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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Another relocating to Boston post
After lurking, I see some of you who gave me excellent career advice over on MM are also over here. It looks like I will probably be ending up in Boston sometime after October 1st of this year. I will be working in Cambridge (but technically the cabbie said it was Somerville when I was there for my interview). I'm coming from the midwest so Im experience a little of sticker shock with the prices of apartments in Boston.
Any apartment resources/tips you can recommend? Any chance Ill find anything nice, clean, safe for $1250 that's not too far on the T?
Re: Another relocating to Boston post
You can definitely find 1 BR for $1250 just about anywhere. Maybe not downtown, but def in Camb/Som.
GL!
Ah, so you ended up here after all. I hope it all went down OK.
I'm useless on apartment pricing info in the area as I've never actually rented here. Craig's List will give you a good sense of pricing if you haven't looked around on that already. If you're going to live in Somerville, I definitely recommend staying near the Cambridge side of town if possible; other parts of Somerville can be not so nice.
You can use the MBTA web site to figure out bus/subway options from any address.
Yeah, in the long run the Caribbean job, while awesome, was not being flexible with a start date and Boston basically bent over backwards for me. So I guess it's one of those "fate" things I cant ignore
Thanks for the tip about Somerville/Cambridge. Ill be working within a 10-15 min walk from Porter Square station, but in the winter I imagine that would be a PITA. I dont plan to bring my car. But I do plan to get a dog- is that going to make finding a place difficult? I really want the companionship but I also want to be smart financially!
I never had a problem finding an apt to rent with my dog. And I have a pit bull.
Yeah, I think the 87 bus basically stops out in front of my job, but I guess it depends on where I end up living if I can take it.
Ive been using hotpads.com and craiglist and most of what Im finding doesnt include heat/hot water. Is that pretty typical? Where I live now, heat/hot water is included just about everywhere (since most places are radiant heat). And Im finding few places okay with a dog
Anyway, I hope once I move I can treat all of you who have helped me wrangle this career move to drinks!!
You usually have to pay for all your utilities around here when you rent (except the water/sewerage bill).
Try looking at realtor.com as well (select rental in the drop down menu).
I've only had one apartment that included heat/hw, and that was out in Quincy.
As others have said, you should be able to find something decent in either Porter or Davis Square. Definitely try to stay near the Cambridge line in Somerville. There's also Inman Square in Cambridge - I think that's pretty reasonable rent-wise.
Edited to add: I'd suggest staying away from anything in Central Square. It's not a great neighborhood, though the rents are cheaper.
Thanks everyone!
If you have other locations I should check out, let me know. I have friends that live near the Tremont/Mass ave intersection and while the area can be a little sketchy in places, a lot of young professionals are buying on their street and renovating. So maybe things would be cheaper? But it is by Northeastern so perhaps not. I dont know how the commute would be either!
That means that typically the landlord is paying for the other half of the fee.
If you're looking in the South End, I'd say in general it's better to avoid the area by Boston Medical Center. If the ads say, "just steps to BMC!" you want to avoid it. Though it's not as bad as it used to be over there, it's still kind of sketchy, IMO, and you can find nicer apartments in the Davis/Porter area.
I wouldn't want to commute from the Northeastern area to Porter Square. The areas around Porter/Harvard/Davis Squares are a much better option for you assuming you can find something within your budget. I agree about not recommending Central Square though.
Don't know anything about "half fee."
sorry, I just dont know what the "fee" is?
It means the landlord is using a realtor, who is charging them a fee for their time- usually equal to one-months rent. Sometimes the landlord picks up half, and the tenant picks up the other half. Sometimes the landlord pays it all, and sometimes the tenant has to. Usually it's split though.
ouch. Well, I guess we all have to make a living, right?
When it says, first, last, and security deposit, they mean you are paying the first and last months rent up front + security deposit. Right? This seems so obvious, but Ive never seen it be this expensive to live somewhere!
Yep. (And by law, I believe they are supposed to put the security deposit into an interest-bearing account, and return it to you with earned-interest if there's no damage.)
