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Ogre: That's what we're struggling with--we love that Melrose feels somewhat city but has the family suburb feel to it as well. The schools are just not where we'd like them to be and that needs to be a big consideration.
You mentioned the housing size in Natick. What about the actual housing styles? We live in a Victorian right now and I'm not seeing a lot if Colonials/Victorians in Natick in the 500K range. Is that even feasible?
Private school is so expensive. I'd rather move to a town with better public schools. At least you have a chance to recover the money you put into the house or at the worst get the mortgage interest tax deduction.
There are a lot of Victorian style homes immediately around the town center and also west of the center along Rt 135. Colonials are quite common in Natick as well. The question becomes: in order to stay within your budget what compomises would you be willing to make? Would you live on a busy street? Would you live in a neighborhood that's not walkable to shops & restaurants? Maybe you would prefer to live in a better location but would be willing to live in a split, a multi-level, or a townhouse?
I'm not saying you can't accomplish your goal, but always in real estate even those with unlimited budgets make some level of compromise.
Very much agreed with MikePru here. For what you're looking for you want to look generally south of rt. 9. Using rt. 9 as the approximate dividing line, to the north, most houses except those here and there that have been added to are small, '50's-looking variations on the ranch style. You'll find more Victorians and various other styles from the early twentieth century in the Natick Center area, a few older houses and a lot of colonials in S. Natick, and a variety of suburban styles (colonial, ranch, split) in W. Natick. You can probably find something in a style you'd like just within your price range in Natick Center, but there may not be a lot to choose from, and MikePru makes a good point about the possible need to make some compromise, such as living on or near a main street, or going with a house that may not be tiny like many north of rt. 9 but also may not be especially large.
From what you've said about what you find appealing about Melrose, it would seem that Natick Center would be the best section of Natick for you to investigate for properties in your price range that might be available. That part of Natick is where you'll come closest to that blend of residential suburbia, including some nice older houses, and a commercial district of small local shops and eateries within walking distance.
Another possibility to consider would be to look for add-on houses north of rt. 9. There are some nice-sized, well maintained two-story add-ons mixed in with all the little ranches in the section bordered roughly by rt. 9 to the south, Pine St. to the north, rt. 27 to the west, and Oak St. to the east. There are also a few well maintained older houses, mostly of modest size but not tiny, in the small section north or rt. 9 and west of rt. 27.
Any of these neighborhoods in this general area north of rt. 9 would be a compromise for you because you'd not be surrounded by Victorians and houses from early in the twentieth century, and because the area lacks the variety of shops and small eateries found in Natick Center. However, there are quite a few more low-brow, everyday-needs kinds of stores and eateries (sub shops and such) strung all along rt. 27, within walking distance or at most a short drive from anywhere on the north side of Natick, so everyday shopping is convenient, even though this stretch of rt. 27 lacks that quaint feel of many local city commercial zones.
It's also worth noting that the ranch house neighborhoods don't look quite as bland as you might imagine, because this area has been around long enough to have a generally pleasant, tree-shaded feel, even though lacking the grandeur of fine old houses under the shade trees. Depending on how badly you do or don't need the small local urban commercial district feel and the old houses, if you can find a two-story renovated house in this general part of Natick, it may work well as one of those compromises MikePru wrote of, if you feel you need to upgrade from the schools in Melrose. But Natick Center seems like the best fit for you in Natick, if you can ferret out a few houses there that have the right price.
Very much agreed with MikePru here. For what you're looking for you want to look generally south of rt. 9. Using rt. 9 as the approximate dividing line, to the north, most houses except those here and there that have been added to are small, '50's-looking variations on the ranch style. You'll find more Victorians and various other styles from the early twentieth century in the Natick Center area, a few older houses and a lot of colonials in S. Natick, and a variety of suburban styles (colonial, ranch, split) in W. Natick. You can probably find something in a style you'd like just within your price range in Natick Center, but there may not be a lot to choose from, and MikePru makes a good point about the possible need to make some compromise, such as living on or near a main street, or going with a house that may not be tiny like many north of rt. 9 but also may not be especially large.
