Potential move with 6 member family to Boston Area (Worcester, Cambridge: rentals, insurance)

[n0tsomuch]

Hello all! I'm not sure if anyone will read this, but I've searched and searched and I can't find much on larger families moving to the Boston area. We have 4 kids, myself and my husband. He'd be working by Columbus, near Titus Sparrow Park, I believe. We're trying to see if we can fit ourselves into a 3 br, but would love a 4 br. We're trying to keep our rent at about $3k (maybe with a little wiggle room) while we would live in a decent school district. We don't mind expats or different cultures - we really care about schools, first. Based on what I'm seeing, it seems impossible to find something that'll work.

My husband has a car, but we're assuming train commuting would be better for him. He could commute up to about 45 minutes but no more than an hour. We'd like to live in a neighborhood/area that is somewhat live with things to do - and not a dead town. We'd like a visit to Boston on weekends to be a bonus and not the only thing we look forward to. Am I mistaken that we may not find what we're looking for at this price? Thanks in advance.

[timberline742]

Where in Boston is he working?

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Where in Boston is he working?

Yeah, start there. We need to understand which train line to recommend first.

Without looking myself, but taking price into consideration, I'd recommend the following towns for SFH/good school districts-

To the North:
-Reading
-Andover
-Melrose

To the West:
-Concord
-Natick
-Arlington ($$$)
-Needham ($$$)

To the South:
-Milton
-Hingham
-Dedham

Towns like Winchester, Newton, Brookline, Belmont, Cambridge, Wellesley likely will not offer rentals in that price range. But, it's worth a look. SFH certainly won't be an option in Brookline, Cambridge, Newton. Even if you were to bend on top-tier schools, safe areas with lots to do in close proximity to Boston, like Somerville, will be too expensive.

[n0tsomuch]

[quote=mwj119;52322884]Yeah, start there. We need to understand which train line to recommend first.

Thanks! He'd be working near Columbus, near Titus Sparrow Park, I believe. I'll edit to add that on my original post.

[mwj119]

[quote=n0tsomuch;52322992]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Yeah, start there. We need to understand which train line to recommend first.

Thanks! He'd be working near Columbus, near Titus Sparrow Park, I believe. I'll edit to add that on my original post.

Via the commuter to the Mass Ave stop:

Andover would be 70 minutes. Reading 50 minutes. Melrose 35 minutes.

Concord would be 70 minutes. Natick 50 minutes. Arlington 45 minutes. Needham 35 minutes.

Milton won't work unless you want to drive or take multiple buses. Hingham 60 minutes. Dedham 25 minutes.

All of that said, Dedham is probably my least favorite of the bunch.. Can't speak to the schools, but they're probably not as highly regarded as the others on the list. Needham might be the best option, though it's probably the hottest rental market on the list besides Arlington/Melrose. Arlington kind of splits Needham and Melrose in desirability and feel. I personally love Arlington, but again, it's probably out of budget for a SFH. Much like Arlington, Melrose has many neighborhoods, and some are very urban in feel, while others have that 'pure americana' suburbia vibe. I've seen some threads about people leaving Melrose school district for Reading/Andover/Lynnfield, so I'm not sure what the story is with schools. My guess is they are totally fine. While I'm at it, Andover is an incredible town.. A bit easier on the wallet as it's further out, but has the big town/city amenities downtown. Very active community, too. If you can handle the 70 minute commute, you can definitely find something walkable to the train/downtown.

Regardless, this list is probably most realistic without moving to the uber high-end inner ring suburbs (Needham is one, but tends to be a tad cheaper than neighboring Newton).

[mwj119]

A few samples walkable to downtown/the train:

Concord: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...24_rect/12_zm/
Reading: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...94_rect/11_zm/
Andover: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...38_rect/12_zm/
Natick: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...26_rect/13_zm/
Needham: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...68_rect/12_zm/
Arlington: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...63_rect/12_zm/

Surprised to see that there really isn't a huge difference by town. $2750 seems to be the entry point for 3 bdr close to train in the suburbs.

[jayrandom]

[quote=n0tsomuch;52322992]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Yeah, start there. We need to understand which train line to recommend first.

Thanks! He'd be working near Columbus, near Titus Sparrow Park, I believe. I'll edit to add that on my original post.

That's a walk from Back Bay Station. Don't look on Commuter Rail lines that don't stop at Back Bay. Transferring to the commuter rail is frustrating and will add a lot of time to the commute. The lines that stop at Back Bay are the Worcester, Needham, Franklin, and Providence lines. There are enough good options on those lines that you shouldn't start trying to convince yourself that Concord or Reading would work. Anything will work, but you will be making your husband's commute much worse.

Worcester - Newton, Wellesley, Natick
Needham - Needham
Franklin - Dedham, Westwood, Norwood, Walpole
Providence - Canton, Sharon

None of those perfectly solve your problem. Your budget is too small to get everything you want. Also the SFH rental market in Boston suburbia is very thin. Newton/Wellesley are probably too expensive, but will have more to do. Dedham and Norwood don't have great schools, although all the schools in the area are pretty good. Westwood and Sharon don't have a ton going on in town. Walpole is starting to get pretty far.

I'd strongly recommend looking (online) at all the places that seem reasonable and going on what's available in your price range.

You might also consider Melrose and taking the Orange Line from Oak Grove Station in nearby Malden. That could work. Milton could also work if you can get yourself near to Hyde Park Station or drive to Readville station.

[mwj119]

[quote=jayrandom;52323827]

Originally Posted by n0tsomuch

That's a walk from Back Bay Station.

Shouldn't be an issue...

.4 miles from Back Bay Station to Titus. Will be closer if it's east of the park. If it's west, then you'd simply go Mass Ave stop.

[n0tsomuch]

[quote=mwj119;52324307]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

Shouldn't be an issue...

.4 miles from Back Bay Station to Titus. Will be closer if it's east of the park. If it's west, then you'd simply go Mass Ave stop.

Perfect! Thanks! Thanks to everyone. We want to be realistic. We're moving from New Orleans, where there is little public transportation from out of town. As crazy as it sounds, insurance is cheaper in MA than it is in Louisiana - and New Orleans (we're second highest to MI in the country), so it may benefit him to keep the car. Moving to MA would be a culture shock, to say the least. We're just trying to educate ourselves and make the best decision. I'd be getting a job, too, eventually, but I have to make sure all of the kids are settled in, first. That would help in the future. Thanks again for all the helpful comments. If you have anymore, please let us know.

[n0tsomuch]

[quote=mwj119;52324307]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

Shouldn't be an issue...

.4 miles from Back Bay Station to Titus. Will be closer if it's east of the park. If it's west, then you'd simply go Mass Ave stop.

It's a 4 minute walk from Back Bay. It's on the eastern end of the park.