191 replies to this topic

[ezcheese]

So, my girlfriend has a job opportunity that would require us to move to the Boston area. She would have the entire New England territory for a medical supply company. We are trying to do some research to find out if there is indeed such a thing as an affordable place to live in Boston. We basically have no knowledge of any of the neighborhoods in the Boston area (except what I’ve seen on This Old House) and I was just wondering if there are any affordable non-scary places to live in Boston.

Just for kicks, I’ll give you some info on our current living conditions:

Right now, we live in Greensboro, North Carolina and we are renting a 2 bedroom, 1 and a half bath apartment that’s approximately 1,000 square feet for less than $600 a month. Right down the street from the apartment complex are very nice neighborhoods where new houses are listed for between $500,000 and $800,000 and being snatched up within days of the listings, so you could say we’re in a good neighborhood.

How crazy am I to expect to find a comparable apartment for under $1,000 in a decent neighborhood in Boston?

Also, if there are any links, threads or sites that you think would help us out, I would greatly appreciate any help.

[laelialudisia]

to add to this (i am the girlfriend  ) i read where the rents in allston, brighton, charlestown, dorchester, east boston and jamaica plain are down 5% WHY IS THIS?

i would really like to get a sense of the safer, nicer areas of boston and the surrounding towns in addition to the not-so-nice areas as well as what we can expect to pay for rent.  

let me reiterate what i am trying to accomplish i need to be able to go to my company with information that will back me up in asking for a significant salary increase in what they want to pay me to move up to boston.  currently they have the base salary on par with cities like nashville and omaha when it really should be comparable to san fran, silicon valley, etc.  so i need to be prepared to say i'm not moving there unless i can be compensated for the cost-of-living difference for my base salary.  thanks.

[Cotuit]

ezcheese, on Mar 23 2005, 09:14 PM, said:

How crazy am I to expect to find a comparable apartment for under $1,000 in a decent neighborhood in Boston?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are totally fvcking insane to think that you could find anything like that anywhere within 50 miles of Boston for $1000 or less. Start thinking about $1500+.

Check out the [URL=http://www.boston.com/realestate/]Real Estate section on Boston.com to start getting an idea on prices.

However, I would not characterize any neighbourhood in Boston as 'dangerous.' There are some places that might be considered less desirable than others, but I wouldn't say to stay away from neighbourhood.

The key thing you want is access to the T. Prices go upi the closer you are to a T station, but it's worth the price.

If you want to look at things a little bit outside the city, I personally love Waltham, it's on the commuter rail, about 10-15 from North Station, with a stop in Cambridge before North Station. There's also express bus service to Boston via the Pike, and local bus service to Watertown and Cambridge.

Watertown and Belmont are nearby towns that are nice, but a still be pretty damn expensive, though less so than Cambridge or Boston.

Dorchester (which is a neighbourhood of Boston), is a great area, but it is a large area, and the red line only directly serves a thin sliver of it.

laelialudisia, on Mar 23 2005, 09:40 PM, said:

to add to this (i am the girlfriend  ) i read where the rents in allston, brighton, charlestown, dorchester, east boston and jamaica plain are down 5% WHY IS THIS?

i would really like to get a sense of the safer, nicer areas of boston and the surrounding towns in addition to the not-so-nice areas as well as what we can expect to pay for rent. 

let me reiterate what i am trying to accomplish i need to be able to go to my company with information that will back me up in asking for a significant salary increase in what they want to pay me to move up to boston.  currently they have the base salary on par with cities like nashville and omaha when it really should be comparable to san fran, silicon valley, etc.  so i need to be prepared to say i'm not moving there unless i can be compensated for the cost-of-living difference for my base salary.  thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmmm, I don't know why there is or would be a price drop anywhere in the city. The market adjusts itself a little bit from time to time. Vacancies can drop below 1% citywide at times and things get crazy. Shortly after September 11th there was one of these adjustments where for a short time it was more of a renters market. The Universities have been builing a lot of dorms latley, and more are on the way, so that can take a little pressure off the rental market, especially in areas like Allston/Brighton and J.P.

