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We have seen some perfectly nice, updated 4 bedroom, 2 baths units that are part of a Two-Family house in the Newton, Belmont, Arlington areas that are at or under 500,000 and that, in our view, would accommodated very nicely a family of four.
They seem so much nicer than many single family homes in the same areas that are tens of thousands more and look much more modest, except the fact that they stand on their own.
We have also seen quite a few posters who were citing house budgets around 800,000 and who were convinced that such a budget would not get them "much" in an area like Newton.
At this point, we are quite puzzled and feel like we are missing something about these Two-family homes. Is there a true aversion towards them and if so, why? Any objective, serious reason to be wary of?
The only serious reason I can think of to be leary of one would by the neighborhood (however, the ones you listed seem fine), or the family who occupies the other unit. Nothing about a multi-units is particularly bad though.
Yes, there is an aversion to them. It's one of the quirks of this region that drives me nuts. Bostonians love to claim how urban and dense their city is (and the inner part of the metro truly is). However, Boston has some of the worst, low-density sprawl you'll find anywhere in this country. It covers just about the entire Eastern half of the state (stretching into NH and RI). Part of the reason is that all of these little communities around Boston used to be independent and not attached to Boston's urban fabric. They were quaint, rural havens that lived and thrived on their own. As Boston grew, it spread out and reached them. Some of these little towns closer to Boston morphed into urban extensions of Boston... thereby "losing" (I use quotes to emphasize sarcasm) their historic character.
In order to prevent other close by towns from this "evolution" of sorts, incredibly strict zoning laws were put in place so that these historic towns would preserve their character by allowing people to build ONLY on large lots (1/2+ acre is a common minimum) with large setbacks from the roads and neighbors. This was meant to keep the rural, small-town feel of these towns in tact. In many ways, it's had opposite effects... people build modern McMansions on those lots filling up these old towns with generic, low-density sprawl. The sprawl is so low density that in order to accommodate the growth of metro Boston, towns further and further out had to bear the burden of suburban growth (and THEY in-turn adopted the low-density standards).
While most in Boston itself love their urban neighborhoods, the people outside the city want their rural, historic enclaves in tact... at all costs. Two-family homes are decidedly urban and therefore not looked highly upon by many. Furthermore, the people who choose to live in the Newtons, Belmonts, and Arlingtons usually choose to do so so they can have their suburban (or rural) piece of the pie.... living in a multi-family would not be doing that in their minds.
This is the reason that there are really so few big condo developments in metro Boston... people just don't want it. They either want to live IN the city or in one of the historic towns OUTSIDE the city. The people who fight so hard to break the strangling hold of "suburbia" have, in-turn, created their own generic suburbia. It's really sort of ironic.
What you're "missing" is the general attitude that so many people have here... that "small-town" attitude (regardless of how inaccurate it is). People in metro Boston like the thought of living in their own portion of the "woods" or the "country" and the large minimum lot sizes exemplifies this mentality. These people FEEL like they are in a small town, when in reality, they're in another suburb. Take a city like Newton... it FEELS like a small town. In places, it even LOOKS like a small town. However, it has 80,000 people. It's the biggest small town you'll ever visit. It's a real small town mentality (again, a warped one) that these people have. They'll do anything to preserve it and that's where the negative stance on multi-families comes into play.... they just don't fit the mindset.
In short, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're comfortable with a two-family home, go for it. Just make sure it's in a good neighborhood and the neighbors are alright. If you don't have the same mindset that the people who really don't like them have, you'll be fine and you may even get a great deal.
I'd worry about buying one unit of a two-or three-family house because it's basically a condo. You're buying property with strangers. I asked one woman who has owned a floor of a three family for years, and she says they just all "work it out" about common areas/snow shoveling/etc.
Maybe I got burned too badly in my one condo venture in Cambridge, but I don't want to rely on cooperation from others, financial stability of strangers, etc.
If you were going to buy the whole building, you'd be landlords. You could do quite well financially.
A friend of mine lives in her two-family in Gloucester. Her tenant basically pays the mortgage and she's never had any problems. But as she admits, it's still an apartment over another apartment and dealing with another person.
A lot of the two- or three- family houses don't have very good sound separation between the floors, either, especially if they were originally single family houses.
I think a two- or three-family is perfect if you have friends or family to rent to. On the other hand, if they fall on hard times, it's harder to figure out the ethical and financially prudent thing to do.
Best wishes.
Two and three family houses were built in the tens of thousands throughout urbanizing locations in Mass and other New England states from 1880 until 1930 or so. Since WWII most builders have opted for single family houses, in part for the reasons lrfox gives, although I would say the builder's preference for the single family house is true nationwide. He's also quite right that lot sizes are unusually large in New England and there does seem to be some rural ideal in play that keeps densities very low.
Anyway, the aversion to the two and three family house is simple--class prejudice. It's generally seen as more working class and it appears in more middle to working class neighborhoods. I think the three decker and the two family is a kind of compromise--in being separate structures they suggest the ideal of the single family house but compromise it, in a not unsatisfactory way, to make suburban life more affordable. Apartment buildings are frankly urban but these houses appeal to the American ideal without fully delivering. Or, at least, that was the idea when they were new. To modern tastes the three-decker streets seem overwhelmingly urban and in some locations they appeal to the back-to-the-city market. Two-families can seem suburban even today, and where they appear in towns like Newton, Watertown, Belmont, and Arlington, they're often occupied by professionals who find no stigma in them. So I'd wade right into that market. I wish more of them were of the side-by-side type that you find so often in Cambridge rather than the one up, one down style because, as brightdoglover points out, it can be annoying to hear footsteps on wooden floors above you. But overall they can be great deals because the substantial income from the rental unit defrays much of the mortgage service cost.
