To the above OPs (Grinity), thanks for reminding me why we moved from NYC, to west of Boston and then to the North Shore. We were renting west of Boston and had few options in terms of buying with a 2e, pg, only child; so I can totally relate to you Grinity.
In the end, we decided to move to the North Shore so we can buy a cheaper house and send our son to a creative, private school in a lacking public school system. The creative, private school is a bit unique in MA and fits our son's needs to a t. The creative, private school has a different curriculum and approach to anything found in the public schools so for us it works but it's not cheap and there are tradeoffs. My husband, at the moment, has a terrible commute while he's looking for a job closer to home.
Yes, I would strongly urge you to consider renting around west of Boston before you buy something. Some communities like Concord and Lincoln are more rural than say Newton. Some communities are going to fit your needs better than others.
I know many people try to buy into the best community in the Metro west area of Boston so their kids can go to the best schools. For some people, it works. But it doesn't for everyone.
West of Boston is an expensive and very desirable place to live because it's convenient to Boston and Cambridge where many jobs are located. As a result, many of the school districts are quite competitive with uber professionals at Harvard, MIT, high-tech, and bio-tech industries. There's a perception within the state that some of these communities are the cream of the crop places to live and suitable for gifted kids regardless. I would disagree however. Take a look. See what happens. Keep your eyes and mind open to alternatives.
