Rye NH is a lovely town but the OP is unlikely to find many options for the type of housing she desires.
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Kiddie–you should visit and explore some of the towns/areas mentioned here. What appeals to those posting might not appeal to you. There are quite a few towns around Boston that have great libraries, book stores, green spaces, and walkable town centers. I grew up in the midwest, but have have now lived in MA for 38 years. Personally, I think MA a great place to live, but housing costs are high as are property taxes. Also, public transportation isn’t that great and traffic sucks. Here’s a list of median home prices in the greater Boston area (2018).
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/top-places-to-live-2018-single-family-homes/
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This is just the first step in what will most likely be a long process. I have only been in a few of the mentioned places - Portsmouth, Salem, Concord/Lexington, and Providence (and my husband has only been to Portsmouth) We will probably go visit some areas where we can explore a few towns to get the idea of the vibe of the area.
Keep the suggestions coming.
Nice towns with a bit of history and local libraries of course. Mansfield Foxboro Sharon Easton. Your budget will be much lower for a really nice condo. Commuter rail options. Public libraries. Less than an hour drive and on the right days and times less than 45 minutes. All with exits off 95
Closer to town with a 550k budget even newton is possible for a condo.
I grew up on n Lexington. It’s a fabulous town with much of what you’re looking for…but for $550,000 you will not even find a cardboard box. It’s crazy expensive. Don’t even bother looking, because I promise you will fall in love with the town.
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Lexington isn’t on the commuter rail so it doesn’t meet that criteria.
It also has waaaay too many banks. Ugh. Such a mistake by the town!
Concord is great. Has a bunch of condos in west concord that are walking distance to the train stop. Also. Good pizza and ice cream in west concord center.
What about Melrose MA? I know nothing but what I see on a retired friend’s social media, but it looks like a charming town. Looks very close to Boston so maybe too expensive.
My company is based in Watertown, MA, across the Charles River from Newton. There’s a lot of new commercial development going on there, but it’s mostly a residential (mostly multifamily, from what I can tell) town. Not as affluent as Newton, but kind of a hidden gem. There are no T stations there, though, though, just buses. The bus ride to Cambridge, which does have T stations, isn’t that far.
East Watertown is one of the largest Armenian communities in the US, and there are a lot of Armenian/Persian/Middle Eastern markets and restaurants there. I looked on Zillow on there were a few things in the $400 to $550000 range.
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NH will not give you any property tax relief.
Funny how different people view taxes depending upon where they live. I am coming from the tri-state area where taxing is crazy. NYC will tax income of a non-resident for example. We have high state taxes on income, capital gains, estates, property, sales, gas, high tolls, etc. So even MA will probably be cheaper for us.
Too bad that buses are out. Nashua and the neighboring towns in NH would have been a good fit.
The commuter rail does come up until Lowell MA though. While Lowell itself might be considered a bit rough, the neighboring towns of Chelmsford and Westford are really nice. Small downtown areas, nice walking trails, easy access to Boston. And your budget should get your a fairly nice house and yard.
I had not thought of Chelmsford, which is a very nice town and fairly close to the train. Westford is the next town over, and somewhat more rural and spread out than Chelmsford is.
I think condo prices in many of the more expensive towns are priced in your range. In MA even a small home + yard is going to require a lot of maintenance. I’d stick to condos and 55+.
Check out mbta.com and you’ll be able to see exactly which towns are on the commuter rail and on the T line. That should help you narrow a first couple visits list.
For instance 2bed/2bath condo in west concord. Walkable to the train and the small downtown is under $400k
If you’re ok with more city like I’d second waltham Melrose Malden Natick
@kiddie, sorry to hear you’re leaving NJ behind.
Though I get the plan to be near your daughter in Boston completely.
We raised our two in northern NJ and they are retrenched nearby.
Retired last year, sold the larger house, bought small lake house 15 miles away for half the cost and half the property tax.
Great community, shops, restaurants, access to NYC.
Cant entertain more than 8 people tops at a time but it’s enough for us.
You’ll find what you’re looking for, just takes time.
Enjoy the search!
Easton, Foxboro (where the Pats play), Walpole, Stoughton are all very nice communities with easy access to Boston. About halfway between Boston and Providence, right off 95. Much more affordable than MetroWest.
Take a look at Seabrook NH.
I only know of it because my car mechanic has his shop there. But as I recently discovered, it’s less than 15 minutes from the Newburyport commuter rail into Boston. And a quick look at housing prices suggests it may fit your budget.
15 min?! According to the MBTA schedule, about the quickest you can get from Newburyport to Boston on the commuter rail is 40-45 min. Still, well within the 1 hour criteria.
Or did I misunderstand what you were saying?
@fendrock I was just looking at the house, new kitchen floor and it’s great!
We just brought our twins back to BC yesterday and every time, I dream shop the area real estate. Towns around Needham, Newton, Chestnut Hill Brookline etc. , such a pretty area. DH spotted a crick beauty across from campus on our way home.
@kiddie we are in NJ and our taxes have been fairly good the last few years for our 1800 sq. ft approx. But we have some upcoming expensive school renovations down the road. My DH says we’re staying - four seasons, pizza, bagels and every other area that has good restaurants and bagels is as expensive or more than NJ!
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