Thinking about moving to Boston?

[Inkdaub]

I am thinking about heading over to the East Coast again...this time for a longer stay I hope. I am intimidated by the finances of moving straight into Boston or NYC, though. I am thinking of hitting one of the smaller cities which are hopefully more affordable. Providence, Hartford, Manchester, Portland...all these places I am interested in. There are probably many places I don't know about that would be perfect. I want someplace nice with access to Boston. My thinking is that once I am stable in the area it would be easier to move into Boston...unless I like where I am at enough to stay put.

[r c nelson]

I live in Hollywood florida and I was thinking of moving to Providenc but I've changed my mind and now I'm thinking about Newburyport Ma. Any comments or recommendations?

[Cotuit]

I am thinking about heading over to the East Coast again...this time for a longer stay I hope. I am intimidated by the finances of moving straight into Boston or NYC, though. I am thinking of hitting one of the smaller cities which are hopefully more affordable. Providence, Hartford, Manchester, Portland...all these places I am interested in.

Well of course I'd suggest Providence, but Portland is a great city too, and the Downeaster Amtrak service to Boston is a good bonus. Of course Providence has Amtrak and weekday commuter rail service to Boston too.

I live in Hollywood florida and I was thinking of moving to Providenc but I've changed my mind and now I'm thinking about Newburyport Ma. Any comments or recommendations?

I think Newburyport is one of the pricier areas on the North Shore. Don't count out Swampscott, Lynn, or even Revere. Lynn apparently is experiencing quite a boom right now.

[USA11B]

I know this has been beaten like a deadhorse...and yes I have read the previous posts covering this topic.

But we are in a different position than most of the previous topics seemed geared towards.

Here's the deal...Married, w/4 children, I have a possible opportunity to relocate to Boston for work. I would be travelling to sites in/around Boston for work. But mainly working in Boston. What we want; a big enough house for our family and hopefully decent amount of land. What we can afford; probably about 180k max for a house. For the time being figure probably about 70k/yr income.

Looking for opinions from anyone...Should we even consider moving or are we going to be in the poor house trying to move up there? What areas can we resonably afford that are in commuting distance? How bad will commuting distance be?

Just basic research I think we can do it and find decent affordable places if we look at moving to Maine, New Hampshire north of Manchester, maybe a little further Western Mass, Rhode Island...Are these reasonable assumptions? Or will taxes, and other unavoidable expenses make it very difficult to afford?

Would give anything to move up there and settle down, but realistically I can't uproot my family from where we are and are doing well to struggle making ends meet living in a 2bd apt. because that's all we can afford.

Any opinions, suggestions, etc. are appreciated!

Thanks!

[Jerry2]

I know this has been beaten like a deadhorse...and yes I have read the previous posts covering this topic.

But we are in a different position than most of the previous topics seemed geared towards.

Here's the deal...Married, w/4 children, I have a possible opportunity to relocate to Boston for work. I would be travelling to sites in/around Boston for work. But mainly working in Boston. What we want; a big enough house for our family and hopefully decent amount of land. What we can afford; probably about 180k max for a house. For the time being figure probably about 70k/yr income.

Looking for opinions from anyone...Should we even consider moving or are we going to be in the poor house trying to move up there? What areas can we resonably afford that are in commuting distance? How bad will commuting distance be?

Just basic research I think we can do it and find decent affordable places if we look at moving to Maine, New Hampshire north of Manchester, maybe a little further Western Mass, Rhode Island...Are these reasonable assumptions? Or will taxes, and other unavoidable expenses make it very difficult to afford?

Would give anything to move up there and settle down, but realistically I can't uproot my family from where we are and are doing well to struggle making ends meet living in a 2bd apt. because that's all we can afford.

Any opinions, suggestions, etc. are appreciated!

Thanks!

You will not find a single-family home for under 200K anywhere within a 2 hour radius of Boston. You may find a condo or a manufactured home....The 2 hour radius covers half of NE...

[UrbanLifter]

You will not find a single-family home for under 200K anywhere within a 2 hour radius of Boston. You may find a condo or a manufactured home....The 2 hour radius covers half of NE...

