Need help! Moving to MA (work location Cambridge) (Newton, Waltham: house, neighborhood)

[JUJ12345]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

You could look at Acton or Bedford

Thank you chicagoliz for the suggestion. Will check out the location.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

Arlington's nice, adjacent to Cambridge and should fit your budget (but the way prices have been going, it's hard to be sure). You might want to assess where your priority is, shorter commute versus more house for your money. Most of the suburban school systems are at least OK, if you don't make a fetish out of finding the very best. I don't know where you're most likely to encounter other people with Indian backgrounds.

LOL - I like the way you put that. For the original poster - Massachusetts has very good public education as a state, often ranked #1 on that basis. So a school that's above average in Mass is already going to be quite good relative to the same in many other states. Some people are kind of ultra-competitive and think that only the best of the best will do - in this state, that attitude is overkill.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by JUJ12345

Thank you brightdoglover for the suggestion. Will check out the location.

Oh, and consider Westford, too.

[mwj119]

I'd highly recommend Bedford or Burlington for some combination of price range / schools / commute to Cambridge. Bedford is 15% Asian, and Burlington 17%. Burlington tends to be more Indian, unsure about Bedford.

If you want a bit larger or more modern house, then Acton or Westford would be my suggestion. Acton is 26% Asian, Westford 20%. Both have large Indian populations and top tier schools as well.

[BosYuppie]

Get on Route 2 at Alewife Station and drive northwest until you can afford something.

[gf2020]

I would certainly consider north of Boston communities like Melrose, Wakefield, Stoneham, Reading, North Reading and Lynnfield. All are well within a 1 hour commute to Cambridge.

[Amontillado]

I would say (and have said before on this forum) time spent on the road is time you won't be paid for, and in fact it'll cost you money instead. It seems like a good tradeoff to get somewhat less of a house and spend more time in it! But obviously, the roads are crowded with people who don't agree.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

I would say (and have said before on this forum) time spent on the road is time you won't be paid for, and in fact it'll cost you money instead. It seems like a good tradeoff to get somewhat less of a house and spend more time in it! But obviously, the roads are crowded with people who don't agree.

+1

I was going to remark that an hour car commute in Boston traffic is really lousy quality of life. As always, “Cambridge” isn’t descriptive enough to recommend a location. It might or might not be accessible via mass transit. It might have flex hours. It might be a hybrid job with 50% remote.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by JUJ12345

Looking for 3-4 Bedroom house. We are ok with both Townhouse (around 2500 sqft) and Single Family house (around 3k sqft). Hope this answers your question.

You're going to have to compromise on something. In order to find that big of a house for under $950k, you'll have to be along 495.

There are a few in Woburn, but most are in Littleton, Chelmsford, or Westford. Littleton to Porter Square is 50 minute on the train though, but can take 2 hours by car or as little as 40 minutes.

[MikePRU]

I would look at Acton. I had a client who moved there from Newton last year and he got a very lovely home around 3,000 sq feet for around $900K, but prices have come up in the last year. Lots of large/newer homes and townhomes in general in Acton but not the higher prices you'd see in places like Belmont, Lexington, Arlington, etc. that are closer to Boston/Cambridge. Maybe check out Lynnfield too and if you're willing to venture even further out than that maybe take a look at Westford.