It is totally insane for your company to even consider tranferring you at a Nashville-like cost of living scale. Boston is in the New York, San Francisco, Washington bracket of affordablity and depending on exactly how you crunch the numbers can be ranked as the most expensive of that lot.

You can always think about Providence. Many people do commute from Providence daily to Boston via the commuter rail, it's about an hour ride. If you don't have to be in the office everyday and are expected to be out in your sales territory more often than not, it may be something you don't mind doing (the commute I  mean, which isn't really that bad since you are just sitting on the train, you can get work done, read... And since Providence is the first stop, you always get a seat in the morning )

[laelialudisia]

Cotuit, on Mar 23 2005, 10:15 PM, said:

You are totally fvcking insane to think that you could find anything like that anywhere within 50 miles of Boston for $1000 or less. Start thinking about $1500+.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

but i have done some searching online and found some apts. in brighton or east boston from $900-$1000.  are those going to be complete dumps?  most of the "affordable" 2 bdrms are listed as being rented by a family that wants to rent out a floor of their home to a quiet person(s).

would you recommed getting a broker?  how does taht work b/c we don't have those here b/c affordable housing is not an issue.   thanks for your suggestions and help.

[Cotuit]

laelialudisia, on Mar 24 2005, 08:51 PM, said:

but i have done some searching online and found some apts. in brighton or east boston from $900-$1000.  are those going to be complete dumps?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They might be. The prices have been moderating slightly since I left Boston. I left right as the tech boom was crashing. So stuff did drop a bit from what I remember it being. The cheaper East Boston apartment is likely better than the cheaper Brighton apartment. The airport is in East Boston so you will likely be impacted by that.

laelialudisia, on Mar 24 2005, 08:51 PM, said:

most of the "affordable" 2 bdrms are listed as being rented by a family that wants to rent out a floor of their home to a quiet person(s).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is code meaning they want to rent to you. Adult proffessionals with no pets and no kids, who go to bed early because they need to be to work in the morning and don't have parties, i.e. NOT college kids. The triple-decker is a style of house that is quite common in Boston. Each floor is a 2 or 3 bed apartment of about equal size. Many are owner occupied and they rent out the other two floors.

laelialudisia, on Mar 24 2005, 08:51 PM, said:

would you recommed getting a broker?  how does taht work b/c we don't have those here b/c affordable housing is not an issue.   thanks for your suggestions and help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's generally good to go through a real estate agent. Most landlords don't want to deal with the hassle of finding a renter themselves. You're going to save yourself the fee by going direct to the landlord, if you see ads that sound good, certainly look. Expect to need first month's rent, last month's rent, one month security deposit (which is supposed to come back to you with interest at the end of the lease), and one half, or one full month fee for the realtor.

If you have specific neighbourhoods/streets that you want to bounce off of me, let me know, I can give you a feel for them.

[BOSDevelopment]

First of all, your advice is all wrong. You can easily find a nice 2 bed near Boston in the range of 1000. All you have to do is look. I am a property manager. I manage 110 units in properties North of Boston and I can put you in a Beautiful 2 bed (around 800 sqft) apartment for 1050. Do not waste your money in getting a broker. Only suckers do this.. If a landlord has a unit vacant for a substatial amount of time (2 months or more) he has no choice other than to lower the rent. The same holds true in any market (including NYC)

Here's a link to an apartment I have available. It's near the Orange line and commuter rail, is very roomy, has hardwood floors and high ceilings, plus - heat and hot water are included. It's down the street from downtown Melrose, so you'll have plenty of acess to things you wouldnt have if you lived deep in a residential section of Boston.


http://boston.craigs...o/64739515.html

[tocoto]

