How do i move to Boston on the cheap?

November 14, 2007 5:53 AM

Boston Filter: Moving from Texas. Help me navigate the (seemingly) bizarre apartment market

I'll be moving from Dallas to Boston around the first of the year. What's the best way to find an apartment and not get ripped off?

Reality companies/property managers to avoid? Sublet for a few months? Go through craigslist? Brokerage fees, what the hell?

posted by doppleradar to home & garden (14 comments total)

I wouldn't worry too much about being ripped off. This time of year is slow for the apartment market, since Boston is a big college town. The big apartment rush is for September move-in. the downside of that is your pickings will be kind of slim.

For the most part, it seems like all the rental agencies around here are pretty much the same. Find an apartment you like on craigslist - it will likely be listed by a broker, and he'll be able to show you similar places. Fees are usually one month's rent, but you can definitely find no-fee apartments (the landlord pays the fee in that case). Decide what neighborhood you want to live in and pick a broker in the area.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:16 AM on November 14, 2007

I did just what you are doing not so long ago - moving from the Houston area. I advise craigslist as a great way to look for places -- you don't need a broker when CL is so active. If you are wanting to live with roomates, make sure you go through an interview with potential housemates before committing. Living by yourself can be pretty expensive depending on your location.

Also, since craiglist can be awash with possibilities too difficult to navigate, I'd suggest picking a neighborhood and focusing your search there. Jamaica Plain is where I live and I like it fine -- less college town feel with lots of diversity and culture and park space all close together and not too far from downtown.

In general, if you can try to avoid a place that is operated by a management company instead of by the actual landlord. management companies tend to be less responsive to fixing things since its not actually their house. But then, there are lots of management companies and some of them aren't so bad, and there are probably some landlords who are terrible. I have heard both horror stories and positive reviews about the same MCs and the same landlords from people I know -- so its hard to blacklist anyone. Try to meet or have a conversation with your landlord or rep from the MC before signing the lease (which, if you know you will be in Boston for a while, is better than subletting and then having to look for a place again later).

Drop me a message if you are having a hard time -- I may be able to hook you up with some inside info if I have friends that are moving or are in need of housemates.
posted by cubby at 6:16 AM on November 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Seriously, don't use a broker; so unnecessary! Do you want to live alone, live with roommates, are you working in a particular part of Boston (assuming you'd rather live closer to work than not). Answers to these questions would help.

Can you afford to visit for a few days and line up some apartment viewings beforehand?

I suspect that most places will be smaller than you're accustomed to.

Check out the davis_square community and b0ston communities on LJ as well.
posted by canine epigram at 6:31 AM on November 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

*ahem* that's b0st0n, and don't dare ask a question there. They thrive on being unhelpful and trolly.
posted by mkb at 6:32 AM on November 14, 2007

As a former Texan now living in Boston I support your decision to leave Big D. Feel free to send me emails with any questions you have about certain parts of town, etc.
posted by mds35 at 6:33 AM on November 14, 2007

I've only rented apartments in the Boston area, so I'm not really sure what's so bizarre about the market here. I guess I've just been brainwashed into thinking it's normal.

The primary cycle around here is based around the school year. Most people I know move around the end of August, and that's when the majority of apartments open up around town. If you're moving out of phase with that you'll have fewer options, but there also won't be the crush of students to compete with. Moving on September 1st around here is a life-threatening experience.

The real issue you need to figure out is life-style. What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? Do you want to be in an apartment building area (Beacon Hill, Back Bay, North End) or a multi-apartment house area (most of Cambridge + Somerville, parts of Jamaica Plain, maybe parts of Allston, too?). Where are you working? Are you going to be taking the T often? Which line should you be on? How close do you want to be? Do you want street parking? How much are you willing to pay? If you can start to work through these questions it'll be way easier to scope your search down. Plus, any broker you meet in the process is going to ask you basically those questions and if you have clear answers, they'll be less likely to drag you around Boston showing you every apartment they're having a hard time selling.

Craigslist is pretty good, although many non-sublet listings are handled by a broker so you'll probably be paying at least a half-fee. You'll want to visit lots of places to get a sense of what market value is. Everything is expensive and there are certainly better and worse deals out there. But there's no magic formula for figuring out if you're getting ripped off. It just takes experience with lots of apartments around here. At this time of year, there isn't a huge pressure to sign really quickly, so I wouldn't jump at the first place you see that looks nice.

If you end up looking at Cambridge/Somerville, feel free to get in touch. I know those areas pretty well.

