Young fun couple with baby moving-- working at Longwood Medical (Boston: real estate, apartments)

[kikag]

We are moving this summer and would like to buy a 2/3 br place with an easy commute to the Longwood area. I'll be working from home so I want proximity to subway into the city and coffee shops/parks. A tall order, I know.

Can spend $500-600K, hate cookie-cutter spaces.

Been reading/hearing JP, Brookline, Newton. Saw places there, Cambridge, W. Roxbury, etc. Am I missing anything obvious? Really liked the JP and Brookline feel.

We speak Spanish and not afraid to be in "up and coming" areas if it will buy us more space.

Thanks!

[holden125]

Not sure what you mean by "cookie-cutter spaces" but JP, Brookline, and maybe Newton are the obvious choices. Cambridge to Longwood is not as convenient as a commute on the 39 bus or D line, with the possible exception of living right on the 47 bus. West Roxbury is a bit tougher than JP to get to Longwood and to downtown Boston. It's also a bit more of a suburban area within the city with a population heavily made up of longtime local residents, and there's less to do there than in JP or Brookline for a young couple. Same is true to a lesser extent to Roslindale, which is between the two. Jackson Square T is a bit shady, Roxbury Crossing is probably safer.

The upside to Brookline is the schools, which compare favorably with trying to maneuver within the city of Boston system. Brookline Village in particular has shops, etc. and is very close to Longwood Medical. Spaces might be smaller in Brookline for the money.

Those are pretty much the options. I was reading a paper a while ago about the need to improve access to Longwood Medical because it's time-consuming to get there from many residential areas. The other bus lines through Longwood go closer to downtown Boston or through Roxbury.

A nice part of Roxbury is the Fort Hill area, but despite the proximity the most direct transit connection to Longwood is to walk up to the 66 bus, which is about 6-7 blocks from Highland Park (or just walk the whole way). The area is more affordable and is generally safe, but there is not much to do there and you also have the schools issue for when the time comes.

[kikag]

Thanks for the great advice-- I think we'll have to set our priorities. If schools are important, we'll have to pay for Brookline, Newton or Belmont it seems. We could move in "phases". Phase 1: JP until our babe is school-age, then shift to a better zone. We saw a few amazing places in JP... renovated Victorians.

[clevedark]

In the Boston Globe today there is an article about an upcoming auction of 40 units at Longwood Towers, a beautiful old apartment building in Brookline that is being renovated. I've been dreaming all morning about buying a unit and renting it out.

If you google it (Longwood Towers) you'll find out more. I can't remember what the floor was for 2 beds.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by clevedark

In the Boston Globe today there is an article about an upcoming auction of 40 units at Longwood Towers, a beautiful old apartment building in Brookline that is being renovated. I've been dreaming all morning about buying a unit and renting it out.

If you google it (Longwood Towers) you'll find out more. I can't remember what the floor was for 2 beds.

Very cool building right across from the Longwood T stop. I knew a guy (a neurologist in one of the hospitals) who lived there in the late 90's. He was paying $1600 for a 1-BR rental at the time, but then they made condos and I heard the building was undergoing extensive work. It's a really striking complex and the lobby is very cool.

[holden125]

The Globe website now has a photo gallery on Longwood Towers making units available at very affordable prices. 2-BR bidding starts at $335K or so:

Longwood Towers going for bottom - Boston.com

[clevedark]

It would be a great deal to get a 2 br for that price. I wonder how high the bidding might go. I've read elsewhere that real estate companies conduct these auctions to set a new price in a declining market. I wonder if you might get a better deal by waiting until the new, lower, listing prices are set at the auction and buy afterwards.

Eh, who knows. DH isn't going for my scheme, anyway, but I'll continue to follow this. Holden, I see you're starting to think about this, too!

[smarty]

Just imagine... those 2 unit owners who bought earlier... I wonder how they feel.

[clevedark]

They're probably hoping someone, anyone, will buy at any price, because barely any units have sold and the whole thing is ailing financially. If it fails they will lose their money and their apartments.