I say that all the time, and the response I hear is the culture and activities we have in Boston. What good is 500 museums if you are spending all your time working and commuting to afford to live in Boston. You can live in Cleveland or Buffalo where you have a 10 min commute to work from your gorgeous $300k house, and still a few dozen museums you can easily visit whenever you want.

And, Taxachusetts just started down the slippery slope to being able to collect more and more taxes from more and more people as they get to play with and adjust the, so-called Millionaire's Tax. Over the next few years, it will be amazing to watch as the definition of "millionaire" is lowered and lowered to satisfy the politicians' insatiable need for additional funds to spend. That is why MA is one of the top states losing population to more sane states.

If you are stuck due to your husband's job, start thinking about long commutes into Boston. Some people move to NH and commute in, in fact. The further west and north you go, the lower the real estate prices tend to get, though they are still high.

First, use the train if you have to work in Boston and live far enough away to survive. Second, its really expensive. I have no idea how the younger generation affords a 400k mortgage, and suv, an audi, and two kids. I make double the median and I don't have those expenses and still feel like I don't make enough.

What towns are you looking in? There are plenty of houses on the market right now that are less than a million and are close to Boston. Agreed childcare is crazy expensive

"good schools" is possibly the biggest scam in real estate. The "best" schools are generally found in the highest income areas because people with money tend to have high achieving kids. It's a self fulfilling cycle.

There are plenty of communities in suburban Boston that have solid schools and you can get a single family house for $500-600k. That's still crazy expensive, and I think that's a problem....but $1.5 million is far more than anyone NEEDS to spend.

However, I totally agree that Massachusetts is overpriced. We have made.ot so hard to build that we don't have enough housing, and we're now in a spiral where housing is so expensive to build that we can not economically build affordable housing. I'm fairly certain that my children will not be able to afford Massachusetts , or won't want to because our economy will decline because we can't get enough workers.

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Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, North Reading, Woburn, Burlington, Natick, Quincy.

Just named a few with houses under 1M and good schools.

Define “good schools” all the schools in Massachusetts are pretty good. You don’t even need 1.5M to live in concord or Sudbury.

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Massachusetts it’s pretty mild of the pack at this point in state tax burden, so I’m not sure what you’re referencing.

You think people that grew up in Cleveland or Buffalo didn't grow up with education? Cleveland with one of the top hospitals in the US, ranked higher than Mass General? Buffalo with the first cancer hospital in the US? You really have a superiority complex if you think Massachusetts is the only place with education. That is really looking down on their mostly post-1900 immigrant population.

Westborough is a great area with amazing schools & close knit community. I’d recommend looking there. The town is very family friendly. BreeDaoHomes.com

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Start with a condo and build equity. I’m north of Boston right off 93 and condos can be had starting at $450 to get you in the door

I’ve raised two babies in pre 1978 houses (both were built in the 1930s) without any issues, ever. Both grew up not only healthy but intelligent enough to be in advanced placement throughout their school years. You repaint when you move in and watch your children carefully. Before you know it, they’re at an age where they know better than to munch on paint chips. Willingness to settle on an older house may help you find one within your price range. We also found affordable houses by settling for older houses that needed a bit of updating which we did ourselves. By doing the work ourselves, we doubled our equity in the first couple of years.

You move away from Boston, that's how. Which is why the lower middle class is being pushed out of central Mass. You would need to be making about $60k on a single income just to comfortably afford base housing around here. Nevermind getting into any of the nicer areas. I've got a decent job, I've got money saved, yet I'm stuck in a shithole apartment with my only options being to pay more for another shithole. I couldn't even imagine trying to raise a family here without both parents having a great career trajectory.

Attleboro is not a great place but apartments are less expensive. Fall River will be fully renovated when the new line goes in. Best I can say is look for homes near the new commuter line.

On another note I have owned 4 houses built before 1978 with no lead in them. The 1970's did a lot of crappy wood rehabs and yanked most of that out. Add some replacement windows and there goes the lead.