Good luck!
posted by heresiarch at 6:49 AM on November 14, 2007

Let's have a meetup in January to welcome the new Bostonian.
posted by mds35 at 6:53 AM on November 14, 2007

Do NOT pay a broker's fee unless you think the cash is worth the convenience. In boom times, it's the only way. But the rental market is soft enough right now that it's totally unnecessary.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:58 AM on November 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

One thing I would definitely advise you is to try to find a place where the heat is included. Heating oil prices are skyrocketing and it can cost you $500 or more per month in the winter. If your heat is included then you have a savings cost built in.

Don't pay a realtor fee unless you need to find an apartment like, tomorrow. Also, the maximum amount the landlord can ask for up front is first and last month and a security deposit (maximum of a month's rent).

I'd be interested to know what kind of neighborhood you're looking for and whether or not you plan to live with roommates before making any recommendations about realtors or anything like that.
posted by sutel at 7:07 AM on November 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

Dammit, heresiarch, I hate it when you beat me to things.

Yeah, Boston's the only place I've ever done apartment searches, too, so it seems annoying but not impossible to navigate. Just do plenty of research on the T and don't underestimate how long a commute can be (warning: green line is slooow), and do a little research on the neighborhoods, crime rates, etc. There are lots of up-and-coming neighborhoods in Boston, but some of those neighborhoods still need to up-and-come a little more before people are really comfortable there. In general, the Cambridge/Somerville area is a safe bet if you need to work this all out remotely and won't have a chance to visit before you buy.

Realtor fees are annoying but seem pretty ubiquitous to me. Most realtors I've dealt with have been incredibly helpful and they can be worth it if you don't know the neighborhoods well.

Second getting a place that includes heat (and hot water!).
posted by olinerd at 8:40 AM on November 14, 2007

To answer some questions:

-I'm not gonna get a chance to come up beforehand to look at apts, but my brother lives in the Fenway area and I could always crash at his place for a week or so if need be

-I'm not sure where I'll be working yet. Interviews are lined up for when I get into town and most are in Cambrindge, but some are in downtown

-Being close to the T is very important bc I won't have a car and a central location is prefferred bc the T seems slow (45m to go from Fenway to Cambridge??? It's only 2 miles away)

-The upper limit on my rent is going to be $750, but I'm trying to find something around $650

-I really like the Fenway area, but is seems pretty expensive

Thanks so much
posted by doppleradar at 11:02 AM on November 14, 2007

I had a similar budget when I was searching for my first apartment earlier this year. It makes things pretty difficult unless you’re willing to live in a basement unit or share with roommates.
As far as I could tell, most of the apartments in that price range tend to be located in Allston/Brighton or along Huntington Avenue. Occasionally something will pop-up somewhere in Waltham/Watertown or Roxbury/Dorchester/Jamaica Plain though that may be out of the way for you. The very first place I looked at was on Huntington Ave near Brigham Circle and it was pretty much a closet with a bathroom and a small combination sink/range/mini-fridge - very college student-esque. I imagine most of the $600-700 apartments in that area have a similar setup.
I also looked at similarly uninspiring places along Commonwealth Ave which were advertised on Craigslist by brokers who all turned out to be time wasters. I ultimately found a one bedroom apartment in Chelsea for the same price as the Huntington Ave closet.

Keys to success: I made sure to keep an eye on the “all no fee apts” and “apts by owner” sections on Craigslist. I added the RSS feeds for my Craigslist searches to Google Reader. Definitely inquire about apartments that have heat included in the rent – it makes a tremendous difference.
posted by healthytext at 12:35 PM on November 14, 2007

IF you're going to be working in Cambridge, you want to look at apartments on the Red Line, rather than the Green.

So Cambridge (expensive, unlikely), Somerville, Medford, Arlington, etc, all on bus routes or near the T-stops. You can use the "trip planning" feature of the MBTA website to figure out if the address of a potential place is close to the T (if you know the name of some nearby stops).
posted by canine epigram at 2:39 PM on November 14, 2007

Judging from what you're saying about possible jobs, I'd advise looking in Somerville around the Davis Square, Ball Square, and Porter Square areas. These are all on the red line and would give you a straight shot on the train to Cambridge or downtown, and will probably be cheaper than Fenway. Prices get cheaper the farther you are from a T stop, but that means you have to walk or bike farther each way. (Biking in Boston can be frightening but is a great way to get around since actual distances are not really that far -- a 1 hr train ride could take 20min by bike).

$650 to me is on the high end of the scale (i.e. you should be able to get a pretty nice place for that much or you should be able to find something cheaper) if you are living with roomates, and on the low end of the scale for living alone (i.e. good luck finding it at that price).

There's been great advice here about how to use CL and about finding something with heat included. Best of luck on your search!
posted by cubby at 3:39 PM on November 14, 2007