Considering move from Needham to Andover (Boston, Newton: sales, real estate, houses)

[Daraee]

Hi all. We currently live in Needham and love it, but we need a bigger house and are afraid we won't be able to afford it here. Have found a gorgeous and large house in Andover, right near town center and train station (we commute into Boston for work), but I am having last minute jitters. What should I know about life in Andover and surrounding towns versus life in Needham and MetroWest? I know schools are comparable, looking more for opinions on commute, recreation, crime, hospitals and doctors, shopping, etc. Any insights welcome. Thanks!

[MikePRU]

I live in Needham as well (and I'm also a real estate agent here). At this point, I feel like I've put down roots and it would be difficult to move. However, I completely understand your desire to move to another town for more home because home prices are quite high in this town compared to some other parts of the state. I just had some friends move to Dover because they wanted a larger piece of land.

I have an aunt & uncle who just moved out of Andover after living there for a couple of decades and raising two children there. They always had very positive things to say about the town. They always had good things to say about the school system although you can also check out reviews/ratings on websites like Great Schools and many others. There were always a lot of activities around town that their kids took advantage of as well. When I would visit them, I got the distinct impression that the town was a little quieter than Needham and certainly the lots are larger. My uncle commuted into Boston for many years and I don't think he ever drove. The driving commute from Andover looks to be longer than Needham. However, Andover does have one commuter rail station (vs Needham's four). Andover Station does have a pretty good size parking lot (150 spaces) and parking is $4/day. This line feeds into North Station so if you work near South Station or in the financial district you'll likely need to walk a ways or switch to another train line as part of your commute.

I'm sure someone who lives up that way will chime in with more detailed info and personal experiences.

[MikePRU]

Just giving this a bump for the OP. I'm surprised no one else has chimed in about Andover.

[gf2020]

Andover is a great community and many people commute from there in to Boston, but I find it hard to believe that you can't find a larger house in Needham for the same price as a larger house in Andover.

I've always counseled people to find the right community first and then wait for the right home to come along. It sounds like you are happy with Needham already, now it's just time to find the right house there.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by gf2020

Andover is a great community and many people commute from there in to Boston, but I find it hard to believe that you can't find a larger house in Needham for the same price as a larger house in Andover.

I've always counseled people to find the right community first and then wait for the right home to come along. It sounds like you are happy with Needham already, now it's just time to find the right house there.

For what it's worth, here are some stats on the 2 towns:
Needham: Median SFH Sold price in September (39 homes) was $742k @ $379/sf
Andover: Median SFH Sold price in September (29 homes) was $480k @ $228/sf

I know September is a small sample size, but the price per square foot tells the real story. Larger houses in Needham are significantly more expensive than in Andover.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Parsec

For what it's worth, here are some stats on the 2 towns:
Needham: Median SFH Sold price in September (39 homes) was $742k @ $379/sf
Andover: Median SFH Sold price in September (29 homes) was $480k @ $228/sf

I know September is a small sample size, but the price per square foot tells the real story. Larger houses in Needham are significantly more expensive than in Andover.

I ran a 6 month sales report on MLS just now and came up with $810K as the MSP for Needham and $622K for Andover. That's a pretty significant difference.

I agree with gf2020 though that one should first concentrate on finding a community that is a good fit for you. However, that's not to say that there isn't more than one that can be a good fit. It seems though that this is a big reason why the OP came here - to find out if Andover might be a good fit.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by gf2020

Andover is a great community and many people commute from there in to Boston, but I find it hard to believe that you can't find a larger house in Needham for the same price as a larger house in Andover.

I've always counseled people to find the right community first and then wait for the right home to come along. It sounds like you are happy with Needham already, now it's just time to find the right house there.

It's all about location. Andover is beautiful and also exclusive, but nowhere as close to Boston as Needham, thus the price difference. To paraphrase MikePru, some people want more house while others want more free time.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

It's all about location. Andover is beautiful and also exclusive, but nowhere as close to Boston as Needham, thus the price difference. To paraphrase MikePru, some people want more house while others want more free time.

I'm glad to see that someone reads my posts.

[3cents]

Actually both Needham and Andover are far from Boston. Not sure if you had considered other towns.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by 3cents

Actually both Needham and Andover are far from Boston. Not sure if you had considered other towns.

Far is so relative and such a subjective term. To me, Needham is close to Boston. I grew up in Framingham and that seemed far from Boston to me and I lived in Newton for 10 years and to me that didn't seem significantly closer to Boston compared to Needham. My friends who live in Back Bay and the South End definitely feel like I live "far" from them though.