I think the same people who are willing to take trains (or drive a long commute) will be the same ones treating self driving cars as another mode of transportation.

Acquisition prices are lower than inside RT 128 and many of the towns have good commuter rail access for those working in Boston.Specifically, I like Plymouth, Middleboro, Pembroke, Halifax, Marshfield, Plympton and Carver.Any closer to Boston and prices start to rise pretty quickly.

I like the idea of student rentals in Third and Fifth Ward, but UH and Texas Southern University are both predominantly commuter schools, so I'd hate to have units sitting for months.

Kemah itself is a bit too far for a reasonable commute to a downtown job, but Clear Lake is just about right for lots of white-collar folks who like spending time in their cars, and it's a short drive to Kemah from Clear Lake, which is great for weekend family outings.

@Rob Grove Although prices are better outside of the metro, you will want to seriously consider your commute time if your day job is location specific.

I work in the commercial real estate industry full time and listen to the BiggerPockets podcasts on my commute.  

My husband asked me to not even look along 290 because the freeway commute down 290 is awful and he hates the drive.

If that means a year or so of commuting, so be it.

Commuting by train to DC mike make that a reasonable choice.

They make my commute from Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez go by quicker each day.