A Family Affair

People move to Brookline for the schools. In fact Brookline’s school system ranks among the best around Boston. There’s only one problem: if you move to Brookline with your family, you will also need to live somewhere. And anyone who’s been following these things knows that family homes in Brookline are pretty darn expensive. The average price for a home in Brookline was $1.4 million in 2007. And after that, you still have to pay for daycare, groceries, gas and your kids’ college education. Quickly you see what a challenge finding a family home can be. That being said, I did run across a few listings this week of both condos and single-family homes (ranging from semi-unaffordable to outright-unaffordable) that might make a nice home to a family.

56 Browne Street, Apt. 1, $899,000, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2173 square feet. There’s no private backyard, but there’s a common one. And with 2,173 square feet to run around in, chances are your kids will never miss it anyway. This condo is perfect for urban families who want to ditch the car and enjoy neighborhood amenities such as Amory Park, Trader Joe’s and the playground on St. Paul.

166 Clark Road, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2267 square feet, $1,195,000. Prefer to install your family in a single-family house where your kid’s band rehearsal is less likely to anger your neighbors? Here you are…

149 Fuller Street, Apt.1, $619,900, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2, 164 square feet. This is an unusual find that has a rock bottom dollar per square foot price. (Frankly, the price is what you might find in Brighton). It’s on the first floor too, so there’s no climbing up several flights with strollers. I haven’t figured out what the catch is, but there must be something.

45 Lawton Street, no. 1, $846,000, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2837 square feet. A bathroom for every bedroom…..ah, heaven! Plus there is a private backyard for each unit.

167 Brook Street, $739,900, 5 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, 2,620 square feet. Feel like a fixer-upper? This place is going to need a little work (like maybe adding a couple of more bathrooms). The kitchen is a little blah, and we spotted some not-so-nice paneling in a bedroom. But with a little work, you get a single-family house within walking distance 0f three schools.