We moved here from FL in 2007, and yes, it is pricey to live in the Boston area...not just housing, but everything else...groceries, etc...
But jobs are plentiful compared to others areas of the country, and pay more...so it usually balances out. It's a great area to live in!
Congrats on the new job!
First, last, and security are pretty common rental practices. So yes, it can be a big cash outlay up front, but it is what it is. Personally I'd look for a no-fee place or, if there's lots of inventory, try to negotiate having the landlord pay it all up front. I've never paid a fee to rent a place, and most of my renting was in the SF Bay Area.
To add to this (and then I'll shut up!), I'm on my 5th rental in the Boston area, and I've never paid anything more than first and last months rent. So it's definitely doable. Craigslist has a filter for "apartments by owner" (or something like that) - try to stick to those listings, or the "no fee" ones. (Though shady realtors often sneak the half-fee ones there. Because they're JERKS, heh.)
Another area to try is Belmont/Watertown. You can take the bus to Harvard and either walk to Porter or take the T/bus. The listings may be a little cheaper there than Davis/Porter Square. We pay $1250 in Belmont for a 2 1/2 bedroom, and we have a dog and a garage spot. (Which is going to waste, since we don't have a car, but whatever.) If you're looking for a 1-bedroom, you should be able to find something pretty nice for that price-range. (We don't live in "nice Belmont" heh.)
Thanks again for your help! That's cool that they return the security deposit + interest and I guess its nice that you pay 2 months of rent up front so you "technically" only have 10 more months to pay.
I own a multi-family home in Davis Square so I'm both a resident and a landlord in the area. $1250 is doable for a nice 1 bedroom, but its going to be tough. If you don't mind an un-updated kitchen, no in-unit laundry and street parking only you'll be fine. PP were right about scouring Craigslist for apartments by owner so you don't have to pay a fee.
If your job is off the 87 bus you might want to consider East Arlington/Arlington Center, which is just slightly farther out. It still has a cute downtown area with restaurants/shops/theatre and is a quick bus ride into Davis (87) or Porter/Harvard (77). You'll get more bang for your buck in Arlington.
Also, be aware that the major rental cycle in the Boston area is Sept 1 - Aug 31 (because of the mass amount of student renters). If you can come up a month early you'll find MANY more options. It could be slim pickings if you're looking for an October 1st rental.
If you have any questions about the Davis/Porter area (such a fun place to live!) please let me know
Don't count on getting interest. I never did, however I never rented in/near Boston. I usually felt lucky just to get the security deposit back. Not because I/we damaged the place but because some landlords aren't great about giving the money back. Granted most of the stories I've heard are from renting in Worcester during college. So different than your situation. I've always gotten my deposit back, just don't count on interest.
Like PP said, I recommend living along the Red Line (subway). It will make your commute really easy. And Central Sq isn't a good place to look either. If you move into Boston proper you'll need to take the Green Line to Park St and switch to the Red Line, and it seems like there are always delays on the Green Line in the morning.
If $1250 isnt doable, I can make it work. I was just trying to figure out what was reasonable and what was just overpriced. Im trying to budget things out so I can negotiate for a different salary and if $1250 isnt realistic, I need to take that into account! I have a large student loan payment so I dont particularly want to "lose" money by living in Boston because I wont be able to afford to save or something.
Got it, thanks! Its easy enough to look on a map, but I know that it'll be very different actually living there...
Hey SCM- are you sure you dont have any vacancy in your rental? haha.
There are buses from Allston/Brighton to Harvard Square, (so you'd have to either walk or change to another bus/the T to get to Porter), but I used to take one, and it sucked. It was always late, and always crowded. Plus, a majority of the residents in Allston/Brighton are college students/grad students because the rent is cheaper and it's close to BU/BC/Northeastern/etc. Might not be a deal-breaker for you, but some people would find it really obnoxious.
If you want a 4 bed for $2600 I'm your girl
I havent lived IN boston but from what my friends say the girls advice to you is correct.
Good Luck and welcome and congrats on the new job!
Getting fit for IVF!