I agree with BOSdev that you can find an apartment closer to your price range.  Since I imagine you will be traveling by car a lot for your job, I would also consider living near a freeway.  If you are young and want a big city experience you might consider giving up some space and paying more to live in Cambridge or the Backbay, or a loft apartment DT or near the green line D branch or Beacon St Branch in Brookline or Newton  All of those areas are very safe.  Many young people are moving to south Boston which is near DT but has waterfront urban beach propoerty.  No part of Boston is really dnagerous compared to some big cities but you might avoid Roxbury and Dorchester as probably the most blighted areas of the city.  Everet, Revere and Charlestown can be difficult to get in and out of by car.  I would suggest you pick some places on the internet and then visit the city for a few days.  There are very cheap flights into Logan, Providence or Manchester.  It's very different from where you live now, with older houing stock and much denser living.

To prove you need more money to live in Boston do rent and salary comparisons on the internet and show them to your boss.

[Scott]

^ Parts of Roxbury and Dorchester Tim!  

Neponset and Cedar Grove, the part of Dorchester that I grew up in is quite safe. So are other areas but they are no bargain when it comes to rents. Fort and Mission Hills in Roxbury are also quite nice but expensive.

EDIT_ I'd consider Quincy because you can get a newer apartment  on the Red Line for the money.

Edited by Scott, 27 March 2005 - 09:51 AM.

[Benhamin]

You can definitely find a decent place in Boston in the $1000-$1200 price range, even in a neighborhood like the Fens. I know because I used to own property there. There are cheaper places in Allston, Brighton, South Boston, East Boston, and Charlestown. Some parts of Roxbury and Dorchester are inexpensive, but they wouldn't be my first choice. Same with Jamaica Plain. Where exactly is your gf going to work, the financial district? Commuting and excessibilty to your workplace should be one of the main factors in considering where exaclty to move.

Suburbs like Cambridge are great, but even more expensive them Boston in some parts. Somerville and Medford are decent, stay away from Chelsea and Everett. I would recommend against Revere. Brookline is too expensive for you, most likely. Newton is nice, but also a bit pricey. Heck, even moving to somewhere on the T (Boston's commuter rail) like Framingham or Worcester could work, because rents are far cheaper outside the city.

Hope this helps.

[ezcheese]

Thanks for all the input so far guys. We have been trying to do some research on prices in different areas around Boston. My girlfriend will have the entire new england territory, but 75% of the accounts she will be calling on are in the Boston area. So, we are actually going to map out all the accounts and try and find a central location to try and find the best location to live, then I suppose we will see if we can actually afford it.  

if anyone else has any input as far as locations for renting, please feel free to chime in!

[Cotuit]

Someplace in MetroWest like Waltham, could be better if she has to leave Boston frequently. It can be a pain to have to drive in and out of the city. Say you are right near downtown and 3 days a week she's on the road, coming home at 6pm is going to be a b1tch!

Waltham is good because it is right off 128 so you can easily head north or south from there, and also the Pike is right there for heading west, plus it has commuter rail and express buses into the city if you are going to be working in the city, or if she heads into the city somedays carless.

Other areas around 128 may be good as well depending on if her territory is more north or south of Boston.

Belmont and Arlington are nice areas near Route 2, which can quickly get you out to Route 128. Arlington is a short ride to the Alewife red line station, and Belmont has commuter rail to North Station and local bus service to Cambridge and the redline.

[Loughlin]

You would be lucky to rent a cardboard box from a hobo in Boston for under a 1000.

[knuckle50]

Quincy or Braintree are nice, close to Boston, with good transit access. Braintree schools are much better, though.

[ezcheese]

I am still trying to figure out if it will be remotely possible to transfer to one of the many colleges in the area. My financial aid should really be kicking in this fall, but if I will have to pay out of state tuition for the first year, this could definitely pose a challenge. We are also somewhat concerned with the available parking in different locations. We are going to be coming from a very car-dependent place. If there will be parking issues, however, I would have no problem leaving my car down here, but in that case, we would need to live near the T or some other form of public transportation.

