Newlywed First Time Home Owners (Boston, Somerville: condos, new home, neighborhoods)

[dukecrna2014]

We will be moving to the Boston area and we are hoping to find a good suburban neighborhood with easy access to Boston (via T line). I will be working at one of the bigger hospitals as a CRNA, but we have only visited Boston before, so now we'd like a new home owner's perspective of the city and neighborhoods so we can make a wise choice. We will be holding off on kids for a few years, but should probably keep kids in mind. We also come with a labrador so that's another thing to think about Suggestions on neighborhoods and what price range we can expect would be great!!

[donewithpretty]

There's a wide range of suburbs to choose from, so you might need to narrow things down a bit. Do you want leafy, commuter rail, good schools? More urban, bus or train access, lots of shops and restaurants? How many bedrooms? Single family or condo? Artsy/funky or more conservative? Where will you be commuting to?

To take a shot in the dark, I'd suggest looking at condos in the Ball Square neighborhood of Somerville. It's an artsy area with lots of shops, cafes, and young people, plus bus lines to the red line and green line trains. You can also walk to Davis Square (lots of activity, plus a T stop). If you do have kids sooner than later, that neighborhood has one of the few 9/10 elementary schools in the surrounding area (most are 5/10).

A lot of people might recommend Arlington for its mix of suburb and city, but as a newlywed without kids, I find it too expensive.