2023 Real Estate Observations (Somerville, Marshfield, Lincoln: rural, problems, woods)

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by Iced_Coffee

You were probably on Everett St (major intersection with a McDonalds, Mercedes dealership, Rojo gas station, etc) where it connects to Rt 1 maybe? That's right at the border between Westwood and Norwood and it's often a cluster of traffic. However, most of Westwood is pretty quiet. There are a lot of cars on 1a and 109 during commute hours, but I don't think of Westwood when I think of congestion. But as always, there are some areas in town that are prone to it.

Re: the house in question. That area is very highly desired. It's set back far enough from Islington Center and Rt 1a traffic while being completely walkable to the School Street Playground across the street, the various small shops/restaurants in Islington Center, and the Commuter Rail stop. In addition, it's about a 3 minute drive to 2 different on-ramps to 128. There's also a brand new state of the art elementary school being built nearby, which this house would be in-district for. So for people with kids, this house does offer a lot of potential. That said, I don't particularly care for it, mostly because of the lot itself as well as the small size. I'd need a big bag of cash to put on an addition. BUT, I do love that small neighborhood of School St and Ridgewood Rd.

I didn't catch the name of the street I was on but I did drive by a lot of dealerships and fast food chains. I hate to judge a town by an experience or two but since that was my experience it would be a big no if I had to deal with waiting ~10 minutes just to get thru a light every time I needed to go somewhere.


I guess it shouldn't be so shocking anymore that many folks are willing to pay up for a better commuting location in this state but $600K for a starter home will always seem insane to me (until starter homes reach $1M....which I'm sure will happen in this state in no time)! I don't know...I have this idea starter homes should be in like the $300-400K range.

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

I didn't catch the name of the street I was on but I did drive by a lot of dealerships and fast food chains. I hate to judge a town by an experience or two but since that was my experience it would be a big no if I had to deal with waiting ~10 minutes just to get thru a light every time I needed to go somewhere.


I guess it shouldn't be so shocking anymore that many folks are willing to pay up for a better commuting location in this state but $600K for a starter home will always seem insane to me (until starter homes reach $1M....which I'm sure will happen in this state in no time)! I don't know...I have this idea starter homes should be in like the $300-400K range.

Traffic around a light is going to be pretty common particularly a small town road connecting to a major road like Route 1. I have experienced the same around Route 2, 3, 9, etc i.e. anything pointing to Boston.

$600k is about right when you look at what it costs for a non-starter home. Thinking of these prices in the past you'll catch yourself saying "I remember back in the day when..."

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

Traffic around a light is going to be pretty common particularly a small town road connecting to a major road like Route 1. I have experienced the same around Route 2, 3, 9, etc i.e. anything pointing to Boston.

$600k is about right when you look at what it costs for a non-starter home. Thinking of these prices in the past you'll catch yourself saying "I remember back in the day when..."

I've purchased a handful of starter homes in the past decade and I can tell you not one of them was $600k+! None of them were in a "W" town either but they certainly were in solid towns.

[Iced_Coffee]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

I've purchased a handful of starter homes in the past decade and I can tell you not one of them was $600k+! None of them were in a "W" town either but they certainly were in solid towns.

The sticker shock is real...and can be quite painful. I bought a not-quite-starter-yet-not-much-better house in 2021 and the price was literally double what I paid for a similarly sized house in a not-as-desirable inside-495 town in 2017. I have plenty of gripes with the house, but really like the town, and would now be fully priced out if I hadn't bought 2 years ago. It's pretty bonkers.

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by Iced_Coffee

The sticker shock is real...and can be quite painful. I bought a not-quite-starter-yet-not-much-better house in 2021 and the price was literally double what I paid for a similarly sized house in a not-as-desirable inside-495 town in 2017. I have plenty of gripes with the house, but really like the town, and would now be fully priced out if I hadn't bought 2 years ago. It's pretty bonkers.

Yes, it would be nice to be able to move but at the same token don't want to give up the lowest monthly housing payment I'll probably ever have in my lifetime (aside from if I one day have a paid off home). I'm erring on the side of caution and keeping my low overhead for a bit longer....if I start to hear of more folks on the brink of foreclosure or short sales start happening in the coming months then I'll be even more happy with my decision to stay put for a bit longer. Especially if rates continue up....checked them today at I'm seeing 7.29 on some sites....ouch!

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

I was in Westwood recently and seems highly congested and traffic-y. Not sure it's a place I'd enjoy living. I waited in a long line of cars at a light from a side street to get on route 1 for about 10 minutes! Is this accurate of what it's like driving around there on the regular or is it just like that near the route 1 section?

That intersection is in Norwood. There are no traffic lights on the very small portion of Rt. 1 that runs through Westwood. The bulk of Westwood is off of 109, which has its own rush hour backup problems. Both are only a problem for an hour around rush hour; most of the time traffic is manageable.

[matrix5k]

Took 7 months, but this giant 2.2mil house in Burlington sold.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8...ource=txtshare

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

An actual starter size home still exists in Westwood....although who knows, the new owners might tear it down and build a mcmansion. But wow...over $600K for a little 2 bedroom, ~1000 sq foot place. Insane. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...57517725_zpid/

Just a little bigger and better requires a huge premium:

https://redf.in/E92yKA

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

Just a little bigger and better requires a huge premium:

https://redf.in/E92yKA

This one is staged/decorated better too and I'm sure that helped command a premium but $800+k for a 1200 sq ft house is still nuts to me!

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

This one is staged/decorated better too and I'm sure that helped command a premium but $800+k for a 1200 sq ft house is still nuts to me!

It's bonkers to me too...I believe it's an outlier for price per sqft in the area. Inventory must be crazy low.