Commute to Boston, Live where? $ not $$$$ (Lynn, Framingham: for sale, real estate, condos)

[cheeky1178]

Hi All,

My Husband is looking for a new job (hates current job) and we're exploring our options. We're currently in the Hartford, CT area but grew up in the Northern, NJ/Southern, NY area. We are used to a high cost of living but home prices in NY & NJ were way out of our league.

We have house hunted in our current area so we know we can find a 3bdrm home in decent shape in the 240k-260k range. I personally love where we are and my husband can't beat his 15min commute, but Jobs are not plentiful. Boston however has tons of jobs...but can we afford to live anywhere that is within a 30 minute commute??

We don't want to live in farm country but we're definitely not city people either. A safe suburb with easy access to shopping, dining and a little bit of breathing room between neighbors is our ideal. As I said our price range for a house would be 240k to 260k for a 3 bedroom on at least a quarter acre. Our 1yr old isn't in school yet, but obviously we'll need to consider that when buying a house.

Is that a pipe dream or do you know of some magical place in MA where this exists?

Thanks!

[bUU]

There are possibilities, such as here:

118 Eastern Ave, Woburn, MA 01801 - Zillow

Safe? Pretty much. Woburn isn't as safe as, say, Lincoln, but it is safe. Schools? They're okay, though not great, but it is a more affordable town so that's not surprising. There's Woburn Mall, and Burlington's and Reading's myriad shopping districts are within 4 miles of Woburn. Woburn's rich ethnic diversity has fostered a number of restaurants to pop up along Rte 38, and better restaurants are again just down the highway, in Burlington, Reading, etc. Woburn hosts Anderson Regional Transportation Center, with commuter rail direct to North Station. I'm sure there are other spots around Boston that have something comparable. Everett, for example, though it is a bit more urban, and the houses are a bit smaller. Lynn, though not as convenient to Boston (which is why we moved from Essex County to Middlesex County, actually).

[charolastra00]

Your best shot would be to have your husband find a job on the 95 belt (i.e. Waltham, Burlington, Bedford) and find a house closer to 495. Acton and Maynard both have 3 bedrooms in your price range, but they're generally condos or single family homes with 1 bathroom on small lots. Acton has great schools, but not sure about Maynard (I have an impression that they're on the up and up, but I can't confirm).

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

Your best shot would be to have your husband find a job on the 95 belt (i.e. Waltham, Burlington, Bedford) and find a house closer to 495. Acton and Maynard both have 3 bedrooms in your price range, but they're generally condos or single family homes with 1 bathroom on small lots. Acton has great schools, but not sure about Maynard (I have an impression that they're on the up and up, but I can't confirm).

OP I live in Acton. You are unlikely to found a single family home in Acton other than a tear down for 260K. You could find a 2 BR townhome at one of the complexes such as Drummer Road or Nagog Park. A few years ago you could have found a 3 BR at Nagog Park for your price point. Prices are going up around here, same as many places in Boston. The popularity of the Acton school system is what keeps it in demand.

You can definitely find a nice home in a walkable neighborhood in Maynard. Maynard has more of a walkable downtown with more places to hang out and eat than Acton, so you might actually like it better as a newcomer. Maynard is a good solid middle to upper middle class town that is a mix of middle class blue collar contractors and white collar professionals.

[accufitgolf]

I would suggest you concern yourself with and find jobs before getting all hung up about where to live. Hartford to the greater Boston area is not that far as in one could easily do job interview trips. One could actually commute for a period of time especially if not on a 9-5 daily schedule. Not saying it would be an easy commute, but it is doable especially if to the west of Boston like the greater Framingham area.

Hope this helps.

[3cents]

Hi OP,

You can use Real Estate, Homes for Sale, MLS Listings, Agents | Redfin to search for houses, and schooldigger.com to check out the school rankings.
Anyway, I was using redfin and selected <$275K, SFH with 3 bedrooms. There isn't really any selections within a reasonable commute to Boston, and in a good school district.

Anyhow, I concur that you should find a job here first, then worry about housing later.
Off the top of my head, I think about towns like Topsfield, Westford, Milton, Melrose, Braintree, Lynnfield, Acton. These are towns with reasonably good to excellent schools, and yet ain't so expensive (but expect to up your budget to $500K).

[Coolhand68]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

Your best shot would be to have your husband find a job on the 95 belt (i.e. Waltham, Burlington, Bedford) and find a house closer to 495. Acton and Maynard both have 3 bedrooms in your price range, but they're generally condos or single family homes with 1 bathroom on small lots. Acton has great schools, but not sure about Maynard (I have an impression that they're on the up and up, but I can't confirm).

I agree with looking for work along the I-95 belt and then looking at homes in parts of Pepperell, Groton, Shirley, Leominster. In that price range you aren't going to be within a 30 minute commute of downtown Boston. Not for a 3bed/2bath home in the burbs.

[roadstrailstris]

If you are looking to move to a less expensive area then Massachusetts isn't your best bet. Real estate in the Boston area is extremely expensive.

[mhsclassof00]

^ This.

It would be mission impossible to find a 3 bedroom house near Boston, with a good school system for 270k.

You can find that moving away from the city, think 45 min - 1 hour away from Boston.

Good luck!

[gf2020]

I'm surprised you can find a decent house in the $240-260K range in CT. I suspect if you were to move to the Boston area your salaries might increase a bit from Hartford which would afford you a bit more housing budget. Are you sure you can only afford $260K? A mortgage of $240K would translate to a monthly payment of about $1600 for mortgage and taxes, which would require an income of about $60,000 to qualify. Is your combined income greater than $60,000? If so, your housing budget could be higher.