Moving to Boston

.danindudlin

Moving to Beantown in January for a few years. Have been over a few times on holidays and now gonna give it a go long term. I was wondering if anyone could give advice on finding somewhere to live. Obviously like to have it as much sorted before I arrive or in the first few days - dont want to be paying for a hotel for a month! What is the guide price for a 1 or 2 bed apart within some reasonable distance of the city? Will be working out of Cambridge/Kendall. Think I'm a bit old to go sharing so kinda want somewhere on my own with a bed/couch for visitors.

Any other advice out there for people moving to Boston? Big coat?

sweetie

.danindudlin wrote: »

Moving to Beantown in January for a few years. Have been over a few times on holidays and now gonna give it a go long term. I was wondering if anyone could give advice on finding somewhere to live. Obviously like to have it as much sorted before I arrive or in the first few days - dont want to be paying for a hotel for a month! What is the guide price for a 1 or 2 bed apart within some reasonable distance of the city? Will be working out of Cambridge/Kendall. Think I'm a bit old to go sharing so kinda want somewhere on my own with a bed/couch for visitors.

Any other advice out there for people moving to Boston? Big coat?

go to bukowskis! enjoy!

Fr Tod Umptious

.danindudlin wrote: »

Moving to Beantown in January for a few years. Have been over a few times on holidays and now gonna give it a go long term. I was wondering if anyone could give advice on finding somewhere to live. Obviously like to have it as much sorted before I arrive or in the first few days - dont want to be paying for a hotel for a month! What is the guide price for a 1 or 2 bed apart within some reasonable distance of the city? Will be working out of Cambridge/Kendall. Think I'm a bit old to go sharing so kinda want somewhere on my own with a bed/couch for visitors.

Any other advice out there for people moving to Boston? Big coat?

A good few options for you if you are in Kindall and it is on the Red Line

Check out www.mbta.com to see transport links to that area.

South on the Red Line
You could try South Boston, old Irish neighbourhood that has become very 'gentrified' in the past 20 years, and as a result quiet pricey
Further south is Dorchester, which has a bad name but most areas east of Dorchester Ave are fine, areas to the west of it are not, some parts between the sea and Dorchester Ave has become more gentrified over the years, just like south Boston.

And again further South a few more stops is Quincy, which is a a nice area, not too fancy and not at all shabby, a lot of nice apartment blocks down their that may suit you

To the North on the Red line you have
Central Sq and Harvard - student areas, lively, but pricey

Somerville - Porter Sq, Davis Sq - nice areas but again can be pricey

To the west you could try Brighton or Watertown, which are nice areas but are connected by bus or street car rather than subway.

I have no idea of prices .

Corrimbla

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

A good few options for you if you are in Kindall and it is on the Red Line

Check out www.mbta.com to see transport links to that area.

South on the Red Line
You could try South Boston, old Irish neighbourhood that has become very 'gentrified' in the past 20 years, and as a result quiet pricey
Further south is Dorchester, which has a bad name but most areas east of Dorchester Ave are fine, areas to the west of it are not, some parts between the sea and Dorchester Ave has become more gentrified over the years, just like south Boston.

And again further South a few more stops is Quincy, which is a a nice area, not too fancy and not at all shabby, a lot of nice apartment blocks down their that may suit you

To the North on the Red line you have
Central Sq and Harvard - student areas, lively, but pricey

Somerville - Porter Sq, Davis Sq - nice areas but again can be pricey

To the west you could try Brighton or Watertown, which are nice areas but are connected by bus or street car rather than subway.

I have no idea of prices .

Fr Tod Umptious has the areas spot on as regards rep. Up to June I was working as a property manager letting apartments in Braintree on the South Shore. When I was leaving our one beds were going @ $1,600 - $1,850 per month and our two beds were @ €1,900 - €2,500 per month. Saying that these were luxury apartments and I know lads that were renting a 3 bed in north Dorchester near the Banshee pub (ok area) and they were paying $1,600 per month. Most houses in Dorchester are "three family" houses which are usually all three beds. Brighton is pretty much the same prices - maybe a bit higher. The best thing is to look at craigslist to gauge what you are willing to spend and what you can get for it. Some good news is that its after peak season which is Sept 1st and most people have storted since the beginning of June.

