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Brief Synopsis

Natick is a fairly affluent, yet very friendly town in which to live and raise a family. It is surrounded, on three sides by five of the ten most affluent towns in Massachusetts, with Wayland to the north, Weston to the northeast, Wellesley to the east, Dover to the southeast, and Sherborn to the southwest. On the other hand, when asking the difference between Natick and and its immediate neighbor to the west, Framingham, you might hear the retort, “The difference? Oh, about $200,000!” – which is the difference in average property values between the two towns. Not surprisingly, property values lessen the further you are from Boston and, typically, beyond Natick is where you will find more affordable housing. Being one of the ring of villages/settlements which encircled Boston in the 1600’s – as a defensive strategy – Natick was and still is considered part of the Boston metroplex aptly called, the MetroWest.

Where is Natick?

Natick lies approximately 12-14 miles west of Boston and encompasses roughly 16 square miles – 15 of land and 1 of water. Lake Cochituate and Dug Pond are its two largest bodies of water. Most traffic in and out of Natick utilizes the Mass Pike on its northmost town line, Rt 9 a bit further south, Rt 135 across central Natick, or Rt 16 along its southmost town line. There are five major neighborhoods to Natick which, in turn, house a variety of smaller neighborhoods. There are also two commuter rail stops into South Station. The Natick Collection, located on Natick’s northwestern border, provides an excellent tax base thanks to attracting buyers from surrounding towns to its unparalleled shopping, especially combined with the many big box and major chain stores right next door in Framingham. There is also an upscale condominium complex at the Collection that offers the quality of lifestyle that today’s buyers seek.

Natick Center

Natick Center or Downtown Natick is located at the intersection of Central Street and Main Street and is surrounded by a newly renovated library, town services (such as the post office, town hall, and fire station), the town’s unique commitment to the arts – TCAN (The Center for Arts in Natick offering popular artists’ performances), and a number of successful local businesses. As you can imagine, it serves as the Civic hub of the town. Natick Town Common is where many town events are held like the Farmers’ Market. Just north of the downtown area is a neighborhood called Walnut Hill, known for many Victorian era houses lining Walnut and Bacon Streets. Just south of the Natick Common, Cottage Street begins what is commonly called Little South, named so because of its proximity to South Natick. It extends to the east portions of Everett Street and on down to Eliot St. Homes along Cottage St. were primarily built in the early 1950s and are mostly modest, and well maintained. You will find The Tobin School, a private daycare and elementary school with its two large, attractive buildings off of Cottage Street while on Everett Street you will come across larger farm homes situated on generous lots. Eliot Street, which runs parallel to the Charles River, boasts some of the oldest and nicest homes in Natick.

South Natick

South Natick, known for its scenic, quaint, rural setting, is where the Native American settlers first began the town on the shores of the Charles River. Its charming village area is surrounded by walking trails at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary and Elm Bank as well as some lovely neighborhoods of new construction. The Bacon Free Library is located in South Natick near the Charles River Reservation. A little further southeast is the Natick Community Organic Farm, which is committed to farming methods that are ecologically healthy and sustainable, placing special emphasis on service to youth through year-round classes, work-experience programs. Unlike other areas in Natick, the median lot size is almost an acre with a median price of $735,000.

North Natick

North Natick, although the most commercialized area of Natick, is still nonetheless primarily a residential area. The Wethersfield area of Natick, a residential neighborhood north of Route 9, is a typical 1950s development of Campanelli ranch houses which remains popular with first time home-buyers due to the relatively inexpensive nature of slab-style houses found there. However, move-up buyers and those used to having basements or desirous of basements for storage or additional living area shun them. The median price of homes in North Natick is $510,000.

East Natick

East Natick, located along the Oak Street corridor, South of SR-9, is a section that began as a summer vacation area, with tiny cottages surrounding Jennings Pond. Over the years, some houses were enlarged; but, the area remains quaint, and quiet with no thru-traffic. On the westerly side of South Oak, is a neighborhood of Cape style houses with streets named after World War II Generals. North of SR-9, other developments of small Cape-style homes were built in the early and mid 1950s and these houses remain popular also with first-time home buyers due to the affordability of the houses. The median price of homes on the east side is $515,000.

