Moving to Massachusetts, any help would be great.............. (Brockton, Quincy: relocating, for sale)

[Homer12]

My company is relocating me to Mass. I live in Eastern CT now so it is not that far, but I do not know the area. I have only been is CT for a little over 2 years. I will be working in West Roxbury most of the time. My other areas I will be in once in a while are Norwood, Avon, Quincy, Brockton, Canton, Rockland, and Tauton. Anyway, my wife and I have 18 month old twin boys and although we do not usually stay in one spot for to long, we want to make sure the schools are good. We do not care much for clubs or bars, we like a quiet town for the most part. We do want to live in a nice neighborhood for the kids, one with other young kids. We live about 20 minutes from the grocery store now, my wife wants to live a little closer. We are looking to spend in the 500's, would love to spend less, but I do not think it is possible. We also prefer New Construction, but would considere a house a year or 2 old. So far we have a couple areas we like, but we do not know them well. We liked Norton, Plainville, Franklin, and parts of Attleboro and North Attleboro. All are about 30 minute commute that I do not mind at all. Any thoughts? Is there any tax difference between the counties of Plymouth, Bristol, and Norfolk? One other thing, we have a car tax in CT, does Mass have anything like this I should know about? Sorry for the long post, the move is going to happen in the next month or so and I want to do as much homework as I can.

Thanks,
Bill

[surfingatwork]

we pay an excise tax each year on our cars. as for tax differences between counties it more like tax differences between towns. every town has there own tax rate per 1000. i live in lakeville and my tax rate is something like $8.50 or $9.00/1000 (forget the exact number right now). I've never lived in any of the towns you're looking in so I can't really help you there. good luck.

[CaseyB]

The tax rate is set by the individual city/towns, not the county. The excise tax on vehicles is $25.00 per $1,000 of value, payable yearly.

Out of the towns you listed, Franklin has the best schools, if you can stand the commute. Attleboro schools are not good.

I really think you should reconsider the new construction vs. existing because there are some really good buys out there. If you are working in West Roxbury, I'd look at the towns along 1A, skipping over Dedham and Norwood.
Look at Walpole, Norfolk, Wrentham. Foxborough might be good, too.

[Homer12]

Thanks for the replys, I will look into the 1A towns. Is 1A a road I could take up to West Roxbury and get there almost as fast as 95? How are the schools in Walpole, Norfolk, and Wrentham? I will start to check those areas out. Thanks

[Homer12]

I will take your advice and check out some resales. In the past my wife and I have always gone New Construction because it actually seemed to be cheaper in both Connecticut and New York. Plus you can pick your options and not have to worry about much for a while except decorating and landscaping, both of which we love to do.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by Homer12

I will take your advice and check out some resales. In the past my wife and I have always gone New Construction because it actually seemed to be cheaper in both Connecticut and New York. Plus you can pick your options and not have to worry about much for a while except decorating and landscaping, both of which we love to do.

Here's a link to the most recent school test scores: http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/mcas/

The reason new construction is so expensive here is the cost of land. If a builder has to pay $200 - $250k for a lot, he's not going to want to build a house that goes for $450. Also, there's an awful lot of houses for sale around here.

From Walpole, Norfolk + Wrentham you can get on 95N or stay on Rte 1 to West Roxbury. Westwood would be good too, but I think that's a little more $$$ than you'd want to spend, unless you found a desperate seller.

[puffle]

Thanks, CaseyB. The website was very interesting for us, since we are also trying to decide where to live.

[Homer12]

puffle, where are you looking and where are you coming from? Have you been looking for long? Any advice on areas to stay away from? Thanks

[puffle]

Originally Posted by Homer12

puffle, where are you looking and where are you coming from? Have you been looking for long? Any advice on areas to stay away from? Thanks

Hi Homer,
We are looking at Acton,Westford,Lexington and Hingham. We are coming from So. California but lived in Lexington in 2005. Have been researching since last year, off and on as you can see from past threads. I know more of where to go than to stay away from. Areas close to the West Roxbury area that might work with good schools and close shopping might be Hopkinton,Westborough,Holliston,Needham,Ashland,an d Medfield. If you are interested in being near the shore, I would look at Hingham which is a good investment right now in your range. Schools really won't be an issue for quite awhile especially if you move around alot. I only know about the towns with good schools since I have a teenager. Lots easier without that worry. Try not to over think it and just figure out what the most important things that you need are. If you live near public transportation, you will have it easier depending on what you do for a living.

[Homer12]

Thanks Puffle,
I guess you are right about the schools, still 3-4 years away from that and the longest I have stayed in one area was 4 years. I will check out Hingham. I will not be taking Public Transportation, will be driving. Thanks and good luck with your search.