Jump to content
LegacyGT.com

Thinking about moving to Westboro,Ma area...


edmundu

Recommended Posts

So, I maybe moving to be closer to my wife's sister & family. They live in Westboro,Ma. We would be potentially looking in the surrounding area. Any suggestions for a nice town to raise a family in?

 

Requirements:

  • High speed net access
  • 3-4 bdrm house ($450-500k)
  • reasonable taxes
  • good school system - etc...

 

Also I would be changing jobs,(whereas my wife wouldn't as she works from home). So I would be looking for some IT type work, currently do IT for County Govnt.

 

Oh, and what about the Mass kindergarten early cutoffs?(Aug& Sept) Can these be bypassed with a test, or can exemtions be granted? My 4yr old would turn 5 on Oct. 2nd, so just misses a lot of the cutoffs, yet he is more than ready.

 

Thanks for any help guys!

 

Edmund

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Edmundu....

 

Welcome to Mass...

 

Westboro is on the country side of the Boston area, not much going on, schools are ok, above average, not the best ones in the State....

 

According to Real Estate, I would definitely advice on either Newton or Winchester, and both areas you can buy a single family or a townhouse/condo duplex for that kind of money, and also their resale value and appreciation is/will be a lot more than out west....

 

Good luck coming up here, and if there is anything else we could do to help, let us know..

 

Flavio Zanetti

Boston, MA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to re-open a debate, Westboro is a nice little, quiet town. Some people like that (Money Magazine).

 

Depending on where in Northern NJ you are coming from (the stick or, closer to NYC) many of the towns local to Westboro may give you housing sticker shock. $450 to $500 will push you a bit farther from Boston. Might be tough in Newton or Wellesley or Wayland.

 

Aside from schools, you should keep in mind where you get your water (& sewer).

 

Many areas get it from a state agency (me) water is cheap, sewerage is real expensive - like a major utility. The upside of this, is well water can be difficult to condition and, is dependent on your power staying on. Septic systems are also expensive when they need to be maintained and, free when they don't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good points about the water/sewer stuff. I am green to the area, so this helps me in knowing what to ask about!

 

I'm coming from Wayne,NJ which is a pricey real estate town. High taxes, high insurance, so I'm thinking MA should have lower costs on those general things, and similar housing...

 

The main reason for the move is to be closer to her sister, as we have children the same age, and we all get along well! So that's why we are trying to stay close by to Westboro area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's (relatively) a good market for house buyers. In general prices have dropped (I think 10%). The point is yeah you can save some $ but, the bargaining power has shifted to the buyers.

 

Coming originally from outside of NYC (eastern side), taxes are less in MA (aside from its reputation), and the government is just as crooked though they don't think so. Gas is cheaper as well so, you'll feel the GT is an economy car...

 

The trouble with property taxes around here, is that there is less and less property to develop so unlike the 90's when adding to the tax base solved many towns financial problems, there's no alternative but to increase property taxes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey cool , it would be awesome to have such a knowledgable car guy around the area. I live just south in RI so I can't really help much with your MA questions. Just be prepared for the lunacy that is driving around Boston :lol:. You shouldn't have any trouble findng an IT job around the 495 ring road, lots of tech businesses.

 

Oh yeah, did you check out Realtor.com? It'll give you an idea of what homes/prices are like.

 

Good luck

 

-Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in Westboro and bought a house there in Aug. It is only 35-40min from Boston which I like. You can get a nice house for $450-600. The taxes are a bit high, but the schools are supposed to be good, but I have no kids and can't comment on that directly. When I moved to MA from Pittsburgh two years ago, we lived in Northboro and rented a house in a New development. I find the people in Westborough to be extremely friendly and was shock by how friendly they were. It is definitely more of a community, especially if you live near or within walking distance of the downtown area. Good luck.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a realtor friend who is excellent. he's a real estate whore so he works anywhere in MA :) PM me if you want his contact info - we used him last summer and he was great (this is how we met).

 

if you look at a map of MA where is shows, by county, the average home sale price, you will find, outside of boston anyway, that there is a direct correlation with the rating of that county's school system.

 

it ends up being pretty simple, really :) There's a lot of good information about the school systems on the state website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey, i work in westborough and it's definitely a nice distance from the city - not too close not too far.

 

if you're looking for a relatively good indicator of how good schools are in the area, I'd take a look at the mass education website. They have MCAS scores by town. If you're unfamiliar with the MCAS, it's basically a proficiency test that every student must pass to graduate from high school. Test scores are a good indicator of good school district, but certainly not the only.

 

The neighborhoods known to have the best schools in Boston suburbia are Newton, Lexington, Brookline. Newton would be closest to Westborough, approx 30 minutes away. Lexington and Brookline are approx 45 minutes away.

 

I currently live in Brookline, and don't have any kids, but these are just things I hear people from work talking about.... =P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have an office in Westborough. There are lots of jobs in the area although it's not booming like it was a few years ago. It's 40 miles from my house in Boston and take 45 minutes going against traffic. Don't buy in Westborough if you're going to commute to Boston.

 

As far as schools go it depends on your expectations and involvement. You can look up MCAS scores at: http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/mcas/

 

It can be really difficult as some school districts are known for "teaching the test" and others less so. Small class size, spending per student, and college admissions records are other factors to look at. The best high schools are for the most part on 128 or inside.

 

Don't be afraid to step outside the 495 belt. There are smaller towns like Bolton and Berlin, and farther West (West of Worcester, in fact), Holden.

 

F*#kin M4$$holes!!

 

oh wait i was born there.........

 

As you know I commute to NH a couple a days a week and lived there five years. 99% of the time that someone says something about Mass, the person saying it is from MA. The natives know that NH is an economic colony of the 128 belt. Anyone who doesn't believe that should try commuting down Route 93, Rt 3 or Rt 95 some morning. NH is at least as d#cked up as MA - just in different ways. And NH drivers are little different - if they aren't from MA they must have learned how to drive there.

Who Dares Wins

スバル

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use