I first moved to the Back Bay area of Boston in 1967 and had a love affair with Back Bay then. It hasn’t changed much, if you took out the late model cars and a few mistaken monstrosities built on top of the brownstones in the 70s, it looks much like 1880 when most of the homes were built.
I was pretty solid in my preferences for Back Bay until 2002 when I got into real estate and started selling Brookline MA real estate. I found myself really looking forward to showing condos in Brookline as well as single family homes.
Here are some of the reasons I like Brookline so much:
♦ Room! For everything. Room for your car, your washer and dryer, room for a back porch, as well as more room inside the condo.
♦ Everything is easier, from finding a parking space to navigating around during or after a snow storm. Brookline has real snow removal unlike Boston’s “snow push” and parking is not allowed on the streets overnight which means that no condos are sold without some kind of parking arrangement.
♦ Architectural diversity, you can choose to be in one of the brownstone condos associations near Coolidge corner (circa 1910) where they still have 4 small bookstores and a plethora of restaurants, shops and even an “Arts” movie theater. Or you can go into sprauling South Brookline and be in typical suburbs. Its really strange but wherever you go in Brookline the price per sq ft remains about the same.
♦ Price, Brookline sells for $400 to $450 per sq ft compared to the $700 to $950 per sq ft in Back Bay.
♦ Schools, arguably the best public schools in the country. Brookline High typically sends 97 percent of their graduates on to college. Its not unusual for parents to take their children out of private schools and put them into Brookline public schools because its an upgrade.
♦ Everything is less expensive, all the prices will be less including the restaurants which are half the price of Back Bay.
♦ Public transportation is ubiquitous in Brookline (not so much in the burbs of South Brookline). The green line goes everywhere and can get you into downtown Boston in 10 minutes from Coolidge Corner.
So thats some of the reasons I like Brookline. My favorite word for Brookline after living in Back Bay for 20 years is “benign”. Its like a vacation to go there.
Written By RE/MAX Destiny Accredited Buyers Agent Jeff Persons 617.512.3443
More Reading:
Buying Boston Real Estate Without a Buyers Agent is Like Going Into Court Without An Attorney
First Thing to Do When You Start Your Boston Real Estate Search, Get An Exclusive Accredited Buyers Agent
5 Clues That Your Boston Real Estate Buyers Agent is a Sellers Agent in a Brilliant Disguise.
A Buyers Agent List of 5 Mission Critical Items to Check Before Buying a Condo
More Brookline MA Real Estate…
A 20 Year Resident of Bostons Back Bay Tells Why He Likes Brookline MA So Much
A 20 Year Resident of Bostons Back Bay Tells Why He Likes Brookline MA So Much
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