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We own a great home in a great neighborhood with sub-15 minute access to both a major international airport and downtown which is something that doesn't exist in most of the world.
Boston overall is a great, clean, safe, beautiful, and enjoyable city and we feel lucky to be here.
Great proximity to a whole suite of stuff to do - mountains, beaches, and a bunch of small/medium sized cities that are accessible a reasonably short drive away.
We have family and friends in the region.
That said, we're leaving the state shortly. Not far - just to Providence. But the reasons for the move are typical of what many are moving for too:
We needed more square footage and wanted a better outdoor space and it wasn't available at our price point in the locations we liked in MA. This is far an away the biggest factor and if we could have afforded the 3rd bedroom and a small yard in Eastie, we wouldn't have left. We weren't even close.
The big tradeoff was the change in proximity to downtown and the airport. But since we're not commuting 5x per week, the commute isn't as prohibitive as it used to be. Neither of us are traveling as much for work either, so that's not as important as it was either.
Even with insane interest rates, the difference in list prices made the decision easy (and we were able to get a pre-purchase inspection AND the seller fixed some of the findings which was unheard of where we looked in MA).
A sub-40 minute train ride ~2x weekly is very manageable so we can keep our jobs.
Providence has a lot of what we love about Boston too (walkability, restaurants, events, great architecture), so quality of life doesn't take much of a hit (though we'll miss the T, sailing on Boston Harbor, super convenient access to downtown, and a bunch of the businesses we frequented here).
It ended up being an easier decision than we anticipated. If things become more reasonable in MA, I could easily see us coming back in the future though.
We own a great home in a great neighborhood with sub-15 minute access to both a major international airport and downtown which is something that doesn't exist in most of the world.
Boston overall is a great, clean, safe, beautiful, and enjoyable city and we feel lucky to be here.
Great proximity to a whole suite of stuff to do - mountains, beaches, and a bunch of small/medium sized cities that are accessible a reasonably short drive away.
We have family and friends in the region.
That said, we're leaving the state shortly. Not far - just to Providence. But the reasons for the move are typical of what many are moving for too:
We needed more square footage and wanted a better outdoor space and it wasn't available at our price point in the locations we liked in MA. This is far an away the biggest factor and if we could have afforded the 3rd bedroom and a small yard in Eastie, we wouldn't have left. We weren't even close.
The big tradeoff was the change in proximity to downtown and the airport. But since we're not commuting 5x per week, the commute isn't as prohibitive as it used to be. Neither of us are traveling as much for work either, so that's not as important as it was either.
Even with insane interest rates, the difference in list prices made the decision easy (and we were able to get a pre-purchase inspection AND the seller fixed some of the findings which was unheard of where we looked in MA).
A sub-40 minute train ride ~2x weekly is very manageable so we can keep our jobs.
Providence has a lot of what we love about Boston too (walkability, restaurants, events, great architecture), so quality of life doesn't take much of a hit (though we'll miss the T, sailing on Boston Harbor, super convenient access to downtown, and a bunch of the businesses we frequented here).
It ended up being an easier decision than we anticipated. If things become more reasonable in MA, I could easily see us coming back in the future though.
We own a great home in a great neighborhood with sub-15 minute access to both a major international airport and downtown which is something that doesn't exist in most of the world.
Boston overall is a great, clean, safe, beautiful, and enjoyable city and we feel lucky to be here.
Great proximity to a whole suite of stuff to do - mountains, beaches, and a bunch of small/medium sized cities that are accessible a reasonably short drive away.
We have family and friends in the region.
That said, we're leaving the state shortly. Not far - just to Providence. But the reasons for the move are typical of what many are moving for too:
We needed more square footage and wanted a better outdoor space and it wasn't available at our price point in the locations we liked in MA. This is far an away the biggest factor and if we could have afforded the 3rd bedroom and a small yard in Eastie, we wouldn't have left. We weren't even close.
The big tradeoff was the change in proximity to downtown and the airport. But since we're not commuting 5x per week, the commute isn't as prohibitive as it used to be. Neither of us are traveling as much for work either, so that's not as important as it was either.
Even with insane interest rates, the difference in list prices made the decision easy (and we were able to get a pre-purchase inspection AND the seller fixed some of the findings which was unheard of where we looked in MA).
A sub-40 minute train ride ~2x weekly is very manageable so we can keep our jobs.
Providence has a lot of what we love about Boston too (walkability, restaurants, events, great architecture), so quality of life doesn't take much of a hit (though we'll miss the T, sailing on Boston Harbor, super convenient access to downtown, and a bunch of the businesses we frequented here).
It ended up being an easier decision than we anticipated. If things become more reasonable in MA, I could easily see us coming back in the future though.
How was the RI market when you were putting in offers compared to MA? Were there always multiple bidders and did you have to overbid list? How many offers did you put in before you had one where yours was the winning bid?
How was the RI market when you were putting in offers compared to MA? Were there always multiple bidders and did you have to overbid list? How many offers did you put in before you had one where yours was the winning bid?
It wasn't nearly as competitive. This is the only place we put offers on. We initially bid about $20k below asking. Someone else submitted an offer for $10k below asking, and we end up offering asking and had the offer accepted. So our second offer on the place and only for asking. It had been on the market for about 10 days, and there was no hesitation at accepting our offer including the inspection contingency.
