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moving to mass

2K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
Hello All,

Well my lease on life is slowly draining away as I promised my fiancee a move to the east coast. I managed to convince her the boston area would be best. Close enough to her family in Vermont, close to a big city, stripers, blues,....


So I am looking for suggestions on areas to check out when I come out there in June for some fishing and home searching.

Here is what I am looking for:

-at the most an hour away from Boston

-decent access to the cape

-house pricing between 200-325K. Will probably rent for the first year though until I really get a feel for the area.

-possible public transportation into Boston



Anyway I thought I would solicit the list for opinions on areas to check out when I am there. Really looking forward to the move but will miss the year around fishing opportunities available to me here.

Thanks for the help,

-sean
 
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#2 ·
Sean,

Your criteria for housing sounds like it can work. If you want to be closer to the cape you'll will need to be on the south shore or at least SW of Boston. This is a good time to buy with the rates so low too. So the south shore guys can help out here I guess. I'd say any where from Framingham to Pembroke. Each town has it's own demograpic mix and character. IT depends on what your likes and dislikes are. There are many towns and different houses. YOu need to come look at some. Then we can advise on the pros and cons of each area.

LEfty
 
#3 ·
Congratulations Sean,
Boy, you hve an ambitious honey do list. A couple of observations from when I moved to the Boston area may help you.

I think of a map of the Boston area like a bicycle wheel. The hub is in downtown Boston, with spokes (highways, commuter rail) running out to a tire (route 95 aka 128). Further out the spokes is route 495. You probably will be looking somewhere around route 495.
Politicians/developers/realtors will tell you that Boston is X minutes from a given location. 1.4*X minutes is what it will actually take when driving.

Wear a seat belt. Boston drivers can sometimes defy logic, and some roads are still layed out the way the cows roamed 300+ years ago.

For public transportation info check out http://www.mbta.com/ . Be carefull when looking at their commuter rail schedules. Some lines don't have full service to the end of their lines.

You didn't ask for it, but, for info on a towns school systems start at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/.
 
#4 ·
Also, being in the tech industry the Hub is not the only alternative - like Seattle's 405 corridor Boston has rte 128; it even has Route 90 - the SAME route 90 that ends in Boston. People around here call it the Mass Turnpike (pike fo short) and will tell you it starts here instead ;)

Route 128 has a large number of technology employers. Boston and Cambridge have too. The other areas don't have as much density as these areas of places to work but there are options on 495 as well, but there is definitely no good public transportation from 495 to Boston.

I like Arlington if you can find something, it would fit your reqmts.

I'll post more later, you can be confident that you will get a great deal of help from the northeast community both during the move and the years of striper chasing to follow. :)
 
#6 ·
Sean,

I have been house hunting for a couple of months now. While it can be a good time to buy (b/c of rates), the housing market has not been hit (yet) like the rental market. As such, the prices can still be somewhat outlandish. This past weekend for example, I saw more than one house in the 500k range and all were absolute junk. Scary even. Other than one very nice but very modest 2bed 2.5 bath place (1200ft2) for 399k (yes 399k), I did not see anything I would consider. As others have suggested, I would highly recommend spending the time to drive around and find communities that appeal to you. Attend a few open houses: http://realestate.boston.com/homes/openhouses. Keep an eye on listings both at websites like www.realtor.com and/or with a larger brokerage like www.coldwellbanker.com. Both websites allow you to save searches and listings which is helpful. If you'd like a contact at CB, I would be more than happy to refer the broker I have been working with (a co-workers mother). The broker will also be able to get you on an MLS e-mail list which will provide daily updates by town on listings, relistings, price changes etc...

If you're comfortable being a little further outside of the city, there seems to be an insane/not so insane price wall about 40 miles outside the city. A town like Plymouth for example (which I know nothing about) seems to have some very nice listings for the price by comparison. Again, I know little about Plymouth specifically b/c it is not an option for me. I have seem some great houses at reasonable prices, however...not to mention it is about 10-15 miles from the Cape :). Anyone know if there is a nuclear reactor under Plymouth ;)?

