Thinking about a move back to MA. Help deciding where in south of Boston. (Quincy: house, construction)

[GeoffD]

Another "I want to live in a place that doesn't exist at my price point" thread.

How can you have 1 acre lots and a walkable Main Street? If it's new construction on a big lot, it's somewhere that used to be woods or farmland and won't have that town center. It will have a strip mall.

If "work isn't an issue", why is MBTA to Boston such a big deal? People pay an enormous premium to be close to that so they can get to work in the city.

[Hollytree]

Why aren't you looking in RI? I think you could come closer to what you want here. Wickford, Lincoln, East Greenwich, Barrington, etc. The MBTA comes down through the state now.

[jimrawr]

I dont need the house to be right next to the walkable street. Just to be within a few miles. We want a town center with things to do, but we dont have to be within walking distance to it if that makes sense.

[jimrawr]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Another "I want to live in a place that doesn't exist at my price point" thread.

How can you have 1 acre lots and a walkable Main Street? If it's new construction on a big lot, it's somewhere that used to be woods or farmland and won't have that town center. It will have a strip mall.

If "work isn't an issue", why is MBTA to Boston such a big deal? People pay an enormous premium to be close to that so they can get to work in the city.

Its more about being closer to family who is in Braintree, Brockton, Hingham, Plymouth, Norwell. The whole point of moving from FL to MA is to spend more time with family, and if we are far enough from them that we only see each others once in awhile, we might as well stay here.

We have considered Bristol RI but shares the problem we are trying to avoid above, as well as why I am not considering North or West of Boston. The thing we aren't stuck on is land size and new construction. We just don't want to have what we have here in FL with zero lot lines and 1/3rd acre lots. Also we would want something new but doesn't have to be new construction. Up to 10 years old lets say.

Whats more important to us is being in a nice town, good schools, and a nice cute downtown like a Plymouth/Salem/Bristol RI (doesnt need to be walking distance to that down town).

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by jimrawr

I dont need the house to be right next to the walkable street. Just to be within a few miles. We want a town center with things to do, but we dont have to be within walking distance to it if that makes sense.

Good! Glad that I wasn't the only one who got that from your post! I also (perhaps incorrectly) interpreted your wants as not necessarily needing a walkable downtown exactly like Salem, but a place with stuff to do and walk to. You brought up Bridgewater for example, which is nothing at all like Salem.


I find people on this board to be very good at jumping down others' throats and dishing out their own two cents about everything whether solicited or not, but not so good at taking the time to read specific questions and giving helpful answers.

[jan0105]

Originally Posted by jimrawr

Hi all. I grew up in southern RI and then lived in Westport, MA for a number of years. We relocated to Florida and are now considering moving back to be closer to family. We are young adults with two young children (3 and 5), and can spend up to around $800k on a house. Work isn't an issue.

Important to us:

• Schools must be good. We dont need best of the best, but good school systems is a must.
• Walkability. We really want somewhere that has some sort of a town center thats walkable (similar to Salem). This is very important to us. Just having SOMETHING to do that's local and not having to drive far for everything.
• Not quaint. We do not want to live in a place thats anything like Westport. No driving 20 minutes just to get to a super market, etc.
• Decent sized properties and an construction of a new home. We do not want to live in an area where houses are on top of each other (1 acre lots sizes are fine), and we also want to be able to move into something relatively modern/new or just go with new construction for our price range (2,500+ sq ft)
• We want to be somewhere south of Boston where the MBTA is available.

The only place that comes to mind for me is Bridgewater. I am not too familiar with the area but I've been a few times and I remember a small town center. Also it has the MTBA, not too far from Boston or Providence. We really liked Salem when we were up there some years ago but we do not want to go north of Boston, and I'm not sure if there is anything similar on the south side?

Thanks for any help

Hingham and Cohasset tick all of your boxes except the good-sized lot and new construction. You can find houses for $800,000 in both towns but rarely new construction at that price point.

Marshfield might be worth a look. Again lots aren't large but prices are lower than a little further north, schools are good, and there is shopping in Marshfield, next door in a Pembroke etc.

