Natick

Natick has two stations on the Framingham/Worcester Line, Natick Center and West Natick, with trains to South Station in Boston. MWRTA route 202 links both stations with Framingham and Ashland stations along Route 135, and route 201 runs from the Natick Mall along Route 9 through Wellesley to Woodland station on the Green Line D branch. Both routes run seven days a week.

Cochituate State Park has its entrance at 43 Commonwealth Road in Natick, and its main feature is Lake Cochituate, made up of three linked ponds. Start with the station or route you would actually use, and compare candidate homes on the trips you make every week, at the hours you make them.

For an older single-family home, list the age and condition of the roof, heating and cooling, electrical service and windows, and ask for permits for additions and finished basements. For a newer home, request the plans, permits, certificate of occupancy and any remaining warranty. For a home built before 1978, the seller should give you the state's Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification; ask whether a lead inspection has been done and what was found.

For a condominium, review the 6(d) certificate, budget and reserves, what the fee covers, parking and storage, and the rules on leasing and pets. Natick is also covered by the state's MBTA Communities law, which requires zoning for multifamily housing as of right in at least one district; ask the town what is now permitted near the address.

If a home sits near Lake Cochituate, a brook or a wetland, ask whether past work on the property needed review by the town's Conservation Commission, and look up the address on FEMA's flood maps. If a home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and you finance it with a federally regulated or federally backed loan, the lender will generally require flood insurance.

Students attend Natick Public Schools, where elementary schools serve kindergarten through grade 4 and middle schools serve grades 5 to 8. Confirm the assigned schools for the exact address with the district, and use the state education department's (DESE) district profile for official enrollment and program information.

Natick's FY2026 residential rate is $12.17 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $1,217 a year for each $100,000 of assessment. Ask the assessor which personal exemptions might apply to you, and ask the seller for the most recent tax bill.

For a single-family home, budget for the building itself: roof, heating and cooling, windows and drainage. For a home in a mapped flood zone, get a flood insurance quote before you settle the budget, and for a condominium add the monthly fee and any planned assessments. FY2027 rates had not been certified at the time of writing.