You might try some remote parts of eastern Conneticutt but I think even that area has been discovered and conquered.

To my knowledge, and I have the resources to know, there are few if anysingle family homes in Mass under $200k.

[USA11B]

Sorry meant to post this as a new topic...

I know this has been beaten like a deadhorse...and yes I have read the previous posts covering this topic.

But we are in a different position than most of the previous topics seemed geared towards.

Here's the deal...Married, w/4 children, I have a possible opportunity to relocate to Boston for work. I would be travelling to sites in/around Boston for work. But mainly working in Boston. What we want; a big enough house for our family and hopefully decent amount of land. What we can afford; probably about 180k max for a house. For the time being figure probably about 70k/yr income.

Looking for opinions from anyone...Should we even consider moving or are we going to be in the poor house trying to move up there? What areas can we resonably afford that are in commuting distance? How bad will commuting distance be?

Just basic research I think we can do it and find decent affordable places if we look at moving to Maine, New Hampshire north of Manchester, maybe a little further Western Mass, Rhode Island...Are these reasonable assumptions? Or will taxes, and other unavoidable expenses make it very difficult to afford?

Would give anything to move up there and settle down, but realistically I can't uproot my family from where we are and are doing well to struggle making ends meet living in a 2bd apt. because that's all we can afford.

Any opinions, suggestions, etc. are appreciated!

Thanks!

[USA11B]

Responding to the couple replies I had when this was posted under a diff topic. Basically I won't be able to find a house for a family for under 200k.

From a little searching I've found some places in Western Mass (Brookfield I think was one of the areas), Rhode Island, a few in Maine, and further north New Hampshire like Concord and Manchester that are in the range we can afford. BUT..they are far and few in between, although R.I. seemed to have the most. Can I assume even though they are in our price range, they are probably dumps and/or in bad areas? They seemed to look decent enough, but granted a realtor can make aa Shed look beautiful on their website.

Just trying to get some idea, of what to realistically expect. Currently I live about 30 miles from work and it usually takes about 1-2hrs ea. way everyday for commute. So I figure I'm willing to commute at least up to about 60miles. Is that far out from Beantown still going to be unaffordable? Or will traffic make that more like a 2-3hr commute? My job would be in and around the Boston area, so I'm not beholden to having to be right near Boston proper, but at the same time I have to be somewhere where access to Boston regularly is reasonable.

Any opinions, suggestions appreciated!

[monsoon]

I don't know the specifics about Boston, but why would you want to take a job that would require you spend 2-3 hours/day in a car? It would seem to me that would be a huge quality of life issue when you add up how much time this is during the course of a year that you can't do anything else.

[TheBostonian]

A coworker of mine recently bought a small single family in Auburn, just outside Worcester, for under $200k. She drives to work about 10 miles outside Boston, about an hour each way and never in rush hour. One of the reasons it is cheap is that it is damn close to the highway with the noise and ugliness that comes with it. A friend bought a large house in Fitchburg for $180k a couple years ago. It was cheap partly because of the crappy neighborhood. He has driven and taken the commuter rail into Boston regularly during some periods for work.

Southern New Hampshire might work, but you'll of course have a long commute during rush hour. If you can drive before or after the congested hours you will be in a better position.

[Cotuit]

Sorry meant to post this as a new topic...

This discussion should stay in this thread.

[Cotuit]

Basically I won't be able to find a house for a family for under 200k.

I don't know why your ceiling is 180k or how many bedrooms you actually need. There are places in Mass. under 200k though. I just did a quick search of listings on Boston.com (which aren't that exhaustive) and found a gorgeous 3-bed condo for 180k in Chelsea, which borders Boston to the north, almost made me want to move. Sub-200k places are hard to find, and you likely would be looking at condos in that price range. Southern New Hampshire isn't as cheap as it used to be, but there are still deals there. You can also find deals in Northern Rhode Island (Woonsocket has some good prices right now).

While the market is certainly turning better for the buyer, maybe you don't need to buy right now. If the downpayment is keeping your price below 200k, rent for a while to save more for your downpayment. If you're moving from another part of the country it might be better to rent, until you know the area better and find the community you really want to settle in.