[jennsunshine]

I can endorse Scituate as one of the south of Boston communities mentioned, but I am biased. We are in the geographic area known as the South Shore, which includes 20+ towns if I remember correctly. My family has had a home here for 50 years. I grew up here and attended the public schools, which are high quality with strong academics. Even have a brand new, sparkling middle school! We are now selling, as the parents are gone, although we have an older (about 100 year old) more traditional house than you might be interested in. We are close to the water, but outside of flood zones, and less than the price point you mentioned. There *is* new construction going up in the price point you mention ($800K), but any acreage would be very hard to come by. On the other hand, you can probably get a decent lot size of about 10,000 sf or so. Essentially, housing prices will vary considerably in Scituate, depending on proximity to the water, age and construction of the homes. I think it is possible to find homes to fit most budgets and requirements, barring the need for any large acreage.

Unfortunately, Scituate is not close to any main highways, so backroads most of the way to get to Rte 3. It is most definitely a bedroom community, and we have an expression - 'you can't get they-ah from he-ah.' ;-) Scituate has also become a draw for both retirees and young families, and I have definitely noticed the difference since I returned two years ago after years in the Pacific NW. There is direct commuter rail in to Boston (a bit pricey), with access points in Weymouth and Quincy. It is a very walkable town, especially down near the Harbor and Lighthouse area closer to where my family home is. I see people constantly jogging, walking, strolling with kids, etc... There is even a First Friday activity the first Friday of each month in the Harbor business area.

The year-round population of Scituate is about 18,000 or so, although it goes up significantly with the Summer population and vacationers. On the other hand, after mid-September, Scituate starts to become very quiet, even more so in the Winter, and picks up again about May. For families with school-age children, I think there is quite a community feeling, although there are a number of old-timers and natives (residents whose history goes back to the 1600's), who miss the old quaintness and way things used to be.

In any case, I think Scituate might be worthy of consideration. I think it ticks off many of the boxes on your wish list. Best of luck to you and your family!

[jennsunshine]

Quick addendum - either Rte. 123 or Rte 3A will get you to all of the towns you mentioned. This will help avoid the drive on the Expressway/Rte. 3. Norwell is 10-15 minutes away, as is Hingham. You can get to Brockton in about 30 minutes on Rte. 123, Plymouth is about 30 minutes via either Rte. 3A or Rte. 3. Braintree is the only town that you would need to take the highway. It's about 30 minutes, give or take.

Scituate has four elementary schools (I am a substitute teacher), and they are all very good, with strong parent engagement. A brand new middle school just opened in September, and it is *gorgeous*. There is even a new performing arts center that is used by both the high school and middle school, and I believe it will also be used for town activities or events.

I will say that I really enjoyed growing up in Scituate all those many years ago. Yes, there are disadvantages to any town, but I won't go in to those on this thread. No town will be absolutely perfect, but it will be perfect for *you.*

Again, I hope you find what you are looking for!

[vtecluder617]

Braintree is your best bet. Good schools, right on the MBTA red line, you'll get a nice house with that price point, only issue I see is the lots won't be that big. You can find bigger lots and good schools the further down Rte 3 you go, but you'll lose easy access to the MBTA and walk-ability.

[Bonnieray]

Originally Posted by Amanda333

I doubt you'll get more than 0.15 acre for $800k home (even if the home is a tear down) in Belmont.

No way new construction single family home for $800k in Belmont, Newton, Winchester, Arlington or Lexington. I don't know the other towns well enough - but can't imagine you can get an acre, new constructon SFH for $800k in any of those towns.

Regardless OP is interested in south of Boston. I'm sure someone familiar with that area will chime in.

You seem to be in tune with this area. Would you mind giving me your opinion? If you were working in Brockton, where would you live? I have a wife and 2 children. My son is in college though so we will just need a high school for our daughter. She presently is in a catholic school so we are not dependent on the public school. But if it is very good we would consider it. We would like a town offering things to do. Our price range is $700,000-900,000.
Thank you for your time