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Old 02-27-2013, 09:24 AM
 
160 posts, read 503,455 times
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We've looked at a property near the west natick train station and like it but wanted some opinions from folks who probably know a lot more about the area:

1. What's the traffic like on Rt 135 (W Central st) if your are going towards 95 South between 7.30-8a.
2. Has the property prices appreciated or stayed stable in the last 5-10yrs or do they do a wild swings?
3. Is it a safe neighboorhood for a family with a elementary school child?
4. I see that there's a superfund site about 3mi from the property site? What's the impact of that site on people living around or property prices in general
5. The property abuts the west natick line. Personally, this ain't a issue for me but is it an issue during resale.

Pls feel free to chime in with your opinions or any other aspects that I might 've overlooked/missed out.

Thanks.
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Old 02-27-2013, 01:31 PM
 
Location: Ohio
2,310 posts, read 6,791,974 times
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OP - I'm pretty familiar with this area.

North of 135 is mostly single family ranch or split style houses. Very common to find ones built with no basement in this area. Very safe area.
South of 135 is mostly condo's, duplex and townhouses with sprinkling of single families. Also very safe area. Noticed recently quite a few high end duplex being built (>$600K type).

1. Traffic is not too jammed up, but pretty painful going thru all the lights (Natick center, Wellesley center, Needham). I would take back roads to bypass all the lights if I have to get to I95 S.

2. No wild price swings, but prices have gone up and down following the general trend. A friend of mine bought a split style house in the area around 2000, sold it in 2005 for close to 2x. OTOH, the family who lived in my house prior bought it in 2007 sold it to me for 10% loss recently. I had to compete with multiple buyers. There is no lack of demand for sure. I'd say houses in good condition sell really quickly, and those in bad shape linger on the market.

4. Superfund site not too concerned or much impact.
5. If the house backs up to a bunch of Framingham apartments where you can hear and see them, maybe not as desirable compared to something further away from that. I used to live right on the W Natick/Fram line and easily notice the delineation between the Fram side vs the more 'prestigious' Natick side. There are a lot more rentals on the Fram side which brings with it occupants who are loud, don't care about their neighbors or the look of their property, etc. But it's not unsafe as far as I could tell.
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Old 02-27-2013, 02:21 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,525 posts, read 13,904,246 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmyk72 View Post
OP - I'm pretty familiar with this area.

North of 135 is mostly single family ranch or split style houses. Very common to find ones built with no basement in this area. Very safe area.
South of 135 is mostly condo's, duplex and townhouses with sprinkling of single families. Also very safe area. Noticed recently quite a few high end duplex being built (>$600K type).

1. Traffic is not too jammed up, but pretty painful going thru all the lights (Natick center, Wellesley center, Needham). I would take back roads to bypass all the lights if I have to get to I95 S.

2. No wild price swings, but prices have gone up and down following the general trend. A friend of mine bought a split style house in the area around 2000, sold it in 2005 for close to 2x. OTOH, the family who lived in my house prior bought it in 2007 sold it to me for 10% loss recently. I had to compete with multiple buyers. There is no lack of demand for sure. I'd say houses in good condition sell really quickly, and those in bad shape linger on the market.

4. Superfund site not too concerned or much impact.
5. If the house backs up to a bunch of Framingham apartments where you can hear and see them, maybe not as desirable compared to something further away from that. I used to live right on the W Natick/Fram line and easily notice the delineation between the Fram side vs the more 'prestigious' Natick side. There are a lot more rentals on the Fram side which brings with it occupants who are loud, don't care about their neighbors or the look of their property, etc. But it's not unsafe as far as I could tell.
I think this sums it up pretty well. I would definitely add that South Natick (one of the more pricey areas of town) is also south of Rt. 135. So, there's a lot more to the area south of 135 than what you've listed.

As for the superfund site, I've done a lot of business in Natick over the years mostly working with buyers and very few of them have ever said anything to me about the superfund site at Natick Labs. When I mention it to them, most are unfazed.

The Natick market has been more stable than say Wayland, Southborough, and Framingham but not as stable as say Needham, Newton, and Wellesley. Natick hasn't seen any wild swings in recent history but real estate values in the town have followed the direction of national trends (i.e. when values are down nationally they are down in Natick).
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Old 02-28-2013, 06:26 AM
 
925 posts, read 2,732,174 times
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re: concerns about safety, I'd recommend checking with the town police department to see if there have been reports of any incidents in the area you're considering or check the police beat in the local paper. That's public information and it's a pretty eye-opening way to get a real sense of what's going on in an area.
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Old 02-28-2013, 06:27 AM
 
925 posts, read 2,732,174 times
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Police and Fire - Natick, Massachusetts - Natick Bulletin and Tab
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