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Hi lilpug and fellow (former) Bergenite. Thank you for being so specific on the pros and cons, it helps puts things into perspective. Thank you for your kind wishes for our son. In fact EoE is what the docs suspect. We are taking it day by day. I am sorry your little guy has to deal with food allergies. I feel for you as well with always having to be hyper vigilant about every meal, every morsel. I will PM you so we may share more about this.
We arrive the 2nd week of Jan and will be staying in temp housing while looking for a home. We are currently considering Concord, West Concord, Beverly, Waltham and Waverly. Basically towns along the Fitchburg line. Even Swampscott we might consider as suggested by a previous poster, but the schools don't look as good? It seems if we find a town meeting most of our criteria along the Fitchburg line, it might be our best bet. I'm sorry if I'm mentioning things that have already been mentioned. I'm a little scatter-brained these days! We are trying to decide on the temp housing city we will be staying in for a few months while home searching. It looks as if our son might have to switch schools one more time before we finally settle as the scouting city may not end up being our hometown.
It's pretty cold here and I can imagine it's blustering there by now! No going back...
Swampscott schools are actually very good. Not Concord good, but well above average. Beverly and Waltham on the other hand are definitely not known for their schools, to say the least. Just look at the rankings. Yes, rankings aren’t everything, but they really do give you an idea when you have no other frame of reference.
OP, please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to refer you to our excellent doctors. We lived in temp housing while selling our NJ house and looking for a house in MA. We rented in Concord Mews, a townhouse and apartment rental complex in West Concord, right in the corner of Concord where West Concord, Sudbury, Acton, and Maynard all come together. It was relatively new when we moved in, so we had to use "30 Sudbury Road, ACTON" as the GPS address even though the property is located in Concord on the border of Sudbury (and btw, "Sudbury Road, CONCORD" is a different place across town). It's a large and newer complex and we liked it, although the units felt small after coming from a large house. The townhouses and some of the apartments have private garages too (excellent in winter), and there's a pool and 2 playgrounds, a fitness center, and onsite management and maintenance. The Concord public schools bus stops there at the rental office. There are a lots of kids there and it's pet-friendly too. We had a flexible lease term--3 month initial rental term, then month-to-month after that. The shorter the initial term, the higher the monthly price of course.
We didn't use the Concord schools but they are fantastic. We have a few friends who could afford private schools but they put their kids in Concord public schools. However, from what I've seen (without having been a student or parent of student there), I would guess that the ritzy set may not be as prevalent living in West Concord as they would be in downtown or regular Concord on the other side of Rte 2. Seems like when we were looking for a house there were more availability of more reasonably-priced houses in West Concord. I see plenty of modest/average and some upscale cars there parked at nice but not huge looking (60s ranch, older colonial, etc) houses there.
I would also, like a previous poster, recommend Belmont for schools, and nice family lifestyle, playgrounds, residential neighborhoods, etc. Belmont seems really pricey especially if you want something more than 3 bedrooms. It's so close to Cambridge and Boston so the convenience and great schools attract people who have the funds to compete for (small but) expensive houses after living in the city and wanting a more suburban move to a great school district, yet the convenience of close access. Belmont and Concord schools are both exceptional. You can't go wrong either way. Besides US News, look on Schooldigger for test results at the elementary level, or Boston Magazine for district rankings in the region. Also along the area you're looking in, but further out, is Acton. The downside is increased distance to the city, and traffic can be rough on Rte 2 if driving through the traffic circle there, but if taking the train, it's only 1 more stop from West Concord I think. The schools are fantastic, and the housing is more reasonably priced, with a great variety, from apartments, to condos, townhouses, single family homes, etc. I am in Acton regularly for random stores, kids events, whatever, and find it a pleasant town though without as much of the quaint downtown aspect that West Concord and Concord have. Acton has some of that but the town is more spread out, too.
To satisfy the curiosity of other posters, we do not live in a W town, it's Sudbury (surprise!), and yep, for sure our home is in the more expensive range for our town, but I was comparing apples to apples for the OP's sake, as mentioned: a rather large SFH home, not a mansion, in a town with good schools, in an outer suburb of the city, comparable to what we left in NJ. I'm sure our taxes are higher than most in Sudbury, too, but again, it's an apples-to-apples comparison of a comparable house in a comparable town so the OP can see what our percentage increase has been, not a report on the average Sudbury or MA tax. And although OP isn't looking there, I would like to note for future readers of this thread that Sudbury's a gorgeous, historic small town with nice people and has been ranked #1 town in MA to raise a family. It's especially pretty at this time of year with the holiday decorations and lights on the town hall, old churches, etc.
