Should we Stay or Leave Melrose? Go to Reading, Arlington, Winchester instead?

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by Brave Stranger

I own rental property in Arlington & for $525k you can get more than a starter home there if you are careful. Example: house next to mine sold at $485k. Beautiful 1600 sqft colonial with 2 baths, a new kitchen, sunroom & garage in the Heights. The schools are excellent & it's easy to get around Boston from there. Any questions about Arlington ask away. As for Winchester.....it's almost impossible to find a decent house in your price range. Good Luck

Me talking to myself 6 years later, lol. That house next to mine that sold for 485k in 2012 has had some rehab, but nothing spectacular, and is now worth about 850k.

That's how bad, or good, depending on your situation this real estate boom has been.

[FCMA]

The difference between most districts in Mass is minimal and your kid’s performance will probably more reflect your example and values than be brought down by the drag factors in any given district. Plus I have met enough doped up dropouts from Lexington and Harvard and budding attorneys and doctors from Fitchburg and Worcester etc schools to hold a healthy skepticism of school fretting. The great performers from bombed out districts most often had great home lives in overall challenged communities. Though the losers from the beaucoup $$ towns had great home lives but easy access to designer drugs, pool parties, summer homes, BMWs, some had nothing but coddling in their young lives rather than the motivation to perform well and escape a bleak and hopeless place. They are lucky in their late 20s and in to their 30s to have a childhood bedroom or basement on large lots to fall back on while they work at Market Basket. Their test scores were high yet their lives still haven’t gone anywhere. Just to say, I believe it’s worth being wary of the race to “better” always more affluent districts, to avoid tipping over a threshold to the suburban dark side nobody likes to talk about, swaying some kids towards thinking they can continue a party lifestyle of loafy privilege without necessarily working hard to accomplish it. The subtle shades of school performance are rather minimal between up and coming communities that still have a few struggling families doomed to imminent COL extirpation left polluting the standardized test performance measures.

If you like Melrose in all other respects, stay!

[gf2020]

Originally Posted by FCMA

If you like Melrose in all other respects, stay!

6 year old thread and the OP has not logged in to CD in 4 years.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by gf2020

6 year old thread and the OP has not logged in to CD in 4 years.

D’oh I saw a chance for a favorite counterpoint rant to affluent Massaholes’ pointless hand wringing (a rant that is as pointless as me) and dove in. Thanks for pointing out! Lol