Newton or Hingham? (Boston, Quincy, Weymouth: real estate, how much, houses)

[Beijing66]

My wife and I have been looking to buy a home. We don't have children yet but are planning to have our first in about two years. We are looking at places like West Roxbury, Newton, Lexington and Hingham. Personally I love Newton since I lived in Newton for six years, it is close to Boston, a very nice and very safe town with great schools. But any house below $420,000 in Newton, which is our budget by the way, is in quite crappy conditions. Plus everyone wants a piece of Newton and the housing market is very competitive in Newton these days, we doubt that we can get a decent house in Newton. Lexington is too pricy, plus no public transportation (Both of us work in downtown Boston, we would prefer public transportation). West Roxbury is nice, but we kinda want to stay out of Boston. So that leaves us Hingham. I heard Hingham is a nice, upscale town with very good schools. Are those schools in Hingham as good as those in Newton by the way? Also I heard that with the Green Bush commuter rail open in the near future the price of the properties will rise so it would be good to buy a property now if we want to live in Hingham. Is this true? When will the Green Bush line start operating? We only have one car right now and my wife uses it most of the time, I need to decide if we move to Hingham how I can get to Braintree or Quincy Center T station without a car. Is it possible? Any buses that go from West Hingham to these T stations?

So Newton or Hingham? I want to hear your thoughts. Thank you very much.

[LovelyBoston]

I actually think that Hingham's schools are better than Newton's -- higher MCAS scores, higher college attendance rates -- but both are good, and both have a strong curriculum, electives, AP courses, really good teachers, etc. Kind of six of one, half dozen of the other. It's probably more a matter of looking at the specific extra-curricular offerings, for example, and seeing what you prefer. Altough the feel of the two are much different: Newton is a much bigger town, and the schools are bigger, too.

The Greenbush line is supposed to open some time this year. I am not sure of exactly when. There is a ferry that goes from Hingham to Boston -- it takes half an hour. So if you can get to the ferry, it's an easy trip to Boston. There is also one MBTA bus that runs from Hingham to the Quincy Center T stop.

BTW, I love Hingham. It is a really beautiful town. :-) There is a also pretty and convenient outdoor shopping mall, too, with a Whole Foods, some good restaurants, clothing stores, a Barnes & Nobles, etc. Towards Hingham Center is a cute little second-run cinema that often plays family movies (it's an old theater, with a movie screen installed... took my boys to see March of the Penguins there last year).

[smarty]

I agree Hingham and Newton is comparable. So are the housing prices. Both have less than 20 (3+ bed) houses less than $450K listed

I suggest go to Hingham and see if you like a smaller town feeling.

[Parsec]

Yup, looks like your decision is really just your preference of semi-urban vs. suburban. BTW, there's only one 3bd single-family house in Newton listed on the MLS for under $420k and there's 7 in Hingham. I've never been to Hingham, but if you have any questions about Newton specifically, just PM me. I live there.

[artichoke63]

I went to High School in Hingham in the late 70s and early 80s. It was a great place to go to high school. Good schools.

Artie

[Beijing66]

A lot of houses in Hingham have private sewerage, what does that mean? That I have to pump my own **** etc.? Does it cost a lot of money to maintain? Also, are real estate taxes high in Hingham? How much does parking cost at T stations like Braintree or Quincy Center? Do I have to be there early in the morning to get a parking spot? Thanks!

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by Beijing66

A lot of houses in Hingham have private sewerage, what does that mean? That I have to pump my own **** etc.? Does it cost a lot of money to maintain? Also, are real estate taxes high in Hingham? How much does parking cost at T stations like Braintree or Quincy Center? Do I have to be there early in the morning to get a parking spot? Thanks!

private sewerage means the property has a septic system - its underground somewhere on the property (plot plan of the property will tell you exactly where it is). you don't pump it yourself but you do need to maintain it which does mean calling a company every few years to come and pump it out (just had mine pumped think it cost around $375). it's like a big tank underground that holds everything. in mass all septic systems must pass what's called title V inspection in order to close on a property.

as far as taxes go it depends on what you're used to paying. the tax rate is $9.00/per 1000 (using the assessed value of a home including the land). if the home is assessed at just under $400,000 your taxes will be around $3500 a year.

When I used to take the red line from quincy adams parking was $3.00/day. i used to get there around 8:00 and would sometimes have to park on the top level of the garage but i always found a spot.

[Beijing66]

Thanks, Surfingatwork, your information is greatly appreciated.

[puffle]

Hi Artie,
Nice to see you here! Do you think we would like Hingham with our 14 year old son?

[southshore]

I grew up in Hingham and attended the public schools. The school system is the reason people move to Hingham. Sellers pay all costs if they have to update the septic system. The boat costs $6 each way. There are lower rates for monthly passes and tax deductions available. Most employers subsidize the cost. The schools have a lot of sports and other groups. Bus 222 goes from the edge of Hingham that meets East Weymouth to the Quincy Center T station. Bus 220 (I think that's the #) goes from downtown Hingham to Quincy Center T. In Hingham, you pay for the land - not the house. Most houses are not huge, but still expensive. Hinghamites are very friendly to each other and pretty humble. Little communities of showy multiple-million dollar houses with no land have been added in areas that can't be seen from main roads. In school, kids form groups based on academic level more than any other reason.