New to area: Work in Waltham need help re communities (Boston: cul-de-sac, real estate)

[canuckpaisa]

Hello

I have searched the forum but could not find what I was seeking so I thought I would try here. Our family of 5 (3 kids under 5) are moving from Canada and I will be working in Waltham.

Criteria we are looking for in a community:

1) Excellent schools (would be ideal if bilingual english/spanish as my wife is Colombian)
2) Small time feel but has amenities like sports (ballet, gymnastics etc) for kids and decent basic shopping. Should also have medical as one son has a speech problem
3) Decent commute to Waltham (under 45mins, prefer 30 mins)
4) Newer home (or could be town home) - ideally a new home
5) Price about 700k for about 2200 sq ft
6) If in a gated community etc so family and kids could meet people - great

I did some research and house wise, the Estates at Walpole were exactly from a home perspective what we were looking for, but while google says 30 mins commute - I have been warned re the major roads.

Can anyone suggest communities to start looking (or even subdivisions / builders). this would be an amazing help

thank you

Kevin

[vfrex]

Nothing too specific for you, but Natick is worth a look. It is 10-20 minutes depending on the time of day and where in Waltham you are headed. There are some newer houses in the area and your price range is realistic.

[Coldjensens]

I am not from the area but my wife grew up there and here parents are still there. I can tell you that Wayland is a wodnerful place, particularly with kids. It is probably very expensive, but most of those towns are. I would love to raise my family in Wayland. A lot of the houses are 200 plus years old, but there are a goodly number of new homes too. Not many subdivisions though, pretty much custom builds, with a few exceptions.

Concord iis also a great town, but you need to be over the top liberal to live there, and very rich (an unusual combination)

[kmann-sherborn]

Sudbury has very well rated schools & was chosen as one of the best places to live by Boston Magazine. It's a lovely town with an easy commute to Waltham. There are lots of community activities, sports programs, ballet, gymnastics, etc. We don't have many gated communities around here but do have cul-de-sac neighborhoods. Please feel free to PM if you have other questions. We used to live in town and have several clients & friends who live there.

[kmann-sherborn]

Also a bit further away with more for your money you can check out Southboro, Westboro, or Hopkinton and find a newer home in a community with very well rated schools and less than an hour commute to Waltham.

[brightdoglover]

With your generous budget, you could afford something modest in Concord or Lexington or other such highly regarded communities.
There are essentially no gated community-type areas here. I'd forget about Walpole pronto.
Best wishes on your move.

[roadstrailstris]

I would also recommend Sudbury. Beautiful area, excellent schools, great neighborhoods.

[MikePRU]

Walpole is not a great option for you. During rush hour the traffic will be murder and it will take you well more than the time that Google maps quotes.

Sudbury and Wayland are nice towns, but in my opinion they're kind of sleepy (not too much to do in terms of shopping & restaurants in town). Commuting in & out of those towns can be a bit of a bear depending on where you are in town and the real estate taxes are also pretty high.

Lexington is a good option. I've worked with buyers looking in that town in the past and there's a great town center, good commuting options, and some lovely neighborhoods.

Natick is a good option for a lot of the same reasons although not on the really on the same level as Lexington in terms of desirability.

Needham is very comparable to Lexington but maybe a hair cheaper.

You could likely find a decent townhome in Newton on the side of town near Waltham.

[kmann-sherborn]

Actually Sudbury has quite a bit more in terms of shops & restaurants than it used to. Excellent sushi, Indian food, Chinese, etc. And quite a few pretty little shops, plus two grocery stores and a few chain stores.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

Actually Sudbury has quite a bit more in terms of shops & restaurants than it used to. Excellent sushi, Indian food, Chinese, etc. And quite a few pretty little shops, plus two grocery stores and a few chain stores.

There's even a cigar bar in Sudbury which always suprises me. While certainly Subdury has improved a bit in that way, it still feels very much like you're in the country to me though.