OP, please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to refer you to our excellent doctors. We lived in temp housing while selling our NJ house and looking for a house in MA. We rented in Concord Mews, a townhouse and apartment rental complex in West Concord, right in the corner of Concord where West Concord, Sudbury, Acton, and Maynard all come together. It was relatively new when we moved in, so we had to use "30 Sudbury Road, ACTON" as the GPS address even though the property is located in Concord on the border of Sudbury (and btw, "Sudbury Road, CONCORD" is a different place across town). It's a large and newer complex and we liked it, although the units felt small after coming from a large house. The townhouses and some of the apartments have private garages too (excellent in winter), and there's a pool and 2 playgrounds, a fitness center, and onsite management and maintenance. The Concord public schools bus stops there at the rental office. There are a lots of kids there and it's pet-friendly too. We had a flexible lease term--3 month initial rental term, then month-to-month after that. The shorter the initial term, the higher the monthly price of course.
We didn't use the Concord schools but they are fantastic. We have a few friends who could afford private schools but they put their kids in Concord public schools. However, from what I've seen (without having been a student or parent of student there), I would guess that the ritzy set may not be as prevalent living in West Concord as they would be in downtown or regular Concord on the other side of Rte 2. Seems like when we were looking for a house there were more availability of more reasonably-priced houses in West Concord. I see plenty of modest/average and some upscale cars there parked at nice but not huge looking (60s ranch, older colonial, etc) houses there.
I would also, like a previous poster, recommend Belmont for schools, and nice family lifestyle, playgrounds, residential neighborhoods, etc. Belmont seems really pricey especially if you want something more than 3 bedrooms. It's so close to Cambridge and Boston so the convenience and great schools attract people who have the funds to compete for (small but) expensive houses after living in the city and wanting a more suburban move to a great school district, yet the convenience of close access. Belmont and Concord schools are both exceptional. You can't go wrong either way. Besides US News, look on Schooldigger for test results at the elementary level, or Boston Magazine for district rankings in the region. Also along the area you're looking in, but further out, is Acton. The downside is increased distance to the city, and traffic can be rough on Rte 2 if driving through the traffic circle there, but if taking the train, it's only 1 more stop from West Concord I think. The schools are fantastic, and the housing is more reasonably priced, with a great variety, from apartments, to condos, townhouses, single family homes, etc. I am in Acton regularly for random stores, kids events, whatever, and find it a pleasant town though without as much of the quaint downtown aspect that West Concord and Concord have. Acton has some of that but the town is more spread out, too.
To satisfy the curiosity of other posters, we do not live in a W town, it's Sudbury (surprise!), and yep, for sure our home is in the more expensive range for our town, but I was comparing apples to apples for the OP's sake, as mentioned: a rather large SFH home, not a mansion, in a town with good schools, in an outer suburb of the city, comparable to what we left in NJ. I'm sure our taxes are higher than most in Sudbury, too, but again, it's an apples-to-apples comparison of a comparable house in a comparable town so the OP can see what our percentage increase has been, not a report on the average Sudbury or MA tax. And although OP isn't looking there, I would like to note for future readers of this thread that Sudbury's a gorgeous, historic small town with nice people and has been ranked #1 town in MA to raise a family. It's especially pretty at this time of year with the holiday decorations and lights on the town hall, old churches, etc.
+1 on everything above. If the OP wants to keep some form of walkabilty, train access, and the perks of a yard and great schools, Concord/Belmont are excellent choices. But, we'd be remiss to mention towns like Sudbury, Carlisle, Acton, Westford, Lincoln, Wayland if the OP decides they like the smaller, New England charm towns in that general direction. All of the schools are top flight.
Belmont is a good town. Properties aren't cheap there, though. You could pay a million and it will still need work.
Hello neighbors! I hope this finds all of you well.
So we moved into a Belmont apt last July and what a whirlwind it's been! We want to buy in Belmont but still haven't been able to. Got outbid over the winter on the only house we loved and still looking.... We love Belmont and Winn Brook Elem! Wish we didn't love Belmont so much....
I wanted to thank you all for your help and I'm sorry I haven't been on but it's a been a bit crazy with major life events, stuff in storage, etc. We have extended our short term lease twice in our apartment. Should have just done the yearly lease! Would have saved a ton. Who knew?? I've never seen a market like the one here. Is it cooling? Please say yes!
OP, please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to refer you to our excellent doctors. We lived in temp housing while selling our NJ house and looking for a house in MA. We rented in Concord Mews, a townhouse and apartment rental complex in West Concord, right in the corner of Concord where West Concord, Sudbury, Acton, and Maynard all come together. It was relatively new when we moved in, so we had to use "30 Sudbury Road, ACTON" as the GPS address even though the property is located in Concord on the border of Sudbury (and btw, "Sudbury Road, CONCORD" is a different place across town). It's a large and newer complex and we liked it, although the units felt small after coming from a large house. The townhouses and some of the apartments have private garages too (excellent in winter), and there's a pool and 2 playgrounds, a fitness center, and onsite management and maintenance. The Concord public schools bus stops there at the rental office. There are a lots of kids there and it's pet-friendly too. We had a flexible lease term--3 month initial rental term, then month-to-month after that. The shorter the initial term, the higher the monthly price of course.
