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Hi again. Inspired by all you helpful people out there, we've decided to come over to Massachusetts to explore - coming over on February 1st, staying just over a week.
We have narrowed our choices down to 4 towns - Acton, Littleton, Sharon and Westborough. Our budget is up to $500,000, and excellent schools and a not-too-bad commute are priorities. By 'not too bad' I mean he would not have to do it every day (he is freelance & at present commutes to London from Surrey 2 - 3 times a week)
Can anyone comment on these choices - i.e. do they sound possible given our criteria, or are we missing something?
One difference we found is between realtors in Mass. and Texas - in our house hunts in the latter state, they were all over us - a couple of emails produced reactions like 'Can't wait to meet y'all! I'll see you at the Woodlands center at 1.00...' and then we were driven around, no hard sell, but SO helpful...but in Mass., six emails have yielded only 2 replies, one of those a bit what I would call 'soi-disant' - the tone was 'Well we might just find time for lowlifes like you!'
I know one cannot judge from such tiny examples, but this seems a bit worrying! BTW if accent / class are important here, I have a cut-glass accent to rival anything from Harvard (I went to Oxford) but I am very down to earth & my idea of fun is not bitching about things but hanging out with my neighbours over a barbecue and a beer... would I really be happier in Texas, despite being a liberal atheist intellectual??? Boy, am I confused!
my family has just moved to the Franklin/Wrentham area from Virginia, and before that from England. I have to say that everyone here has been very welcoming - my neighbor brought round homemade cookies! We we warned that we wouldn't be living in as friendly area as our town in Virginia, but so far everyone has been friendly. We did a similar house hunting trip in November, and I'd just say be prepared to look at other towns as well as those on your list - we've ended up living in a town we hadn't even heard of just because we really liked the feel of it and found a lovely property! I'd advise trying to find one realtor to show you round - all realtors seem to be able to show all houses here, unlike in England. Good luck!
I find that many agents only work in very local areas (surrounding towns only)... the towns you mentioned are fairly far apart to them. If you find an agent from Acton, he/she has no idea about houses or anything about town of Sharon or Westborough. They'll just look at MLS listing with you in the other towns. There seems to be an invisable wall. I think they're worry about just driving you around and will not be able to close the deal. Hence, getting paid.
The towns you are referring to are in three separate counties. Middlesex (Acton, Littleton), Norfolk (Sharon) and Worcester (Westborough). Since two of your preferences are in Middlesex I'd probably concentrate on finding an Agent there. If you want to look in the other areas s/he is not familiar with, you can probably get a referral to an agent there.
Hi again. Inspired by all you helpful people out there, we've decided to come over to Massachusetts to explore - coming over on February 1st, staying just over a week.
We have narrowed our choices down to 4 towns - Acton, Littleton, Sharon and Westborough. Our budget is up to $500,000, and excellent schools and a not-too-bad commute are priorities. By 'not too bad' I mean he would not have to do it every day (he is freelance & at present commutes to London from Surrey 2 - 3 times a week)
Can anyone comment on these choices - i.e. do they sound possible given our criteria, or are we missing something?
One difference we found is between realtors in Mass. and Texas - in our house hunts in the latter state, they were all over us - a couple of emails produced reactions like 'Can't wait to meet y'all! I'll see you at the Woodlands center at 1.00...' and then we were driven around, no hard sell, but SO helpful...but in Mass., six emails have yielded only 2 replies, one of those a bit what I would call 'soi-disant' - the tone was 'Well we might just find time for lowlifes like you!'
I know one cannot judge from such tiny examples, but this seems a bit worrying! BTW if accent / class are important here, I have a cut-glass accent to rival anything from Harvard (I went to Oxford) but I am very down to earth & my idea of fun is not bitching about things but hanging out with my neighbours over a barbecue and a beer... would I really be happier in Texas, despite being a liberal atheist intellectual??? Boy, am I confused!
