Either-Or: A Rustic-Chic Melrose Gem vs. a Luxurious Westfield Manor
It’s amazing what a few miles will do to the market. This month, we compare a charming suburban Colonial with an amenity-filled estate in western Massachusetts.
Boston Real Estate Media (Melrose); Jeffrey Byrnes, Christina Marquis (Westfield)
| 218 Grove Street, Melrose | Sale Price: $820,000 | 22 Day Lily Lane, Westfield |
| $719,000 5 2,520 square feet 4 3.5 | Asking Price Days on Market Size Bedrooms Bathrooms | $849,000 17 3,919 square feet 5 4.5 |
Untethered from city offices, Bostonians have lately been opting to work from new homes in the ’burbs and far beyond—and these two recently sold residences, purchased a little more than two weeks apart, show just how high demand is for space in the outskirts. The Melrose single-family sold for $100,000 over its asking price, helping earn the town its title as one of the hottest ZIP codes in the country. Featuring sliding barn doors and a salvaged-beam mantel in the living area, the Colonial embraces a rustic-modern look, with a kitchen that serves up slate-hued cabinetry, open shelving, and bright-white subway tile.
Out west, this 2018-built custom home shares a cul-de-sac with other new-construction properties. The now-owners are surely enjoying all of its trappings, from the sauna to the heated saltwater pool. Given that the 3.5-acre estate sold for the same price as its smaller Melrose counterpart, though, it appears commuter-friendly locales are still more desirable than the hinterlands—even during COVID times.
