Relocating to the Boston, MA Area

My sister lives in Boxford, MA which is about 30-45 minutes north of Boston. It's a very nice area with large mostly Colonial houses on at least 2 acres. There is a member pond (more like a lake) for use in the summer and many winter activities close by. We spent a week there this summer and had a great time. I looked at some houses and found a 4 beds/2.5 bas with basement, family, living, dining, screened porch and big kitchen with in-ground pool for $695k. It was in great shape. You can go lower but they need updating and you can go higher for more high end amenities. The schools are great and the people are friendly. The beach is about 20 mins. away.

Hi Michele, I think you are going to love the Boston area. I lived i the South Shore area for a while. Be prepared for cold winters and no parking, lol. The pluses are great culture and GREAT people. I owned a house in Whitman Ma which is a small suburb and an ok commute. Some of the nicest and funnest friends I have are from that area. Is your employer providing relocation assistance? If you need a Realtor we used an awesome guy who was based out of Cambridge and Brockton. His name was Eugene Clark and he worked for ERA Reality. It was years ago, but I'm sure he is still around. You will find what you are looking for with that price range.

As another poster said, your real estate views aren't too skewed for the Boston area. For about 700,000 you can probably either get slightly smaller than what you'd like in a house and have about a 30-40 minute commute into town or be about an hour and get exactly what you'd like. I grew up in Wellesley and it's probably exactly what you are looking for, but for 700,000 you're going to have a hard time finding the house you want. The same goes for Newton, which is another town with great schools and a short commute. I have also lived in Natick, which is slightly farther away, but still on the commuter rail (if you're looking for public transportation) and might fit the bill nicely. I currently live in Framingham, and we're really happy here. Because it's a bigger town, there is a huge amount of socioeconomic diversity and a huge amount of diversity in real estate. For 700,000 you could get a really lovely house, and the commute would run you about an hour. All of the towns that I have listed are in the metrowest area, meaning that they run out on the mass pike, rather than being north or south of the city. I clearly love the metrowest area, and think it's a really great place to raise kids. Close to the city, but very suburban. However, there are a lot of really lovely towns both to the north and south of the city, but I'm not sure what the commute is like there.

Finally, just as an FYI, all of the schools around here are feeling the economic pinch, as you no doubt are in CA. I would try to take a long-range view of the schools, rather than listen to what people in town(s) are saying right now, because everyone's complaining. Many school systems around here are truly excellent, even as the budget constricts.

I hope this was helpful. If you have other questions, feel free to message me.

Congratulations! I love Boston. My husband's entire family live out in that area and we spend quite a bit of time out there.

Newton is the best suburb area for commuters into Boston in my opinion. There is a T stop, the schools are known to be one of the best, and I love the feel of the community. The only problem is that it is also very expensive. Last we looked (before the bust of the housing boom), 800K barely got you a fixer upper - I'm talking holes in the floor kind. I'm sure things have changed but the housing market out there didn't suffer as much as out in Ca.

You mentioned within 1 hr commute distance. Newton is minutes (depending on what part of Boston you work at) and you have a lot more options (and much cheaper) if you are thinking an hour out but I have to tell you, people don't commute the distance we commute out in Ca back East. The mind set is different (possibly because of the real weather you can get out there). I don't know many people who commute more than 40 minutes. And the good thing is you really don't have to commute far to get affordable housing.

Previous posts mention Marblehead and Nahant. I love both and our family goes way back on Nahant. You should know there is just one road into Nahant (an island) which can be a problem if you have a storm. Marblehead is known for great school system. Property tax is very high to support things like a good school system.

I don't know if your daughters love snow and a move in January is an exciting thing or something they might be nervous about. If they are, you might want to take a fun trip into Boston in the Fall (end of September is always very pretty) so they can see Boston in it's best light. I went from UCLA to Dartmouth and had quite the shell shock. The winters can be long, dark and dreary. It takes some getting used to. It might be nice for the girls to see it before Winter and Spring.

Good luck! Feel free to contact me if you have questions.
A.

just want to say... that Mass. is beautiful.. i hope you will love it.. we live in NJ.. but Maine, RI, Mass.. its all so pretty... good luck !! :)

You might want to consider adding to your possibilities
living closer in and using public transit for commuting.
Driving in Boston can be difficult.

If possible, you will want to (try to) "prepare" your daughters.
For them, it could be like moving to a foreign country.
See if you can find some opportunities
for them to hear Boston accents before they start school.

Wishing you and your family a comfortable and successful move.

S.
who grew up in Massachusetts

Nahant is beautiful and not far from the airport. Not cheap but very cool. Swamscott is on the mainland and also has a really good high school. Hamilton and Peabody are farther away but also good areas. At the VERY end of the T line is rockport, an old fishing village and artist colony with a wonderful small town life and a great school system. It's about 45 minutes from the airport. My husband's family is from there and I have had a delightful 13 years learning about the area. Good luck.

An hour's distance opens you to a lot of possibilities! Also, your skewed view of real estate prices in CA will help you around here - they are a little lower here but not exorbitantly so. We have our own version of crazy home prices here too. I live in Arlington, which is about a 10-15 minute drive to Boston without horrible traffic. With traffic, it can be much longer. Any of the suburbs like mine and in this general area are awesome and with excellent schools, but for your price range, stick to Arlington, try Lexington (more expensive), Bedford, Concord, Acton, Lincoln and Burlington. In the more westward (also known as "Metro West") area, there is Newton (a larger suburb actually classified as a city, where prices can vary a lot, you have to really look... it does tend to be pricier for what you want, but there are a lot of different "neighborhoods" with their own name and character, so give it a try... the most expensive is Chestnut Hill) which I love, Sudbury, Stow, and Wellesley, though Wellesley is super pricey. Again, with all of these, it can only help you to search and see what is out there. Home prices have come down here in the recession a tad. Your price limit opens you to a lot of possibilities, actually. Sometimes a house is amazing on the outside and neat and clean inside but just very dated, and that requires work of course. Sometimes it's the other way around. You have to look, look, look. Get in touch with a realtor in this area as well, and s/he can keep you informed of houses just coming on the market that might not be on line yet.

Finally, a little plug for my town - LOVE it! Great schools, neighborhood feel, nice people, near Cambridge and Boston, great restaurants, and just a lot to do in the area. Arlington is a lot more down to earth than towns like Wellesley and Stow - it's all what you are looking for. Feel free to contact me with more questions and good luck, that is quite a move!

im not sure how close Marblehead is but our friends moved there from Malibu and love it there. Its right on/near the beach and is a small community and is kid friendly. Good luck.