buying house in Medford, Arlington, Waltham, Watertown (Boston, Quincy: condo, townhome)

[jmarcus999]

Hi all,

I am a single woman with college aged daughters. Currently I live out in the 495 belt and want to move closer into Boston. I'm looking for a small house in Medford, Arlington, Waltham, or Watertown. I am wanting a good resale value in case I need to move later on, but am not going to be using public schools so that is not a factor. I am looking for a safe, convenient place to live that is not solely focused around families with children, but rather has things happening for a variety of ages.

We all play musical instruments and so we are too noisy to live in a condo, and instead need our own single family home. I find that Waltham is the most affordable, with best selection of homes under $375K. In particular, I require areas where I can walk to restaurants, grocery, library, events, etc. If you were picking a town that offers the most for the money, which of these towns would you pick? Arlington has some small houses, but it seems to be pricy.

Are there areas of these towns that I should stay away from? Are there areas of these towns that are going to be highly desirable?

Are these towns different in their access to Boston via public transportation? I want to be able to walk to public transportation that takes us to Boston, since I do not have cars for my daughters.

[kmann-sherborn]

There's a pretty handy tool you can use at the MBTA website. Enter a home address and you can find out how close public transportation is from there. MBTA Trip Planner > Find MBTA Services Near a Location. And you can use walkscore to find out what's walking distance to any home of interest Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address.

I think you'll find a lot more single family options in Waltham in your price range.

[jmarcus999]

Thanks for those handy links, they are very helpful! I gather that Waltham is not one of the better towns to get public transportation to Boston? It seems there is a lack of express bus in most Waltham locations, so probably is one of the least convenient for getting into Boston, unless in walking distance to commuter rail?

[kmann-sherborn]

Yes, definately much more driving in areas of Waltham unfortunately. Have you looked at the Wollaston area of Quincy? I have friends who live there and like that they can walk to the beach, the T, restaurants, etc.

Another thought: Perhaps a townhome/condo with Energy Star features? Although Energy Star certification is usually associated with improving heating/cooling efficiency it also provides additional sound barriers between units. Anyhow, just a thought. :-)

[shiver]

Maybe somewhere in Watertown around the Watertown Square area? Library, restaurants, shops in the area. There's no train, but Watertown Sq. has a bus hub and it's a quick bus ride down the road to the mall/Target or the Stop N' Shop on Watertown St.

I don't know how expensive Watertown is, but I think it's underrated since it often gets compared to its ritzier neighbors, Newton and Belmont.

The Quincy suggestion is a good one too.

[smarty]

I think you present a difficult problem... as many of the things you wanted are what others want. The basics of economics.. supply and demand works like a charm.

All property near public transportation to Boston are more expensive just because that is one of the selling point. Good resale value in any market means you are buying into what many people want. This is why Rt495 towns are cheaper than Rt128 towns.

[catwings80]

We recently moved to the Lawrence Estates section of Medford. We are a couple in our early-50s, no kids. We find this area to be very convenient to downtown and a quiet oasis in the middle of the city. There are many buses that run frequently, a variety of good ethnic restaurants within walking distance, and the commuter rail in West Medford. Yet it is close to route 93, so you can get north to New Hampshire or the North Shore very quickly.

[redsoxwalking]

Lawrence Estates is totally great. In fact anything north of and within walking distance to Rt 60 Medford may fit the bill. Take a look at Melrose also, great downtown and u can take commuter rail to Boston. And the area around Oak Grove Malden, more urban but a fine place.