Where should we look for our next house?

[scm1011]

Somerville, of course  

Something in Newton near the commuter rail seems to fit the bill - easy access to the Pike for W, and downtown for you.

Brookline, maybe? But relying on the green line can be a PITA.

I'm excited for you to come back!

[scm1011]

Feb 21, 2017 9:43:54 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Of course, scm1011 What's the current ETA on the green line into Somerville?

Newton is probably our top choice, but remains to be seen whether we can actually find a house we like and can afford. There's a lot of old crap around there and I'm not sure I'm up for a reno. And there are so many Newton villages, would have to figure out which one we prefer.

I feel like there are towns we always forget about.

20-never. When I bought my house in 2009 it was supposed to be fully functional by 2014  I think they've stopped giving actual dates. And I don't notice any construction near me.

I'm not super familiar with metro-west, which is probably your best bet. So I'm not much help.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Melrose or even Winchester might be a good fit, but probably only if the commute to Framingham could be off rush hours.
Belmont, Wellesley, or Newton would be my top choices if you're sticking to west of the city. Wayland, Sudbury, or Lexington, if you're ok with a little more suburban. When we were looking further west, we liked Westborough and Southborough. Parts of Natick are nice, too, and it's got a little bit more of an urban feel than some of the other towns.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

What about West Roxbury? Or Needham? Though, I don't know how much cheaper than Newton either would be.

[LoveTrains]

I like Needham for you! The downtown is cute. What about Watertown? Probably not great for going downtown.

Dedham? Arlington?

[tillie]

For a commute to the Framingham area, I agree that Natick, Newton or Wellesly would be good, though it may take a bit to find something in your price range.

I am out in the Lexington/Concord/Bedford area which I love, but I don't know if I'd be into driving to Framingham from here.

I personally am not a fan of Watertown or Arlington only because I find them too congested.

[scm1011]

RockNVoll , I love Arlington, especially the East Arlington/Arlington Center area. There are new restaurants opening up all the time, some cute shops, and if its pretty convenient commute-wise: walkable to Alewife if you're near the bike path, or frequently running buses to Porter (77) or Davis (87). Easy access to Rt 2 means the commute to Framingham wouldn't be too too bad either. I would definitely check out that area. Bonus, you'd be super close to me!

[scm1011]

Feb 22, 2017 9:32:45 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Feb 22, 2017 9:05:12 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

RockNVoll , I love Arlington, especially the East Arlington/Arlington Center area. There are new restaurants opening up all the time, some cute shops, and if its pretty convenient commute-wise: walkable to Alewife if you're near the bike path, or frequently running buses to Porter (77) or Davis (87). Easy access to Rt 2 means the commute to Framingham wouldn't be too too bad either. I would definitely check out that area. Bonus, you'd be super close to me!

Isn't commuting on Rt. 2 potentially a nightmare?  I seem to remember people talking about how backed up it gets.  That was my main concern about being there.

He'd be reverse commuting though, no? The intersection of where Rt 2 ends/meets Rt 16 at Alewife can definitely be a cluster, but you could get off at the exit before that if you live in Arlington and avoid altogether.

I have never commuted on Route 2 though, so obviously take that with a grain of salt. I just love it for general getting to 95 and access to the Pike.

[fryjack2]

We currently live downtown but we work in the medical area. Our kids are in private school and the drive is a PIA.

I can't think of any places that haven't been recommended already other than Natick? My list has been this because of the potential to send the kids to public school:

Brookline- a single family that doesn't need major work is going to run 1.8mill at the very low end. They are very hard to come by and go for over asking within days. Over 2 if you want to be able to walk to CC. Lots of condos for less. Downside is that there is no overnight street parking for non residents.

Newton- lots of cute homes, easy commuter rail options, has "downtowns" in a number of the villages.

Wellesley- not very diverse, has a small downtown.

I was not a fan of Needham, or Weston because there wasn't enough to do.

The places on our list that would involve keeping the kids in private school are:

Jamaica Plain- Great restaurants, has single family options but those are getting pricey. 1.2 is a normal price for a 3 bed 2 bath place with bidding wars. We saw one listed at 1.2 and it sold for 1.45. Has trains and buses to the city ,not sure about commute to F.

West Roxbury- cute homes, smallish downtown.

