Best places to live?
It's that time of year again and Boston magazine is out tomorrow with its annual ranking of the "best places to live."
I know you have all been breathlessly awaiting the recommendations.
This year's list is based on three major real estate/life cycles, with four towns/neighborhoods featured for those starting out, trading up and at the other end of the spectrum, downsizing.
So without any further ado, here's a sneak preview of the selections - and my even more scintillating comments on them.
Starting out: Fenway, Roslindale, Marshfield, Melrose.
My comments: The Fenway is a great place - a great place to rent, that is. There are no end of rentals to pick from, with developer Steve Samuels rolling out a series of apartment high-rises near Fenway Park. With a median price of $405,000, Melrose wouldn't fit my vision of a starter town. And Marshfield by comparison may look like a steal at $367,000 - until you start commuting up Route 3 every morning into Boston.
Of course, the idea of a starter home is alluring but also dangerous for first-time buyers. In this market, you may be sitting in your starter Fenway condo for a very long time before you can sell, let alone trade up. And forget about trading up to a big house in Hingham, one of the towns on the next list.
Trading up: Hingham, Sudbury, Hopkinton, Marblehead.
My comments: Hingham strikes me as more of an "I've arrived" town than one that should be on the "trading up" list. Better have some bucks, regardless of the median price. Hopkinton and Sudbury, sure. Marblehead has some cool 18th century homes in its town center, but that's the extent of my expertise.
Downsizing: Back Bay, South End, Brookline, Chinatown/Downtown
My comments: OK, Boston magazine clearly believes everyone approaching retirement age is just dying to buy a condo at some fancy new development in downtown Boston. If you have the money and want to live in the now bankrupt W Boston, you may be in luck. But the number of unsold units in other new Boston condo towers is finally dwindling after years of sitting on the market - and don't expect anyone to finance another one of these turkeys anytime soon.
