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You will need an easy $900,000 to get a decent house in Acton, Concord, Needham. $1,000, 000 there is nothing.
Sorry but I find that hard to believe. I see properties in my price range (650K) coming on the market frequently, especially in Acton. If we can not move to Acton with my budget, then we are in trouble
A decent house for me starts with 3Br/1.5Ba, and a 4500+ yard. Clean and without major problems. Hopefully we are not priced out?
Thank you everyone for the opinions and suggestions. I will definitely keep an open mind, I know it is always hard to move and meet new people. Considering that Brookline/Newton/Cambridge are out of our price range, I wondered if other European families felt the same. I was hoping to find a "second tier" town those families tend to flock to. I also assumed that Newburyport would be sort of ideal, as it just looks so beautifully European
Please continue to offer suggestions, all opinions are really appreciated!
Oh if you are European then yes, the towns from which people commute to Cambridge will be good - Arlington, Lexington, Belmont, Newton, maybe Watertown or Somerville but the lot sizes can be smaller there. There are other European transplants in other towns as well including North Shore and South Shore but statistically you would probably encounter more fellow recent Europeans in the Cambridge suburbs.
I think your budget is ok for some of those towns but you will probably need to compromise on lot size and/or house condition and/or that .5 bath depending upon location. You will probably have to do a lot of searching too, there will be competition in that price range.
Yes we are European. What do I mean by European? Elhelmete asked. Someone from Europe, not necessarily fresh from Europe, I've lived here for many years.
Job will be in Cambridge.
Do most Cambridge residents send their kids to private schools? Are there any "great" elementary/middle schools in Cambridge? Just curious. Not sure our budget would allow us to buy a decent condo in Cambridge…
Sorry but I find that hard to believe. I see properties in my price range (650K) coming on the market frequently, especially in Acton. If we can not move to Acton with my budget, then we are in trouble
A decent house for me starts with 3Br/1.5Ba, and a 4500+ yard. Clean and without major problems. Hopefully we are not priced out?
Thank you everyone for the opinions and suggestions. I will definitely keep an open mind, I know it is always hard to move and meet new people. Considering that Brookline/Newton/Cambridge are out of our price range, I wondered if other European families felt the same. I was hoping to find a "second tier" town those families tend to flock to. I also assumed that Newburyport would be sort of ideal, as it just looks so beautifully European
Please continue to offer suggestions, all opinions are really appreciated!
Someone can find a really nice home near the Acton town center in your price range. Most of that area has sidewalks. It has the Town Hall, the Arboretum for walks and picnics, the library, a classic New England style Congregational church and a small pizza parlor. It would be a older, very well kept up home, not a McMansion. A McMansion with a huge yard would be more in the 1MIL area in Acton. The playground next to the library was newly done over. When I passed by earlier today, the garden club was having an event on the green by the obelisk.
Last edited by 495neighbor; 05-17-2014 at 02:01 PM..
I would vote for Newburyport, Melrose and Swampscott. I am from Eastern Europe, so I can relate. I have lived in Swampscott and Melrose and met Europeans there. Think about what Europeans are drawn to - walkability, amenities, convinience, beach, train, rather then space and woods. Swampscott, Melrose and Newburyport have all of that. Also lots of family friendly activities. I would not worry about more expensive towns, because of the nanny factor. Beyond a certain average house price you will see more nannies at playgrounds, since moms need to contribute financially, but M., S. and N. are not too expensive, so you would find many stay at home moms. May be there are more of them closer to Boston, but you can find them further away from the city as well.
Also besides having all the amenities, those towns have sidewalks, downtowns and playgrounds, where its easier to meet people. And of course the more activities you participate in, the more people you will meet. Marblehead is similar as well.
I would vote for Newburyport, Melrose and Swampscott. I am from Eastern Europe, so I can relate. I have lived in Swampscott and Melrose and met Europeans there. Think about what Europeans are drawn to - walkability, amenities, convinience, beach, train, rather then space and woods. Swampscott, Melrose and Newburyport have all of that. Also lots of family friendly activities. I would not worry about more expensive towns, because of the nanny factor. Beyond a certain average house price you will see more nannies at playgrounds, since moms need to contribute financially, but M., S. and N. are not too expensive, so you would find many stay at home moms. May be there are more of them closer to Boston, but you can find them further away from the city as well.
Also besides having all the amenities, those towns have sidewalks, downtowns and playgrounds, where its easier to meet people. And of course the more activities you participate in, the more people you will meet. Marblehead is similar as well.
