Possible relocation to Woburn area-Please help! (Boston, Malden: condos, how much, houses)

[Finkwick]

Hi all. I am looking at a possible move from New York state to a job in the Woburn area. Need a starting point on where to look for a residence. Here are the facts. Age is mind 30's. Looking for a house in the $350k or below range. Children age 2 and 3. Looking for a more rural type area with open space. Good schools a must. Where do I begin?

[jasongesing]

It is tough to find very much open space in the immediate vicinity of Woburn, as it is in such close proximity to Boston. Towns with good schools that are close by include Stoneham, Winchester, and Lexington - however these tend to be pretty pricey. You may want to consider looking in Billerica. The schools in Billerica are quite good, and in some areas, you can get a pretty good sized lot.

-Jason

[DG001]

Not sure where in NY you are moving from, but I can say that homes in this area $350K or below are few and far between - and definitely not with a lot of space - you would be lucky to find a 1/4 acre.

About an hour's commute would get you the space, but you would still be way off on budget.

Homes in Winchester and Lexington start at around $500K, and that is for a 1500 sq foot single family with a 1/4 acre - the price is mostly for the good schools and proximity to Boston.

You might look at Wilmington or Tewksbury - the commute from there should not be too bad in the morning (however, evening commute will still be pretty tough, mostly because of all the people working in Boston driving back up). The schools are decent (not excellent, but pretty good). Woburn itself is also a pretty good choice, but I think there too anything decent will start at around $400K, unless you are looking at condos.

Not to be discouraging, but that is pretty much the reality all of us looking for homes face. Good luck in your search.

[Beantown_mama]

I think it is going to be tough to have some "open space" near Woburn at $350K without going pretty far. I agree that Wilmington, Tewksbury, or maybe Littleton may work for you? I am not sure how much houses cost there.

Good luck!

[BriInNH]

i would look in Southern New Hampshire if you want something more rural, reasonably nice, yet near 350k.

[jewels922]

I am from Woburn and was a realtor here for about 10 years. West Woburn has larger lots than the other areas of Woburn (older sections) North, South End, East Woburn. You should also look at Wakefield, Stoneham and Reading. All nice surrounding towns. If you want more land you should look at Wilmington and Tewksbury.

[BriInNH]

Let's be honest - unless you get very very lucky, you can get a glorifed shack, with a nice lot of land, for under 350k in Mass.

[brightdoglover]

You can do quite well for under $$350K and significantly less in Littleton. Modest houses, yes, but a very rural feel. Not the greatest commute to Woburn, but it can be done. Check realtor.com for an idea of pricing. Good community, good school system, very family-oriented.

[Serenity141]

I spend a lot of time in Stoneham, Wakefield, Melrose, Woburn, Winchester, and Medford on the Winchester line. While I wouldn't describe any of them as having rural, wide-open spaces, I do think that they are all worth considering.

All of them offer nice neighborhoods. Medford itself is a pretty good size city, most of it...very city-like. However, the area I am thinking of that borders the Fells Reservation land, where I used to live, is a nice neighborhood with mostly single family homes. (The Fells has miles of off-road bike trails and walking paths.)

I also lived in Stoneham, and my best friend lived in Wakefield. Both are close to Woburn (very easy, stress-free commute to Woburn) and offer nice neighborhoods. Melrose, which borders Wakefield, Stoneham and Malden, also has some nice neighborhoods and is an easy commute. Melrose and Stoneham are slightly southeast of Woburn so you actually are traveling against the morning highway traffic instead of with the traffic heading to Boston.

And Woburn itself, while many parts are congested, also has some nice areas with yards. Woburn has Horn Pond, which is a great place to take kids or walk your dog. You can't swim there but it has walking paths, bathrooms (open in the summer months only) and often an ice cream vendor. The pond is home to swans, ducks and other wildlife, and it's fun to visit when all of the new ducklings are swimming in a row behind their parents....so cute. HORN POND MAP

There are currently 86 houses listed for $350k or less just in Stoneham, Melrose, Wakefield and Woburn. Will you likely get a huge yard? No. But most have some yard and often a playground close by.

I don't know if commuting is an issue for you, but the traffic heading towards Boston can be brutal on any of the major highways. So if you live north of Woburn, keep this in mind because you would be heading south towards Boston with all of the Boston commuters, even though Woburn is north of Boston. People commute all the way from New Hampshire to Boston (I don't know how they keep their sanity.) One small accident or a snowstorm can cause the traffic to come to a dead stop for miles. I know, I've been stuck in it--that's why I now live near my job! There is also a lot of traffic where 93 and 95 intersect (right in the Woburn area).

For this reason I would recommend at least looking at some of the areas mentioned above and compare them to the areas that may offer more yard space.

Lastly, in the event that you might be interested, there is an awesome Catholic church in Wakefield, St. Joseph's, that has a grammar school attached. Really wonderful community of people and lots of activities for youth.

Good luck with your move.

[kmann-sherborn]

For my money, I'd see about driving a little further and checking out Hamilton & Wenham, both have tons of open space, good size yards, well regarded schools & are both very pretty rural communities. You'd be looking at a small home, maybe 1500 sq ft or so & there isn't a ton of inventory to pick from, but it sounds like the type of community you're looking for. However, the downside would be the commute. Unless you could find a way to avoid Rt 128, it would not be a fun ride.