Moving to Walpole, MA (Boston, Norwood: crime rates, broker, houses)

[ACH1980]

My husband and I just had an offer accepted for a home in East Walpole near Bird Park - we love the house and Walpole seems like a great community overall. My only concern is that there are a few homes on the street that appear to be more rundown and less maintained than the majority. One of these happens to be next door to the house we are buying and the other is behind.

I grew up in a small town with a mix of people who had lived there forever without doing major house work and also many elderly residents who couldn't maintain their properties as well, so I feel like Walpole may be similar. Overall the area around Bird Park seems like a nice and safe neighborhood - just want to get some thoughts on what issues or concerns others might have.

[CaseyB]

Did you ask the owner or the broker who the immediate neighbors are?

Bird Park is just beautiful, congratulations.

[495neighbor]

I was recently in Walpole. The town center is very beautiful and park-like and keeps getting better, with new businesses coming in. I was really impressed with how friendly the people are (including thoughtful drivers) and the good community vibe. The bulletin boards of the businesses are overflowing with fun community activities and town events. I do not know Bird Park. The homes I have seen around the town center have good pride of home ownership and are the right distance from streets, not too close or far. A lot of Walpole, unlike many Boston suburbs, is laid out like a grid. It is very easy to get around town. Nearly if not all the streets have good sidewalks, which always is a good contribution to the friendliness of the town.

[ACH1980]

Thanks for the replies!

CaseyB - the house was a flip, so unfortunately the seller doesn't have a history there and likely doesn't know the neighbors. The few times we have driven around the neighborhood it has been very quiet. We will ask our agent to see if he can get any info on the neighbors. Thanks!

495 - I agree, one of the reasons we want to move to Walpole is the small town feel and the community events. It seems the closest we could get to a "quintessential" New England town within our price range.

[Eric H.]

I think you are making a good decision by considering East Walpole as a future place to live. East Walpole is part of the fabric that makes Walpole a wonderful, close-knit quintessential New England town. This section of Walpole is so pleasant with idyllic Bird Park, the one-mile Endean hiking path along the Neponset River, tree-lined streets, those fine old homes on Union St., Studio East art studio, and nice shops and restaurants like Tre Jolie Boutique, East Walpole Market and Deli, Ever So Humble Pie Company, Cozy Spa, 204 Washington restaurant and Jimmy's Pizzeria. Last I heard the old clock tower is going to be refurbished as part of a new restaurant. Regarding some homes in subpar condition, I believe that is a byproduct of the bad economy and is more the exception than the rule in East Walpole. It looks like the majority of homes are in fine condition. You will find homes in disrepair in most communities, even high profile, elite towns. Regarding crime, Walpole is a safe community but I would recommend calling the police to get a detailed breakdown of where the most crime happens in town. With that said, there really isn't much crime in Walpole! Hope this helps, please contact me if you have further questions.

[MikePRU]

If you're buying a flip, I would definitely go to town hall and make sure that permits were pulled for all the work and that all the permits were closed out.

Another agent in my office had a client who was buying a flip a number of years back and the inspector pointed out a number of problems with the electrical system. It turns out they hadn't pulled any permits for the electrical (or anything for that matter) and they'd done a substandard job on everything. While not pulling a permit doesn't equate to a poor job, I would regard it as a red flag that needs to be investigated and resolved.

[ACH1980]

For the additional information!

We drove around this weekend and I am getting really excited about East Walpole - saw lots of people out walking/jogging, the neighborhood seemed very peaceful on a Sunday. Inspection is tomorrow, keeping our fingers crossed there are no major issues!

[haberstroh]

We moved to Walpole 6 years ago and I did the same thing like you. Before buying our house I drove around the neighborhood. Most of the houses where well maintained but then there were some that were run down, also smaller than the majority. For some reason that bothered me. You can look under my handle and my question is probably still in this forum somewhere. LOL
I also did other completely obsessed stuff like make spreadsheets about schools and their MCAS scores, called principals and PAC presidents. Hung out at the sports fields. Analyzed demographics, density, median income, flood plains, crime rates, commutes, train schedules, recycling rates, traffic studies etc. I talked to the neighbors and called the city...
To make a long story short. We bought the house and I am extremely happy with our decision. Nothing is perfect of course. But if nothing is wrong with the house I don't think you will regret living here. :-)

[ACH1980]

Haberstroh - thank you! Out of curiosity, you have been in Walpole 6 years now, have you seen any trends with more young couples/families moving to the area? How do you think Walpole compares now to when you first moved there?

[mialia]

I'm a Walpole native. I'm guessing you're referring to the Pleasant street/Washington Street area towards Norwood? Eh, that's just the way it is here. You won't even notice it once you are settled in.

North Walpole is technically known as being the more desirable part of town to live in. The rest: South, East, West all try to claim second best, and in my opinion - East Walpole is the second most desirable part of town to live in. South Walpole is the worst because of the proximity to the Stadium.

East Walpole has a very nice "townie" local feel to it - people who live in the Bird Park area walk to St. Mary's church. Walk to the 204 Restaurant on Washington Street. It has a nice, cozy, friendly vibe that you don't get in the snobby parts of the North Pole.

Walpole is far superior to neighboring Norwood - with everything - schools, town center, the vibe of the town. Alot of people want to live in Walpole, but can't afford it. You won't get the same type of living in Norwood. or Medfield (more expensive). or Wrentham. Sharon. Foxboro. You made a great choice! Welcome!