Anyway, hope this helps. Best of luck. If you'd like my contact at CB, drop me an e-mail (h1@alum.dartmouth.org).
 
#7 ·
The real estate market is a bit crazy here but with the economy such as it is your timing may be pretty good (always seems to be competition for software engineers despite the slow economy). If I were to bet I'd say prices are going to tumble a bit over the next six months to a year. Outside the 495 belt things are a bit more palatable price wise. Southeastern Mass may offer some of the best values plus pretty good proximity to the Cape. Commuter rail service is also available. The south shore can be a bit pricy until you get down Plymouth way.

As Jason said Plymouth is pretty reasonable but a bit of a commute. Plenty of fishable water though and just one town over and your on the Cape.
 
#9 ·
Software engineering/development of some sort. I program in C and perl and some java. Should have the java up to par by the time I move. I also have some medical research experience.

This is why I am thinking the boston area as this would give me the best chance at getting a job. Have seen a lot so far and I have not really started to look.

-sean
 
#11 ·
Everyone allways says "I want to be close to the Cape" well, I grew up in Falmouth, moved up to the Boston area for work, and missed the Cape so much I moved back and now commute. Alot of people do the drive. I live in North Falmouth right next to the highway so it takes me about 10 minutes to get to the Bourne Bridge. Currently, I work in Canton, I'm in construction so my location changes every year or so, right now I can get to work in about 50 minutes on a good day.(some days TRAFFIC can be tuff) Being in construction, I do move around quite abit which helped make my decision to travel easy since no matter where I live I'm traveling anyway. But if your OK with an hour drive, then why not live where you enjoy it the most. My wife and kids love the Cape and would not want to be anywhere else. And when I get home from work I'm in paradise, and beleive me the Cape is just that, especially for a fisherman and a family who enjoys the beach. I would not live anywhere else. BTW, the price of realestate is not bad on the cape, sure you can find cheaper, but for the money, this place can't be beat!
What ever your decision, New England in general is great, and for a fisherman, your never too far from a great place to fish with some great people. Just ask any of us on this board.
Good luck and Happy house hunting!
 
#12 · (Edited)
Sean

Check out www.boston.com. They have a real estate section that provides info on practically every town in MA (e.g. population, taxes, schools). Conventional wisdom in the high tech sector seems to be "west is best" (i.e. go west of Boston, previously along the Rt 128 corridor, now the Rt 495 one). Lots of high tech cos - both established and start ups.

As a former, short time Arlington resident, I'd echo Juro's comments on that town: great city/town, great access to Boston, Cambridge and routes elsewhere, and a nice mix of stores/restaurants. As a recent seller of a home there (mid-00), I'd also add that the prices (to me, at least) border on mind-boggling. Location has its price.

As a south shore MA native who's recently moved back south of the Mass Pike (aka, Rt. 90 ;)) , I'm partial to god's country and would echo bcasey's cape comments as well as FredA's on Plymouth, etc.

Alas, I cannot speak to the fine environs of my fellow boardmembers on Boston's north shore, but will add that from my south shore driveway its 18 miles to the Cape Cod Canal, 58.9 miles to the Chatham lighthouse parking lot, and 34.2 miles to downtown Boston. Of course, that 34.2 miles to the city can be one hellacious commute (that's why I'm a railway commuter!). Sure, the North Shore has Plum Island, all of Marblehead, and assorted other hot spots, but where else but on Cape Cod can you get caught in a 10 mile Sunday night traffic jam trying to get over the 2 lane bridge over the Canal?

Best of luck. Have a few realtors/buyers brokers who I'd recommend wholeheartedly if you're interested.

Jeff - oh, I almost forgot. While there's no reactor UNDER Plymouth, there is a (currently) functional one on the Bay :eek:

Tod
 
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