West Natick

West Natick, a large section of Natick that borders the town of Framingham. In addition to its retail development along SR-9, post World War II housing developments like Westfield, Pelham, and Sherwood (where the homes are colonial in style and with street names reminiscent of the Robin Hood legend. Built in 1948, the neighborhood remains popular due to the fact that there’s no through traffic, and most of the houses have been enlarged with additions) as well as the National Guard depot and a golf course on Speen Street brought many people to this part of town. The area in West Natick, along Route 135 is the most densely populated section of town, with its hundreds of condominiums and apartments lining it.

Natick MA Homes Under $500k

Homes priced under $500,000 in Natick are a mix of ranch, split ranch, bungalow and cape houses. There are still some modest bargains to be found in the $400s, but for the most part entry range in this price point is from $450,000 to $500,000. These homes are generally located in or near the downtown Natick area or in West, East, or North Natick, many with nice yards and featuring 3 – 4 bedrooms with 1, 1.5 or 2 baths. There are also communities such as Fairway Estates, featuring attached town homes in this price range. 

Homes from $500k-$750k

$500,000 – $700,000 priced homes are found throughout town and are generally older ranch, split ranch, bungalow, or traditional colonial homes which have been well maintained. The high end includes those which have been remodeled/updated. This price range features 3+ bedrooms and 2+ full bathrooms. You can find newer, attached town homes in this price range in Natick Center, as well as at South Natick Hills and the more established attached town homes in Hopewell Farms. 

Homes from $750k-$1M

Larger updated colonials located throughout town fall into this price range. Mid-range priced homes are substantially larger and usually found on larger lots. Natick has entered the age of tear-downs being replaced with new construction McMansions. Depending upon size and finish out, these large contemporary colonials, typically found in picturesque South Natick, run $900,000 and up. Look for these homes in the prestigious, private, and secluded Phillips Pond community.

Natick MA Homes from $1M

Most of the homes in this price range are new construction and found in many of the new construction communities of: Hamlet Estates, Sanctuary Estates, Cider Mill Estates, and Hunter Hill – all in South Natick. Additionally, there is new construction in the Pheasant Hollow Neighborhood, located on the Sherborn side of Speen Street, along with several other new construction properties interspersed throughout Natick – including private cul de sac mansions with generous yard space. 

Natick Schools

Education is important to Natick as demonstrated in its new multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art High School. The town also has two middle schools and five elementary schools. Among the several private elementary and pre-schools, Natick is home to the prestigious Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Our son enjoyed Walnut Hill‘s music theatre program and because of it was able to earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Pittsburgh’s Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts. Salmon Centers for Early Education have a facility in northeast Natick for outdoor play, imaginative games, independent discovery, group experiences and inter-generational activities.

Area Schools

Great Schools provides ratings for most schools in the United States. Below, you can see what schools are near the address you are thinking of buying and then compare it to other neighboring schools.

Single family homes make up about 70% of housing sales in Natick and have seen prices running from $400,000 to $2,800,000. Meanwhile, condominiums in a mid-rise have been running from $250,000 for a one-bedroom to $1,549,000 for a brand-new, 4-bedrooms townhome in South Natick. The sprinkling of multi-family homes range in price from $675,000 to $1,200,000. Understandably, pricing varies depending upon size, location, and amenities. Real estate sales and pricing are very fluid and can fluctuate in a matter of hours because homes come on and off the market daily… even hourly. What is currently offered for sale is listed below. The following chart is a visual representation of the cyclical nature of real estate activity and compares the ups and downs of Natick to those of Boston proper. The taller the column the better it is for buyers. The shorter the column the better it is for sellers.

This next chart shows the number of sales occurring in Natick month-to-month, year-to-year since 2018 and provides you a historical overview of the best times to sell – months with the greatest number of sales (spring and fall) – and the best times to buy – months with the fewest number of sales (summer and winter). CAVEAT: there are usually more houses to choose from in the first half of the year.

Search Natick Real Estate

Bookmark this page and check back anytime to see what is currently available. Unlike other search sites which include properties already under contract, this site only shows properties that are truly available. Additionally, you can pick which type of housing – single-family, condo, or multi-family – you are interested in seeing at a glance.