Despite market downturn, buyers in Greater Boston still need patience/flexibility
It may be a buyers' market in the rest of the country, but not so here in the Boston area.
Despite weakening prices, landing a half decent home at a price that won't break the bank is still challenging. And the closer you get to Boston, the harder it gets.
Just take Adam Waitkunas, who runs his own high-tech public affairs firm, and his girlfriend and now fiance, Kelly Mitchell.
They finally landed a Cape in Carlisle - but not after nearly a year of hunting that took them through as many as many as 30 homes. And not after having to drop hopes of landing in Lincoln or Weston.
I tagged along with the pair one Sunday afternoon last fall when they were house hunting and hoping to break into either Weston or Lincoln on a budget of $600,000 to $700,000.
With a median price of $917,500 in Lincoln and more than $1 million in Weston, that proved more challenging than they thought.
We hit two open houses, one for a renovated Cape in Lincoln, the other for a Cape in Weston.
The Lincoln Cape, listed in the high $500,000s, was the lowest priced home in town. While it sat on a wooded lot, the hum of traffic on nearby Route 2 was a constant presence. The pump in the basement was also jarring.
The Weston Cape, listed in the $700,000s, while not close to any major highway, was not far from the commuter rail line.
In the end, Adam and Kelly opted to buy a Cape in Carlisle, a town, which, among other attractions, also happens to be where Adam grew up.
Listed at $499,000, they paid $483,500, though they will end up putting more money in before all is said and done, with plans for a new kitchen.
Still, they won't have to to deal with a highway or train line in their backyard.
It wasn't easy. In fact, Adam and Kelly had put their house hunting on hold over the summer when Kelly came across the Carlisle house.
Congrats and good luck!
