MA Real Estate is CRAZY (Boston, Cambridge: sale, home search, buying)

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by redplum33

Regardless, at least 1 roommate is pretty much necessary.

Which is a hard sell for people coming from parts of the country where people with regular old jobs are buying houses in their 20s.

[yellowstatus]

Originally Posted by bugelrex

If you work in high tech, biotech or medical then metro boston is actually down right affordable compared to sf bay area and NYC. Watch those cities as leading indicators

This. Moving from SF bay area to Boston, real estate was essentially a 50% off sale. In SF, we rented a 750 sq. ft. in-law with dated appliances and vinyl flooring worth $950k.

I just looked at the Needham house, and it's 40% cheaper than a comparable Cambridge home. Cambridge itself is 50% cheaper than comparable SF listings. If this is considered crazy, it can get far crazier I promise.

As residents we can vote and advocate for policies that makes new housing development easier. Support public infrastructure spending to expand the commutable housing. The law of supply & demand is an unforgiving element that can create seemingly harsh outcomes. Boston prices could very well double again based on job opportunities and housing development. Boston will never be cheap, but there are policies that directionally improve affordability.

[GeePee]

It's so crazy to think how much better it would be if transit was the main focus of any of elected goons. It would open up the flood gates to other communities. It would de clog the congested roads.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by GeePee

It's so crazy to think how much better it would be if transit was the main focus of any of elected goons. It would open up the flood gates to other communities. It would de clog the congested roads.

It's not the be all end all, as whenever you expand transit outward people bring their autos with them and half the people end up driving anyway despite their initial intentions (saw it first hand after Lakeville/Middleboro line opened). But will it open new areas up to more housing, absolutely. The Boston pre-late-90s is never coming back, I think anyone can accept that. The focus at this point is preventing it from becoming a San Francisco. It's still not too late, but can't be stopped without major policy changes. The politicians all represent their NIMBY constituents, who want to pretend it's still the 1950s.

[bjimmy24]

As long as tech bros have a good time here, I guess I don't really mind the cost of housing. They can afford it fine!

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by massnative71

It's not the be all end all, as whenever you expand transit outward people bring their autos with them and half the people end up driving anyway despite their initial intentions (saw it first hand after Lakeville/Middleboro line opened). But will it open new areas up to more housing, absolutely. The Boston pre-late-90s is never coming back, I think anyone can accept that. The focus at this point is preventing it from becoming a San Francisco. It's still not too late, but can't be stopped without major policy changes. The politicians all represent their NIMBY constituents, who want to pretend it's still the 1950s.

I was talking about the MBTA .. not commuter rail. Of course someone from Lakeville will drive to the stop.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Which has absolutely nothing to do with regular cops, firefighters and teachers, etc. trying to survive in the MetroWest region.

In my town, there are a dozen "regular cops" who make 6 figures after adding in the detail work guarding the hole. That's way outside the I-495 belt. Union comp scales, 10 years in, pad out your pay with all that easy detail work. Plus the big retirement benefits. Pretty good total comp for an Associate degree from the local community college and a criminal justice degree from one of the former teachers colleges.

[MassVt]

I still expect Worcester to grow to grow because of the expensiveness of the Boston metro. Yes the commute to Boston would be long, but if you want to stay in the area, it might become more of a necessity..

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

In my town, there are a dozen "regular cops" who make 6 figures after adding in the detail work guarding the hole. That's way outside the I-495 belt. Union comp scales, 10 years in, pad out your pay with all that easy detail work. Plus the big retirement benefits. Pretty good total comp for an Associate degree from the local community college and a criminal justice degree from one of the former teachers colleges.

Still has nothing to do with the conversation, which is the average salary for a Newton cop and how they can afford the area. Detail work is never a guarantee of course, and many other public servant and other middle-class jobs do not offer the opportunity to pad one's salary with extra OT.


As for your cop bashing and berating of public higher education, that was addressed on another thread already.

[G-fused]

Count me in as someone who would not be able to afford to buy what I have now. I had to be slapped into buying 5+yrs ago but am glad I did (never thought I'd say that). It was hella expensive then but now...geesh, fugetaboutit. I'm a mid 40's professional and now make a decent living but it's still crazy expensive and in most of the country, I'd be considered pretty friggin' well off. Here...hardly middle class.

No, I don't have a "roommate" in the traditional sense but I do have a wife who pulls in decent change too. So in the financial sense, many of us who are not in our 20's still have a roommate and need it to make ends meet. So all those who walk around with a puffed out chest thinking they don't need a roommate but are married or living with a romantic partner who works...you actually do have a roommate.

My mortgage payment isn't going anywhere so now I'm just watching the crazyness with the prices without it affecting me but am always thinking "how do people make it". My concern about it isn't for me, it's for my kid. Have no idea how he'll be able to afford something decent. So my plan is to save enough so he has a down payment that allows him to make the mortgage or not live in MA. Frankly, I'm betting on not being here when that time comes. I've been lucky enough to make it work well for me so I'm still here but want him to live in an easier place. Boston shows no signs of slowing down. It attracts the best and brightest and that's great, but this is not a good place for an average person to live nicely. I'd rather make 60k in Cleveland than 90k here.