Hazys

.danindudlin wrote: »

Moving to Beantown in January for a few years. Have been over a few times on holidays and now gonna give it a go long term. I was wondering if anyone could give advice on finding somewhere to live. Obviously like to have it as much sorted before I arrive or in the first few days - dont want to be paying for a hotel for a month! What is the guide price for a 1 or 2 bed apart within some reasonable distance of the city? Will be working out of Cambridge/Kendall. Think I'm a bit old to go sharing so kinda want somewhere on my own with a bed/couch for visitors.

Any other advice out there for people moving to Boston? Big coat?

Where you live will depend entirely on your budget, any ideas how much you want to spend?

I live in Central, one stop on the Red Line from Kendall or a 10 min walk. Prices for apartments depend entirely on how close you live to the T. If you are working in Kendall, there are a bunch of places within walking distance of Kendall and are not that close to the T that you could find "good" deals (good by Boston standards). Look at Inman Sq or East Cambridge. Inman Sq is a really nice neighbourhood, full of hipsters tho

If you want to live on your own, One beds not close to the T start at around $1,500 a month in Cambridge.

Whats good about your situation is your looking to lease out of season where its more of a buyer's market. 90% of leases start and end on Sept 1st. A lot of my friends have got good deals out of season.

.danindudlin

Thanks for all the replys!

I've budgeted to spend 1500 a month, was hoping to spend a little less but might be willing to spend a little more for quality/location. All those suggestions sound good! I wouldnt mind being close-ish to the T but I'm a bit of a walker/cyclist so it doesnt have to be on my door.

I'm assuming all this has to go via an estate agent/realtor? There doesnt seem to be much in the way of a daft.com

Corrimbla

.danindudlin wrote: »

Thanks for all the replys!

I've budgeted to spend 1500 a month, was hoping to spend a little less but might be willing to spend a little more for quality/location. All those suggestions sound good! I wouldnt mind being close-ish to the T but I'm a bit of a walker/cyclist so it doesnt have to be on my door.

I'm assuming all this has to go via an estate agent/realtor? There doesnt seem to be much in the way of a daft.com

Craigslist = daft , ads are posted by both realators & landlords direct alike. try and look for the actual landlords as there is usually a realator fee involved when you go through an agent and typically this is paid by the tenant (in some cases the landlord pays or a 50/50 split). The fee is usually equal to one months rent. Also it is typical to be asked for security deposit, 1st & last months rent up front so be prepared for that! On a positive note I wish I was in your shoes going back there. It's a great city and I would have loved to stay if that was an option. Another thing I just thought of is that a weekly T ticket is $15 for unlimited travel which is great value so as long as you are close to the T you are pretty much sported, and yes you will need a big coat for the winter!! Those New England winters are bitter!!

Sl!mCharles

The T weekly hopped up to $18 over the summer! Still not a bad deal at all. Jealous OP.

InTheTrees

Craigslist has become the place for renting apartments/buying cars/jobs etc.

Remember apartments generally are not furnished. There will be a fridge and cooker but thats it.

Also a lot of landlords do credit checks now which can complicate matters if you dont have any credit in the US.

http://boston.craigslist.org/

Crapjob Sean

It's also worth remembering that you will often need 4 months rent in advance.
First and last, deposit and agent fee.

For no fee apartments try RCG rentals
They currently have none listed in Cambridge
http://www.rcg-llc.com/residential.php?mode=selected&town=Cambridge&size=&price=
But they would be worth checking in on.

You can sometimes get good deals in East Cambridge. It's near Kendall but has projects and low income areas so rents are less high when compared to the more gentrified areas of Cambridge.

And has been said before, Craigs List will be your very best gauge of market conditions.
Americans tend to lock in apartments more than a month in advance. Your hunt should begin in earnest in October.

I have recently just gone through this process and have got myself a place in Central, so feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Mike912

Craigslist is the go to source for apartments in metro Boston. Give the "by owner" listings a chance, no reason to pay an agent if you can avoid it.

January is tough to find an available apartment here. Most people have nested for the winter by September leaving only the less desirable apartments available. BTW, winters here can be very tough.

By your OP, you're against it but a roommate situation might be your best bet initially. Little known in Boston is that June presents many opportunities to scoop up a nice pad when the university-centric renters skip town.

Padmappers.com will tell you if the place you decide on is priced right.

I'm in Somerville and would recommend Davis Sq to anybody, but it's pricey. Bonus for Davis is Kendall is only a couple MBTA Red Line subway stops away.

Crapjob Sean

Mike912 wrote: »

Bonus for Davis is Kendall is only a couple MBTA Red Line subway stops away.

And Redbones, obv.