much. You will not get more for your money there as it is probably the most coveted zip code on the South Shore for professionals who commute to Boston. Sorry to hear it was a fruitless day.

Have you looked online at anything in Norwell? Your money will go further than Hingham without a doubt.

What was the problem with the homes you saw? Just curious and it might help in suggesting other areas.

It was not a waste of a day by any means--we got a better understanding of 3 towns there and what our money could and couldn't buy there..

In Hingham we saw a few places that were OK. The most expensive place we saw, 670k, needed work. The older Capes had low ceilings, no master baths, 1 car garages and were just generally cramped.

In Scituate, we saw 2 homes that were much larger, and had been built in the 90s and were in development neighborhoods. They looked nice from outside, but were very disappointing on the inside. Shotty construction, poor build quality and just general laziness by contractors everywhere. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and was just amazed at the poor condition of many of these houses that are selling for $600k and up and an hour outside of the city. I mean, I'd expect this in Newton, but not from towns so far outside of the city...

Regarding Norwell... We just drove through Norwell, and my wife didn't like the feel of the town. There really wasn't much too it at all besides houses, unless we managed to miss the downtown area... Kind of reminded me of Carlisle a bit...

How is Cohasset which was the next town over I believe? There school system is ranked #21 in Boston magazine, but I know nothing about the town...

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by sna77

It was not a waste of a day by any means--we got a better understanding of 3 towns there and what our money could and couldn't buy there..

In Hingham we saw a few places that were OK. The most expensive place we saw, 670k, needed work. The older Capes had low ceilings, no master baths, 1 car garages and were just generally cramped.

In Scituate, we saw 2 homes that were much larger, and had been built in the 90s and were in development neighborhoods. They looked nice from outside, but were very disappointing on the inside. Shotty construction, poor build quality and just general laziness by contractors everywhere. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and was just amazed at the poor condition of many of these houses that are selling for $600k and up and an hour outside of the city. I mean, I'd expect this in Newton, but not from towns so far outside of the city...

Regarding Norwell... We just drove through Norwell, and my wife didn't like the feel of the town. There really wasn't much too it at all besides houses, unless we managed to miss the downtown area... Kind of reminded me of Carlisle a bit...

How is Cohasset which was the next town over I believe? There school system is ranked #21 in Boston magazine, but I know nothing about the town...

I'm hearing you on all counts. The lack of attention to detail and poor grade materials in many new homes amazes me as well.

Norwell is pretty much what you saw. No really quaint, walkable downtown area as you would find in Hingham or Cohasset. Just a nice, old farm town- what makes it special is the people.

Cohasset is gorgeous coastal town with a beautiful downtown area. Check out art work by Donna Greene. She is an intown artist and really captures the essence of the community in her work. Prices are very high here too but not as high as Hingham in all areas. Waterfront is coveted so the outlying areas do not command as high prices. I am not sure if there are "it" areas vs. "undesirable". The town green is the center of community events and again the subject for many artist's renderings. The South Shore Art Center downtown offers well attended programs for adults and children. Little bistros, bakeries and storefronts dot the downtown. As you noted, the schools are well regarded but they do have a reputation for being pressure cookers. Obviously academics are rigorous if the schools are ranked that high. I'm sure someone who lives in the area can clarify.

If you are looking there, you might want to add Duxbury to the mix as well. Another lovely coastal community with excellent schools. But high real estate as well.
Like towns convenient to Boston with great schools are expensive you will find comparable pricing in some towns on the south shore. Just as people will pay a premium to be near the city, there are some people who will pay a premium to be near the ocean. I think that catches a lot of people by surprise.