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Old 09-11-2020, 09:36 AM
 
10 posts, read 45,019 times
Reputation: 11

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Hi everyone,

We just got jobs in Cambridge and are moving from UT. Can you help recommend some places to look into for buying?

Wish List (in order of preference)
  • Short commute/public transit ride into Cambridge (<45min, undecided on driving/transit, thoughts welcomed)
  • Excellent schools (our kid is 1yo, but thinking of future)
  • Home price <$1M, in good shape, and >2000 sqft (but more space preferred)
  • Lots of young professional families (we are both well-educated and are looking to make lots of friends in the area)
  • Nice to have: Asian population >10%
  • Bonus: convenient access from NYC where our family is

Less important to us are the walkability, town center, etc. Being in UT, we are used to suburban life and driving everywhere.

We would be willing to pay more for a shorter commute or better schools. What are some towns that are good in the 700-800k range and then again in the 900k-1M range?

Thanks!

Last edited by gdaym8; 09-11-2020 at 09:47 AM..
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Old 09-11-2020, 09:50 AM
 
169 posts, read 180,114 times
Reputation: 264
if you want a high Asian population I would suggest Quincy. You could hop on the red line (MBTA ) and be in Quincy in 30-40 minutes (Kendall area). Not sure on housing or schools but Quincy has one of the highest Asian populations around.
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:27 AM
 
Location: Boston
2,418 posts, read 1,292,733 times
Reputation: 2096
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdaym8 View Post
Hi everyone,

We just got jobs in Cambridge and are moving from UT. Can you help recommend some places to look into for buying?

Wish List (in order of preference)
  • Short commute/public transit ride into Cambridge (<45min, undecided on driving/transit, thoughts welcomed)
  • Excellent schools (our kid is 1yo, but thinking of future)
  • Home price <$1M, in good shape, and >2000 sqft (but more space preferred)
  • Lots of young professional families (we are both well-educated and are looking to make lots of friends in the area)
  • Nice to have: Asian population >10%
  • Bonus: convenient access from NYC where our family is

Less important to us are the walkability, town center, etc. Being in UT, we are used to suburban life and driving everywhere.

We would be willing to pay more for a shorter commute or better schools. What are some towns that are good in the 700-800k range and then again in the 900k-1M range?

Thanks!
I'm assuming you're coming from the SLC valley (Draper, Sandy, etc), so this will end up being a pretty major change.

Sub million, 2000+ square feet, close to Cambridge, and good schools don't mix, so one of those will have to give. You do say 45 minutes, and if you're really ok with that duration, you should be ok pushing out even as far as a place like Acton/Boxboro, where you can get 2000 square feet for under a million. The commute will suck your will to live, but it checks your other boxes.
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Old 09-11-2020, 12:31 PM
 
604 posts, read 554,040 times
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Get on Route 2 at Alewife, and drive outbound until you can afford a house. (Asian population will drop way off after about Concord)
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Old 09-11-2020, 12:42 PM
 
2,328 posts, read 1,742,143 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BosYuppie View Post
Get on Route 2 at Alewife, and drive outbound until you can afford a house. (Asian population will drop way off after about Concord)
Alewife is a disaster. Better off taking the commuter rail if you were that far out.
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Old 09-11-2020, 03:09 PM
 
349 posts, read 317,811 times
Reputation: 616
This is a solid source of asian households. Also lines up with the cities that I think make sense to look at.
https://www.umb.edu/iaas/census/2010...mericans_in_ma

Cambridge itself is amazing but you pay a huge premium for short commute, walkability. SFH over 2,000 sqft starts at $2.0 million. Arlington-> Lexington -> Concord -> Acton. Lexington is the gold standard for suburban, excellent schools, asian IMO but is closer to a $1.5 budget. I've heard good things about Acton though I haven't personally been there.

Newton is another Asian, excellent schools hot spot but is likely denser and more expensive that what you're seeking.

Quincy and Malden are solid location but not as great schools and more mixed socioeconomically.

This thread is a good comparison of Concord vs Acton. Acton is my suggestion if forced to choose a single town that best fits your criteria
Concord or Acton?
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Old 09-11-2020, 07:40 PM
 
Location: East Coast
4,235 posts, read 3,681,898 times
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Winchester might work. I think it's just under 10% Asian, so not as many Asian people as Lexington. But good commute to Cambridge, easy access to downtown and top schools.
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Old 09-11-2020, 07:53 PM
 
5,000 posts, read 3,854,428 times
Reputation: 4502
Acton seems to fit best based on budget and schools, though I'd assume a 60 minute commute during rush hour/pre and post covid.

You may be able to squeeze into something in Belmont or Winchester for <$1M, but I wouldn't expect anything at or above 2k sqft.

If budget were a non issue, Lexington would be 1A. But, you're current situation (both commute and budget) is unfortunately not unique, and there are hundreds and hundreds of families in the exact same situation.. Towns like Lexington, Wellesley, Newton, Winchester, and Belmont are non options at <$1M+.
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Old 09-12-2020, 11:13 PM
 
295 posts, read 314,574 times
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Braintree and maybe Westwood are some other options.
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Old 09-13-2020, 08:01 AM
 
10 posts, read 45,019 times
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Thanks for all the helpful input. I searched for homes in the areas listed above and was surprised to find a few homes in Newton and Belmont that are within our price range (I started by distance from Cambridge). They look great online, but since we are not familiar with the areas can someone knowledgeable provide some feedback? Are they in the bad parts of those nice neighborhoods or do you think they would be fixer uppers that are worse than the photos? Or do they sell for way over asking price?

In Belmont:
https://www.redfin.com/MA/Belmont/21...8/home/8432138
https://www.redfin.com/MA/Belmont/40...8/home/8441973
https://www.redfin.com/MA/Belmont/60...8/home/8444054

In Newton:
https://www.redfin.com/MA/Newton-Cen.../home/11464600
https://www.redfin.com/MA/Newton-Cen.../home/11464417

I also found some in Acton that look very nice, but the commute is the main drawback. We'd like to be closer to the city if our budget allows, but if we're looking at it from a long-term investment perspective (10 or more years), do you think Acton will get us more bang for our buck since the housing prices are still more reasonable?

Thank you!
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