Argghhh... Moving from Brookline, need a house, but where to live?

[sna77]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

Cohasset is gorgeous coastal town with a beautiful downtown area. Check out art work by Donna Greene. She is an intown artist and really captures the essence of the community in her work. Prices are very high here too but not as high as Hingham in all areas. Waterfront is coveted so the outlying areas do not command as high prices. I am not sure if there are "it" areas vs. "undesirable". The town green is the center of community events and again the subject for many artist's renderings. The South Shore Art Center downtown offers well attended programs for adults and children. Little bistros, bakeries and storefronts dot the downtown. As you noted, the schools are well regarded but they do have a reputation for being pressure cookers. Obviously academics are rigorous if the schools are ranked that high. I'm sure someone who lives in the area can clarify.

If you are looking there, you might want to add Duxbury to the mix as well. Another lovely coastal community with excellent schools. But high real estate as well.
Like towns convenient to Boston with great schools are expensive you will find comparable pricing in some towns on the south shore. Just as people will pay a premium to be near the city, there are some people who will pay a premium to be near the ocean. I think that catches a lot of people by surprise.

Thanks. I think we are going to drive through Cohasset tomorrow and hit a few open houses along with a few in Hingham. I want to look at a few houses that are a bit higher than our 600ish budget, to see what the sweet spot for livability is in the town. When we were looking in Wellesley in the spring, we basically determined anything under $850k was a tear down (unless it was on rt. 9).

I'm semi-familiar with Duxbury, and am a bit concerned that it might be too far.

As for your comment about the premium costs to be near the ocean--I honestly hadn't really considered it when discussing the South Shore. I guess I had a preconceived view of homes as a place where you live, go to school, and commute to work. Being near the water was what a vacation house on the Cape was for...

[brightdoglover]

I just looked back and saw that the OP has considered renting a larger condo in Brookline. That could make some sense. It sounds like the OP and family absolutely love Brookline and it's extremely easy to get to their jobs. OP said "renting wouldn't be a permanent solution," but then neither is buying out in some high-priced suburb- likely your needs would continue to change as the kids get older. (How about all that schlepping by car to kid and school activities and needs? Brookline kids can get around by themselves a lot earlier, or the driving is a whole lot less).
If I were the OP, I'd strongly consider a way to stay in Brookline. Buying a house that one isn't crazy about for $600K and increasing commute and driving time by a lot doesn't sound like a great solution.

[Beantown_mama]

Have you thought about the North Shore? Melrose and Wakefield are both really pretty towns, with more 'urban' downtown areas, and you could definitely buy a beautiful house in either of those towns for less than $600K.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by sna77

As for your comment about the premium costs to be near the ocean--I honestly hadn't really considered it when discussing the South Shore. I guess I had a preconceived view of homes as a place where you live, go to school, and commute to work. Being near the water was what a vacation house on the Cape was for...

In that case, someone suggested Westwood earlier in the conversation. You might want to focus your search in that area. It doesn't make sense to pay for something (a seaside community) that isn't a priority. You will still be closer to your family's home on the Cape than in Brookline.

My frame of reference is as a stay at home mom so my take on communities is more about what works for that lifestyle. As in my Duxbury suggestion, I did not give as much thought to commute as I should have. Parts of that town are right off of route 3 but they are not the most desirable areas and dare I say, people are not as highly regarded by other residents if they live there.

[clevedark]

The sweet spot for Cohasset is north of 850.

[clevedark]

A few years ago I christened the sweet spot of Scituate real estate "Eight Fifty Land."

The equivalent in Cohasset was "One point three Land."

Now, the problem is, there aren't as many nice houses on the market down there as you'd think. There were two years when the RE market started tanking in '05 when some nice properties came up for sale (that's when I nabbed my beautiful summer house in Marshfield--I wouldn't even have been able to make an appt. for a viewing during a hot market). Now anyone who has the good stuff is holding it unless they absolutely have to sell.

If you're lucky on the South Shore you can get a *beautiful* property--at any price, high or low. But you have to be shopping with determination for a number of months before you pounce. You'll know the gem when you see it--the problem is, so do ten other buyers.

And I'm sure this advice applies to any desirable suburb of Boston.

Good luck.

[claiz]

I had similar budget and requirements (great public school, close to downtown transport, decent space, turnkey, no need for huge yard...) when I did my house search. I initially considered good size Brookline condo but got priced out, and final choices are between South Hingham and Newtonville/West Newton/Auburndale area of Newton. I ended up choosing Newtonville since I found something that satisfied all my needs, but the downside is the area is less sub-urban/leafy (more Nonantum than Waban). There are houses in Hingham that I like but the 93 traffic jam will kill me.

Another town that I considered is Needham. I also looked at Wellesley and came up with the same conclusion (600K won't get you anything decent).

[GwenCook]

Acton is a great town with one of the best school systems in the commonwealth! And, if you have a $600,000 budget, you will be able to find a lot of houses to choose from!