Please educate me about Sharon (schools, family life, etc.) (Boston: real estate, apartment complex)

[sparty8888]

Our family of 3 will move to Boston this summer. Hubby works in downtown (south station). We have a 6-year old who will go to 1st grade in fall. We're trying to find a town to settle down (rent first and then buy) so that we don't need to move him again. With the very useful input from this forum we have narrowed down to Newton in the west and Sharon in the south shore.
We are still in California, but from what I have researched and what I read on this forum I really like Sharon for various reasons. I have also looked at greatschools.org but want to hear from some real parents.
It would be great if you could educate me about the elementary schools, family life and housing market in Sharon:
1) Do elementary schools focus on test scores or adopt a balanced approach(more hands-on, project-based than drill for test score)? We would really prefer the latter.
2) Hubby will use the commuter rail to go to south station. Which school is most conveniently located in this case?
3) Will commuter rail run on weekends? If not is it easy to drive to downtown on Sat./Sunday?
4)We would like to have a 3 or 4 bedroom house, 1500-2000 Sqft (okay if slightly bigger or smaller), 8000-10000 lot (okay if slightly bigger or smaller). With our budget of 800K, does this sound reasonable in Sharon? Is the RE market there tough (e.g., highly competitive/low inventory, etc.)?
5)We will still need to rent first. I find only 1 apt. available for rent on craigslist. Will it be helpful if we find ourselves a broker/agent to find rentals? We'd strongly prefer to live in the same school district that we buy later.

We'll do our house hunting tour next week and I hope to learn more about Sharon before we come. Thanks so much for your patience reading this and TIA for any suggestions and insights!

[Dm84]

I'll speak to the things I can and let others chime in.

2) I'm not sure you can really base a house purchase decision on the school closest to commuter rail. We're talking at most a 5 minute drive difference between schools.

3) It runs, very infrequently. Driving into Boston is more practical for a family on the weekends.

4) You can buy most houses in Sharon with that budget. Yeah, inventory is tight and yes there are plenty of houses that cost over $800,000 but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a house you like. On the other hand, you will probably have to deal with bidding wars and other such fun.

5) The rental market in the suburbs is very small. I suggest finding a realtor since you aren't local.

One other thing to consider. If easy access to Boston on the weekend is important to you, then Newton wins hands down. Finding a house within budget though would be harder.

[jellybean23]

We looked to buy in Sharon briefly. I can't answer all your questions, but your budget should be fine. Pay attention to real estate taxes though, since Sharon has a high rate compared to other towns in the area, so you should factor that in. I think the housing prices are a bit lower than they could be as a result. When we were looking (a couple years ago), decent houses were moving briskly but you still had time to take a tour and think a couple days. We were looking in the 400-500k range though, and I have a feeling that houses in that range probably move faster. Sharon is pretty small so inventory is somewhat low but that is just the way the town is. I have no advice about rentals. I have a feeling it will be tricky to find one.

[CaseyB]

I guess the closest elementary school would be the Cottage Street school.

The town is almost all single family homes, I know there is one apartment complex, Avalon Sharon which is near Rte. 95.

The commuter rail runs on weekends, but it is usually one train every 2 hours. You can go to either Boston or Providence from the station in Sharon.

Sharon is not on the South Shore, but there is a nice lake, Lake Massapoag where the town beach is.

[MikePRU]

This doesn't really address your questions but . . . Newton and Sharon are really apples and oranges. They both have great school systems but that's where the similarities end.

Newton is big. In fact, it's a city and it's made up of 13 distinct villages which range from denser semi-urban areas to very suburban areas. It has a number of different public transportation options and great access to Boston by car. There are tons of shops and restaurants in town and several of the villages have village centers.

Sharon is the other end of the spectrum. It's got a very small town feel and it ranges from suburban to semi-rural. There's only the one commuter rail station in town and driving into Boston from Sharon is not a fun way to spend your time. There are very few shops/restaurants in town and there's a teeny tiny town center which really doesn't offer much of anything. Sharon also seems to have a ton of electrical wires running through it. I always see high tension wires running through the town randomly.

My point is . . . these two locations don't tend to appeal to the same person. I think when you get here and spend a little time in each location you'll find that one appeals to you a lot more than the other and that will make your decision easy.

[sparty8888]

Very useful info, thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by Dm84

I'll speak to the things I can and let others chime in.

2) I'm not sure you can really base a house purchase decision on the school closest to commuter rail. We're talking at most a 5 minute drive difference between schools.

3) It runs, very infrequently. Driving into Boston is more practical for a family on the weekends.

4) You can buy most houses in Sharon with that budget. Yeah, inventory is tight and yes there are plenty of houses that cost over $800,000 but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a house you like. On the other hand, you will probably have to deal with bidding wars and other such fun.

5) The rental market in the suburbs is very small. I suggest finding a realtor since you aren't local.

One other thing to consider. If easy access to Boston on the weekend is important to you, then Newton wins hands down. Finding a house within budget though would be harder.

[sparty8888]

Thank you! I do find the inventory low and it also seems really hard to find rental.

Originally Posted by jellybean23

We looked to buy in Sharon briefly. I can't answer all your questions, but your budget should be fine. Pay attention to real estate taxes though, since Sharon has a high rate compared to other towns in the area, so you should factor that in. I think the housing prices are a bit lower than they could be as a result. When we were looking (a couple years ago), decent houses were moving briskly but you still had time to take a tour and think a couple days. We were looking in the 400-500k range though, and I have a feeling that houses in that range probably move faster. Sharon is pretty small so inventory is somewhat low but that is just the way the town is. I have no advice about rentals. I have a feeling it will be tricky to find one.

[sparty8888]

Thanks a lot, MikePRU! I know Newton is big and I'm thinking about West Newton.
I'll get a better idea of the towns when I come next week and drive through them.

[quote=MikePRU;39634091]This doesn't really address your questions but . . . Newton and Sharon are really apples and oranges. They both have great school systems but that's where the similarities end.

[MikePRU]

[quote=sparty8888;39636107]Thanks a lot, MikePRU! I know Newton is big and I'm thinking about West Newton.
I'll get a better idea of the towns when I come next week and drive through them.

Originally Posted by MikePRU

This doesn't really address your questions but . . . Newton and Sharon are really apples and oranges. They both have great school systems but that's where the similarities end.

West Newton in particular the section called West Newton Hill can be very nice. The housing in Newton is quite a bit more expensive than Sharon. The tax rate is quite a bit higher in Sharon ($11.61 vs $20.30) but the assessments will be far lower in Sharon. The lots will be a lot larger in Sharon than Newton as well. There are so many differences between the two towns that as I mentioned one will most certainly appeal to you more than the other.

[495neighbor]

[quote=sparty8888;39636107]Thanks a lot, MikePRU! I know Newton is big and I'm thinking about West Newton.
I'll get a better idea of the towns when I come next week and drive through them.

Originally Posted by MikePRU

This doesn't really address your questions but . . . Newton and Sharon are really apples and oranges. They both have great school systems but that's where the similarities end.

West Newton is very dense and busy, so if you're looking for the suburban home with the yard for children to play in or street where children safely ride bicycles and walk to ball fields, it is not the right town for you.