North Shore Towns (Natick, Andover, Newburyport: house, transfer, to buy)

[saloms]

Any insight to why you believe a lot of homes in these towns will be coming on the market?

[luvmyhoss]

Because baby boomers will be selling their homes to downsize. I personally know of 8 people getting
their homes ready to sell in the next two weeks.

[saloms]

Are they looking to sell in the North Shore towns I mentioned?

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by nshorema

Need to determine what's important to you, schools? price? style of home? walkability/downtown area? I can touch on a few:
Schools- Hamilton/Wenham share a district, about equal in quality to Essex, both of which are excellent. Otherwise they rank out roughly Ipswich = West Newbury (Pentucket Regional)>Newburyport>>Newbury. If you're looking West Newbury/Newbury, even Ipswich by Rte 1 don't forget the towns of Topsfield and Boxford. Excellent Masco schools and more choices of homes. Similarly if schools aren't a concern don't forget Rowley between Newbury and Ipswich.

You have a great list, just need to narrow down how much you want to spend and what's important to you. If you want some generalizations though:

Hamilton/Wenham - lots of old money, horses, high prices. Train stop to Boston, no ocean but close to Ipswich and Essex, also has Chebacco Lake which is pretty cool. Probably the most expensive on the list for what you get. Both have a small 'town' area. Close to Beverly, tied to rte 128 for commutes which is good and bad.

Ipswich - More blue collar than above, but has some pricey areas. Train stop, Cranes Beach is amazing. Schools are generally well regarded but not exceptional. Cute town area with some unique restaurants.

Essex - Great views of the salt marsh through town, not much real estate to choose from typically and what's there is old. Cheaper than it's sister Manchester which it shares an (excellent) school district for middle and high school.

West Newbury - Some beautiful areas of rolling hills, close to the Merrimack area is great. Potentially can feel remote if you're into that. Some areas quite close to nbpt. A lot of money here, pretty good schools but lots go to private schools simply because they can. Not a real town area.

Newbury - Can find anything from old farmhouses in Byfield area to salt marshes along 1A. Definitely has a school problem compared to the others on your list. See also Rowley, same schools and similar feel I'd say. You'll get the most for your money here.

Newburyport - Has become trendy lately with people living fairly 'urban' lives close to town which is neat. Comes with usual 'urban' limitations (no/small yard, no garage, park on the street, old homes), but if that's you great. Also can find typical subdivisions and any kind of real estate you'd want. The best town on your list by far, everything you'd really want. Downsides include long commute to Boston, schools being OK but not stellar.

Very good description on all the towns. I grew up in West Newbury. It's very quiet, semi rural, most properties have 2+ acres. It use to be a farming town with lots of dirt roads, still some gentleman farmer types around (sort of like Hamilton) and a big equestrian community. Center of town has the small town basics with a food store (VERMETTES, INC | Amesbury, MA 01913) and pizza place (West Newbury Pizza Company - West Newbury, MA). The town has easy access to I-95, it's the smallest town in Essex County in terms of population.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by nshorema

Ipswich - More blue collar than above, but has some pricey areas. Train stop, Cranes Beach is amazing. Schools are generally well regarded but not exceptional. Cute town area with some unique restaurants.

Essex - Great views of the salt marsh through town, not much real estate to choose from typically and what's there is old. Cheaper than it's sister Manchester which it shares an (excellent) school district for middle and high school.

West Newbury - Some beautiful areas of rolling hills, close to the Merrimack area is great. Potentially can feel remote if you're into that. Some areas quite close to nbpt. A lot of money here, pretty good schools but lots go to private schools simply because they can. Not a real town area.

Newbury - Can find anything from old farmhouses in Byfield area to salt marshes along 1A. Definitely has a school problem compared to the others on your list. See also Rowley, same schools and similar feel I'd say. You'll get the most for your money here.