[Hudman]

if you want places near boston you could try malden. they got 1-2 bedroom luxury apartments in the 900-1400 $ range. revere also has apartments on the beach but i dont know what the range is on those

[ezcheese]

Thanks for all the input everybody! It looks like my girlfriend is taking the job. She will be in Boston all next week and I am going to fly up at the end of the week and try to find a place for us to live. This will be extremely stressful, but I feel like I have an idea of what I need to be looking for now.

[Cotuit]

It's expensive as all hell, but you're gonna love it!

The marathon is on the 18th, will you be there then? The city is chaos on Marathon Monday, but it's a cool chaos.

[ezcheese]

A friend of mine told me about craigslist.org, so I have been checking out listings there. There have been a few listings that look like they may be decent. We mapped out all of my Girlfriend's accounts and we want to find a place somewhere in the western area of Boston between I-95 and I-495:



Do any places there stick out to you as places we should check out?

[BostonFaker]

ezcheese, on Apr 11 2005, 05:19 PM, said:

Do any places there stick out to you as places we should check out?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The towns are all decent.  I grew up in Franklin.  Most of the W towns are probably out of your range: Wellesley, Wayland, Weston, Waltham, and Watertown.  Most of the affluent live there.  Of course there are always the exceptional finds.  Framingham is the largest "town" in the state, so it's a very diverse town.  Other than that, if you want to commute into Boston with the MBTA, check out the Maps on www.mbta.com.  The closer to the city, the more you will have to pay.

[Cotuit]

That would be MetroWest, overall it's a wonderful, and pricey area. It has it's share of repugnant sprawl, especially around Framingham and Natick, but also has it's share of picture postcard New England village centres.

I would look at Waltham if you want something that's a bit more on the urban side (that whole area in red is decidedly suburban in nature). As you can see it sits right on the edge of your girlfriend's sales territory with good access to Route 2 and the Mass Pike (I-90). It has good transit access into Boston if you were to go to school or work in the city.

Waltham is on the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line, look here to see an example of the schedules. It runs into North Station, and has the advantage of stopping at Porter Square in Cambridge which is a short walk or one stop on the subway to Harvard Square or Davis Square in Somerville, both happening urban areas that you'll enjoy frequenting.

You also have Bus 70/70A which runs through Watertown and into Central Square, Cambridge.

And Express Buses 553/554 and 556/558 which run to Boston via the Pike (some stopping at Copey Square which is nice).

Waltham is pretty walkable, I lived there without a car. The public transit into the city isn't quite as immediate as transit further in (i.e. you're going to want to be aware of the schedules, you can't just go out and wait for a bus and expect it to be there shortly). Weekend transit is also not as great. But the transit and access to the city is much better than you will find in any of the areas shaded in red.

Waltham would be a good balance between your girlfriend's needs to be out in the MetroWest suburbs visiting her clients and your need/desire to go into the city at will. Depending on your schedule and where you go to school or work, you should be able to get by with one car, and that will be a huge savings for you.

I haven't lived there for 5 years, but Waltham still should be comparatively less expensive than surrounding towns like Belmont, Newton, Watertown, Arlington, and Lexington.


You could go the other way and live in or around Worcester, which is just off the map along I-90. There is frequent commuter rail service into Boston, and being outside 495 means that the prices are a bit lower. Of course you wouldn't be as fast and easy into Boston as you would be in an area like Waltham, but you could probably get more house for the money, of course you're probably going to be back up to two cars, so there goes your savings.


And if I didn't at least mention Providence, the Providence forumers would kill me! Mansfield on the map you posted is about a 15-20 minute drive from Providence, and Providence has frequent commuter rail service into Boston. It's not as frequent as service from Worcester, but I'm gonna say it, wait for it... Providence is a much better city than Worcester. Sorry, we all know it's true. You may forget all about wanting to be in Boston all the time if you were to live in Providence. Depends on your tolerance for small cities, it is small. There's plenty to do here, housing prices are still far lower than what you're going to find anywhere near downtown Boston, and you can affordably live within Providence.

See the Thinking about moving to Providence? thread if you want to learn more.