Looking for realistic perspective on living in Boston Metro /Suburbs (Northampton: home, buy)

[KemBro71]

Define 'walkable' to you.

If WFH was to go away (in part or en toto) what sort of area would you need to be in to find gainful employment?

[nmcg79]

Schools are #1 on our list, and affordability is also really important (we'd prefer to be at the median in terms of house cost). Walkability with a downtown and strong community is probably the other main thing we are looking for. Ideally we will buy a 3BR house with a small yard. Land is not important, as we'd prefer a small lot close to town over acreage.

I think we will keep our wishlist short because that is probably enough to ask for already! (: If we could find a single town with those three, we'd be pretty happy!

To define walkable-- Walkable would mean a town center with some shops and restaurants that the neighborhoods were in walking distance from. Not that we would be car-free, but that walking was a safe option.

In terms of WFH going away- we'd both like to be near-ish to Boston downtown.

[gf2020]

What line of work are you in and why do you think your spouse would eventually have to commute in to the city?

I worked in Boston for 14 years but I have worked in the suburbs for 11 years now.

[mdovell]

Wfh going away? Uh no. Not to put a damper on your parade but you do have to understand that the impact on Academia in Boston is extremely significant. Although the United States is recovering fast along with Britain and Israel from the coronavirus the deployment of vaccine too much of the rest of the world is going to take years. Academia is going to be much different as it has a lack of foreign students. Those places might not even be able to have testing let alone the vaccine.

My current employer allows me to go into the office and I can work somewhat at home. I just had an interview where they have a rotating basis of three days in and then two days at home and they're pretty strict on that. So if I accept their offer the next few weeks I *will* have to work from home 2 days out of the week and that's not going away

As I mentioned before if Academia allows for foreign students remote access to its services chances are people in other parts of the country domestically are going to want the same. So you're going to be dealing with much smaller classes and your bars and your clubs are not going to be reopening in Boston anytime soon.
Downtown shops and restaurants? From what consumer base? I've got a relative that's been running restaurants for quite some time and he's now making *more* money with YouTube videos about restaurants and cooking then actually running his two restaurants, both of which are on the 128 belt. A colleague of mine I just found out that's been 12 years as a residential administrator and moved his way up to actually running the entire residence hall system of University left to become a real estate agent. He does not believe that students are coming back and are going to live in dorms.

I get it you like the way how Boston looks and I things look provincial and cute but the trouble is a lot of that simply just not sustainable. My grandmother grew up in Quincy and she tell you that downtown Quincy to come back and have all the shops and restaurants. A lot of those shops existed because women weren't working back then they were housewives that would have the time to go into town and buy things. If everybody's working why would a shop honestly be open at 11:30 in the morning? Who shops on weekdays other than retirees and the unemployed? In-store pickup made things quite a bit easier so if you think people are going to be browsing downtown's that's gone.

The trouble is that the concept of having a downtown is now largely dominated by big business. Take a look at the Berkshires they had a serious decline in population, a student population that effectively sank like a rock and then you add in online venues and this frankly not much for the little downtown's left. Before covid-19 I'd go to public fundraisers usually for radio or TV and get dressed up as they would have their galas but that's long over.

[robr2]

I think you are going to have a hard time finding that walkable downtown with shops and stores in your price point. Even those smaller homes near downtown are going to be expensive.

In reality, you're going to find yourself in a traditional suburb that you'll be driving to "downtown" if it is available. Here in the NW burbs along Rt. 3 and 93, you're barely getting into Burlington. Wilmington and Billerica offer more options as does Woburn. With two kids in school, that is your priority as well as recreation options in town such as sports, Scouts, etc.

I'm in Burlington. Great family friendly town. Schools are good and getting better as those priced out of Lexington and Winchester are paying $1 million to get into town and demanding more from the schools. You're not getting a downtown but lots of shopping and dining over on Middlesex Turnpike/Mall Rd. Commute to Boston options include train in Wilmington or express bus to Alewife or South Station area.

[msRB311]

You could afford something in Milton on 750-850k. It's only 8 miles from Boston. East Milton sq is ok, schools are good, it's also diverse. Arlington is another one that could be a good fit.

I'm pretty sure the Boston area is more expensive than DC. So if you were stressed there you will likely not be stress free here. I have two kids as well and at one point I was commuting from roslindale to Cambridge and I was miserable (wfh one day a week back then and it was still bad). I was also taking the commuter rail and redline which was a nightmare for me. I'd recommend finding a job that you can drive to.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by nmcg79

Schools are #1 on our list

The top districts are going to be pressure cookers, then there are districts that are still great and not pressure cookers but not top (they still are top nationwide but not in MA).
What kind would you preferer?

[BostonBornMassMade]

You don’t want don’t want and might not be able to afford a top school district, compared to OR a lot f school districts in the top 1/3rd or 1/4th in MA will feel excellent.

Natick Milton Canton and Dedham might work. But again, Boston is not going to be less stressful than DC... especially if you’re avoiding the sleepier suburbs.

[mdovell]

If you were in DC you realize the transit system there is one of the best if not the best in the country. If we all go back to normal so to speak the traffic will be much higher then it is now.

How about this.

Get a home in central Mass, southern NH or eastern CT.
Hybrid go to work physically half the week
Send your kid to private school.

Yes I'm sure some validate paying 700K on the idea of a good public school but keep in mind a 30 year mortgage and the property taxes after the fact vs four years of paying for a private school.

[Cantabridgienne]

When you say your spouse will be working downtown, do you actually mean that specific part of Boston or are you speaking more generally?