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Old 07-12-2017, 06:52 PM
 
649 posts, read 808,318 times
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I cannot comment on the lifestyle in either community, however we did cross shop these when we were moving in 2012. We saw that Reading was, at that time, a mix of mostly long term Reading-ites and those priced out of Arlington but wanting better schools than Melrose. This meant that people were more likely to be Boston-oriented (used to commuting to Boston/Cambridge, used to pursuing entertainment in the Boston/Cambridge area, etc.)

Andover, on the other hand, is too far for most people to commute to Boston. It is a city and destination unto itself while Reading is more of a "town" suburb of Boston, despite somewhat comparable populations.

People in Andover were more "yankee," with an obvious North Andover (poor) / Andover (rich) divide. Like Concord but north. Andover being not Boston-oriented tends to be more North Shore, so your entertainment is more Lowell or Newburyport or Andover itself.

Resale will always be more stable in Reading because of the ease of the commute. Which one has more parks? Look at their respective recreation dept websites. Also look for summer programs, camps and pools. Living in Andover it will be further to haul the kids to if those amenities are not IN Andover. Look for things like YMCAs and before/afterschool care to see what is available.

Find the community websites, we use Nextdoor. Join the groups and see what is going on. I would imagine Reading edges out Andover if only because everyone else of your demographic chasing good schools needs to commute to Boston.
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Old 07-12-2017, 07:01 PM
 
513 posts, read 639,581 times
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Inventories are so low in Reading, and homes go under agreement so quickly, I don't know if you will have the luxury of picking neighborhoods. As I said in a previous post, I would only consider the West side when I was considering the town. It consists of well established neighborhoods with medium to large nicely maintained homes. The area I consider to be the West side goes from Hopkins St off Main (28) to Woburn St off the downtown. Anything too far West may be too close to the highway, so I would avoid South St and some of the streets that back up to 128.
The East side of 28 South of downtown has a bit of a different character. There are many multi-families, smaller lots, and varying levels of maintenance in terms of home upkeep. Ash St also backs up to the train tracks.
The areas off 129 are a mixed bag. Some are very nice, but many of them lack sidewalks and some of the homes are clustered in an odd way. I am not as familiar with the neighborhoods north of the downtown on 28.
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Old 07-12-2017, 07:50 PM
 
434 posts, read 506,023 times
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Reading is wicked townie, kid.

They're both very nice towns. Reading has much more of a "I grew up here and never left" vibe IMO and I agree with the previous poster who said the downtown is a bit of a bummer because of 28. Andover is gorgeous and has a great downtown by is a haul to Boston. In terms of resale, Reading inventory moves quicker but they're both solid investments.
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Old 07-12-2017, 10:29 PM
 
3,808 posts, read 3,099,495 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jan0105 View Post
Reading is wicked townie, kid.

They're both very nice towns. Reading has much more of a "I grew up here and never left" vibe IMO and I agree with the previous poster who said the downtown is a bit of a bummer because of 28. Andover is gorgeous and has a great downtown by is a haul to Boston. In terms of resale, Reading inventory moves quicker but they're both solid investments.
Any idea as to whether Reading inventory is moving quicker due to it's price point? I.e., it's more accessible for younger buyers.

Anecdotally, I know a few of my 30-something peers are looking in Reading and, while they claim Boston access is the priority, it's quite obvious they're financially short of Andover's entry level housing. When you can't beat 'em, change your buying metric.
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Old 07-13-2017, 05:12 AM
 
513 posts, read 639,581 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrewsburried View Post
Any idea as to whether Reading inventory is moving quicker due to it's price point? I.e., it's more accessible for younger buyers.

Anecdotally, I know a few of my 30-something peers are looking in Reading and, while they claim Boston access is the priority, it's quite obvious they're financially short of Andover's entry level housing. When you can't beat 'em, change your buying metric.
Probably. Reading has a lot of smaller, older homes that are priced high for what they are but still within reach of many young buyers.

