Prudential Advantage Real Estate

1089 Great Plain Avenue

Needham, MA  02492

(781) 972-2076

Bill@BillPaulson.com

Weekly Newton, Needham, Wellesley Real Estate Blog

Living in Needham

Needham Home Value Trend

Needham is a great bedroom community located due west of Boston on the major ring road - Route 95. Needham is easy commute distance to Boston and Cambridge via either car or train.

The Town of Needhamhas about 30,000 residents young and old. Needham is known for its outstanding schools and restaurants including Italian at Sweet Basil, Indian at Masala Art, and Mexican at Tu Y Yo.

The Needham Public Schoolsare outstanding. There are 5 neighborhood elementary schools (Broadmeadow, Eliot, Hillside, Mitchell, Newman), a 6th grade school (High Rock) dedicated to easing the kids into their middle school years, a 7th/8th grade school (Pollard Middle), and Needham High School which is one of the best high schools in the state. The school district's web site provides a comprehensive Performance Reportand MCAS results.

Beth Israel Deaconess Needhamis a great hospital that has been recently renovated and is affiliated with Boston's Beth Israel Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in Boston.

The Charles River YMCAis located in Needham with two facilities, the Pool Site on Great Plain Ave and the Active Family Center on Chestnut. They have many great programs for the youth and adults in the area.

Living in Wellesley

Wellesley Home Value Trend

Wellesley is one of the most beautiful towns in New England. Its homes are well cared for New England colonials some of which were built over 100 years ago and lovingly maintained and updated. There are also many examples of Wellesley homes for sale that have been built recently with 4000+ square feet of beautifully arranged decorated living space.

The Wellesley shopping district along Central St and Washington St provides everything from clothing to gifts to food. Wasik's Cheese Shop is a truly unique experience if you have never been there. Just tell them what you are serving and they will not only recommend a few cheese possibilities but they will also let you taste them. Meanwhile, the Wasik's of books is Wellesley Booksmith. It is one of the local bookstore success stories in the face of the proliferation of Bordersand and Barnes and Noblesuper book stores. The people are super nice and always willing and able to make recommendations. Captain Marden's is the same thing but for seafood. People come from far away to get seafood from Captain Marden's because it is so fresh. Be sure to try the cooked shrimp.

For those of us that live by our stomaches, Wellesley has some great dining to go with its great shopping. For breakfast, Captain Marden's is a great place to go and Maugus Restaurant is awesome for the greesy spoon crowd. Amarin Of Thailand is very good Thai food whether you eat there or bring it home. Jimmy's Cafe is a great earthy crunchy type place with amazing food and you can bring your own bottle of wine. Cafe Mangal provides a wonderful middle eastern dining experience with authentic dishes from the area - very yummy. Of course, the jewel of the Wellesley restaurant scene is Blue Ginger. Their cocktails are special and it just gets better from there at this amazing restaurant serving East-West cuisine which is run by celebrity chef Ming Tsai. Once you have finished your dinner, walk on over to White Mountain Creamery to get some of the best ice cream you will ever taste.

Living in Newton

Newton Home Value Trend

The City of Newton is a thriving diverse community of 90,000 people including everything from college students to families to the elderly. Its location inside the major ring road around Boston - Route 95 - makes it very convenient for those commuting to Boston or Cambridge via either car or train.

Reflecting its rich history as one of the oldest cities and towns in the country, the City of Newton is made up of multiple villages including Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Lower Falls, Newton Centre, Newton Corner, Newton Highlands, Newtonville, Nonantum, Oak Hill, Thompsonville, Upper Falls, Waban, and West Newton. See these villages on the City of Newton map on this City of Newton Villages map.

The Mass Turnpike (Route 90) runs through the north section of Newton and Route 9 runs through the south section of Newton. These main roads bring with them a thriving retail and commercial base for the city. In between are some of the nicest homes in New England ranging in price from the $300,000s to almost $8,000,000.

The Newton Public Schoolsare also outstanding and provide one of the main reasons people buy homes in Newton. There are 15 neighborhood elementary schools (Angier, Bowen, Burr, Cabot, Countryside, Franklin, Horace Mann, Lincoln-Eliot, Mason-Rice, Memorial Spaulding, Pierce, Underwood, Ward, Williams, and Zervas). There are also four neighborhood middle schools (Bigelow, Brown, F.A. Day, and Oak Hill). Finally, there are two high schools, Newton North and Newton South. To figure out which school is near your Newton home, examine one of the following maps: Newton elementary schools map, Newton middle schools map, Newton high schools map.

The Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Partners HealthCare System, is an award winning community hospital and also receives awards for being an outstanding place to work. Its close ties with the other Partners hospitals, like Massachusetts General Hospital, means that Newton-Wellesley provides its patients with the accessibility of a community hospital and also the most advanced specialty care found anywhere. Doctors moving to the area to work at Newton-Wellesley Hospital will find that Newton, Needham, and Wellesley all offer great homes for them and their families.

The West Suburban YMCA is conveniently located at Newton Corner by the Massachusetts Turnpike. The Newton YMCA is a true community partner with programs for everyone young and old. Its facility was first opened in 1911 but it continues to be expanded and updated so that it is a first class facility with an amazing pool and great gym space.