Springfield Massachusetts

As buyer brokers part of the The Real Estate Cafe's mission is to encourage buyer clients and others to consider moving to communities where affordable housing could offer a richer quality of life.

Frankly, we're not experts on Springfield. As Boston-area real estate professionals we simply don't spend enough time there to do the subject justice, so we'll limit ourselves to offering a few comments, plus suggestions on how to find more information on your own.

The big picture is that Springfield presents both problems and opportunities. If you believe that Springfield is headed for an upswing, as we suspect, the opportunities may be huge.

Simply stated, Springfield has gorgeous houses at extremely affordable prices. Here's an example:

This house, on the market in June 2005 at an asking price of $220K, is in the McKnight Historic District. It has 3300 square feet of living space and has been extensively restored. Only 2/10 of an acre of land, but, hey, what would you pay for this house in Cambridge? :-) You can find more info and picts of this house on our blog.

Springfield has five historic districts with a huge stock of old Victorian houses. If you can afford a price in the 300's you'll find mansionesque brick houses with slate roofs, servants' quarters and larger lots, and huge, ornate Queen Anne Victorians.

So that's the good news. Well, actually, there's more good news. You're only an hour and a half from Boston, and a two and a third hours from Manhattan. The Connecticut River flows through. Springfield has an art museum, a symphony orchestra, and Forest Park, designed by the same Olmstead brothers who designed Central Park in Manhattan and the Emerald Necklace in Boston. We could go on and on but, as stated, we're not Springfield experts, so at this point we suggest that you contact a Springfield based real estate professional for further information on Springfield's positive points.

On The Other Hand: Doing Your Due Diligence

Whether acting as bloggers or buyer agents, we'd be remiss if, while touting Springfield's glories, we didn't mention that she has her share of big-city problems. Rather than attempting to detail these areas, we suggest that you research them yourself. Googling the following phrases might be a good start:

• springfield finance control board
• springfield massachusetts crime
• springfield massachusetts drug abuse
• springfield massachusetts corruption

Part of what you'll find is that Springfield's finances are currently controlled by the Springfield Finance Control Board. The board consists of Springfield's mayor, the president of the city council, and three members appointed by the state. We see this as a positive development. Similar state intervention in the city of Chelsea's finances has, in our opinion, had a positive effect, and we're hopeful that Springfield will follow in the same pattern.

We're also hopeful that the FBI's recent attention to the behavior of some of Springfield's public servants will lead to improvements in that area.

You Decide

But it is you, dear reader, who must decide whether the upside outweighs the downside for this historic "City of Homes". Is Springfield headed for a renaissance? Or might a country-wide economic downturn - brought about in part by a popping real estate bubble - push Springfield into even greater problems? Or would you predict some scenario between these two extremes?

We encourage you to do thorough due-diligence research, then decide for yourself.

We look forward to helping our clients explore other affordable communities and art towns across New England.