Reading/Wakefield/Melrose/Stoneham- where to look? (Boston, Lynn: for sale, house)

[Running_mama]

Hello,

My family and I will be relocating to the Northshore in August from out of state. I grew up in Reading so I know the area. It will be my husband and I along with our infant. My job involves travel and my territory spans from East Boston/Revere to Beverly/Danvers and in between so I would like to be somewhere that I can commute to that area but not necessary to be within it.

Our budget is around 650,000 and we definitely cannot go higher than 700. We are looking for 4 bedrooms, as we intend to have more kids, along with a good school system and desirable location to raise a young family. The towns we are currently considering are Stoneham, Melrose, Reading, Wakefield and North Reading.

Any opinions on where the best places to look would be for us, and if we are currently leaving out any towns we should be considering in our search?

Thanks in advance!

[Bruins_Fan]

I'd probably go a bit further east. I'd look at Topsfield, Marblehead, Swampscott, and Lynnfield considering your territory. Maybe Hamilton and Wenham, too.

[alidmc]

I would stick close to Route 1 for ease of getting to East Boston, Revere, and Danvers. Route 1 is most easily accessible from Wakefield and Melrose of the towns you listed, though it may take some time to get there depending on where you are in town.

All of the towns on your list are extremely congested, as they are near 128, 93, and Rt 1, so there is a lot of cut-through traffic, making snaking through backroads time consuming. While Melrose has OK access to Rt 1, it is only from the Highlands/Lynn Fells area. Access to 93 and 128 would take more time. Wakefield has the advantage of 128 access as well as Rt 1, so I would probably give the preference to Wakefield in this case.

I agree that Lynnfield would be a good suggestion. Just north of Reading, but it has easy access to Rt 1, 128 and 93.

[in_newengland]

I'm familiar with Wakefield and that's the town I'd probably choose. It has rte 128, a nice downtown, good library, grocery store, restaurants. I don't know about the school system but a child's success in school is more closely related to the parents' behavior as role models and the child's upbringing than the school "performance."

I would avoid Stoneham. Personally, I just didn't like the place. It was unbelievably congested and didn't really have much to offer. When I lived in Wakefield, I only went to Stoneham when I had to.

Melrose is pretty nice but home prices are increasing and it doesn't have the highway access that Wakefield does.

[jan0105]

I lived in Stoneham and hated it. I also don't love Wakefiled but I think that's a more irrational dislike (the Stoneham hate is completely rational!). Your budget will go farther in Wakefield and Melrose than in Reading but I think all three towns have a lot to offer.

[gf2020]

$650K won't go far in towns like Reading and Lynnfield.

Where is your husband's job? Some of the towns further up 95 may be a better value if the commute is acceptable.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by gf2020

$650K won't go far in towns like Reading and Lynnfield.

I agree, but the OP would probably have an easier time in Reading, vs Lynnfield. Not much under $600K in Lynnfield (trust me I looked) but reading does have some nice stuff around $500. Just be prepared for a bidding war in that price range. We lost out on a couple homes in reading around that price point. It's just tough out there.




Lynnfield...$500K buys you a fixer upper

[tysmith95]

Middleton could also be an option for the OP, good access to RT 1 or 95 and the southern part of town and your money goes alot further than the towns mentioned. Also great schools. However the town has a more rural feel which you may or may not like.

[Bruins_Fan]

Insane when you really think about it...$500k for a "fixer upper". Oh, how I regret not getting out of this extremely overpriced area.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Bruins_Fan

Insane when you really think about it...$500k for a "fixer upper". Oh, how I regret not getting out of this extremely overpriced area.

Crazy isn't it?



House on the next street over from us went up for sale early this spring. I went to the open house just to check it out since it was built with the same plans as our house. It was original from 1960. Wallpaper, shag carpets, wood paneling, 2 prong outlets, single pane windows, etc. Not a dime put into the place since 1960. It sold 2 days after the open house, and I just saw it closed for $15K over asking just over $400K.