[UrbanLifter]

Per the Multiple Listing Service for Mass, there are 1418 single family homes in all of Mass under $200k. So, I do stand corrected and admit I am used to seeing properties closer into Boston.

For example, there are 61 single family homes in Worcester alone under $200k. A lot of these properties are town homes or duplexes.

So, yes, there is hope and the buyer's market is well established.

[Cotuit]

Living outside the city also does not doom you to a 2 or 3 hour car commute. Boston has a very extensive commuter rail system. People in southern New Hampshire can drive to Lowell, Haverill, or Newburyport to get the train for example. Towns with Commuter Rail stations in them often have higher prices because of the station, prices in Ashland soared for example when they got a stop. Woonsocket, RI does not have a train station (yet), but it's not a very long drive to the station in Franklin, MA. Fitchburg is one of the cities that does have a Commuter Rail station but also still has relatively low house prices. Neighboring Leominster is a bit nicer than Fitchburg and a bit pricier.

[Recchia]

Buy a house in Pawtucket or Providence, RI near either the Providence or South Attleboro commuter rail stations and you're all set. And right now you can easily find something for under $200,000 (I know cause I look daily). The train ride from Providence is about an hour or about 50-55 mins from South Attleboro.

[atlrvr]

Well.....its official. I'm moving to Boston, and renting in the Leather District with my wife and son.

We'll be moving the week of the Fourth of July!!! I'm thrilled!!!

Look for me.....I'll be the only window with a Carolina Panther flag flying on Essex St.

Edited June 22, 2006 by atlrvr

[UrbanLifter]

Welcome to Boston Atlrvr. And welcome to our forums. Hopefully you can liven them up a bit like the Charlotte forums.

[Dozer]

Well.....its official. I'm moving to Boston, and renting in the Leather District with my wife and son.

We'll be moving the week of the Fourth of July!!! I'm thrilled!!!

Look for me.....I'll be the only window with a Carolina Panther flag flying on Essex St.

I'll be romping around that area on the 4th... I'll be looking!

[brinegarempire]

Boston's not a bad town. Its safe, more affordable than NY, Vancouver and SF and it has a great small-town blue-collar work ethic. It's very patriotic as well... Finding an aprtment here isnt as bad as people make it sound to be. Check out Cambridge, Allston, Brighton and JP. If you have to, you can settle with a more depressed area (most of South Boston area), but dont expect much there. If you can, get an apartment close to the T and get in a cool neighborhood..

[JDC]

I'm planning on moving back north in about a year. My girlfriend and I (and our dog!) are going to be looking for a place to rent in Brookline or Allston, where lots of our friends are living these days. We're hanging on to our property in NC (where we live now) though, taking advantage of one of the hottest housing markets in the nation.

I guess that makes me a "carpetbagger," huh?

[voyager12]

I am just curious about how much rentals are for one bedroom apts in Boston. I am planning on moving somewhere new for a change of scenery in a year and am looking all over. I have only been up there once and am rather clueless. I am also poor and don't mind living in transitional neighborhoods with some personality. Any thoughts?

[Recchia]

My friend is paying $1100/month including heat/hot water for a 1BR in the three decker on Mission Hill, pretty nice place. Rents are reasonable (for Boston atleast) in this neighborhood, though it tends to be a lot of noisy college student since Northeastern and all the Fenway Colleges are right down the road.

[Cotuit]

I remember when I lived in the Fenway hearing gun fire every night from the Hill and having the police helicopters circling every night. Now they're getting $1100 for a one bed room?! I think I was paying $400 for a 3 bed on Hemmenway.

[JJK5]

Mission Hill has a bad reputation, but I was around there on New Year's and it was better than I was expecting.

[atlrvr]

Mission Hill is the nieghborhood that came to mind as well, I walk down Tremont from Brigham Circle to Roxbury Crossing a couple morning a week through Mission Hill, and I would definetly categorize it as a transitional neighborhood that has a mix of people. To compare it to something in Charlotte, I would say Wesley Heights is the closest comparison. Of course, as you can see prices are much different here than Charlotte.