How to find a realtor? (Boston, Cambridge: real estate, renting, houses)

[kdjack]

Hi Everyone! I already have a thread going in the Boston forum about finding the right suburb of Boston for my family, but one of my questions is how to find the right realtor?

My husband is negotiating a contract with a company in Cambridge and we will be looking to relocate this summer. I'm currently in Chicago and have never been to Boston. So far with all the commuting issues, school ranks, housing costs, etc. we haven't been able to choose one local to search. My question is how do I find a realtor who can talk knowledgeably about towns from Beverly to Melrose to Acton to Hopkinton (for example!)? We want to make the best choice on so many factors, and although we'll have to come out for a visit, I doubt we'll have enough time to explore the area well. Since most realtors tend to focus on a smaller geographic area, I'm unsure how to find someone who knows a broader area.

I have been using redfin.com as a search tool, but their agents also tend to focus on local areas which would mean I have to work with several different people to look at properties in different areas. Any thoughts are appreciated!

[gf2020]

No offense to any Realtor who may chime in on this thread, but I don't think you can find one agent who can speak knowledgeably about that broad of an area.

I would suggest narrowing your search and then find an agent. If your husband is working in Cambridge then you really want to be looking to the northwest out Route 2 or north up route 93 or Route 1. See, I've just eliminated Hopkinton from your list!

Your budget, school requirements and need for different services will very quickly narrow the choices. Ask here about specific communities and I am sure you will find a great new location for your family.

[kdjack]

Originally Posted by gf2020

No offense to any Realtor who may chime in on this thread, but I don't think you can find one agent who can speak knowledgeably about that broad of an area.

I would suggest narrowing your search and then find an agent. If your husband is working in Cambridge then you really want to be looking to the northwest out Route 2 or north up route 93 or Route 1. See, I've just eliminated Hopkinton from your list!

Your budget, school requirements and need for different services will very quickly narrow the choices. Ask here about specific communities and I am sure you will find a great new location for your family.

Thanks for that info! And I kind of already agree. The problem is the commute time. My hubby would like to keep it under 45 mins, and although I understand that and would like to keep the commute short, I'm having a hard time finding a 4br/2ba with good schools in that commute time. Suggestions so far have been for places like Lexington, Winchester, Belmont and Arlington to have the good schools and shorter commute. But finding a house around 500K there is pretty tough. (As we're in negotiations I don't have a final budget, but doubt I can stretch to the 650k+ that seems necessary there) I've been looking at Melrose and Lynnfield and Reading/North Reading and have found a few things but most of the homes in our price range that suit our needs tend to be in places like Marlborough, North Andover, and places along the 495 like Harvard and Littleton. I'm really nervous that those are all just too far with traffic.

Any added thoughts would be appreciated.

[Beantown_mama]

We had the same problem,we moved from out of town (the Midwest), and neither of us knew anything about the Boston area. We really liked Natick, Braintree, Melrose and West Roxbury, because we liked towns that had commuter rail/MBTA opportunities. Nothing all that close. First, we went to open houses in all of the towns for awhile, to get the feel of houses and prices in those towns. We then narrowed it down to 2 towns, and we got a real estate agent for both of those towns who really took us to a lot of places. We ended up choosing Melrose because we fell in love with a house that was within walking distance of the commuter rail and only a little over a mile to the Oak Grove T stop.

By the way, we rented for a year in downtown Boston before we bought a house. We didn't really want to be rushed in the decision as to where to buy a house and live permanently.

As far as those towns, I guess it depends on where you are working. If you are working downtown or in Cambridge, North Andover, Marlborough, Harvard and Littleton would be a really bad commute, I wouldn't recommend it. Does 'suit your needs' mean new construction? If that is the case, it will be very hard to find a house within the 128 corridor, because a lot of the housing stock is super old (there is a reason This Old House started in the Boston area).

[kdjack]

Originally Posted by Beantown_mama

By the way, we rented for a year in downtown Boston before we bought a house. We didn't really want to be rushed in the decision as to where to buy a house and live permanently.

As far as those towns, I guess it depends on where you are working. If you are working downtown or in Cambridge, North Andover, Marlborough, Harvard and Littleton would be a really bad commute, I wouldn't recommend it. Does 'suit your needs' mean new construction? If that is the case, it will be very hard to find a house within the 128 corridor, because a lot of the housing stock is super old (there is a reason This Old House started in the Boston area).

As far as "suits our needs" I don't mean new construction. I have 3 boys though and really want at least 2.5 baths-do not want to share a bath with them any longer!-with a yard. Also I'd rather not buy a home that hasn't been updated at all as that means a lot of cash outlay even if we do the work ourselves. I'm not opposed to the work, but rather, closer in the homes in our range seem to still have baths/carpet/kitchen/ or something else that are seriously out of date. Alternatively I'll find a house that is more period, and I like those also, but I start worrying about the updates (heat, roof, wiring, etc.) as again, those in our price range tend to look a bit more rundown. As the hubby's new job will be time intensive in the beginning, there won't be the time to put in to do some remodeling.

