Moving to Massachusetts (Boston, Lynn, Lawrence: real estate, homes, good schools)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Steed3003

Thank you for all the great suggestions Remy! Checked on Zillow for Ipswich, looks like it will be above our budget (see most 4/5 BD around 1M USD). Other ones are quite expensive too, guess as usual the closer to the coast, the higher the prices.

You can find a 4 bedroom house on the "Farm Coast" for closer to $600k. Dartmouth, Westport, Little Compton RI, Tiverton RI. I'm in the dense suburban part of South Dartmouth walking distance from Padanaram Village. I can get to Boston/Logan for the Saturday morning BA BOS/LHR flight in an hour. It's impossible during midweek rush hour. T F Green is 45 minutes. Low property taxes. The beach/boat/bicycle amenities.



Once you're impossible commuting time to the Boston jobs, prices drop.

[Steed3003]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

You might look in the Attleboro, North Attleboro, Seekonk, Rehoboth areas near the RI border. An hour to Boston and an hour to PVD- flights to Heathrow only in the 300s (!).

Be aware that you are looking to buy at a time when houses on market are scarce and prices are high. A lot of areas in your price range may not be in the most desirable sections so be sure to look up demographics and crime stats.

Thank you for your tips and recommendations Hollytree!

[Hollytree]

Originally Posted by Steed3003

Thank you for your tips and recommendations Hollytree!

You're welcome. You might also look at Franklin, Ma.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

You might look in the Attleboro, North Attleboro, Seekonk, Rehoboth areas near the RI border. An hour to Boston and an hour to PVD- flights to Heathrow only in the 300s (!).

Be aware that you are looking to buy at a time when houses on market are scarce and prices are high. A lot of areas in your price range may not be in the most desirable sections so be sure to look up demographics and crime stats.

Here's a stunner (right next to a church) with a lot of square footage, walkable, and the area has a lot of green within a short distance. However, Attleboro can be a bit "down at the heels" as well as other similar towns in your price range.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7...55955769_zpid/

oops, just noticed it "needs a kitchen installed", but, at the price.......

That's not a great neighborhood, and place looks like a money pit. Hard pass.

[msRB311]

The house looks old so I'm guessing that means it needs a lot of work. I dont know anything about the neighborhood.

[massnative71]

OP Massachusetts is honestly not the place to look if you are working from home. It's super overpriced right now due to the biotech industry's presence. However; if you're not involved in that and don't have other ties to the area, you don't get much back in return considering the price of entry (we have had a lot of discussions about that here). You say you want access to national parks (Massachusetts doesn't offer much there). Consider Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont. Areas like Concord, NH or Portland, ME (2 hours from Logan but you can take a bus) are probably more appropriate for what you are looking for.

[bostongymjunkie]

Portland, ME

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by massnative71

OP Massachusetts is honestly not the place to look if you are working from home. It's super overpriced right now due to the biotech industry's presence. However; if you're not involved in that and don't have other ties to the area, you don't get much back in return considering the price of entry (we have had a lot of discussions about that here). You say you want access to national parks (Massachusetts doesn't offer much there). Consider Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont. Areas like Concord, NH or Portland, ME (2 hours from Logan but you can take a bus) are probably more appropriate for what you are looking for.

Good point. If he is WFH not sure why he'd pick MA with a 600k budget. I feel bad even saying that but I'm not sure what his draw to MA is at this point. Perhaps NH somewhere close to the MA border would be an option. Maybe even the cape? He's basically said there is no reason to be near Boston.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Maybe even the cape? He's basically said there is no reason to be near Boston.

I was going to say that, or maybe Plymouth (but no reason to be any closer to Boston than there). Newport/South County, RI area might work as well. But then again, he/she said national parks and you just aren't going going to have access to wide open spaces like that in Southern New England. But there are parts of Maine and New Hampshire where you can be close enough to both that, as well as city stuff when you need it.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Massachusetts is honestly not the place to look if you are working from home. It's super overpriced right now due to the biotech industry's presence...

Eastern Mass only. Central and western MA are different markets.

Originally Posted by massnative71

you don't get much back in return considering the price of entry...

Let the OP be the judge.

Originally Posted by massnative71

You say you want access to national parks (Massachusetts doesn't offer much there)...

National parks on the Yellowstone / Yosemite model are few east of the Mississippi. MA has many sites administered by the National Park Service but they're mostly historic sites like Minuteman national historical park. All the states have state parks; Mass and Connecticut have many state parks/state forests, well distributed. MA also has its many audubon sanctuaries (but no dogs) and Trustees of Reservations sites. New Hampshire has White Mountain National Forest, which might as well be a national park, plus many state parks. Vt has Green Mountain National Forest. All these states have tons of protected, scenic green space. What they don't have so much is walkable towns in proximity to green space. That's why Ipswich was a great suggestion. In less expensive locales, Peterborough or Keene, New Hampshire, could be good. Look into Mass towns like Williamsburg, Ashfield, Conway, Deerfield, Easthampton, Northampton. Variable walkability but beautiful landscapes, not so much ruined by sprawl development, and within an hour of Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. The Dartmouth-Westport-Little Compton coastal area could be good too as another poster suggested. Vermont has the best selection of walkable towns in proximity to green open space but more distant from major airports.