PhD student in Worcester, buying house (Boston, Shrewsbury: condos, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[McMazyad]

Hello,
I will be starting my PhD at WPI and I am moving with my family (wife, daughter 5, son 4 months).
Since I am going to spend 5 years finishing grad school, I am thinking about buying a house, a townhouse or condo.
$250k is the limit.
I don't mind commuting if better places are outside Worcester.
School is very important.

Any advice or suggestions?

Thanks

[Greendale]

5 Dogwood Rd, Worcester, MA 01606 | MLS #72088918 | Zillow

This is an example of a house in My neighbor in the Indian Lake section of Worcester. Great neighbor hood. Close to highway, WPI is about 2.5 - 3 miles away. Brand new State of the Art Elementary School opening Fall 2017 for your daughter. Very Suburban/Urban area.

[McMazyad]

Originally Posted by Greendale

5 Dogwood Rd, Worcester, MA 01606 | MLS #72088918 | Zillow

This is an example of a house in My neighbor in the Indian Lake section of Worcester. Great neighbor hood. Close to highway, WPI is about 2.5 - 3 miles away. Brand new State of the Art Elementary School opening Fall 2017 for your daughter. Very Suburban/Urban area.

Thank you Greendale for the link.
what other areas do you recommend?

[Boston_Burbs]

Holden, Paxton, and Rutland to the west have good schools.

[Greendale]

I guess it will come down to whether you want to live in the city(180000 pop) in one of the larger suburbs(25-40k pop.) or one of the smaller more rural suburbs. East of Worcester towards Boston will be more expensive. As far as Worcester goes most of the area North & West of WPI is very nice. The Burncoat St area is nice as well.

[Boston_Burbs]

Originally Posted by Greendale

I guess it will come down to whether you want to live in the city(180000 pop) in one of the larger suburbs(25-40k pop.) or one of the smaller more rural suburbs. East of Worcester towards Boston will be more expensive. As far as Worcester goes most of the area North & West of WPI is very nice. The Burncoat St area is nice as well.

Towns east of Worcester start into the metro Boston work market so it drives up the price. If you don't need to work in Boston, I would go to the Wachusett towns like I mentioned above.

[Shrewsburried]

If good public schools are a priority, I recommend:

Wachusett Districts - Holden, Paxton, Rutland, Princeton, and Sterling. Of these towns, Holden, Sterling, and Princeton seem to have the better rated elementary schools within the Wachusett system. Paxton is up there as well, but Rutland tests lower due to your typical income gap issues.

Shrewsbury, to the east, has an excellent and diverse school system but a budget of $250K will limit you to condos. This said, a 250K budget is a stretch in general for Worcester county and you'll be limiting yourself to newer condos or dated 1,200-1,600 sqft homes.

Given your budget, I'd recommend Paxton if your seeking a modest SFH - its close to the city, has a good school system, and prices remain fairly low due to it's distance from metro Boston. If your more flexible on your budget or living arrangements, consider the towns of Shrewsbury, Holden, Sterling, Boylston, Princeton, and Sutton.

I know the area quite well and have family/friends in most of the towns mentioned - if you want specifics I can expand.

[thenewtexan]

You could also add West Boylston to the list as well. Good schools (smaller district), short commute to Worcester.

[scorpio516]

It'll be easier to get to WPI from Sterling, W Boylston, and parts of Holden than from Paxton or Princeton.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

It'll be easier to get to WPI from Sterling, W Boylston, and parts of Holden than from Paxton or Princeton.

While generally true, it really depends on what part. My SO works for WPI and from Sterling her commute takes 21-25 minutes. Her coworker also lives in town, but their commute is 35+ minutes as they're in the northwest corner. Proximity to 12/190 is critical in minimizing a commute from Sterling.

Paxton is a tough one too, as there are a few nice neighborhoods right on the border which will net a <25 min commute, but large swaths of the town will net a much longer commute.

Of the Wachusett towns, Princeton yields the worst commute as, unlike Sterling, it has no major arteries into the city. This means a notable portion of the commute will be country roads ... a pretty drive, but not the quickest. It's a beautiful towns though, so the commute might be a worthwhile trade.