Moving from MI - Looking for target areas (Boston, Worcester: to rent, condos)

[gr8pyrz]

My husband and I were born and raised in MI but I have wanted to live in the NE since I was a teen. We've not been able to get out of MI thus far, but are aiming for next May/June to finally make the leap.

We will be moving on a very tight budget since the main reason for leaving is our inability to create and sustain a stable life here. My husband has been in construction but will be graduating from the police academy next April. I am currently working on my MBA and have worked consistently in various industries. Our history of rolling lay-off's and downsizings goes back 10yrs so we have nothing built here. We're ready for a fresh start - it's more than time to move on!

We're childfree, dog people, looking to get out of the "suburb city" atmosphere but we don't need dirt road rural either. Our ideal location would be 30-45min outside of Boston where we can access good jobs but also live in a quiet area with good access to parks.

We will be renting our house out here since there is no chance of selling it. We are hoping to buy something cheap out there to get established since we have multiple pets (we assume renting will be more of a challenge).

We're hoping to come out for a long weekend over the holidays to check out neighborhoods and check out the commutes, etc.

If anyone can recommend areas we should check out, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[brent s]

Originally Posted by gr8pyrz

My husband and I were born and raised in MI but I have wanted to live in the NE since I was a teen. We've not been able to get out of MI thus far, but are aiming for next May/June to finally make the leap.

We will be moving on a very tight budget since the main reason for leaving is our inability to create and sustain a stable life here. My husband has been in construction but will be graduating from the police academy next April. I am currently working on my MBA and have worked consistently in various industries. Our history of rolling lay-off's and downsizings goes back 10yrs so we have nothing built here. We're ready for a fresh start - it's more than time to move on!

We're childfree, dog people, looking to get out of the "suburb city" atmosphere but we don't need dirt road rural either. Our ideal location would be 30-45min outside of Boston where we can access good jobs but also live in a quiet area with good access to parks.

We will be renting our house out here since there is no chance of selling it. We are hoping to buy something cheap out there to get established since we have multiple pets (we assume renting will be more of a challenge).

We're hoping to come out for a long weekend over the holidays to check out neighborhoods and check out the commutes, etc.

If anyone can recommend areas we should check out, I'd greatly appreciate it.

What is your budget? It is tough to recommend areas without knowing that.

Also with the jobs, your husband may find it difficult to find a job out here in law enforcement. Couple high paying law enforcement jobs with budget cuts, and openings can be very hard to come by.

[heather3]

I would look 30+ miles outside of Boston. We are currently looking to move up there and noticed the areas with schools that rate above an 8 (on a scale of 1-10) are more expensive to live in than ones that rate below that. With that being said, I would look at google maps of an area, say Westborough, MA, and go from there. You can get a good sense of the layout of all the towns/cities by moving around those maps. Since you are renting and have a dog, you may want to do a search on something like realtor.com or trulia.com and make sure you click the "rental" box (if there is one), so you can get a sense of the prices in that area.
Of course, this all depends on where your husband will be working within the state...it may be cheaper for you to live in a place like NH!

[gr8pyrz]

Our budget would be about 100-130k.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by gr8pyrz

Our budget would be about 100-130k.

Housing is Massachusetts is very expensive, especially in the Boston suburbs.

[proudestmonkey]

Originally Posted by gr8pyrz

Our budget would be about 100-130k.

Renting may be a challenge, but maybe not so much of a challenge outside of the city, and your budget is really low for this area. I'd try to rent until you sell your other house and then see where you stand when it comes to buying. Would you want to buy a house here you can't unload as well? I wouldn't.

[proudestmonkey]

Maybe also consider Rhode Island? Providence area? Not too far from Boston there, either.

[wmass]

It will be tough to find anything reasonably desirable for 100-130K in Mass, especially eastern mass., Maybe someplace more afforadable like Palmer-Sturbridge will give you widest access to Worcester/Boston, Springfield, Hartford & Providence metro area job markets until you know where you'll be working -then can move again.

Maybe also look at Worcester for affordability and proximity to greater Boston area- if you're willing to live in a city. For example, I found a 1000SF, 1/4 acre 3BR for $129K, in a decent area & one near Green Hill Park for $90K

[brent s]

Originally Posted by gr8pyrz

Our budget would be about 100-130k.

You aren't likely to find much in that price range anywhere within an hour + of boston. Sure there might be some things (houses that need a ton of work, smaller condos), but not much.

[proudestmonkey]

If you absolutely want to buy, are you considering condos as well?