Other places I know of from running the marathon and having friends move to are Ashland and Natick. Or Brighton? I know its tied in with Allston a lot, but has some nice student free neighborhoods.

If we worked north of the city, we would look at Winchester and Andover. Friends live in Melrose and love it. Those might be too far from Framingham though?

[liveintheville]

Hey! Let's see Somerville is awesome 😎. But yeah we have no t. Getting to downtown from here is easy but commuter rail not so much. We do have a lot of buses and it's a reverse commute.
I have friends who looked at newton weren't wowed and moved to Andover. They regretted that decision and wish they'd looked closer to the city.
My sil lives in Westwood. There's a commuter rail stop there.
I have one friend in needham and one in Wilmington although that's far out.
I have a close friend in Winchester. But they only commute downtown.
Everyone else moved to Arlington. They all seem to love it. They use the bike trail to get to alewife.
I'm not up on western side. Wellesley?
Lexington is very pretty. I'd definitely consider it and Brookline. Just because.

[lizlemon19]

I have friends that live in Dedham and grew up in Norwood and like the area.

I also think anything on route 2 is horrible due to congestion and all the traffic lights.

[bostonmichelle]

Other places not mentioned I'd say maybe Wakefield or Reading. They have downtown areas. The commuter line runs through both and I think it wouldn't be too hard to get to Oak Grove. I'm not sure about the commute to Framingham though.

[LoveTrains]

Feb 22, 2017 21:08:39 GMT -5 bostonmichelle said:

Other places not mentioned I'd say maybe Wakefield or Reading. They have downtown areas. The commuter line runs through both and I think it wouldn't be too hard to get to Oak Grove. I'm not sure about the commute to Framingham though.

I love Wakefield but it's a ride down 128 to the pike or rt 9 to get to Framingham. That segment of 128 sucks at rush hour.

[pinkroses]

Feb 22, 2017 23:41:45 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Feb 22, 2017 21:08:39 GMT -5 bostonmichelle said:

Other places not mentioned I'd say maybe Wakefield or Reading. They have downtown areas. The commuter line runs through both and I think it wouldn't be too hard to get to Oak Grove. I'm not sure about the commute to Framingham though.

I love Wakefield but it's a ride down 128 to the pike or rt 9 to get to Framingham. That segment of 128 sucks at rush hour.

Agreed.  I would stay west of the city if one person is commuting to Framingham.

After reading through the whole thread and your follow ups, RockNVoll, I'd do some investigating into Newton neighborhoods. 

[tillie]

Feb 22, 2017 9:32:45 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Feb 22, 2017 9:05:12 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

RockNVoll , I love Arlington, especially the East Arlington/Arlington Center area. There are new restaurants opening up all the time, some cute shops, and if its pretty convenient commute-wise: walkable to Alewife if you're near the bike path, or frequently running buses to Porter (77) or Davis (87). Easy access to Rt 2 means the commute to Framingham wouldn't be too too bad either. I would definitely check out that area. Bonus, you'd be super close to me!

Isn't commuting on Rt. 2 potentially a nightmare?  I seem to remember people talking about how backed up it gets.  That was my main concern about being there.

The Rt. 2/Alewife area is a disaster anytime near rush hour.  The Rt 2./128  interchange can also be tough then.

I think Arlington is good if you use public transportation.  I have to drive there weekly and parking is not fun.

[mswax]

Feb 21, 2017 10:35:53 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

I do like Lexington but most of the houses there are heated with oil, which is a big fat no.

Can I ask why you feel so strongly about oil heat?  The expense?  I've had homes with both, and it's really not that out of line with natural gas.  Also, assuming there is a gas line on your street, you can have it run to your house (if it's not already there for the kitchen) for $500.  Then it's just the cost to update your furnace, which is probably in $6-8k range, but not HUGE #'s when looking at the cost of a house...

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Have you considered Belmont? Or Waltham?

[WOUNDTIGHT]

I'd check out the Auburndale section of Newton. We have one that commutes to Waltham and one to downtown Boston so that would be ideal. Sadly we are priced out of that area!

[devonpow]

Brookline! T stops galore, three separate shopping/restaurant/downtown-y neighborhoods to live by, you can walk home drunk from Fenway park, easy peasy to downtown and right on rte 9 to head out to Framingham.