Harvard vs Lunenburg (Lowell, Groton: house, schools, college)

[whitemountain]

How are the Groton schools? Everything I see says they are blah... not as good as Havard or Lunenburg.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by whitemountain

How are the Groton schools? Everything I see says they are blah... not as good as Havard or Lunenburg.

Not having kids and not having any Mom friends in Groton, I can't advise you either way on that.

One of our other frequent posters, TrafficLover recently moved to Groton and may be able to better inform you on the schools.

[kingeorge]

I think Lunenburg vs. Harvard and Groton is comparing apples and oranges. Groton schools are much better than Lunenburg's. Groton can work very well for you.

[whitemountain]

Great! I will check on Groton! Looks beautiful.

How important is that a kid goes to a better quality school in Groton or Harvard over Lunenburg? Will it really make a difference? We're two Ivy League educated parents and will be on top of the kid at home anyway...

[whitemountain]

Originally Posted by LivingBeyond495

I have been watching the $550k to $650k range of houses in Harvard for awhile, and a lot houses sit on the market for weeks -- especially if they need work. (Which is most of them at that range.)

Really?? I did a Zillow search for houses sold in the last year in this range and those over 600k to 650k seemed to be in excellent shape.

[kingeorge]

Originally Posted by whitemountain

Great! I will check on Groton! Looks beautiful.

How important is that a kid goes to a better quality school in Groton or Harvard over Lunenburg? Will it really make a difference? We're two Ivy League educated parents and will be on top of the kid at home anyway...

Well, it depends on how much you care about your neighbors, and your potential future kid's friends not being perhaps as polished, well read, or having similar values and goals?

Many blue collar school districts fund only sports, and do not offer many other enriching opportunities. Teachers might not be as good, or AP class offerings scarce. Sometimes if your kid needs special ed, things can get even more complicated. Poorer areas also tend to have more kids with real tough issues at home that will have an impact on learning, and how fast all the kids in the class can plow through the curriculum.

But, it can also be all great. Who could know exactly which way it will go? You and only you can decide on that.

In the end, for some, those education/class differences are very off putting, some other people are very chill about it. Nobody can tell you what to do, but, good location and good schools beat cheaper "not in demand" areas any time in terms of resale. You do make money when buying. And buying to sell five years later to upgrade to better school district might be more expensive, than this cheaper home today. Finding cheaper home in better school district is the way to go. Groton is very reasonably priced IMHO.

Unless you want to chase new built home, and you are willing to sacrifice schools and location, for that new home which will be new only once.

Good luck.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by whitemountain

Great! I will check on Groton! Looks beautiful.

How important is that a kid goes to a better quality school in Groton or Harvard over Lunenburg? Will it really make a difference? We're two Ivy League educated parents and will be on top of the kid at home anyway...

You sound an awful lot like another poster RedMaple. Maybe you should get together with them.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Harvard has its own fox and hound club and has a more exclusive feel to it than Lunenburg.

Assuming you mean Harvard Sportsmen's club...

So Harvard's gun club is called the Harvard Sportsmen Club. It's one of the best in the state, IMHO. Lots of good events.

BUT, naturally, you don't have to live there to join. And it would be easy enough to get from Lunenburg, or Groton or Pepperell, etc.

[LivingBeyond495]

Originally Posted by whitemountain

Really?? I did a Zillow search for houses sold in the last year in this range and those over 600k to 650k seemed to be in excellent shape.

Two things -- the range you mention is 600-650, not 550-650, and these are the houses that sold.

$600k seems to be Harvard's break point between the complete pits that need a lot of work (great locations and bones, but well-used) and those that have been well maintained. Of the well-maintained ones, they are just that -- well-maintained, but used. If the place was in good shape it sold (the only listings you said you looked at). If it had a 20 year old kitchen or bathrooms, it sat there until it sold for less than $600k or was pulled off the market without selling. I am presuming those unsold listings will pop up next Spring when the owners hope the price premium goes up. (Recently, some of the worn ones have started selling above $600 -- usually the ones with lots of land.)

Contemporaries sell for a lot less in Harvard. I like contemporaries myself -- but the market-price for them tends to be less than colonial styles -- so some that have sold in that range have been in much better quality than the norm for that price point.

Also -- having seen some of these houses I thought looked fabulous in the pictures, I realized nothing compares to actually being there. You can't see the scratch marks from the dog or gauge the quality of the construction until you are there. Perhaps I analyze things too much, but I look at a house and add up in my head the improvements I'd like to make to it when considering the price. This includes the less glamorous improvements like a new septic system.

Don't get me wrong -- there have been some nice houses on the market. I thought seriously about a couple of the ones you probably saw in your search. The original OP asked about bidding wars, and only a handful of houses have gone quickly.

[traffic_lover]

My son is only 15 months so no experience with groton school system yet. We recently chose groton b/c it satisfied the most items on our must have list (schools, community amenities, commute) at a better value than surrounding towns. Ie the house I bought in groton for 450 would be 550 in littleton & stow, 650 in westford, acton, boxborough & harvard. (And 300 in ayer)