Live In Arlington - What is it Like? (Boston, Cambridge: rent, mortgage)

[jan0105]

Yeah I know quite a few middle school teachers in my town (who are teaching in a building that rivals college facilities) who don't have the same complaint, and they're dealing with puberty, moods, etc. I don't know if it's the physical plant in Arlington or something else, but it's always struck me as odd since the other grades are so highly regarded.

[NS-GR]

IMO, Arlington is overrated and expensive. Depending on where you work, the commute may be quite difficult. The houses are old and the lots are small. The renovated houses are very expensive. There is no comparison between Marblehead and Arlington. Marblehead is beautiful and elegant. In addition, when one asks advice from older people about spending $1M on a house in Arlington, the response you get is "Really? In Arlington Mass, houses cost $1M???"....

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by NS-GR

IMO, Arlington is overrated and expensive. Depending on where you work, the commute may be quite difficult. The houses are old and the lots are small. The renovated houses are very expensive. There is no comparison between Marblehead and Arlington. Marblehead is beautiful and elegant. In addition, when one asks advice from older people about spending $1M on a house in Arlington, the response you get is "Really? In Arlington Mass, houses cost $1M???"....

I would think that for many places that are centers of employment, Marblehead would be a more difficult commute than would Arlington.

And I'm not so sure I'd base my future real estate bets based on what "older people" think about the towns. It wasn't that long ago that people couldn't wait to get the heck out of Somerville. Now those same people can't afford to get back in.

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by NS-GR

IMO, Arlington is overrated and expensive. Depending on where you work, the commute may be quite difficult. The houses are old and the lots are small. The renovated houses are very expensive. There is no comparison between Marblehead and Arlington. Marblehead is beautiful and elegant. In addition, when one asks advice from older people about spending $1M on a house in Arlington, the response you get is "Really? In Arlington Mass, houses cost $1M???"....

While neither has a great commute into the city, Marblehead has a terrible commute during rush hour, you can access Cambridge and Boston more easily from Arlington. Marblehead is great for the 9 weeks a year that you can use the beach but isolated and a little too sleepy for the other 43 weeks.

[NS-GR]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I would think that for many places that are centers of employment, Marblehead would be a more difficult commute than would Arlington.

And I'm not so sure I'd base my future real estate bets based on what "older people" think about the towns. It wasn't that long ago that people couldn't wait to get the heck out of Somerville. Now those same people can't afford to get back in.

My point is that in Arlington, you can either buy a very old house with a tiny lot for at least $650K or you have to spend more than $1M for a renovated house. IMO, there are many towns one could spend $1M… especially if for your commute you have to depend on a car.
In addition, my personal opinion is that Arlington lacks elegance and personality and these two things are important for me in order to be fine with spending $1M...
Buying a house in Somerville may be a good investment because of the influx of young professionals etc., but I am not sure that this is a family-friendly environment with good schools etc.
It all comes down to what exactly each buyer wants.

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by NS-GR

Buying a house in Somerville may be a good investment because of the influx of young professionals etc., but I am not sure that this is a family-friendly environment with good schools etc.
It all comes down to what exactly each buyer wants.

Somerville has several schools that have higher test scores than Marblehead. As far as family friendly - if you have no desire to let your teenager have the independence to walk to a movie theatre, rock climbing gym, bike path, ice cream shop, restaurants or the red line (to go hang out in Harvard Square), then living in car dependent Marblehead is probably fine. I choose the former.

If "elegance" is what you are after, stay far far far away from Somerville. Your mention of caring about what "older people" think and "elegance" suggests you are just fine where you are.

[Whatsnext75]

Arlington real estate also seems ridiculous to me. The town is nice, has nice restaurants but plenty of other places in the area do as well. I don't get the let's spend 800k on a small cape with vinyl siding that is right in between two others that look just like it. No room.

My Co worker rents there and said it's become a really cool place to live and there's lots of activism activities that go on. I didn't ask for details but she then went on to say she's a Bernie Sanders bleeding heart die hard liberal. Doesn't sound like my kind of place. If people want to spend that much money to live there let them, they're already doing it.

[kingeorge]

People will tend to paint any towns they really know very little about with very broad brush, as evidenced by couple of previous posters. Therefore it is essential to visit and form your own opinion before a major home purchase.

Arlington value is not in its "elegance", although many older streets especially in Jason Heights neighborhood offer very beautiful and well preserved architecture (most folks know only main drag on Mass Ave or area around Alewife, and the judge the town while lacking insight on different neighborhoods, and flavors of Arlington).

Arlington value is in its unbeatable location, transit options, amenities offering high quality of living, with schools making big improvements in the last decade. There is a great balance between urban/suburban amenities, and RE is starting to reflect that. It is a great alternative to Cambridge if you have kids and want little more space and parks.

All those vinyl sided old capes will get renovated, and will become even more expensive in the next decade, so there is a very good chance that homeowners there will laugh all the way to the bank, regardless of who they vote for in an upcoming presidential elections.

Anyone having issues with Arlington should feel free to stay away, but your disdain is not really objective or helpful for anyone looking to buy there. It sounds petty and immature.

[Whatsnext75]

lol, kinggeorge I feel like you've given me a hard time before when I've knocked certain areas for suddenly becoming ridiculous expensive and not understanding why. Are you from Arlington? Kind of sounds like it. If yes then i'm sure you're thrilled at how expensive it's become to buy there. Maybe you own an on old vinyl sided cape there. People on this board are allowed to have opinions about places other than you, especially as we watch prices go up and up in certain areas. I get the Arlington is desirable because of it's close proximity to the city but to me it does still seem ridiculous and i personally would never pay that much to live there. That's not immature or petty.

I also just read an article that condo prices in Revere have gone up...again that's not a place Id ever want to live, but I am open minded enough to know that maybe someone else would love it.

[Boston_Burbs]

Fwiw, I was looking at 2 families in Belmont and Arlington ( couldn't afford monthly cost of a sf) and my commute to Boston seaport was quicker from Marblehead via public transport than it would have been from those other two places.

I will admit that Arlington is a far easier commute to Cambridge and Burlington if your job takes you there. Marblehead is downtown Boston or nothing but you can walk to multiple beaches which combined with good schools can only be had in Manchester north of Boston but they charge you to get in haha