Ya. That is going to be tough. Start looking at towns near the T. 15-20 min ride to get into Boston isn’t to bad (as long as it is running) or the commuter rail

Tewksbury, Lowell, Billerica may be the area to look at. Prices aren't terrible, for instance this is for sale down the street from me, on a quiet cul de sac: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/54-James-St-Tewksbury-MA-01876/56344771_zpid/

And the commuter line is super close (~10 minutes) will bring you into boston in ~an hour (give or take 20 minutes).

The YMCAs in the area offer childcare at a great rate, and - at least in Tewksbury - there are a number of SAHP who watch other people's kids for cheap.

Yeah, I think a lot of these posts are “I want to live in Wellesley but can’t afford it - this is bullshit!”

Marlboro is the best place to live.

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Exactly.

The housing stock in MA is very old. You will have a lot of trouble finding newer construction in any town for affordable prices. I suggest rethinking that criteria. Also getting a condo to build equity is a very smart move.

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Yeah it’s like like we’re talking about small town Ohio of bumfuck NY

We bought in concord for under 1.5, mind you it was the market and you could argue we overpaid for the size of the house but we love the community and the bidding wars were crazy at the time. Check out Acton, and there are cute fixer uppers all over in great neighborhoods.

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Be careful with Tewksbury though. A lot of new housing projects added in the past 5 years and it’s turning into a city. Main Street traffic something else now.

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The millionaires tax is not going to effect you.

Try Brockton it’s beautiful, diverse and you get the smell of fresh skunk weed everywhere you go.

>I have no idea how the younger generation affords a 400k mortgage, and suv, an audi, and two kids.

Could it be...the very favorable rates on offer from the first national bank of Mom & Dad?

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Get away from Boston and commute. Sucks to commute but cost of living west of Worcester is significantly less

I hear that often but honestly my friends parents have all just retired and the vast majority of them would be happy to give 25k for a down payment and help out with the grandkids but thats really it. Mom and dad are really not that wealthy. I am of the age where supposedly my generation should be kicking some money to the recent college graduates and honestly, what money? From where? New basic car sure. You want an Audi? nope.

My oldest works in downtown Boston and his wife works in Watertown. After almost a year of getting outbid on any house the put an offer on they went and bought in Wilbraham. It’s a long drive every day but he has flexibility to go in early and leave early. His wife goes into work for 6:45 and out around 2:30 so she rarely deals with traffic. Luckily they have my sister in town to help out with getting the kids on and off the school bus. And stay with them till their mom gets home.

Is it the ideal location for a downtown commute, absolutely not. But he makes it work, and he can WFH if the weather is bad. They were able to buy a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom house on 3/4 of acre in a town with good schools. The neighborhood is great and their kids have tons of friends and never lack for things to do.

I don’t think this would work for everyone, but I do think it’s something to consider. Maybe even a little closer to Worcester would work. Maybe Sturbridge, Auburn, Charlton could work. Like I said it’s not ideal, but could be an option.

You can't commute? why do you have to live in the city ? The further you get the cheaper property gets in general. Might want to consider looking outside the city your fist house probably isn't going to be your dream home, you keep saying everything is 1 mil plus but I think your standards are just way to high

You can get a very large house in Stoneham for 1.3M

Anytime anyone starts using “Taxachusetts” in their argument it’s a sign to me that they don’t know what the fuck they are talking about. Massachusetts falls near the middle in categories of top marginal income tax rate, sales tax rate, or property tax rate. This guy lives in RI which has a higher top marginal income tax rate, a higher sales tax rate, and a higher property tax rate so he’s pulling this whole “Taxachusetts” thing from his ass.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/110614/overall-tax-burden-state.asp

Framingham is not $1m and over… I think your eyes may just be bigger than your stomach. You can get a 3 br in natick for $800k.

If you can get over the fact you’ll need to take the commuter train, it’s doable. Franklin, Foxboro, Ashland, lots of places are under 650 for a 3br Single family.