From what you've said about what you find appealing about Melrose, it would seem that Natick Center would be the best section of Natick for you to investigate for properties in your price range that might be available. That part of Natick is where you'll come closest to that blend of residential suburbia, including some nice older houses, and a commercial district of small local shops and eateries within walking distance.
Another possibility to consider would be to look for add-on houses north of rt. 9. There are some nice-sized, well maintained two-story add-ons mixed in with all the little ranches in the section bordered roughly by rt. 9 to the south, Pine St. to the north, rt. 27 to the west, and Oak St. to the east. There are also a few well maintained older houses, mostly of modest size but not tiny, in the small section north or rt. 9 and west of rt. 27.
Any of these neighborhoods in this general area north of rt. 9 would be a compromise for you because you'd not be surrounded by Victorians and houses from early in the twentieth century, and because the area lacks the variety of shops and small eateries found in Natick Center. However, there are quite a few more low-brow, everyday-needs kinds of stores and eateries (sub shops and such) strung all along rt. 27, within walking distance or at most a short drive from anywhere on the north side of Natick, so everyday shopping is convenient, even though this stretch of rt. 27 lacks that quaint feel of many local city commercial zones.
It's also worth noting that the ranch house neighborhoods don't look quite as bland as you might imagine, because this area has been around long enough to have a generally pleasant, tree-shaded feel, even though lacking the grandeur of fine old houses under the shade trees. Depending on how badly you do or don't need the small local urban commercial district feel and the old houses, if you can find a two-story renovated house in this general part of Natick, it may work well as one of those compromises MikePru wrote of, if you feel you need to upgrade from the schools in Melrose. But Natick Center seems like the best fit for you in Natick, if you can ferret out a few houses there that have the right price.
EXCELLENT post! Especially the parts where you agree with me.
Seriously, very good information and very good description of some various parts of Natick. The one thing I would add is that the area north of Rt. 9 and west of 27 is somewhere where you'd want to pick and choose. Some of the streets are much nicer than others. Some of them back up to the Natick rest stop on the MA Pike. So, if you don't want your house to smell like McDonalds you'll want to make sure you have a buffer zone.
I see that this post has drawn a couple of 'Natick experts'. So, I'm wondering what do you think of the area across from the W. Natick commuter station along Rt 135, where the side-streets are dominated by townhouses / duplex / triplexs and also where the huge condo/apt complexes are located (Natick Village, etc.).
EXCELLENT post! Especially the parts where you agree with me.
Seriously, very good information and very good description of some various parts of Natick. The one thing I would add is that the area north of Rt. 9 and west of 27 is somewhere where you'd want to pick and choose. Some of the streets are much nicer than others. Some of them back up to the Natick rest stop on the MA Pike. So, if you don't want your house to smell like McDonalds you'll want to make sure you have a buffer zone.
Good catch there about the streets near the rest stop. In that narrow strip north of rt. 9 and west of rt. 27 you definitely want to stay toward the south. One advantage to that area, as long as you stay some distance south of the rest stop, is the proximity to Lake Cochituate. I know a family who live in that area. They stroll to the end of their street and take a few steps through the woods, and there's the lake right in front of them.
I see that this post has drawn a couple of 'Natick experts'. So, I'm wondering what do you think of the area across from the W. Natick commuter station along Rt 135, where the side-streets are dominated by townhouses / duplex / triplexs and also where the huge condo/apt complexes are located (Natick Village, etc.).
What specifically are you asking about the neighborhood? You seem to have a good picture already of the housing options there. There is commercial development along W. Central St. I'm not highly familiar with what is there in the way of specific stores, but it's more a strip of small businesses strung along the street all the way to Framingham, rather than a concentration of stores as in a downtown.
