Submitted by jeanclaudevandamnnnn t3_zv66ka in RhodeIsland
I've heard that Pawtucket is the next place place to live now outside of Providence. Can anyone confirm?
I'm a long time Rhode Islander and am finally looking to get out of renting and want to buy either an apartment/loft or a multi family. Providence is expensive! Is Pawtucket turning the corner and would it be a smart place to buy?
Probably depends on which part of Pawtucket. If it’s the end of Blackstone blvd, the part that borders Rumford, or the part that borders north Seekonk by Slater Park then id assume yes but idk about the middle parts.
Oak Hill is awesome 😍
thanks! ill check it out
Just be aware that Oak Hill is pricey-- like East side on slight sale. You probably wouldn't be looking into a multifamily for less than 700k.
Pawtucket across from the interstate probably has some better deals to be had.
Oak hill was the up and coming cheap spot 15+ years ago when everyone got priced out of east side and the prices match. It’s lovely but no longer cheap.
I think the place that I've heard alot of folks moving to was Riverside.
Riverside has a lot to offer if you’re starting a family (IMO). And the demographic of senior citizens in single family homes is currently very high so there will be a lot of homes coming up for sale there in the next few years.
I just moved to Riverside from out of state. I love that I can walk two seconds from my front door and have several restaurants, a bakery and a recreational area. However, there's not much of a "nightlife" and there's LOTS of older folks. For example, I have an elderly woman on one side of my townhome and an elderly couple on the other side. Another gripe is the grocery store there (Shaw's) is kinda crappy. I drive to the Stop n Shop in Seekonk for my groceries. This is just my two cents though!
I love the Shaws in Riverside- Willet Ave.!
The layout is just so bizarre to me and feels very claustrophobic. Like the eggs are on an end cap... What is that?!
I suppose I’m just used to it. I know where everything is. They did a remodel a few years back and the rows are closer together- so feelin the claustrophobia comment. The staff are super friendly and helpful and it’s been mostly the same group for as long as I can remember. Feels like a neighborhood grocery store. I like that.
I only go to that shaws usually for sale items or quick needs, that I dont feel like driving to stop and shop in EP for. I will say, you are spot on at the same workers. I dont know them, but i know their faces and some of them have been there since i was a kid. (Im 38 now). Also, so much cleaner since the remodel!
Me too! Everything I need and just the right size to get in and out in short time.
My SO and I call this one Shitty Shaws. It’s a little nicer now after the remodel at least.
Yea we drive down to the market basket in Attleboro, I feel the meat and general prices are heater than shaws. Good news is from most of pawtucket you can drive to the wholefoods and the new trader joes fairly quickly if you need more options
Is there something wrong with elderly neighbors? Mine are nice folks and I enjoy their company.
No but someone was suggesting Riverside is up and coming and a larger elderly population doesn't exactly scream that.
I live in Fairlawn, south of Mineral Springs. We bought our first house over here after living on the East Side of PVD for 8 years. This spot has been nice. I like my neighbors, there’s a good sense of community, and it’s pretty walkable. Is it the East Side? No, but it’s been perfectly nice for us. Oak Hill and Darlington just north of Rumford are known to be nice, too.
It’s called the bucket for a reason
Tap water tastes terrible in Pawtucket
This.
Hasn’t changed since 2006 when I first tried it there. They ought to do something about it.
Pawtucket has been "up and coming" for a long time. Lived there for about 3 years before relocating to Cranston for job reasons. I have a huge heart for Pawtucket. Like any larger "city" (quotation marks because, RI) there are good parts and bad parts. Oak Hill is basically the East side whereas other areas are still solidly blue collar/middle class. I lived near downtown and never felt unsafe. Pawtucket has a great brewery and burgeoning art scene and a lot of the mill complexes and downtown building are being utilized in fantastic ways (Guild Brewery, Lorraine Mills, Hope Artiste Village, Still On Main). Plus, the Boston/Providence train station will finally be open this January!
My biggest gripe about Pawtucket would be walkability. The downtown still has work to do in terms of attracting both businesses and patrons. There are otherwise pockets of cool things to do and see throughout the town, but they're hard to access without a car unless you live directly in that area. For example, I lived close to downtown Pawtucket so I walked through the Slater Mill National Park quite a bit, but then hopped in my car to go anywhere else. Because although the walk mile-wise wasn't awful to some of the amenities I listed previously, the streets you'd take to get there were busy/crowded with poor accessibility for pedestrians (the walk from the area by Tolman school to Quality Hill is downright treacherous given the students population that traverses through that area daily).
