Suburban, affordable town near both Brighton and Sharon? (Boston, Newton: appointed, real estate)

[RachaelG90]

So basically, my husband and I have decided to move our growing family from RI to Massachusetts. We currently have an 18 month old son and are expecting another next year. We are a conservative Jewish family and would like our children to attend the Shaloh House Jewish Day School in Brighton, MA. However, we also have family in Sharon, MA, and our good friends run a primarily jewish summer camp there.

I feel generally disappointed when my husband and I look for homes near Boston. It looks like we'd be paying 700K+ for a 4 bed and 3 bath house, and most of the houses have very pathetic backyards. We both grew up in suburban areas with large yards and room to play, so we want the same for our children. Nearby towns like Wellesley and Belmont are just too affluent for us; we don't have 1.5m to spend on a home.

We are considering just moving to Sharon, but I wonder if the commute to school in Brighton will be too difficult with traffic (33 mins no traffic). I'm asking someone more familiar with the traffic in that area to weigh in?

But I'm mainly wondering if there are any in between towns that aren't too far from either location and have an average cost of living.

I know this is a somewhat finicky post with a lot of requirements, but can anyone weigh in?

[Nobodybody]

If Wellesley is out of your price range, I would assume Newton is as well. Canton/Norwood would put you a bit closer to 128 for commuting access, and be more affordable. Canton schools carry a solid reputation, not sure about Norwood. Dedham would put you slightly closer to Brighton, but I don't have any firsthand experience with the town and unsure about school quality.

A more practical situation may be Natick, which I can speak for. School qualities are great, yet real estate is cheaper compared to the bordering towns of Wellesley, Wayland, Sherborn, etc. Houses start in the $400's and you can easily find the space you mentioned for under $700k. The Mass Pike runs through Natick, making easy access to Brighton (probably about or just under half hour), and about the same distance to Sharon. Natick also has a diverse population base with a substantial jewish component as well. Lastly, the town has two commuter rail stops with access to Back Bay and South Station if you go to Boston.

Hope this helps!

[MikePRU]

What's your budget? Based on your post I can only tell that you definitely don't want to spend $1.5M and it sounds like $700K is higher than you want to spend as well.

[Dm84]

The Canton suggestion is silly. Canton and Sharon border each other so unless they see a house in Canton they really like there isn't really much of an advantage over Sharon. They're both relatively expensive.

Fwiw, there are many families in Sharon who bus their kids to Maimonides in Brookline. That said if you are concerned about length of commute to Brighton every day (which is very real and valid) then maybe buying a condo in Brighton would be better.

Again, without an actual budget it's hard to say.

[mp775]

If you're looking for more house for your money, have you thought about staying in Rhode Island and having your kids attend JCDS, PHDS, or school in Sharon?

[jellybean23]

If your children will be attending private school, you could consider some of the towns closer to Brighton such as Waltham and Watertown that are less expensive in part because their public school systems aren't as strong. You're still not going to find sprawling back yards (the lots are simply too small for that) but houses will be much more affordable than towns like Newton or Belmont. If you need to be between Sharon and Brighton, maybe consider Dedham or West Roxbury.

[gf2020]

It's not practical to live in Sharon and get your kids to school each day in Brighton.

I would look to live closer to Brighton, where your kids will go to school for 9 months of the year, and further from Sharon, where you will visit family periodically and your children may attend camp for a few weeks in the summer.

Waltham and Watertown are probably the best choices with a budget of under $700K.

[Nobodybody]

Originally Posted by Dm84

The Canton suggestion is silly. Canton and Sharon border each other so unless they see a house in Canton they really like there isn't really much of an advantage over Sharon. They're both relatively expensive.

Fwiw, there are many families in Sharon who bus their kids to Maimonides in Brookline. That said if you are concerned about length of commute to Brighton every day (which is very real and valid) then maybe buying a condo in Brighton would be better.

Again, without an actual budget it's hard to say.

The advantage is the property tax rate. Sharon taxes are noticably higher than Canton.

[RachaelG90]

Thanks everyone!
We're going to check out Watertown and Waltham right now. Shop around on Zillow, drive around the area.

[RachaelG90]

Originally Posted by mp775

If you're looking for more house for your money, have you thought about staying in Rhode Island and having your kids attend JCDS, PHDS, or school in Sharon?

We have considered this, but we would rather live in Massachusetts. We have more family there, there's more to do, better job opportunities for us, etc. PHDS is definitely a great option but getting to providence each morning may be difficult. Again, we're sort of unfamiliar with commute time between MA and RI, and commute time in general.