It’s really clear that you might just not be happy here….

Massachusetts has the second oldest average home age in the country. By home, that includes townhouses, apartments, etc. To find what you’re looking for you need to chill out on the pre 1978 lead paint issue. As long as the paint isn’t peeling, chipping, etc and is in good shape and sealed, there’s no danger. The lead paint in these older homes are buried under layer after layer of new paint. Just make sure your kid isn’t licking the walls and you’re fine.

Culture is everything imo. I lived in cheap areas like you mention and it's just so depressing. Cheap areas mean huge spaces, low population and depressing emptiness. It's just sad driving 15 minutes to go to the nearest grocery with huge empty parking lot and empty stores with sad and bored employees. Then there's the restaurants, nothing but chains. Just fast food or average chains everywhere. You'd have tasted all their cuisine within a month of living there. The most social thing most people can do is work and dinner. All of this eventually leads to depression and loneliness and consumption.

>I am of the age where supposedly my generation should be kicking some money to the recent college graduates and honestly, what money? From where? New basic car sure. You want an Audi? nope.

If you have about 25 G you want to endow me with right now in cash purportedly to purchase a "new basic car" I assure you I could find a way roll up in something nice pretty soon

>Mom and dad are really not that wealthy.

Telling anyone who will listen "You should see the size of my bankroll, holy crap" isn't really the New England style. Oh, no. No "generational wealth" around here... <boggle>

You can buy an old house and have it deleaded. Will cost maybe 15-30k, but you get a certificate from the state that can help with resell to people with young kids. Just because a house isn't certified deleaded doesn't mean it's dangerous. There is likely lead, but it can be encased in a safe way. FWIW our kid (now 3) we lived in an old condo (1908 build) not certified deleaded but recently renovated and then an old house (1919 build) that was certified deleaded starting at age 18 my months. Kid never had a detectable reading in his lead blood tests.

I'm gonna get hosed for this, but I live in Marblehead and there are houses here that fit your needs. Marblehead is by no means affordable. I think you're being kind of dramatic. Especially about the post 1978 thing. Do lead tests, or scrape and repaint. Also, unless your kid is totally unsupervised, like don't let them eat paint chips? It's probably good advice whether you have lead paint or not. TBH they're more likely to have contact with lead from the dirt in your yard than the paint in your house if your house is anywhere near a road.

What about Acton, Boxborough, Maynard? Acton's on the commuter line and Acton-Boxborough schools are great. Maynard and Boxborough are each one town over and Maynard's more affordable.

Buffalo and Cleveland are not empty farmland. They are cities with pro sports teams (that normal people can afford to go to), gastropubs, hot pot, and outdoor yoga. Dunkin and Papa John's both failed in Buffalo, and local coffee shops are prevalent in city centers and libraries. Without the overpriced real estate and traffic jams. The Wegmans parking lot is just as crowded there.

And what good is the culture of a place if you have to work crazy hours, live so far away from the city to enjoy it, and your rent is so high you can't afford to go to Mare (My wife's favorite Boston restaurant).

Search any ranking of best schools in the country, Mass is #1

One of the reasons for the housing shortage in New Hampshire now.

Do you know how to use filters on Zillow?

let me show you

Welcome to New England where people have been building houses since the 1600s, there’s not a lot of new ones.

I bought my condo 5 years go for $275. It’s now going for $500,000. It’s crazy.

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Some of the most common posts on here are about high housing and high electric rates (and I'd add high water rates). Buffalo has the same electric company as I have here (National Grid), yet their rate is 70% less than here. Everyone is on Natural Gas rather than the number of people here who use oil, far better for the environment.

The fact that Buffalo voted for Biden at a lower rate than Boston, doesn't help me much when my electric bill is three times more in MA, and my house costs more than a mansion in Buffalo.

OP is looking at late-model million dollar-tier homes and seems annoyed homes in that class cost a mil.