Over the past 2 years, we put several offers on places in MA (Salem, Beverly, Quincy). In each instance we were outbid badly enough that we didn't put in second offers. Our realtor suggested that our offers were less likely to be accepted unless we waived the inspection contingency which we didn't do (that's a nonstarter as far as I'm concerned). But it didn't matter because we were nowhere close to the highest bid on any of those. The urgency ("offers due by Tuesday") was much lower in RI too, though we're glad we didn't wait to offer.
My wife keeps me here. If she were footloose like me, and conservative like me, we'd likely have pulled up stakes a while ago and relocated to a more affordable area. We seem to be stuck here, for the nonce. It's way too liberal for my tastes but I'm a tolerant person and can put up with it.
Interesting thread! We left MA back in 1980. Both of us are native Bostonians. However, at the time we left, the job market wasn't the best. We got out of college in the mid-70s and were thrust into the worst job market we'd ever seen. We were lucky to find part-time minimum wage jobs. Along the way, I ran into former college classmates who were in the same boat.
I must add that during that time with both of us making minimum wage, we managed to afford a crummy apartment in the Fenway. Try doing that now!
We got fed up with the crime in the Fenway and moved to a much newer apartment in Chelsea. We were leery about moving to Chelsea as it never seemed to have a good reputation. However, for the time we lived there, we never had any serious problems. My biggest frustration was my work commute as I was working in Cambridge and having to deal with the T. Many times, despite my best efforts, I would arrive late, as would some of my co-workers who relied on the T.
We ended up moving to the DC area. The government had a hiring freeze then but my husband found a temp job and when the freeze was lifted, his job became permanent. Long story short but he worked his way up the GS pay ladder---something he never could have done in Boston. I did support staff work at a university and later worked at the HQ of a company.
We often look back and say we never would have been able to accomplish this if we stayed in MA---even wondering if we ever would have been able to buy a house.
One thing we didn't miss about MA---the winters. Yes, we get snow here and about once a decade, we get a huge blizzard but in the scheme of things, it's still better than MA in that regard.
I remember moving down here and going shopping. The cashiers would greet you and thank you. Growing up in MA, that was a rare thing.
I'll give MA one thing --- it was easier to make lasting friendships. Although, I wonder if we had stayed if that would have held true as we got older.
We're still here in retirement. Sold the house, rented an apartment with the intention of eventually buying a condo...but...we liked the apartment building so much that we decided to stay. We've met many people in the building who moved here under similar circumstances --- A lot of them are from MA like us
[quote=massnative71;66278341]Elderly family here, otherwise I would probably be out. Used to be a great state to live in, not so much anymore. Place has kind of sold its soul.
It wasn't nearly as competitive. This is the only place we put offers on. We initially bid about $20k below asking. Someone else submitted an offer for $10k below asking, and we end up offering asking and had the offer accepted. So our second offer on the place and only for asking. It had been on the market for about 10 days, and there was no hesitation at accepting our offer including the inspection contingency.
Over the past 2 years, we put several offers on places in MA (Salem, Beverly, Quincy). In each instance we were outbid badly enough that we didn't put in second offers. Our realtor suggested that our offers were less likely to be accepted unless we waived the inspection contingency which we didn't do (that's a nonstarter as far as I'm concerned). But it didn't matter because we were nowhere close to the highest bid on any of those. The urgency ("offers due by Tuesday") was much lower in RI too, though we're glad we didn't wait to offer.
Wow!
Mass Home Seller: "Well, naturally, you'd have to ignore the cracked foundation, the rotting sill plate, the termites, the radon gas, the faulty wiring and the leaking roof, waive the inspection contingency and the mortgage contingency and bid at least 20% over the asking price..."
Mass Home Buyer: "So you're telling me there's a chance? Oh! Oh! Oh! Where do I sign?"
A few things:
- jobs. I worked in higher ed previously and am now in biotech/pharma. There's nowhere better on earth for those industries. For years, I applied to jobs in places like Ithaca, Syracuse, and Rochester in hopes of finding somewhere cheaper to live. Syracuse almost won me over, but what stopped me was that if I needed to change jobs I would have to relocate. And good thing I didn't - the team I was going to lead all got laid off the next year.
- healthcare. I'm a young adult survivor of a fairly rare cancer and with a lot of long term impacts as a result. There's something to be said about having Dana Farber and MGH right here. Almost all of my doctors have been Ivy League trained - and I am admittedly extremely elitist as far as that is concerned!
- Jewish life. There is a robust Jewish community in Boston, including many synagogues, JCCs, social groups, Workman's Circle, and even Lehrhaus - a new bar/learning center for Jewish thought. It's the 4th largest Jewish community in the US, and even in the suburbs and Western Mass there's Jewish representation. I wasn't raised around my community growing up because, despite living in the suburbs of the city that now has the 7th largest Jewish community in the US, mine was the first Jewish family most folks had met and I was the only Jewish kid in school. My parents didn't want to drive an hour to the nearest synagogue. That's a loss I still feel to this day. My kids will never experience that if I can help it, which means we're limited to a very few cities in the US.
- politics. I grew up in a conservative area. I have absolutely no interest in doing so again.
- family. While a bit further afield in Maine, I get to play an active role in my niece and nephew's lives by staying here. I also share caretaking responsibilities with my brother for my grandmother since her children have all absconded all responsibility (and will be in for a world of hurt when they need help only to find none to be had, but that's another story... though a good reason why I won't move back to Georgia or consider California or Florida!).
Now, there are obvious trade offs. The cost of living is brutal and I cannot believe I am still renting at 36. I find winters very challenging. It can also be hard to make friends here. But overall, it's the best place for me professionally and personally.
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