Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stoneham is still somewhat affordable, but it is very townie. I have no issues with that demographic, but some people do.
My biggest issue with Stoneham is that the prices don't reflect the limited public transport options and lack of a cohesive town center. Stoneham has a bus to Oak Grove and there is no parking at any of the stops along Main St. You should be able to find a comparably priced home in Wakefield, which offers two commuter rail stops and a couple of buses to Oak Grove. Melrose is a bit more expensive, but it offers buses to Oak Grove from all parts of town, subway service at Oak Grove, and three commuter rail stops. Reading is also more expensive, but offers a commuter rail stop. In addition, Wakefield, Reading, and Melrose also have much nicer town centers than Stoneham.
Regardless of commuting options, I don't think a reliable 45 minute commute from any of the metro north suburbs to Longwood is feasible. If commute is a priority for the OP, I would stick with the areas west and southwest of the city.
My biggest issue with Stoneham is that the prices don't reflect the limited public transport options and lack of a cohesive town center. Stoneham has a bus to Oak Grove and there is no parking at any of the stops along Main St. You should be able to find a comparably priced home in Wakefield, which offers two commuter rail stops and a couple of buses to Oak Grove. Melrose is a bit more expensive, but it offers buses to Oak Grove from all parts of town, subway service at Oak Grove, and three commuter rail stops. Reading is also more expensive, but offers a commuter rail stop. In addition, Wakefield, Reading, and Melrose also have much nicer town centers than Stoneham.
Regardless of commuting options, I don't think a reliable 45 minute commute from any of the metro north suburbs to Longwood is feasible. If commute is a priority for the OP, I would stick with the areas west and southwest of the city.
Stoneham does have lousy public transportation options. When I was looking to purchase income property several years ago I noticed that Stoneham was limited & Melrose was somewhat better, but not great.
Also factor in that a family can more easily get by on one car in a walkable area, whereas you often need 2 when you live in a car-dependent suburb. Not only does it save you time, but it saves you AT LEAST 6-7k per year that you can put toward a more urban home with the things you want. We are in Somerville with kids and it's great. Brookline makes more sense for your work location. Expect ethnic diversity but not socio-economic diversity there https://newsroom.aaa.com/auto/your-driving-costs/
Yep. We had 2 cars. One died and I didn’t get another (joined zip car for emergencies) and found it great to only have one car. Saved on insurance, excise tax, etc. only thing is that in Brookline you need to pay for parking so that will be an expense to take into account.
And very unfortunately I don’t think there is much ethnic diversity in Brookline.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoliz
While I love this, and agree with all the benefits, a lot of people aren't able to just increase the budget (or even decrease the 3/2 desire).
True.
People do usually have some wiggle room in the budget, especially when a mortgage is stretched out over 30 yrs. Another couple hundred a month can increase the overall purchase amount, and it also depends on how much they have to put down. And expenses are different in a condo Vs. SFH. A good realtor can guide them through that so they understand what to expect.
The # of beds and baths is a compromise and priority setting. If commute is more important than a 3 bed, then it’s more important. Other things are condition of the place (how much work it’ll need, etc.). Much to take into account and Brookline is definitely expensive. For some, the additional cost makes sense. For others, it seems idiotic and a rip off to pay so much for so little. For the OP, it may make sense or they may see what’s what and decide that a longer and harder commute is worth more space. I know families with 2 kids who are in a 2 bed 1 bath. They are suffering, but not moving. Well, I actually know one family that moved – out of State. This is a hard place to live for sure.
You are getting some unrealistic advice in this thread as far as Brookline and Somerville go, those won’t be anywhere near 600k for a reasonable 3 bedroom. Melrose is a great recommendation. Very good schools and one of the best commutes that your budget and space needs will allow. I would also consider natick, it’s gonna be around your max commute but your money will go slightly further as well. I lived in waltham for 8 years after graduating college and it’s close to perfect for what you want location and budget wise except the schools aren’t where you want them to be, which is part of the reason we moved to Braintree after having a child. (I think Waltham’s schools will trend upwards with who is moving there, they just aren’t there yet) The restaurant scene is fantastic there and it’s a great spot for commuting as your are close to Longwood, Boston, on the pike and 95 etc...
I would also look at the squantum and merrymount school districts in quincy. Well rated schools and again within your commute desires. Braintree is probably too far of a commute but not by a ton and otherwise fits your criteria. We were shopping with a similar budget last summer and these were the areas we ended up focusing on.
I realize we will have a tough time at our price point and stated that in my opening post.
The Dedham and Waltham options are interesting new suggestions I hadn't considered.
Waltham is ideally located geographically for us, but we initially ruled Waltham out based on school quality. However, Pokerdad makes a great point that given changing local demographics they may be a good bet to uptrend.
We have 2 little kids so compromising on the 3 bedrooms isn't an option, but if the commute is short enough to save us extended day care costs and/or we could downsize to 1 car we could likely increase the budget significantly.
I think at this point we've narrowed to: Natick and Melrose (though we have a strong preference for closer to metro-west). I will do more research on Dedham and Waltham.