We didn't use the Concord schools but they are fantastic. We have a few friends who could afford private schools but they put their kids in Concord public schools. However, from what I've seen (without having been a student or parent of student there), I would guess that the ritzy set may not be as prevalent living in West Concord as they would be in downtown or regular Concord on the other side of Rte 2. Seems like when we were looking for a house there were more availability of more reasonably-priced houses in West Concord. I see plenty of modest/average and some upscale cars there parked at nice but not huge looking (60s ranch, older colonial, etc) houses there.
I would also, like a previous poster, recommend Belmont for schools, and nice family lifestyle, playgrounds, residential neighborhoods, etc. Belmont seems really pricey especially if you want something more than 3 bedrooms. It's so close to Cambridge and Boston so the convenience and great schools attract people who have the funds to compete for (small but) expensive houses after living in the city and wanting a more suburban move to a great school district, yet the convenience of close access. Belmont and Concord schools are both exceptional. You can't go wrong either way. Besides US News, look on Schooldigger for test results at the elementary level, or Boston Magazine for district rankings in the region. Also along the area you're looking in, but further out, is Acton. The downside is increased distance to the city, and traffic can be rough on Rte 2 if driving through the traffic circle there, but if taking the train, it's only 1 more stop from West Concord I think. The schools are fantastic, and the housing is more reasonably priced, with a great variety, from apartments, to condos, townhouses, single family homes, etc. I am in Acton regularly for random stores, kids events, whatever, and find it a pleasant town though without as much of the quaint downtown aspect that West Concord and Concord have. Acton has some of that but the town is more spread out, too.
To satisfy the curiosity of other posters, we do not live in a W town, it's Sudbury (surprise!), and yep, for sure our home is in the more expensive range for our town, but I was comparing apples to apples for the OP's sake, as mentioned: a rather large SFH home, not a mansion, in a town with good schools, in an outer suburb of the city, comparable to what we left in NJ. I'm sure our taxes are higher than most in Sudbury, too, but again, it's an apples-to-apples comparison of a comparable house in a comparable town so the OP can see what our percentage increase has been, not a report on the average Sudbury or MA tax. And although OP isn't looking there, I would like to note for future readers of this thread that Sudbury's a gorgeous, historic small town with nice people and has been ranked #1 town in MA to raise a family. It's especially pretty at this time of year with the holiday decorations and lights on the town hall, old churches, etc.
Hello there Lilpug! I just sent you a direct message.
Hello neighbors! I hope this finds all of you well.
So we moved into a Belmont apt last July and what a whirlwind it's been! We want to buy in Belmont but still haven't been able to. Got outbid over the winter on the only house we loved and still looking.... We love Belmont and Winn Brook Elem! Wish we didn't love Belmont so much....
I wanted to thank you all for your help and I'm sorry I haven't been on but it's a been a bit crazy with major life events, stuff in storage, etc. We have extended our short term lease twice in our apartment. Should have just done the yearly lease! Would have saved a ton. Who knew?? I've never seen a market like the one here. Is it cooling? Please say yes!
Wow! I'm surprised that this thread is two years old and you're still looking for a house. The market has been quite crazy around here for a number of years now and it only seems to be getting crazier. I network with a lot of real estate agents around the country and certainly in some areas the market is softening. However, it hasn't reached the Boston area as yet and it's hard to say when that will happen. Might be tomorrow or it might be a couple years from now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by loveblumes
Hello there Lilpug! I just sent you a direct message.
Lilipug actually didn't live too long in Sudbury. I helped her family move to Needham last year. I'm not sure how often she comes on here anymore. However, I'll let her know that you sent her a PM.
Hello neighbors! I hope this finds all of you well.
So we moved into a Belmont apt last July and what a whirlwind it's been! We want to buy in Belmont but still haven't been able to. Got outbid over the winter on the only house we loved and still looking.... We love Belmont and Winn Brook Elem! Wish we didn't love Belmont so much....
I wanted to thank you all for your help and I'm sorry I haven't been on but it's a been a bit crazy with major life events, stuff in storage, etc. We have extended our short term lease twice in our apartment. Should have just done the yearly lease! Would have saved a ton. Who knew?? I've never seen a market like the one here. Is it cooling? Please say yes!
Ahhh I remember this thread. I LOVE Belmont. Such a good mix. It's going to be so nice to have the Arsenal Yards done (2020?). Hope you are able to stay..
Though you may know this by now, I would continue to consider Winchester as a viable alternative. It's my personal favorite, and will feel totally familiar if you are now used to Belmont. Once and a while, a house in the $700s will pop up in a decent neighborhood on the far north side. If not Winchester, Arlington too.
Good luck OP! Inventory should be growing. Find a gem in the fall!
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You took the words right outta my mouth