OP, I am not certain exactly what you are looking for when you describe "community", I think in terms of activities and events both towns should fit your needs. I think Andover has a broader range of offerings that appeal to many different types of people. If you want a truly friendly neighborhood, with block parties, etc. there aren't too many towns that have neighborhoods like that. Reading is more of a playdate sort of town, where many parents work two jobs.

I know more than a few people who moved to neighborhoods that routinely had parties and social events. As a lifelong MA resident, I can attest that these types of neighborhoods are rare. Interestingly, they are all in North Andover. There are several subdivisions in North Andover that are really great neighborhoods if you are looking for this. I think one was Meadowood or something like that and it is close to the Andover line.
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Old 07-13-2017, 07:21 AM
 
Location: North of Boston
3,668 posts, read 7,353,757 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrewsburried View Post
Any idea as to whether Reading inventory is moving quicker due to it's price point? I.e., it's more accessible for younger buyers.

I don't think that is correct at all. Reading houses move quicker because there just aren't that many of them for sale.

Andover has a larger and more affordable housing market than Reading. Andover has a population 1/3 larger than Reading and a land area over 3X as large as Reading. Because of its much larger size it has a wider diversity of housing stock and neighborhoods. Yes, it has many large and luxurious homes that are more expensive than what you would typically find in Reading but it also has entire sections of town which have housing stock that is less expensive than the comparable home in Reading.

Just look at the MLS today: Reading has 4 active single family home listings under $500K; Andover has 16.
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Old 07-13-2017, 08:06 AM
 
4,997 posts, read 3,839,855 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrewsburried View Post
Any idea as to whether Reading inventory is moving quicker due to it's price point? I.e., it's more accessible for younger buyers.

Anecdotally, I know a few of my 30-something peers are looking in Reading and, while they claim Boston access is the priority, it's quite obvious they're financially short of Andover's entry level housing. When you can't beat 'em, change your buying metric.
That may have been true 5-10 years ago. That said, look at the home prices now. Reading's average list price may be a bit less, but i'd argue you get a nicer house in Andover at the same price point, and that the barrier of entry (~400k) goes further in Andover than Reading.

^That's what's driving my resale question. I know we can't predict the future, but it certainly seems like this generation of home buyers is sacrificing yards and sq/ft for convenience and location.
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Old 07-13-2017, 08:35 AM
 
15,681 posts, read 20,176,595 times
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We looked in reading. At $400-500K, a lot of homes at that price point just had small pots of land, and needed some work, or had oil heat, or other negatives on our personal list. All the open houses were jam packed, and from what I observed, were full of Xennials (new term lately) like myself.


The commute is also what drew us to reading. You could hop on 93 and 95 and be on your way in a matter of minutes. But ultimately what turned us off is relatively small plots of land, and older stocks of housing in our price point of up to $500k.


We still live locally, and do a lot of family-type events in Reading. I have friends that live there, and am always cutting through the town. Very nice area.
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Old 07-13-2017, 09:47 AM
 
317 posts, read 328,258 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrewsburried View Post
Any idea as to whether Reading inventory is moving quicker due to it's price point? I.e., it's more accessible for younger buyers.

Anecdotally, I know a few of my 30-something peers are looking in Reading and, while they claim Boston access is the priority, it's quite obvious they're financially short of Andover's entry level housing. When you can't beat 'em, change your buying metric.
I would say Andover is more affordable than Reading. They both have a similar buy-in price and it seems you can get more for your money in Andover. Reading is closer to Boston, which makes it more desirable.
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Old 07-13-2017, 12:10 PM
 
3,808 posts, read 3,099,495 times
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Originally Posted by ECPCVC View Post
I would say Andover is more affordable than Reading. They both have a similar buy-in price and it seems you can get more for your money in Andover. Reading is closer to Boston, which makes it more desirable.
Sales records suggest it's more affordable apples-to-apples, but Reading's history as a working-class Boston 'burb means it has more offerings at the low end ... at least this is what I was seeing 18+ months back.

Cheaper sqft doesn't mean much when there are few, if any, post-war tract homes filling that entry level sweet spot of <450K.

This said, it sounds like Reading is pivoting ... which is why I inquired.
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