For Waltham and Dedham - any suggestions on specific neighborhoods to target or avoid?
East Dedham leans more toward the less desirable. there are 2 housing projects, and it has less of the Rockwell feel upper Dedham has. I think Oakdale are is probably a good buy, but not really walkking distance to grocery and stuff like that, if that is important.
I realize we will have a tough time at our price point and stated that in my opening post.
The Dedham and Waltham options are interesting new suggestions I hadn't considered.
Waltham is ideally located geographically for us, but we initially ruled Waltham out based on school quality. However, Pokerdad makes a great point that given changing local demographics they may be a good bet to uptrend.
We have 2 little kids so compromising on the 3 bedrooms isn't an option, but if the commute is short enough to save us extended day care costs and/or we could downsize to 1 car we could likely increase the budget significantly.
I think at this point we've narrowed to: Natick and Melrose (though we have a strong preference for closer to metro-west). I will do more research on Dedham and Waltham.
For Waltham and Dedham - any suggestions on specific neighborhoods to target or avoid?
The best elementary school district is the Fitzgerald school, I actually used to volunteer there in college and it has the best reputation in Waltham. The area you will most enjoy living however is the South Side by Moody St. The sacrifice that you are making is that the schools are simply decent in that area and along with the Ftizgerald district its one of the more expensive areas of Waltham. That said it's almost perfect for everything else you are looking for. The Moody St. area is absolutely booming and the food scene is fantastic. I'm talking about dozens of high quality independent, non chain restaurants and bars. People come from neighboring towns to dine in the area, and it's getting more built up by the year. You will be able to walk to all these restaurants and bars if you live on the south side of Waltham. Additionally the charles river path is a fantastic walking/running/biking trail that you can hop that follows the Charles river into Brighton, Cambridge, and then boston. (It ends after about 12 miles by the Hatshell) It's incredibly beautiful and I miss biking it now that I am in Braintree. There is a commuter rail station and the end of Moody St. that could be a one mile walk or so from most houses or condos. You could also drive 10 minutes to the Riverside T station in Newton which would take you straight into Longwood.
I definitely recommend checking that area out. Just drive to Moody St. and walk it's beautiful in the summer. (You can get the kids an ice cream at lizzies) I went to school at Bentley in Waltham and then subsequently lived there for 8 years as did my wife so we were just ready for a change of scenery and she wanted to be closer to her mom who lives in Quincy. But we strongly considered trying to buy in that area and our quality of life was fantastic there. Your main drawback like I mentioned is that the schools are not there with Natick, Melrose, parts of quincy or braintreee right now which could be in your budget. From your description of what you want however, it may be the most enjoyable living experience for your family if you are willing to gamble on the schools improving.
You should research this yourself but my impression of the Waltham schools is that they actually have fine resources and nice facilities, however there are many more ESL students there then the surrounding area which can make some of the standardized test scores lower. But that doesn't mean the education itself isn't better then those scores might reflect. I hope that helps, we had similar considerations last year and did fine in a tough market, you will definitely be able to find a good option with your budget!
If the choice is Natick or Melrose, I would pick Natick every time. It is a nice town with good schools. It is very accessible to other areas and has great shopping options along Rte 9. It is also a far better commute to Longwood. It offers three commuting options that are far better than Melrose - Green Line D from Riverside or Woodland direct to Longwood / Worcester Framingham Commuter train direct to Fenway with a manageable walk / drive from the west (via Pike or Rte 9).
Having done a commute which involved multiple mass transit channels (commuter train and subway), I would strongly advise against commutes that require multiple subway changes or combination of train and subway. Each boarding requires added wait time which is basically dead time as you are just standing there waiting for your ride.
For Waltham and Dedham - any suggestions on specific neighborhoods to target or avoid?
I would check out two Waltham neighborhoods: Cedarwood and Warrendale. My only concern is finding what you want at a 600k pricepoint. Both have very active parent groups and great access to parks. You will be close to public transit to get into Boston (which is more or less non-existent on the north side).
Waltham has ok public transit into Boston/Cambridge but not great into Longwood. I would probably opt for biking or driving over trying to make something work with either the commuter rail into Newton or the green line.
I realize we will have a tough time at our price point and stated that in my opening post.
The Dedham and Waltham options are interesting new suggestions I hadn't considered.
Waltham is ideally located geographically for us, but we initially ruled Waltham out based on school quality. However, Pokerdad makes a great point that given changing local demographics they may be a good bet to uptrend.
We have 2 little kids so compromising on the 3 bedrooms isn't an option, but if the commute is short enough to save us extended day care costs and/or we could downsize to 1 car we could likely increase the budget significantly.
I think at this point we've narrowed to: Natick and Melrose (though we have a strong preference for closer to metro-west). I will do more research on Dedham and Waltham.
For Waltham and Dedham - any suggestions on specific neighborhoods to target or avoid?
Try the Endicott neighborhood in Dedham. You might also get lucky and find something in the Islington neighborhood of Westwood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