As others have stated, schools are a consideration if you're planning to have a family and send them to public schools. But regardless, I personally love "the bucket". No, it's not the sleek east side of Providence (aside from Oak Hill, perhaps). But if that's what you're looking for, the majority of Pawtucket probably isn't for you. I think it gets a worse rap than it deserves.
I'd say yes depending on where in it. Oak Hill, Quality Hill, Darlington, near Rumford. If you have or thinking of having kids, that's the game changer. You really want to look elsewhere.
Eh I moved to pawtucket from PVD in 2020 and can’t wait to get out. Unfortunately I can’t afford to move right now but I have none of the amenities or walkability that living in PVD offered. Like my loft is nice enough and affordable but I hate leaving my building and it’s not at all enjoyable to go on runs in the area
Oak Hill is, for sure. They should call it "I can't believe it's not the East Side".
Maybe with the commuter rail station. Otherwise I think Cranston is the better bet. Parts of East Cranston are progressive and really nice neighborhoods.
something in me just doesn't want to move to cranston
Well the east side is progressive...it is the west side that is Fung country.
We just moved to West Cranston- planning to outnumber them! Please join us! Our neighborhood is very cute otherwise.
No, dont move to icky Western Cranston Fung country where its beautiful, big yards, great people, low crime, clean streets. Move to Pawtucket where you'll step over syringes and get shanked by a crackhead. Its nice and progressive!
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That organ is called the snobcreas.
The transit plan includes the idea of light rail connecting Warwick through to Pawtucket within the next 20 years. Does that mean it will actually happen? Of course not. Nothing is guaranteed. It requires political will, funding, competence, etc. But that's where the will exists to invest in transit.
Pawtucket as a whole, no way. Certain sections? Maybe....I wouldn't live there but to each their own.
The Bucket? Who would have guessed?
A lot of construction happening on that side plus the train station. I’d say so
I believe so, upcoming MBTA stop, new high school, nearby condo developments, “soccer field”.
My dad delivered mail in the Darlington section of Pawtucket for years. He always spoke well of that area. He brought home lots of Xmas presents every year from the folks he delivered mail to. Lots of single family homes there. Worth looking into.
Yay another landlord looking for up and coming property.
If you can get near rumford on the east providence side, or near black stone blvd on the providence side then yeah your good.
We bought our house in Pawtucket this past summer. It appraised $20k over the asking price (which was actually a bit high for the market) and the appraiser put a whole section in their notes about Pawtucket being an up and coming neighborhood and that property values will grow. Providence is getting more and more expensive but the exodus from Massachusetts is still happening. Many can't do the commute from Cranston or other affordable areas so they're buying in Pawtucket.
thanks! this is what i was looking for. ideally i’d like to buy a multi family in providence using a first time home buyer loan. but the prices just keep rising. what neighborhood are you in? is it walkable?
Please don't do that right now. The prices are astronomical and you will have no choice but to evict the current families who live there or double their rent to support your inflated mortgage (thus forcing them out). Most multifamily renters are FAMILIES. The cost of renting a 3 bedroom in Providence has gone from roughly $1200 to roughly $2400 in less than a decade and I assure you most of our salaries did not double. Furthermore these houses are all about 100 years old, loaded with lead and asbestos and need a ton of work. Whatever price you're looking at...add 80K.
Termites too.
Such important points (though, of not OP someone else will still jump at the inflated price). I saw the same multifamily switch hands 3x in under a year (1 flip, the second buyers did nothing but raise the price 100k and relist in a few months).
exactly. someone’s going to do it either way. might as well be me. im not an evil billionaire slumlord looking to take over pawtucket with my shitty, overpriced, falling apart rentals. im really just looking for a spot to call my own.
as for the termites/lead/asbestos, im sure that is a big problem but if i am using a FHA loan hopefully the rigorous inspections will help to eliminate some of that.
It's fully possibly to achieve what you want without evicting or financially debilitating 2-3 families, but okay do you.
yeah agreed
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Why buy a multi family? I’ve noticed a lot of people have this false idea that it’s easy passive income and they can basically buy a house w/o paying for a mortgage. This is not true, it’s a toonnnn of work, you’ll have shitty tenants complaining all the time (at all hours), and you’ll also have wonderful tenants who cannot afford the rising rent and you will be faced with the decision to evict them. Not to mention upkeep and repair costs. Why would you ever want to be in this position?
