Where do I start to look?!? (Boston, Cambridge: big home, neighborhood, schools) - Massachusetts (MA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

gf2020 · 09-04-2014, 09:30 PM

Budget to a million, 1/2 acre or more, 3000+ sq ft. You're not going to get that in Winchester but you can find that in Lynnfield or Andover.

alidmc · 09-05-2014, 04:33 AM

If you want to be near the ocean, I would consider Marblehead or Swampscott. Both have beaches and housing in your price range. The lots do tend to be more compact in these towns, so you probably won't find the land you are looking for. If you do not have to commute, the drive into Boston isn't bad. Swampscott also has a commuter rail stop.

If you want additional land, you'll have to go a bit more rural. You might want to consider Topsfield near the town center, where there are some shops, restaurants, and a library within walking distance.

You could also look in Hamilton or Wenham near the town center. You can walk to the library, community house (for events), restaurants, the commuter rail, shops and parks, as well as schools. The bonus is you are also about 10 minutes to Crane Beach with very little traffic. The drive into Boston during non-peak times is about 30 minutes from Hamilton and Topsfield.
Good luck with your search!

kingeorge · 09-05-2014, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masshawk

I've seen you mention the Belmont trolley a few times-- I assume you mean the 73 bus that ran on overhead electrical lines instead of gas/diesel? If you want an update, they've ripped out all the lines in preparation for the Trapelo road work. I don't think there are plans to put them back in. That bus has been a regular bus for a while now, so there's only bus/commuter rail for Belmont. The bus service is pretty good though (I used to be able to get from my house off Belmont St to my job at New England Medical--now Tufts?--downtown in 30 min door to door. Harvard Sq was a 10 min bus ride). All good points otherwise.

Someone told me that, believe it or not, those electrical lines should be established as soon as this big project on Trapelo is finished. They are off only for sake of this project.

IMHO it is complete waste of time and resources, but they need additional seating as this 73 line is one of the best traveled in the area. Buses you see now are borrowed or taken out of retirements, so there is something to serve commuters. There are no new buses for this particular line.

And all those trolleys are now literally sitting for two years in a garages, and hopefully not rotting away. All in all weird. It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the end.

kingeorge · 09-05-2014, 05:47 AM

I think you are too vague and broad, and suffer from typical urban fatigue where you want your space, yard and pool, but in the same time you want your conveniences and quality of life to stay the same. You will not find walkable community, 1/2 or larger acreage lot, and 3000 sq. ft. with pool, without giving up lot of things you take for granted now. Walkable and convenient lifestyle will be first to go.

Essentially, you are looking to move to area where car is still a king. I am curious, why go from one extreme to the next?

Good luck.

Imposter_Mom · 09-05-2014, 07:21 AM

Kingeorge, you're calling me out on my quandary! *I* do not want to move out of the city at all. I love it here. However, I'm a parent first. My 1400sq ft condo, even though it's a brilliant use of space, will not hold 3 teenagers. Staying is setting up my family for a lot of grief. We live close enough to the edge of a not-so-nice neighborhood that I won't feel comfortable letting my kids go out on their own until they're 14ish+, and that's just not fair to them.

The next level of housing seems to be a split level 1950s-ish house in MetroWest, where the yards are very small and it's house after house after house. I can't exactly tell you what makes me claustrophobic about that kind of setting (honestly, I would be hard pressed to find a more congested situation than what I'm currently in) but it's this weird stressful reaction I get.

Essentially, I'm moving because of my family. Which I don't mind doing! I love them! I'm just trying to figure out WHERE to go that I could not shrivel up and die, hahaha!

sparklingforest · 09-05-2014, 08:08 AM

What about Manchester-by-the-sea? You can find big houses on 0.5 to 1 acre lots walkable to the village in your price range. The commuter rail and beaches are right there.

Imposter_Mom · 09-05-2014, 08:54 AM

Great suggestion, thanks!

kingeorge · 09-05-2014, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imposter_Mom

Kingeorge, you're calling me out on my quandary! *I* do not want to move out of the city at all. I love it here. However, I'm a parent first. My 1400sq ft condo, even though it's a brilliant use of space, will not hold 3 teenagers. Staying is setting up my family for a lot of grief. We live close enough to the edge of a not-so-nice neighborhood that I won't feel comfortable letting my kids go out on their own until they're 14ish+, and that's just not fair to them.

The next level of housing seems to be a split level 1950s-ish house in MetroWest, where the yards are very small and it's house after house after house. I can't exactly tell you what makes me claustrophobic about that kind of setting (honestly, I would be hard pressed to find a more congested situation than what I'm currently in) but it's this weird stressful reaction I get.

Essentially, I'm moving because of my family. Which I don't mind doing! I love them! I'm just trying to figure out WHERE to go that I could not shrivel up and die, hahaha!

I get it. I did not mean to put your on the spot. My advice was and still is that you can achieve your objective of bigger place, safe town, and great schools, in towns like Winchester, Newton, Needham, Arlington, Belmont, Concord, Lexington, Manchester by the Sea, which are all in between two "extremes" (rural vs. urban), without going to the rural size lot and area, and type of big home you will usually only find in the "bunnies". Semi-urban ring of towns close to Boston and Cambridge truly offers best of both worlds.

Obviously, you can not afford 3000 sq.ft (who anyway wants to heat and keep up that monster) in Lexington or Winchester, but probably closer to 2000-2800sq.ft in your price range. Maybe I am in the minority, but I do believe that family of five can live happily ever after even with sharing measly 1800 sq.ft. It is all about mindset, layout, and flow.

I was also reacting to the fact that your kids are right on the verge of being independent, and if you stay with possibly smaller house/yard but more sidewalks, town, and community, your kids will become "free" to hang out with friends easily, walk to school or practice on their own. Teenagers are not home as much as toddlers. Also, your kids seem past the big yard stage. They will need to socialize and "hung" out with other kids their own age. And that also brings point of you needing to decide if going for car-dependent lifestyle is worth becoming full-time chauffeur to your kids every day of the week.

In any event, good luck and may you find what you are yearning for.

Imposter_Mom · 09-06-2014, 03:18 PM

Thank you so much kingeorge! You are very wise, and I'm so glad you've taken the time to give me those thoughtful responses. Now I have a different way to think about it - - what would teenagers "do" with an acre of yard, except complain about having to mow it...

MikePRU · 09-06-2014, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imposter_Mom

Thank you so much kingeorge! You are very wise, and I'm so glad you've taken the time to give me those thoughtful responses. Now I have a different way to think about it - - what would teenagers "do" with an acre of yard, except complain about having to mow it...

As a real estate agent, I hear a lot of first time home buyers say they want a big lot. Usually when they move on to their next house they drop that requirement (many also drop it during their home search as they realize it's not as important as they thought). My perspective is a larger lot just means more property taxes and upkeep.