Though the backyard is next to Route 9, a new 10-foot fence muffles the sound of traffic. And while the three-bedroom house was dated, it was nothing that could not be solved with a little paint and refinishing.

“To get a three-bedroom, two-bath Cape with an attached, two-car garage under $500,000 in Wellesley was pretty challenging,” said Pevear, who saw the house the day it was put on the market and quickly made an offer.

It is tougher than ever this spring to find bargains in Wellesley, Newton, and Watertown — three sought-after communities a short commute from downtown Boston — but for the first-time home buyer with a bit of imagination, it can be done.

Fewer houses carry price tags below $500,000 this year as the recovering economy brings floods of potential buyers looking for good schools, easy transportation, and a reputation for rising long-term values, according to brokers in the three communities.

Jesse Schreier has found out the hard way, searching, so far to no avail, for a house in Newton while he and his wife and their 2-year-old daughter bunk at her parents’ home in town.

Schreier, who designs online courses for a college in Rhode Island, has found himself outbid twice — and other times he never got a chance to even put in an offer.

“We are finding that houses in the $400,000 to $550,000 range are disappearing fast,” he said.

He recalls one home, listed at $400,000, that looked like a college frat house, with a strategically placed plant hiding a crumbling wall.

It has never been easy to buy an entry-level home in Newton, Wellesley, or even Watertown. Prices in all three communities far exceed the state median of $277,750 for a single-family home, and did not drop as much during the recent recession as they did farther away from Boston.

As of January, the median price in Wellesley stood at $935,000, while Newton weighed in at $710,000 and Watertown at $400,000, according to The Warren Group, a Boston-based real estate data company and publisher.

Meanwhile, the selection of modestly priced homes has dwindled to a handful.

“Everybody is getting hit,” said Sam Schneiderman, president and principal broker of the Greater Boston Home Team. “Buyers are facing tremendous competition for anything that is in good shape.”

As of March 8, there were just two homes on the market in Wellesley for less than $500,000, compared with five at the same point last year, according to the MLS Property Information Network, or MLS PIN.

And there were just three homes on the market between $500,000 and $600,000, compared with eight last year.

Wellesley’s least expensive home as of March 8 was an 1872 farmhouse on Walnut Street with flaking red paint listed at $239,900 and marketed as a “contractor’s dream,” according to the MLS PIN.

“We have incredibly low inventory right now in Wellesley,” said Edward Trainer, a broker at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “It is really a seller’s market.”

The numbers of homes on the market in Newton and Watertown below $500,000 are also pretty meager.

There were just six homes on the market in Watertown below $500,000 on March 8, compared with 18 the same day the year before, according to MLS PIN. The lowest-priced listing in Watertown hit the market that day. A small, two-bedroom, 1950s ranch, 9 Goldie Street, was listed at $350,000.

At 952 square feet, the house is small, but — unusual for a lower-priced property — in good shape, said Mike DelRose, a broker at RE/MAX Leading Edge, who is trying to sell the house.

“We are starting to see a little more inventory, but not enough,” he said.

In Newton, there were just four homes on the market in that half-a-million-and-under price range, compared with 12 last year.

But demand, if anything, is rising, with buyers — especially if they have young children and are intent on securing a foothold, no matter how small, in Newton or another community with a top school system, said Peter Phinney, who works in Wellesley, Watertown, and Belmont for Redfin, a real estate brokerage company.

“Everybody is hoping to get into the Newton school district if they can,” Phinney said. “They will accept a smaller house if they can get into a good school.”