Any DUers from Canton?

[Paper Roses]

My daughter and family have been flying east to find a house on the south shore. MY son-in-law has been transferred to a job in Mansfield. They---based on school standings--and a few other things have been looking in Medfield and Sharon. Wow, Real Estate prices are through the roof.

I went today to look at a house in Sharon and came back through Canton. My first thought was that it was certainly a pretty town.

Can anyone fill me in a little ? How are the schools?

Any help from anyone in the area is appreciated. It is hard to shop for a house from a thousand miles away.

[activa8tr]

1. Canton is lovely, yes, a fine town. BUT This is NOT the way to buy a house!

If your daughter and son-in-law don't know much about any particular town, they shouldn't buy a home there.

The best advice was offered to you on the other thread you started. Rent for a year, learn all about the area and let them decide when they are ready which town and which house is best for them.

A rush purchase without proper investigation leads to regrets.


Canton has very decent schools, a larger than average population of people of the Jewish faith, and many other amenities you probably can find out about on-line.

But, again, this is NOT the way to make a huge purchase of a house. Have them move here and live through a year, find a place they love and want to own, then they will be happy with what they buy.

[MaineDem]

2. Aren't most school districts in MA pretty decent?

I always thought so.

Is your daughter working with a realtor or a buyer's broker? He or she would know about schools, etc.

FWIW, I have two nieces in Stoughton. They both have kids in the schools are seem very impressed by them.

[unhappycamper]

3. This was in today's Globe:

http://www.boston.com/realestate/gallery/top_spots_to_live_2010/

BTW, welcome to MA.

[Paper Roses]

4. Hi, I'm not the one who is coming to MA.

My daughter and her family are moving back 'home'. After many look-sees-in surrounding towns, they have extended their search to include Mansfield. I agree with the poster who suggests renting but with 2 kids and 20 years worth of stuff, that is not going to happen. They will stay with me if necessary until they find a home somewhere near Mansfield.

My daughter is not too happy with the broker she is working with. The broker keeps sending her e-mails with houses that are above her price range by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

She has flown in to see properties that the broker assures her are just the thing---they have been far off her described needs.

She did sign some kind of an agreement with the broker who told my daughter that unless she signed, the broker could not work with her.
I think that is unethical. I'm wondering how long that is valid.

This is not a fun experience. If an agency has a house on their web site to show and it might result in a sale, why should anyone(the buyer) sign to be held only to that broker?

If I was looking for myself, I would have said nuts. Show me the house or possible not make the sale.

[janet118]

5. Canton is my mother's hometown.

It was very rural when she grew up in the 30s - mostly farmland. Her mother was the first female postmaster there. I don't have any close relatives there now, but from everything I've heard the town gets high ratings for quality of life. The real estate prices are a bit high though.

Canton Public Schools

General info