Very helpful thoughts. Especially about the nanny factor, which I haven't really thought about! I am glad you voted for Newburyport, Melrose and Swampscott, my instinct was telling me that's where we should start our search. Hope the housing market doesn't slow down in July/August too much, as that is when we'll be able to start making offers.
Sorry but I find that hard to believe. I see properties in my price range (650K) coming on the market frequently, especially in Acton. If we can not move to Acton with my budget, then we are in trouble
A decent house for me starts with 3Br/1.5Ba, and a 4500+ yard. Clean and without major problems. Hopefully we are not priced out?
Thank you everyone for the opinions and suggestions. I will definitely keep an open mind, I know it is always hard to move and meet new people. Considering that Brookline/Newton/Cambridge are out of our price range, I wondered if other European families felt the same. I was hoping to find a "second tier" town those families tend to flock to. I also assumed that Newburyport would be sort of ideal, as it just looks so beautifully European
Please continue to offer suggestions, all opinions are really appreciated!
You can find a 3bed 1.5 Ba in ALL those towns (hard but possible in Concord, possible in Needham but smaller, and some very nice homes in that budget in Acton.)
In Concord you will see a few of ranches/homes on a main street in the 550-650 range. In Needham you can find a 3Bed 2Ba home around 600-650, built in the 50s/60s/70s. (Mike PRU knows a lot about Needham here.) And in Acton, there are some beautiful homes in your range.
You are not priced out, and certainly not out of Acton.
I would also add that it is still possible to find smaller place in Arlington (and for Europeans even small homes in the US are pretty spacious in comparison), which is actually the best fit and will have excellent resale value if you decide to upgrade or move back later on. All other places mentioned are OK but are not as ideal.
Someone mentioned on here that Acton is diverse. Is the Acton diversity mainly due to the influx of Indian/Asian population? Where would I find a higher percentage of Europeans moving in or currently living: Acton, Concord, Natick, Melrose, Needham, Swampscott, Andover or Newburyport?
We are considering relocating to MA soon. Budget is currently set at 650K.
Schools are a top priority.
I am interested in Acton due to the value the town seems to provide, but have found that we were unable to "penetrate" certain community groups which were mainly Indian (past experience, different state).
I am also very interested in Concord because of all that surrounds the town which is what we are looking for (activities, parks, train, walkable, central location).
The children are in elementary school, I would like to quickly befriend moms who are not too suspicious of newcomers, but happy to have casual get togethers, playdates, coffee without an elaborate "get-to-know-you" procedure which in my previous experience took longer than I could care for! My son is very good friends with a few boys from school, but I found it nearly impossible to connect with others outside of school. We probably won't participate in typical group sports, so that's why I am inquiring here because I know it will be hard for me to predict which town would have the easy going feel I am looking for.
We are ready to have fun in MA and make great friends! Please help me to narrow down my town choices.
I honestly don't know where you would find an influx of European migrants outside the cities or the Buzzards Bay area that is particularly noteable or large. Anyways, I seriously doubt the Indian community would be hard to "penetrate" as you say. If anything, Indian Americans are trying to mingle with everyone else just as well, as most of the parents are immigrants and middle-class and looking to do the same thing as you.
You're budget is probably just too low for Concord and Needham as has been said. Needham is a great town but honestly, Concord is nothing to miss out on, in my opinion. People who live there like it and that's great but it's a little uppity and transient.
I honestly think Acton would be a good choice. You'd be able to find something in your budget, it's a little more dense than the towns around it, and is connected to the city by the T. You can also get to Lowell and Maynard pretty easily to go out or explore. Natick would also be a good choice, though I think it's starting to get more expensive. You should still be able to find something. It's a typical middle class town that's closer to the city, diverse but also very Boston, if that makes sense, and is a great place to raise a family.
Swampscott, an interesting choice for moving to the Boston area! haha. I feel like the North and South shores, and the 495 area, tend to be less transient and more "native" than a lot of the MetroWest and northern burbs where a lot of people who work at the universities and such move and becaome rather transient and have a lot of immigrants and newcomers. Swampscott is a pretty nice, oceanside middle-class town in an urban corridor. You have Lynn on one side and Marblehead on the other and a pretty happy medium with Swampscott. Traffic would be killer here but if you like Italian and Latin American foods and like the ocean, it's be a great choice.
I'll defer advice on Andover.
Newburyport's a little out of range. I guess it depends where your job will be. It's a good retirement spot, I don't know how great it is for children, who will be far away from the cities.
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