since you’re looking at Plymouth, about a 45 minute drive from Boston in good traffic, I’m thinking you don’t want to be a 10-minute drive away from the kids. So it may be worthwhile to broaden the search a bit to include the Connecticut coast. Lots of beautiful towns there that are small and medium sized, it’s about 1.5 hours from Boston and a similar time to get to the Cape. New Haven is in the general area and NYC is reachable by rail (or car).
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Thank you for the additional feedback, especially on the one car situation. We are not looking for a retirement community. We want to be around younger people as well. Especially when eventual grandchildren visit, we want to have a place to take them. As suggested, we could expand our search. We are also looking at Rhode Island. It seems the homes are a little cheaper there so exploring that area as well.
Good to know. I was thinking of the ponds. I can see how winters can be dreary.
I looked at Plymouth but really wanted somewhere we could age in place without really needing a car, so public transport access was important. For me, the problems with Plymouth were no commuter rail service and it felt very spread out so a car(s) would be necessary. We ended up on the North Shore. Another factor to consider are the Flood maps - significant stretches of the coast are vulnerable to coastal flooding so good to be aware of this in advance of any big decision.
We’ve given up the 2nd vehicle and mostly it works fine but we waited several years after the move until we realized the second car was used so rarely the battery was always flat!
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This is a good suggestion. We did a one year trial before making the commitment to go to one car. The only places I can’t walk to current are the vet and my MD because they both moved offices. Technically I could take the bus to the MD. It helps that my H works from home two days/week so I know I can take the car those days and when he’s traveling (which he also does frequently).
PS. No regrets going to one car here.
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Portsmouth has become very expensive. Lots of folks from Boston and NYC buying second homes and not investing in the community has changed the character of the town. (someone I am close to has lived there for several years and is leaving). Also, living in a “no income tax” state has drawbacks like high property taxes.
I am now in a very walkable location. We still have the second car, but it goes a long time between uses. I walk daily to do most of my errands - library, yoga studio, Walgreens, bakery, take out food, train station, etc. I may not have the benefit of the cost of only one car, but I do have the benefit of walking tons more every day.
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I live in MA, but I’m north/west of the city so I’m not familiar with Plymouth that much (most of my visits were chaperoning my kids’ class trips to Plimoth Plantation). MA has fairly high property taxes (clearly other states are higher). I pay alot in property taxes (which in my town goes almost entirely to fund the local school system). I complain when I get the bill but I know that one reason the value of my property has increased is because the schools are very desirable. If property tax is a concern take a look at this list:
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We have “retired/downsized” to an apartment in MA. So, no more worries about property taxes, home upkeep, etc. For us, it was the right decision. It was not our initial thought that renting would be the right choice, we started by looking at houses. Many people don’t consider renting in looking for a retirement place, so I am throwing it out there as an option you should consider.
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It is hard to find a rental- I have been doing seasonal rentals (fall/winter/spring on the ocean and summer in the city). One bedrooms are 2600-3200+ and I don’t even look at 2 bedrooms. The housing situation in MA is out of control.
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I just took a quick look. Rent for a 2 bed 2 bath apartment in Pinehills in Plymouth (looked like there are 3-4 different apartment buildings in the complex) varied from around $3,000 to $4,000 a month.
Just discovered that Pinehills had some major construction issues with one builder (who did a few sections). Pretty severs stuff - like black mold, defective roofs, etc. Do your homework on the builders before buying any new construction.(Although these issues were in the news - they were from a few years ago and didn’t come up easily in my google searches).
Hello momofboiler1, would you be willing to tell us where you live?
Curious to find out where you are able to walk almost everywhere you need to go.
Chicagoland area.
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