1st Home in Milford, MA? (Boston, Salem: balloon payment, crime rates, loans)

[jbostons]

I am a first-time homebuyer looking in the MetroWest area (I will commute to Boston for work). I have a budget of 220K, and I've found a home I like in Milford. What are your thoughts/opinions of the area? If you have lived there previously or do live there now, would you still recommend it? I'd be living alone (unless I can find a decent roommate) and I'm female, so safety is a high priority. Also, I plan on re-selling in 5-7 years, so I don't want to "get stuck" with a property I can't unload. Thanks!

[susanewood]

I personally don't think you should buy something today with the plan on re-selling in 5-7 years, because nobody knows what the market is going to do. A lot of people got caught in that, getting interest-only loans, balloon payment loans, etc., expecting the marketing to appreciate, and now are under water. But this is my own personal opinion. Please take it with a grain of salt. There are some great houses out there, and great loans, if you find a house that you love, in a location that you love, that works for you, WONDERFUL!!! Best of luck with everything.

[kmann-sherborn]

I'd recommend checking out Milford's crime rates compared to neighboring communities: //www.city-data.com/city/Milford-Massachusetts.html#ixzz0heVmhGcC

for ex: City-data's crime index (higher number means higher crime, U.S. average = 320.9)
Franklin 16.5
Holliston 37.3
Medway 51.2
Milford 159.9
(This is a few years old but gives you some idea.)


You could also call the local police department if you have questions about a specific neighborhood. They most likely won't tell you whether they consider it a safe area or not but many police departments nowadays keep trend data online that they'll share.

[kmann-sherborn]

ps. If you have an iPhone, there's an application you can buy for 99 cents called iCrimeAware that allows you to check crime stats based on location.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

I'd recommend checking out Milford's crime rates compared to neighboring communities: //www.city-data.com/city/Milford-Massachusetts.html#ixzz0heVmhGcC

for ex: City-data's crime index (higher number means higher crime, U.S. average = 320.9)
Franklin 16.5
Holliston 37.3
Medway 51.2
Milford 159.9
(This is a few years old but gives you some idea.)


You could also call the local police department if you have questions about a specific neighborhood. They most likely won't tell you whether they consider it a safe area or not but many police departments nowadays keep trend data online that they'll share.

Hi;
I was raised in franklin,though have not lived there in many years...even back then,Milford was a 'pit' and a no go place,for the most part....though it did have the first McDonald's in the area(: (Shows you how rural it was just 30 yrs ago)....I think Holliston has gotten much worse,b/c it was more of a shi/shi area,and still has areas that are....Medway was/is infinitely better than Milford,but still never found it's own identity. Franklin has both the commuter rail and Dean college,plus a downtown and commons area that used to have a theater,etc. so it has/had more of a solid town feeling. Milford has always been former industrial/mill town feel that is a small city. Not to be too stereotypical,but even then,it was an immigrant town with the requisite problems of drugs and crime.
I actually read this thread b/c i was curious how it's changed-but judging from the stats someone has posted,I can see: Not much.
Even with whole foods and the like next door in bellingham/blackstone,[which btw were not great towns back then,either,but were fairly safe overall],Milford's reality hasn't changed much.

Have you looked into Salem or other north shore-ish areas? Also,due east of boston-harvard,ma,etc.? Not sure what those towns are doing price wise these days...but they may be both closer for commute and more desireable places to live for a single family,who wants re-sale value.