As far as renting, I don't mind the concept, but with 3 kids in school, 1 in jr. high, I hate the thought of moving and moving again. We have already moved once in the last year, and my oldest has changed schools so many times, I'm trying my hardest to avoid that. (He has some special needs and getting IEP's in place takes time.) Hopefully my hubby will be able to look around a bit as he will likely be there first (working in Cambridge, but not near Kendall Square) but I will be back in Chicago so it's not as easy to make a decision. Hence my hope for a good realtor!

[gf2020]

I live in Lynnfield if I can provide any feedback on that town. Inventory is a little tight in town now, but you should find something pretty decent for $650K come Spring.

Reading would be another good choice for access to Cambridge.

50 minutes to an hour is a pretty typical commute in the Boston area.

[kdjack]

gf2020, how do you like Lynnfield? I've heard a lot of good things about it and have had many posters suggest it as an alternative to the metrowest towns. I have also looked at Melrose, Middleton, Beverly, Stoneham, Wilmington, pretty much anything N/NW that has good schools, some with longer commutes than others, so any insight you have on the general area would be great!

Any places to avoid? Or neighborhoods that are better than others?

[capecodcathy]

kdjack: Would your husband prefer public transportation? If he's driving to Cambridge, Middleton and Beverly would be a tough commute. Beverly does, however, have a commuter rail station. Lynnfield and neighboring Wakefield are nice, but also a tough commute.
Honestly, any commute into Cambridge will probably be tough unless you live right on the Red Line. The commuter rail from the North will bring you into North Station and then it would be two transfers to the Orange and then the Red Line. Even that would be better than driving, though. I did that commute for many years (Salem to Cambridge) and it was at least and hour and a half.
As a former Realtor, I agree that you will not find one single Realtor who can cover the geographical area you're looking at. Also agreed that you should narrow your search and then find someone to help.
Is there some reason that you have ruled out South of Boston/Cambridge?

[kdjack]

Originally Posted by capecodcathy

kdjack: Would your husband prefer public transportation? If he's driving to Cambridge, Middleton and Beverly would be a tough commute. Beverly does, however, have a commuter rail station. Lynnfield and neighboring Wakefield are nice, but also a tough commute.
Honestly, any commute into Cambridge will probably be tough unless you live right on the Red Line. The commuter rail from the North will bring you into North Station and then it would be two transfers to the Orange and then the Red Line. Even that would be better than driving, though. I did that commute for many years (Salem to Cambridge) and it was at least and hour and a half.
As a former Realtor, I agree that you will not find one single Realtor who can cover the geographical area you're looking at. Also agreed that you should narrow your search and then find someone to help.
Is there some reason that you have ruled out South of Boston/Cambridge?

So the reason my husband is considering driving is twofold. First, the company has it's own free parking. Secondly, he is at least 10 mins from any easy transit stop at his office. (When I look at the mbta site, it looks like a triangle with stops along Mass. Ave from MIT up to Brookline, with stops all the way down Brookline to Memorial Dr. He is on the one side of the triangle without a single stop. It easily adds 10-15 mins on foot from any transit he takes.)

The reason I would say we have ruled out Cambridge proper or South of Boston is the 3 kids and the dog! For fear of getting slammed by someone about schools, I just don't see that the area there is that great. I'm not particularly interested in living in an overly urban area and think we probably cannot afford to live on that side of Cambridge within a reasonable commuting distance where it is slightly less urban with good schools. I've looked at Watertown, Brookline and Braintree and can find very few if any homes within our budget. Frankly, it's easier to find those further out with a crappy commute. I don't have high hopes for the housing prices dropping over the spring, so that leaves me looking just about anywhere I can afford. Thoughts?

[capecodcathy]

I can't speak for west of town, but I've lived both North and South and now, obviously, the Cape. In addition to the cities/towns North of Boston you've previously mentioned, I'd take a look South and Southwest. Canton, Dedham, Norwood. A little further South, but still on the Commuter rail, Middleborough, Carver (although they both are a little more rural. Still, check them out). On another commuter rail line......Hingham, Rockland and down to Plymouth.
I understand about the free parking..I had that, as well........the problem is GETTING to that free parking. I found it much more efficient and less stressful to leave my car at home and take the T.
I'd suggest going to the MBTA's website, click on the commuter rail map, and check out the towns along those lines. Coming into either North or South Station, hubby will have basically the same commute.....depending on how far out you go.
That being said, there are some towns along those commuter rail lines that you probably want to avoid. The ones you've already mentioned are fine.