We are in Woodlawn. An easy commute into Boston was important for us so we tried to get close to the 95. But we're walkable to some great restaurants like Rasoi as well as Lippit Memorial Park. I like board games so I was really excited to be within walking distance to Untapped Games. It's also a super short drive to a lot of other great places.
Hey OP, I see you're mentioning FHA. I would speak with an agent about your hope to use FHA and for a multifamily. FHA is a great program, but it seems like it is extremely hard to use since the pandemic (according to some friends in real estate). The competition is still there, so your offer will be much tougher of a sell against offers with 20% down. From my understanding, the multifamily market is still competitive since rents are astronomical here. It doesn't mean it can't happen, but you might want to evaluate your options.
Also, I'd do some research into FHA (if you haven't already). For example, I have friends who did a multifamily on FHA pre pandemic and this impacted their ability to refinance for a lower rate or move when their family got bigger because it was under 5 years. They're doing well, but it does have some conditions.
Interestingly, we opted to do a conventional loan, in spite of our eligibility. We believe this saved us when we had our home inspection, because our inspector had found knob-and-tube wiring. From what I understand, people going for a FHA loan can't even bid on a house with knob-and-tube until it's been abated.
Unfortunately, many of the best FHA options (most likely to choose FHA) are probably the least able to qualify for the conditions of the loans. I assume the less problematic properties are still going to the stronger offers. I have friends who had similar challenges with VA loans in 2020, though, I think it's great both programs try to avoid financing possible money pits.
thanks. i am starting the research process now and plan on talking to someone by summer. i have heard that is it not easy to compete with cash offers/ bigger down payments. hopefully there is something out there for me!
I would encourage you to talk to someone sooner (and be honest about your intentions of just browsing at this point). For example, if FHA is a non-starter you'll want to know as soon as possible because you will need to be saving for a better down payment. Realtors who know the area closely should be able to give you an idea of where you'd have the best shot of FHA for your desired size and budget (or if its even a possibility).
Maybe reach out to Rhode Island HUD as I think they offer free counseling on this kind of thing.
Call me when it gets here.
People have been living there for years.
If u want to be close to the downtown Pawtucket is the way to go. Location never changes.
Ehhh be careful, depends on the area. Definitely not a great school system if you’re thinking about starting a family, btw.
No one has mentioned the new stadium. Any thoughts?
Ludicrous
Nope, still mostly abandoned. The state is trying tho
If you are looking to get out of Providence itself, pretty much anywhere around is a better option than the Bucket. East Providence, North Providence, Johnston, Cranston, Warwick, you name it. That's the honest truth. Unless you can find a helluv a bargain...
Pawtucket has been upcoming for 20 years or more now.
I live in Pawtucket and have for almost 3 years now, near slater park, my catalytic converter got stolen the first year here. I was side swiped on Newport Ave and they ran (luckily no damage to me but I was shaken up) and we have sketchy characters up and down our street so it’s like living in providence tbh
Fuck no. Fuck off we are full.
Seats taken.
Lol. You will be fine here.
Um....NO
Central Falls. Once the train station is complete it’s taking off.
Wouldn't bet on that, lol.
Pawtucket is a shithole. It’s basically the Fitchburg of Rhode Island.
No. The Puerto Ricans and criminals are long entrenched
Wow. Thanks for letting everyone know to disregard any of your shitty options, appreciate it bud
I don’t really give a F what you think… anyone in the Providence area knows exactly what I mean. As a Latino I’m ashamed of what we show the rest of state…. Dirtbikes, fentanyl and trash
I think Providence is cheap, Pawtucket is a shithole
Good for you. Feel better?
Meow
I’d argue CF is worse but that varies based on your opinion.
I recently moved to CF from Pawtucket, and shocker, CF has better neighborhood amenities than most of Pawtucket. The walk buttons at the crosswalks work. There are little dog poop cans scattered around (and they're stocked with bags in case you run out/forgot to bring one). It's still CF, pop density is still insane, but it's a decent alternative now that rents are skyrocketing in even the shittiest parts of Pawtucket.
Jerkeyjoe t1_j1ndbde wrote
I'd say, kinda ya. In some of the nicer parts of town homes are pretty competitive. Plus I feel the loft style places are definitely the hot commodity right now. For people looking for good transportation or walk ability I'd say it's ok, but some places are pretty dodgey to be walking around to be honest. One such area I feel will likely turn around soon is near the new mbta station opening late January. It will be a 6 min ride to downtown Providence for $2.75. lots of loft places nearby and probably more to come