Personally, after years of apartment and condo living, the last thing I want to do is share a wall with another family. There's no class or stigma about it, I will just never do that again, at least not until I'm retired and have no children or large dogs with which to annoy my neighbors with.
Like most Americans, in general people in MA are looking for a freestanding 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a yard to fulfill the American Dream, and any permutation of that is a step down to be avoided. This is why people commute an hour or more for work....
Interesting that these are the responses you've gotten. I split my time between a 2-family in Mass. and a big apartment tower in NYC. Never been an issue for me, and I don't see any stigma at all. There are a huge number of 2-family homes in Belmont and most are quite nicely maintained, like ours.
While there are no "bad" areas in Newton, Belmont, Arlington (contrary to the poster who described Arlington as a "rough area"), there are some areas with a lot of two-families in those towns that are a bit less attractive (and generally lower income) than the single-family dominated areas. But the Boston area is full of nice (and in my view perfectly attractive) streets lined with two-family homes.
In Boston, Cambridge, and nearby towns it's generally fine, and certainly no stigma. I think people are less likely to like multi-family houses the farther you get from Boston. And no matter where, some people are willing to pay more not to deal with anyone being in the same building (though usually separated by a floor rather than a wall-the homes tend to be divided by floor).
The two things I'd be most concerned about would be to make sure you're OK with the neighborhood, and (as has been pointed out) to make sure you're OK with the other people in the home. You'll often have to share a driveway, the yard, the cellar, etc. with them, and will have to reach agreement with them on issues such as maintenance. You need to have a good working relationship. And of course feel like they're not too noisy, weird or dangerous in any way. The other thing is that, even if you like them, they can sell their unit to someone you're less nuts about. So those are the things to look out for, and the reason some lovely units are more affordable.
I always shake my head at those who say they can't get "much" in Newton for $800K. Their idea of "much" and mine do not correspond at all. Maybe I've spent too much time in NYC, where $800K will get you a smallish apartment and the privilege of dealing with a co-op board that will hand you a monthy maintenance charge of up to $2000 on top of your already-high mortgage.
Interesting that these are the responses you've gotten. I split my time between a 2-family in Mass. and a big apartment tower in NYC. Never been an issue for me, and I don't see any stigma at all. There are a huge number of 2-family homes in Belmont and most are quite nicely maintained, like ours.
While there are no "bad" areas in Newton, Belmont, Arlington (contrary to the poster who described Arlington as a "rough area"), there are some areas with a lot of two-families in those towns that are a bit less attractive (and generally lower income) than the single-family dominated areas. But the Boston area is full of nice (and in my view perfectly attractive) streets lined with two-family homes.
In Boston, Cambridge, and nearby towns it's generally fine, and certainly no stigma. I think people are less likely to like multi-family houses the farther you get from Boston. And no matter where, some people are willing to pay more not to deal with anyone being in the same building (though usually separated by a floor rather than a wall-the homes tend to be divided by floor).
The two things I'd be most concerned about would be to make sure you're OK with the neighborhood, and (as has been pointed out) to make sure you're OK with the other people in the home. You'll often have to share a driveway, the yard, the cellar, etc. with them, and will have to reach agreement with them on issues such as maintenance. You need to have a good working relationship. And of course feel like they're not too noisy, weird or dangerous in any way. The other thing is that, even if you like them, they can sell their unit to someone you're less nuts about. So those are the things to look out for, and the reason some lovely units are more affordable.
I always shake my head at those who say they can't get "much" in Newton for $800K. Their idea of "much" and mine do not correspond at all. Maybe I've spent too much time in NYC, where $800K will get you a smallish apartment and the privilege of dealing with a co-op board that will hand you a monthy maintenance charge of up to $2000 on top of your already-high mortgage.
I think the "not getting much" in Newton mentality is more about sticker shock and not knowing the market than it is about snobbery as some suspect. How often do you read, someone who plans on moving here from out of state, only to have their hopes dashed when the find out the cost of living in one of these utopian communities.
To add to the confusion, when someone finds a "great deal", they are often disappointed to see that the home, while in a great town is in a lousy location- in Newton, that can include literally, right on the Pike. I know myself, I was surprised to see how in the same town, different areas can demand staggeringly different prices for virtually the same house. I am not sure if this is something that is common. I know in cities it is the case but do you think it's that way in most small towns across America?
Being from NYC you have a different frame of reference, one that makes you smile at housing prices in Boston. I think you should be the voice of reality for anyone who is lamenting the high cost of living in MA.
Use some type of mapping website even before you look at these homes. As I said above in a post, in Newton, you can have a gorgeous Victorian multi-family with all the bells and whistles that sits next to a giant concrete barrier on the Mass Pike. It's an ugly site and does not do much to block the noise or air pollution. From experience, I can tell you, if you find a cheap home in an expensive town, there is usually very good reason.
Beyond that, I don't know that it is a class issue with these homes but more about privacy (which I think has been established New Englanders crave) and also not wanting to share a home with others. You never know what you are going to get. In the past, it was common to see multiple generations of a family living in a multi family. Unfortunately, that practice has fallen by the wayside and these homes are being rented by individual families. Food for thought: Beyond the other reasons given, I recall a friend that had to leave her apartment because neighbors constantly cooked with some very strong spices. The smell had permeated her clothes and belongings and it wasn't pleasant to her.
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