Interior Designer moving to Boston Area - Need Advice (Newton: fit in, real estate market)

[Dm84]

The biggest issue is most people who come onto this forum looking for housing recommendations want the most affordable house in the towns with "the best schools" and there just aren't enough inexpensive homes in those towns to go around.

[Gatorman4017]

No, I was completely prepared, especially after house hunting in L.A. in 2008, but the market here this year is by all accounts just ridiculous. The inventory is so low that it's forcing prices up to unsustainable levels. Like the other poster said above, had they not bought a few years ago they wouldn't be able to afford to live in the town they are. I'm more than a little concerned that buying a 450K box that needs 50K in improvements in a not so nice neighborhood may not be a great investment in the short term. If we had to sell in 5 years, we might be in trouble. If we didn't have kids then 90 percent of our issues with finding a place would go away.

[Gatorman4017]

Doing an MLS search of every city north and west of Boston within 40 miles or so under $450K with at least 3 bdrms today...came up with a grand total of 2 new houses in the last day. The weather right now may have something to do with that, but probably not much. That seems to be the norm since I've been here.

[Beantown_mama]

I know this is the wrong state but Portland, Maine is pretty hipster, and much cheaper than the Boston area. It is only about an hour and a half from Boston too in case you need to travel there (and the train goes from Portland to Boston pretty regularly).

I just re-read your post and noticed your wife was working in North Reading, MA - I thought you both worked from home. Portland is about 90 miles from N. Reading so probably too far for a regular commute. But once you find somewhere to live, you should definitely check out Portland because it is a really fun city and I think it has that hipster vibe that you are looking for.

[timberline742]

So someone wants fancy pants modern stuff without being willing to pay for it?

Check.

How were uses different that long ago? I mean, people still had bedrooms and bathrooms, right? And a kitchen? I dunno. Some people can't be pleased.

[Gatorman4017]

What "fancy pants modern stuff" do you think I'm looking for exactly. I'm at a loss to understand your animosity. Are you a realtor?

By uses, I mean that when some of these places were built, they didn't have indoor plumbing or electricity. They didn't have any sort of laundry room. The hearth was located in the center of the house and people usually cooked, ate, and "lived" all in the same area especially during the winter. You know, the kind of stuff most people learn in 5th grade social studies.

My reason for pointing that out was to possibly explain the weird layouts of most older houses I've seen there. And things like having 2 bathrooms across the hall from one another downstairs and none upstairs. Or the fact that a lot of houses have the washer and dryer in the kitchen or the bathroom instead of a laundry room. I've lived all over the county and these are things you don't usually see anywhere else.

Garsh, I guess I "dunno" either.

[Gatorman4017]

Thanks Beantown_mama, I'll have to be sure to check out Portland. I've had other folks mention it too.

[timberline742]

This 43 yo is "grown up" thank you very much. And I've lived in most parts of the country, as well. California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, briefly in Florida, Vermont, and yes, here, Massachusetts.

Is housing stock here older than most places I've lived in? Yes, it's also far nicer and generally has way more character. I'll take the houses I lived in in Arlington and Belmont over almost anything I've experienced outside of Vermont.

If you don't want to be here, leave. If you want some perfect place, pay for it or build yourself.

[Gatorman4017]

Thanks for proving my point. I notice that you still can't/won't explain your "fancy pants modern stuff" comment.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Gatorman4017

Thanks for proving my point. I notice that you still can't your "fancy pants modern stuff" comment.

If you want modern stuff, pay for it. You're an "interior designer" get a place and make it into something. If you want stuff handed to you, this isn't a place for you. Might as well go back St Louise with your "Elle Decor" crap if you want to be around people with sheet taste. You want hipster areas, but don't want to pay for it, you want mixed use, but undoubtedly hate triple deckers with non updated bathrooms and kitchens. You want, you want you want, not to pay or put the work in. Got it.