Submitted by Junkyarddawg19 t3_11o7atc in massachusetts

My wife and I are looking to move to Mass. We are looking to get some insight on the most affordable (250-300k max) and safest places to live to raise a family. We will be buying a house and not renting. Any suggestions?

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Quirky_Butterfly_946 t1_jbr4s5g wrote

I don't think you are going to get any where for that budget. You may want to look at condo's but even that is still too low.

You can go on Zillow and put in the price range, area you are looking for (though I would include the whole state as a search area) and see what comes up. That will give you an idea of what is available and where.

11

PsychologicalAgent64 t1_jbr5qkp wrote

My neighbor paid $233,000 for his one bedroom/bathroom 619 SQ Ft "house" in 2020, really it is an old summer cottage from the 70's. According to most websites it's now worth $303,000. We live in the South Shore area. Just trying to give you an idea of what the market is like in Mass right now.

8

LowkeyPony t1_jbr6897 wrote

You "might" still be able to find something outside of 495. Maybe. Hell. there's not much for under 350k where I am in Fitchburg. And people will tell you it's not the place to be raising a family. (Even though we did and had no issues.) The surrounding towns/cities are even more expensive. And down around my home town on the South Shore, closer to Boston? HA! Forget about it unless you have 700k

0

mcj270 t1_jbr6ev7 wrote

That amount of money will get you a shed in someone’s back yard

34

EtonRd t1_jbr7d68 wrote

Pittsfield, Springfield. I really don’t know where else you can be looking at that price.

12

AuntGayle t1_jbr7u1u wrote

It MIGHT be possible in western Ma but it’ll either need to be a smaller house or a real fixer. I have no specific recommendations as that budget eliminates the towns with the better school systems. When you’re serious I’d recommend finding a realtor in Western Ma and having them find what might be in your budget and going from there.

1

InevitableOne8421 t1_jbrabjf wrote

250K and safe. You must choose one of these things or you will be disappointed. Western mass has more options and I like the vibe better personally. More rural/cozy towns out there.

4

lyd136 t1_jbrepih wrote

You'll have to be in western mass, way out in the sticks, to get anything in that price range. And even then you're looking at a cottage. Within 50 miles of Boston, a 250k-300k down payment will provide some options.

Realistically, you'll have to up your budget to about 500-550k for a small suburban home here.

2

Foxcecil t1_jbrj8ks wrote

Western Mass in the Pioneer Valley. It's the next up and coming part of MA. Get in while you still can.

0

PakkyT t1_jbrkbr6 wrote

"(250-300k max)"

For your down payment?

3

gardener2 t1_jbrmx3z wrote

Western Mass but not Springfield, which is a dead, crime ridden city now. Try the suburbs of Springfield or go a bit northward to places like Easthampton. Western Mass cities like Northampton used to be cheap but NYers moved in and took over so Northampton is more expensive than it used to be. It's still nowhere as expensive as the Boston area though. The Northampton area is artsy and very cultured with great colleges but not a lot of jobs unless you are a college professor or you work in a service type job.

Maybe you could live somewhere around Northampton and commute to a job in the Springfield area, but definitely stay away from Springfield as a place to live. I don't know why some posters are recommended Springfield but it's probably because they have never been there, have never seen it. They probably wouldn't recommend their "prize" city of Lawrence to you!

−2

sporky211 t1_jbrqpbr wrote

Longmeadow is a great place to raise a family, right in the suburbs of Springfield. With one of the best education systems in the state its very desirable among young homeowners looking to start a family.

However, you have to keep in mind with this comes very VERY high tax rates, it is the second highest town in the state in regards to property tax. With plenty to do here in the valley ( and hopefully soon a commuter rail to Boston.) If you do decide to move your house very well may move up in value within the next few years

2

Doom-Hauer451 t1_jbrwvc7 wrote

Im seeing a few places browsing Zillow now, like everyone else said western MA or northwestern Worcester county. Small 2 or 3 bedrooms and a lot of them are probably going to have iffy quality and are in the middle of nowhere. But I will say they’re in safe neighborhoods, save for the bears and coyote.

2

goldlion0806 t1_jbsrdt9 wrote

You can totally still get houses in that range in western mass, just smaller and not in Amherst or northampton. We have a 4 bedroom in a “good” town, on a cute cul de sac, and I don’t think we could get more than Zillow’s $400k estimate for it. Smaller houses in the same desirable town definitely go between $250-300k. Even in Amherst you can get a tiny house with no yard for $300k.

3

goldlion0806 t1_jbsrsul wrote

Have you been to Springfield in the last ten years? Tons of good restaurants, supposedly the highest lgbtq population in the state, right off the highway, and decent housing prices. The biggest complaint you hear about is literally folks drag racing dirt bikes down main lol. I wouldn’t personally send my kids there, but even with schools they’ve improved massively.

2

Current-Photo2857 t1_jbt1f87 wrote

It technically is, but OP asked for “safest places to live to raise a family”…that’s not Pittsfield. Especially the family part…I definitely wouldn’t send my kids to the Pittsfield schools.

2

EtonRd t1_jbthbpw wrote

But a lot of people do send their kids to school in Pittsfield. Not everybody can afford to live in the safest town, with the best schools. A lot of people live in Pittsfield and Springfield and Holyoke and Chicopee and lead happy lives and their children do well in school.

0

mehkindaok t1_jbtm4wy wrote

You can get a modest 1600-2000sqft house in one of the middle class Boston suburbs - that is, assuming 250-300K is your annual household income and not total house budget.

1

a_Malevolent_Bee t1_jbvj1hg wrote

Plenty of older houses in western mass that have plenty of character, at least. Might need a bit of work.

1