But a cursory look at their post history suggests they were a nut to begin with.

The point you miss is yes, our parents in some cases had some money. Not the money you think was there but enough to live comfortable. But they all had at least two children and most lived deep into their old age. Divide by at least two and get killed with inflation for a while and big dollars become small dollars. My father was very well off when he retired. But he had five kids.

I think like most people you get your economic ideas from Hollywood.

I don't understand how people by 400k homes never mind 700k. That I most likely make far more money than them and won't pay their prices does not seem to phase them.

Okay but not everyone 'round here in the year of our Lord 2022 had your personal dear old Mom & Dad for their family, or were even their buddies.

>I think like most people you get your economic ideas from Hollywood.

You said "I have no idea..." but I can definitely come up with ideas, at least. Not implying I know God's truth on the matter. But people who seem to be living significantly beyond their means often are and one of two things usually happens, they go bankrupt in relatively short order or the money comes from somewhere.

I think the most valuable thing I got from my well off parents is the ability to read and understand the English language. They never thought it was that valuable in the 80's but come the 2000's and that is a rare skill.

And I'd really suggest someone like you lives in a place like Buffalo. If your view of America is you need generational wealth to be happy, it's because you are in the bubble of everything being overly expensive.

My friends in Buffalo, are all happy and live very comfortably. Even without a college degree, I have one friend that just built a house that could be in a magazine with the most over the top outdoor pavilion I've ever seen.

Another friend who moved there for college and decided to stay, works in a call center, has a nice house, actually his second one and rents the first one, so he owns two homes on a call center salary and is able to raise his three kids who do all the kids sports, and they have a jet ski and belong to the yacht club.... On a call center salary.

Another one works for the federal government, not overly paid, but him and his teacher husband have a fully remodeled home, 3 new cars, every outdoor lawn and snow tool you could imagine, and are well funded for retirement with all the savings from living in a place that's cheap.

I have a family member who lives in a smaller city in NY, not Buffalo, but works at a copy place for $16 an hour and owns a home.

I think just living in MA you have a skewed view of what middle class is, that things are unattainable. That's just here and San Francisco. Most of the country still has rich local culture, and the ability to own a home.

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We got our first place in West Roxbury and it was a condo in a triple decker. It was right on Roslindale line. Both lovely communities and we even ended up in an elementary school (BPS) that we really liked. We ended up moving after 7 years but most of the families we know are still there.

Well that's my experience outside of Orlando FL. As for unaffordability, I don't have an opinion there. I know many people who exist in this state as single parents with multiple kids and then there's those that don't think they can exist because they aren't getting the best schools with the best neighborhoods and going out to $$$ restaurants. People have different needs and level of tolerance and adaptability.

In my experience, the most affordable place to live is wherever you have the most family. People you know who take care of each other. I think that's what culture means to some, people who you're familiar with and share the same interests. It's not the museums or fancy coffee shops or venues but activities that bring people who shares the same interest as you together. For example when mayor Wu close down a street and turns it into one big street food and open market area, bringing out many foodies. It's inexpensive because we all need to get there by public transportation and many businesses being in one location create more competition and choices for consumers.

Then there's a sense of freedom from anonymity. A place booming with a diverse culture provides a sense of freedom to do or be whatever you want without feeling of being judged. One can enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. It's a difference between dining alone at a crowded bar vs an empty restaurant. A place where you walk in and no one notices vs a place where everyone turns their head whenever someone new walks in.

Yup.

When I was younger, we rented in West Roxbury. 3 roommates. Then my girl n I left the Boston area, moved out to a 1 room studio in Shirley & drove in every day. We saved our pennies & bought a tiny house out in Gardner. We've since started 2 businesses & bought a 2nd house... bigger this time. Now we're looking at building in NH on 15acres.

Show me a link to a house in MA for 15-30k

It costs 15-30k to delead a house. Not to buy the actual house....

Ah.... I see what you did there 😉