Not too sure about the Westborough and Sharon areas but I can recommend a great agent for Littleton and Acton. Her name is Leslie Thomas of Coldwell Banker Real Estate in Westford, MA, just down the road from Acton. She sold our house for full price in two days a few years ago. I am quite sure she will be helpful in your house hunting search. Her number is:
Office
WestfordAddress70 Boston Rd.
westford, MA 01886Phone978-692-2121
When you say a not too bad commute, will your husband be traveling to Boston? If so, does he prefer taking the train or driving? For Westboro, the east side of town is very convenient for both getting to the Mass Pike and to the Commuter Rail (the Southboro station is closer from there). On the west side of town (although it's nicer, I think), getting to the Mass Pike can be a bit of a hassle in the morning, especially with a big condo and retail development having opened downtown. You either have to go through the rather congested town center or cut through to Rt 9, which is also pretty busy during rush hour. A better option if you choose that side of town is to take back roads to the Westboro train station, which is near the Shrewsbury line. I only caution you because the traffic there drives me a little nuts. (My folks tell me that one of the selectmen actually suggested doing a traffic study AFTER they approved that big development. Ugh!)
ps. We live in Sherborn and it's a community I'm very comfortable in as a progressive-minded individual. It has one of the best school systems in the state, tons of great walking/hiking trails, a quaint historic town center, easy access to the Mass Pike, and a pond for swimming & sailing.
I think because it's home to the Peace Abbey and an active Unitarian church, and because it's one of the few towns in the metrowest that really has places importance on protecting open space, it's been a draw for Liberal people. Prices are out of sight here but I do know of a few places for sale in your price range. You definately won't get as much for your money as in places like Westboro but it's a place worth considering. :-)
I grew up in MA and will say that people are not very friendly for the most part. I know you mentioned the Woodlands so I see you were looking at the Houston area. It's kind of funny because as much as I dislike MA, I hate Houston. I would take MA any day and I don't like MA at all. LOL Anyway, Realtor's in MA are not good for the most part. You're not going to find aggressive people in the field for the most part. You have to realize there are a ton of Realtors, and very few of them are good. I would say stick to MA. I have never been to the Woodlands, but I never like Houston at all. It is not a pretty place at all and the people are not all that friendly.
A week isn't much time to explore the area. Bear in mind you're going to have to fight the commuter traffic mornings and evenings while you're driving around, too.
I have an idea you're going to like Concord/ Acton/Littleton/Groton areas best. Some very pretty countryside up there. Westborough's OK, kinda busy corridor though. Sharon/Foxboro/Mansfield/Easton have some pretty neighborhoods and the commute up 95 to Boston isn't bad if you leave by 6:30 or after 9:00 - but it's not as nice as the northern towns you mentioned, in my opinion.
Very curious to know what you think after you get back home :-)
P.S. regarding realtors, you can also just drop into their offices as you're driving by a town, and ask if someone can suggest a few houses for you to drive-by in your price range. There is usually one or more people in the office who can give you some basic information. It's a good way to get a feel for the atmosphere and professionalism of the office, too. If they're friendly and open to helping, you may have found your agent. If they act like you're a big interruption in their day, you can politely wish them a good day and stop somewhere else. Nice agents are waiting and hoping to meet you :-)
Last edited by Boomerang; 01-22-2008 at 08:59 PM..
Lets see you dont like the Woodlands in Houston but you have never been there?I have and it is a beautiful area of Houston.There are ugly parts of Houston but the woodlands are are quite beautiful.
Well, Ms. Oxford/Texan, my family has more than one Harvard grad, as well as Yale, Stanford, Cornell, MIT and Princeton amongst us. Sounds like bragging: Well, it is LOL but really also more to say that if I were to want a liberal, intellectual town, I would probably chose Acton first, then Sharon (where you get more for your money, also), Westborough (where my cousins live) and finally Littleton, which I know not well.
Acton and Sharon are heavily Jewish, by the way. Westborough is more Christian but is nowhere near a major university. (Well, there are good colleges in nearby Worcester, such as Clark and The College of the Holy Cross.)
But with Acton, you get a more Harvard/MIT flavor, I guess, and with Sharon, you get a wonderful town with so much to offer and a very well educated, progressive and sophisticated population.
Sharon is way cheaper, on the whole, than Acton, and maybe a bit less snobby. I have friends or relatives in Acton, Sharon and Westborough.
I did not have the same reaction from realtors that I have contacted - no, not much and in fact found them to be pretty helpful. The dumber ones were condescending, but that was because they were dumb <gggg>!
To be honest, I cannot understand why so many non-Massachusetts people harp on the so-called unfriendly personality of the Massachusetts types. I think it is that they don't understand the New England style, and don't appreciate it, either, to be honest!
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ronnie
