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Old 04-01-2009, 09:41 AM
 
6 posts, read 20,395 times
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I may be relocating to the Boston area. I'm married with a young child (4.5). My wife will stay at home so we're looking for good schools, plenty to do with children, access to the positive things about the Boston area -beaches, skiing, hiking, and the city. I will work around the Broadway train station near Dorchester Ave. and A Street. I hope for a maximum of 45 minutes for communiting by car or train.

I would like to spend $400,000 on a house max. I wouldn't mind having over 1600 sq. feet but 3BR/2BA is a must. A yard would be cool given we live in Chicago now and are concreate bound.

Good schools are the top priorioty but given we are not from the area a friendly welcoming to new comers feel would be nice too. We're a middle class family without pretense. We go to work, come home, and watch tv/read. We aren't afraid to have a few at the local either.

I hear Hingam, Cohassat, and Scituate (sp?) are nice in terms of commute but might be too expensive for $400k. I don't want to be the worst house on the block because I'm not going to fix anything up. Can I get into these towns for $400k?

I hear Weymouth has good schools particularly Avenue something or other? Can I get into a house with some land for $400 and is the commute to too long?

I understand Duxbury is very nice but expensive and the commute is probably too long. Is that right?

How about the housing/towns on the west side of Highway 3 just across from Duxbury. There seem to be houses with land near/on little ponds or lakes. That seems kind of cool. What school district would something near Washington (rt 53) and Pleasant Street be in? How do those schools rank in the state? How far is the commute?

I know this is a lot to ask but I'm looking for help fast! Thanks.
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Old 04-01-2009, 10:37 AM
 
2,312 posts, read 7,499,121 times
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I had a good friend who lived in the neighborhood of Duxbury you're asking about (I think), right on the Pembroke line. It's pretty back there. Check out real estate in Pembroke online.

I lived on the S. Shore for five years and like Scituate, and also Marshfield for your price range. The schools are good (last year or the year before Marshfield outscored Cohasset on the 11th grade MCAS, a shocker), you can get a decent house with a yard. It's outdoorsy, for sure, so if you like urban amenities you will be struggling through a long boring cold winter. But come the warm weather it's a pretty glorious place to live.

The commute from these towns is doable. You'll be looking at a commute longer than 45 minutes, at least an hour, probably more. I'm not sure exactly where the Broadway train station is, or what line it's on, so I can't speak to that.
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Old 04-01-2009, 05:45 PM
 
2,201 posts, read 5,329,117 times
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I'd throw Norwell into that mix. You can definately get a small cape in your price range and the town is close to area beaches and route 3 with commuter stations nearby.

Hingham, Duxbury and Cohasset for 400k is a stretch. You can definately find something in Scituate at that price point but there is no easy way to the highway. It's a great town with economic diversity and a flavor that you will not find anywhere else on the south shore.
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Old 04-01-2009, 07:55 PM
 
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Hi,

I work right in that same area. Are you considering commuting by train? Broadway is 1 quick stop from South Station, and you can even walk if the weather is nice. When I was moving to the area last year, I overlaid the MBTA commuter rail stops on a map of the South Shore, I was looking for a maximum 30 minutes by train. If you are going in relatively early, parking seems to be available in many of the commuter rail lots, or your wife might be able to drop you off. Check out MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System.

I ended up in Canton - about 20-25 minutes to South Station and plenty of parking. I hear the schools are good, not sure about your price range, but you might want to look into Stoughton which is right next door if you can't afford Canton (not sure of their schools). What we found is that near 95 is a little more convenient than the towns along Route 3 if you are ever going West, plus we are a fast drive into the city off-peak.

Good luck with the house hunting.
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Old 04-02-2009, 12:07 AM
 
1,270 posts, read 5,397,678 times
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Smile Use zillow.com

Try Zillow.com for home current home market

--jeff--
Winchester, MA
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Old 04-02-2009, 11:07 AM
 
6 posts, read 20,395 times
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Thanks everyone. This is helpful.
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Old 04-02-2009, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Newton, Mass.
2,954 posts, read 12,264,880 times
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As has been pointed out, South Station is only one stop from Broadway on the red line. Particularly on the way back, you can also take the 9 bus from Broadway station to the vicinity of Back Bay station and shave off a few minutes from the train ride home. The train line through Canton, Sharon, Mansfield is much faster than the Greenbush line or the Franklin line for some reason. I suppose it might relate to fewer stops and/or the shared Amtrak tracks. It also runs more frequently; there is an inexplicable gap of almost 2 hours between trains on the Greenbush line in the evenings.
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