Very good description on all the towns. One the nicest things about these North Shore towns is they are not too far from Boston but they are removed from the Boston/128 rat race.

West Newbury: I grew up here. It's very quiet, semi rural, most properties have 2+ acres. It use to be a farming town with lots of dirt roads, still some gentleman farmer types around (sort of like Hamilton) and a big equestrian community. Center of town has the small town basics with a food store (VERMETTES, INC | Amesbury, MA 01913) and pizza place (West Newbury Pizza Company - West Newbury, MA). The town has easy access to I-95, it's the smallest town in Essex County in terms of population.

Essex: Gotta love Woodmans for seafood - (http://www.woodmans.com/). There are several other seafood joints in Essex as well. If I had a craving for a lobster roll, clams, or scallops I'd always make the drive over to Essex.

Newbury: I sure do miss Tendercrop Farm (http://www.tendercropfarm.com/). This is the go to place for meat and produce. There meat department gets their meats locally raised from farms in Essex County and it's a big difference in freshness and quality. Their produce selection and baked goods are excellent as well. Newbury has good highway access to 95 and shopping in nearby Newburyport and Rte 1 in Rowley.

Rowley: If you're considering Newbury or Ipswich you may as well consider Rowley as well. Rowley is sort of similar to Newbury with woods and salt marshes and a small town feel but also has a commuter rail stop, access to 95, a shopping plaza with Market Basket, and the locally well known Agawam Diner.

Ipswich. If I moved back to Massachusetts I'd probably live in Ipswich. It's down to earth, mixed income (mostly middle class, some wealthy areas, some lower income), and in my opinion the most scenic town on the North Shore with woods, salt marsh, the Ipswich River, and Cranes Beach which is one of the best beaches in the state. Cranes Beach has powdery white sand and several miles of beautiful, undeveloped, protected shoreline and clean clear water (albeit a bit chilly). Admission for parking is steep, but town residents get in for free. It has a nice sized downtown, a commuter rail stop (shorter ride than Newburyport), fairly good selection of restaurants (with Essex nearby for seafood) and plenty of open spaces.

[saloms]

Where is the inventory?

The amount of homes on the market under $500k is extremely low and it has been like this for a long time now. Anyone living in or around Ipswich have any insight? Know anyone planning to sell?

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by saloms

Where is the inventory?

The amount of homes on the market under $500k is extremely low and it has been like this for a long time now. Anyone living in or around Ipswich have any insight? Know anyone planning to sell?

I just did a quick search. 113 properties on the market in Newburyport, of which 55 are under $500k. Sounds like a lot of inventory to me. Redfin also shows inventory has been steadily rising every week since July.

I was very selective in the beginning of my house search and I finally realized I was expecting too much for my budget. $500k is small dollars on the North Shore so you can't expect an updated 4 bedroom colonial for that kind of money. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you need to think about what features you're willing to give up. The sooner you start being realistic about what you can expect for your budget, the sooner you'll find a home. For example, for the same square footage, Capes and Splits are cheaper than Colonials and Ranches are cheaper than Capes. Can you live with a 3 bedroom and a small office instead of a 4 bedroom? Can you live without a garage? Does the kitchen have to have granite counters and stainless steel appliances?

[saloms]

I guess I should have been a bit more specific. Looking for a home with outdoor space, at least a half acre. Absolutely open to fixer upper that is not renovated and looking for a 3 bedroom minimum. Prefer a two story home and not a ranch, which is tough since there seems to be a lot of ranches on the market. When you factor these items into the search it limits what is available.

[495neighbor]

@saloms It sounds like you are looking for a split level. That style of home is fairly rare in the Northern Coastal towns. You will find more split levels in towns like Burlington. You could probably find one there much below your price point. The coastal towns have many capes.

[saloms]

Anyone familiar with these North Shore towns listed in the thread know which towns have trash/recycle pick-up? I know some towns do not have pick-up and a private service would need to be used which adds towards ones monthly living costs.