W. Natick is the part of town I'm least familiar with. Just going by hearsay, some seem to think of W. Natick as being a bit lowbrow, sort of a po' side of town kind of area, but there are no really bad neighborhoods in Natick, just some where the houses are modest in size and many of the residents have blue collar, semi-professional, etc., backgrounds. In W. Natick, that more modest kind of neighborhood can be found a little farther north than the area with the train station, up near the streets off rt. 126 in Framingham, toward rt. 9. As you apparently already know, there is some multi-unit development farther south, near the train station. That area in general seems to be fairly typical, average middle-class suburbia with some working class mixed in--generally middle class in the broad sense of a bit of everything that falls between but does not generally include the poor and those employed in low-skilled work, and the very well-to-do and high-level professionals at the other end.
Hi Ogre, I think you touched on my question perfectly. I wanted to get a sense of whether that area in W Natick/south of 135 is considered 'not as desirable' and whether it's the same quiet surburia as most of the rest of natick.
I see that this post has drawn a couple of 'Natick experts'. So, I'm wondering what do you think of the area across from the W. Natick commuter station along Rt 135, where the side-streets are dominated by townhouses / duplex / triplexs and also where the huge condo/apt complexes are located (Natick Village, etc.).
Quote:
Originally Posted by ogre
What specifically are you asking about the neighborhood? You seem to have a good picture already of the housing options there. There is commercial development along W. Central St. I'm not highly familiar with what is there in the way of specific stores, but it's more a strip of small businesses strung along the street all the way to Framingham, rather than a concentration of stores as in a downtown.
W. Natick is the part of town I'm least familiar with. Just going by hearsay, some seem to think of W. Natick as being a bit lowbrow, sort of a po' side of town kind of area, but there are no really bad neighborhoods in Natick, just some where the houses are modest in size and many of the residents have blue collar, semi-professional, etc., backgrounds. In W. Natick, that more modest kind of neighborhood can be found a little farther north than the area with the train station, up near the streets off rt. 126 in Framingham, toward rt. 9. As you apparently already know, there is some multi-unit development farther south, near the train station. That area in general seems to be fairly typical, average middle-class suburbia with some working class mixed in--generally middle class in the broad sense of a bit of everything that falls between but does not generally include the poor and those employed in low-skilled work, and the very well-to-do and high-level professionals at the other end.
West Natick is really a mixed bag. Especially the part of W. Natick along Rt. 135. Of course, you have all the condos/apartments/etc that you mentioned but off of Speen St down by the town line there are some really nice 3,000-4,000 sf homes. Roche Bros is down that way and it's a pretty good supermarket (but not the cheapest one). Also, the strip mall next to the W. Natick train stop has some decent things like Black Cow Ice Cream and Subway. My wife and I actually went to the Arthur Miller there for dance lessons leading up to our wedding.
The one thing I would say about W. Natick especially the area near the train station and west to the town line is that many people have a concern about its proximity to downtown Framingham. I work with a lot of buyers in Natick and we often end up looking at a few homes in W. Natick because you get more bang for your buck in that section of town. The same questions always come up from my clients every time: Do you think this is too close to downtown Framingham? What's the crime level here? Is it safe? Unfortunately, the hard times that downtown Framingham is going through has put a bit of a stigma on parts of W. Natick.
The more Nothern part of W. Natick especially along Hartford St has a lot of slab (no basement) housing from the 50's. Some of them have been very well maintained and added on to while others are not in the best shape.
In between Hartford and 135 there's an area that was developed more in the 60's/70's and has a lot of capes, small colonials, and some split level homes. Be careful where you look in this area though. There are train tracks that run parallel to 135 and there are also a lot of high tension wires in the area. Burning Tree Rd is a place I would definitely avoid. The train tracks run behind the homes on one side of the street and the high tension wires run right along the street a good ways. In fact, there's one house that's set way back from the street because there's a giant high tension tower in the front yard. FYI, these tracks I believe are used for both commuter rail and also freight trains which make considerably more noise.
Would like to rep you MikePru, for several posts on this thread, but have to spread some rep. Great info on W. Natick. Certainly should give Mmyk72 a picture of the area.
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