Help! $500K budget within an hour of Downtown Crossing in Boston? (Lynn: home, neighborhoods)

[patchybeard]

Hi everyone -- hoping for some help here. We're a mid 30's family with one small child. What we're looking for:

-$500K budget
-We'd like a very good school district for the little one. It doesn't need to be top 10 or anything, but if there are options with a school district that well regarded though, we'd obviously be interested.
-We'd like something a bit more rural-suburban than urban-suburban, with space between each house. For instance, we recently visited Arlington and it was a bit too urban for our liking. Another example: on a recent visit to Dover and Needham, we preferred Dover (in truth, we really loved Dover -- unfortunately, it seems to be well out of our price range).
-Within 1 hour of Downtown Crossing, whether by train or by car. We also recently checked out Hopkinton and liked it quite a bit, but I'm not sure if a 1 hr commute is possible.
-Home can't be a real fixer-upper
-No immediate preference as to west, south or north of the city.
-Easy to develop friend/parent network would be nice, but isn't as important as the other factors.
-Robust town center isn't really important

Anyway, we'd really appreciate the help! We're a bit frustrated after our initial search and wondering if a place that meets the criteria above actually does exist. Thanks in advance!

[kmann-sherborn]

Actually Hopkinton wouldn't be a bad commute if you live on the Southborough or Ashland side of town. You can pick up the train into South Station and switch to the Red Line to Downtown Crossing in just one stop. If you pick up the express train I think you could do it close to an hour. I work in Hopkinton & used to live there. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or would like more info on the town. If you Google "living in Hopkinton" you can find some good articles about the town. There's also active moms group in town.

[kmann-sherborn]

Here are a few articles about Hopkinton

THE ADDRESS: The quintessential New England experience

Best Places to Live

[konfetka]

Topsfield/Boxford/Middleton - Masconomet school system, Lynnfield, Georgetown, Hamilton/Whenam, Reading, North Reading

[MikePRU]

I was going to suggest Wayland & Sudbury, but those towns don't have any public transportation options and even driving in & out of there during rush hour can be a bear. Other towns to the west you might want to check out . . . Natick (South Natick is more rural feeling), Southborough, Hopkinton, and Holliston.

I always hate to endorse towns to the south/north of the city as commuting in on I93 is a NIGHTMARE but I'd bet you'd like the town of Sharon.

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

Actually Hopkinton wouldn't be a bad commute if you live on the Southborough or Ashland side of town. You can pick up the train into South Station and switch to the Red Line to Downtown Crossing in just one stop. If you pick up the express train I think you could do it close to an hour. I work in Hopkinton & used to live there. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or would like more info on the town. If you Google "living in Hopkinton" you can find some good articles about the town. There's also active moms group in town.

I wouldn't even bother getting on the red line. It's just a few blocks from South Station to Downtown Crossing. It would probably take longer to wait for the next train than it would to just walk it.

[kmann-sherborn]

Actually I think Wayland has the feel you're looking for & good access to the Pike, although it tends to be pricier than Hopkinton. It's more rural than Hopkinton is, and also has very highly rated schools. My husband lived there for a few years and loved living out in the woods but pretty close to the highway & so forth.

[kmann-sherborn]

Originally Posted by konfetka

Topsfield/Boxford/Middleton - Masconomet school system, Lynnfield, Georgetown, Hamilton/Whenam, Reading, North Reading

Great suggestion - Hamilton/Wenham as well as Lynnfield, have that nice rural feel.

[konfetka]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I was going to suggest Wayland & Sudbury, but those towns don't have any public transportation options and even driving in & out of there during rush hour can be a bear. Other towns to the west you might want to check out . . . Natick (South Natick is more rural feeling), Southborough, Hopkinton, and Holliston.

I always hate to endorse towns to the south/north of the city as commuting in on I93 is a NIGHTMARE but I'd bet you'd like the town of Sharon.


I wouldn't even bother getting on the red line. It's just a few blocks from South Station to Downtown Crossing. It would probably take longer to wait for the next train than it would to just walk it.

There actually are two highways going north - route 1 and 93, and commuter rail. Driving south is usually a nightmare.

[patchybeard]

Thanks everyone! We really appreciate the help.

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

Actually Hopkinton wouldn't be a bad commute if you live on the Southborough or Ashland side of town. You can pick up the train into South Station and switch to the Red Line to Downtown Crossing in just one stop. If you pick up the express train I think you could do it close to an hour. I work in Hopkinton & used to live there. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or would like more info on the town. If you Google "living in Hopkinton" you can find some good articles about the town. There's also active moms group in town.

In your opinion, is the Southborough/Ashland side of Hopkinton affordable in our price range?

Originally Posted by konfetka

Topsfield/Boxford/Middleton - Masconomet school system, Lynnfield, Georgetown, Hamilton/Whenam, Reading, North Reading

Thanks -- I haven't heard these names much. How is the commute into the city from here? Any other thoughts on the atmosphere in these towns?

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I was going to suggest Wayland & Sudbury, but those towns don't have any public transportation options and even driving in & out of there during rush hour can be a bear. Other towns to the west you might want to check out . . . Natick (South Natick is more rural feeling), Southborough, Hopkinton, and Holliston.

How bad are we talking in terms of commute? I've also heard Wayland might be tough at $500K. True?

Thanks again!

[kmann-sherborn]

In your opinion, is the Southborough/Ashland side of Hopkinton affordable in our price range?

Yes, for ex, a 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath home with new cherry/granite kitchen just sold in one of my favorite neighborhoods for $485K.


How bad are we talking in terms of commute? I've also heard Wayland might be tough at $500K. True?

It's definitely tougher to find in Wayland but worth a look because if you don't mind a smaller home sometimes you can find real gems. Not always, but it's worth keeping on your radar. For ex, I had clients looking at a 3bd 2ba Cape with around 1,800 sq ft that was beautifully renovated that sold in the mid 400s. You can usually get into Boston from Wayland in under an hour during commuting time. It's just that with driving (vs the train) you never know if there'll be some hangup or not.