Speaking of Boston...

[mercoledi]

Yeah, I've signed two year leases and gotten 2 free months. Love to get those tenants locked in! The perfect (to me anyway) situation is to be able to go month-to-month or tenant at will. Housing/realtor regulations are pretty crazy here.

Ok, if you need space, I'd stick to N. Quincy, Sommerville, maybe Watertown, but Watertown'll be a tougher commute. You could do something in Brookline/JP/Cambridge(port) but you'd have to get lucky.
NQ/Sommerville will be a nice commute for you, the courthouse is walkable from the redline and right on the silver for crappy weather.

This one is huge and in NQ, but doesn't include heat.

Feel free to run listings/adresses by me, I know cambridge/brookline/jp and have a co-worker in NQ. I'm sure someone else can cover Sommerville (I know the parts right on the T but little else).

ETA: Realtors are only contracted to certain properties and often one apt will lease through more than one realtor. I like Metro, but they're not cheap and I don't know how much they do outside of Brookline/Newton. Hate hate hate Paragon. Really. Everything we saw was uninhabitable.

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

Just chiming in on a couple of the the North Quincy links- to be honest, those aren''t great neighborhoods. If you are thinking about Quincy I would recommend trying to get something close to Wollaston Station. I live in Wollaston and it''s a little more cleaned up and well-kept than North Quincy even though they aren''t fair apart. Just my opinion, of course.

As far as a commute from Watertown, I have a friend who lives there and has to drive to work (college near Fenway Park). It just really doesn''t have great public transit unless you take a bus.

JP is also lacking a little bit in the transit arena, depending on where you are. Somerville has a couple of stops and is a very trend, happening place these days. Definitely a great place to hang out.

 

[shigidigi]

Wow- I feel like I may need a whole week to find a place!

I hate it when Craigslist doesnt tell me the actual location of the apt for rent... like this one sounds good but who knows where it might be??

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/nfb/716379011.html

 

[shigidigi]

Oh and I completely forgot about parking... we have one car. Will these areas be awful about parking your car on the street?? That was one of the nice things about Salem- plentiful parking.

This is becoming scary!!

 

[mercoledi]

Date: 6/11/2008 4:48:08 PM
Author: shigidigi
Wow- I feel like I may need a whole week to find a place!


I hate it when Craigslist doesnt tell me the actual location of the apt for rent... like this one sounds good but who knows where it might be??


http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/nfb/716379011.html

Meh, that's a fairly studenty area. It's probably on/near Comm Ave in the 1500's. The Brookline side of that area is really nice, Sna77 lives there, but the the Allston side is junky and there isn't really easy parking right there, it's all resident on street, which is good (no on-street parking in Brookline), but there isn't a ton and the price is a little high for that area.

ETA: Yeah, I don't know NQ well at all, sorry!

 

[shigidigi]

Ok, what if you ladies come along for the "Help find Shigi and Mr. Shigi an Apt"-athon and then I buy everyone heaping servings of ice cream at the place of their choice afterwards??

You know you're interested...

 

[mercoledi]

Same area, $100 cheaper.

If you need parking, stick to things in Boston/Cambridge/Sommerville (JP and Qunicy are both part of Boston). If I were you and had your preferences, I'd look around Davis square,(maybe as far north as Arlington) or in Quincy as outliers and move in toward the city from there. The region between Davisn and Arlington Center is nice.

Sadly asking for parking and laundry is asking a lot, along with the 2 bedrooms. These apartments exist, but it pays to be picky. There are also Harvard/Tufts housing boards and some of the nicer apartments end up there. I'll see if I can dig those up.

Inman is really great, but it's a 15 minute walk to the T. If that works for you, look there, it'll be cheaper/bigger/parking-y-ier than things right on the T.

I think you'd like Washington Square (hell, I like Washingtons Square and Sna loves it) but you'd have to find parking and the green line isn't nearly as efficient as the red line.

 

[shigidigi]

I''m not adversed to a 15 minute walk to the T, but then I envision snow and rain and I think... maybe I am picky

Washington Square sounds nice, but perhaps I will start (like you said) with Davis square and work around that. I have a coworker that lives in Arlington (but he could afford to buy a house!) and he always says I need to check out the area. Are things still walkable there?

 

[mercoledi]

Walkable to the T or walkable for food/fun? I have friends who also own there and they can walk to get dinner, but drive for groceries and take a bus to the T to get into the city.

Arlington Center has a cool movie theater, restaurants, shops etc. No bars though. Depending on where in Arlington you are you can be near a bus or the red line Davis/Alewife stops. Near Alewife is more of a driving-to-get groceries area than a walking area. The part of Cambridge sort of around Davis/Porter Mass ave would be my first pick. The T runs along/under Mass Ave from Central Square up to Porter, then the T swings East a tad to Davis while Mass Ave keeps going into Arlington. I have a friend with a condo on Mass ave but only about 6 blocks from Davis which is pretty ideal IMO. She can take a bus into Harvard Square from in front of her house or walk to the Davis T.

Don''t we have some Arlingtoners here?

 

[Kismet]

Date: 6/11/2008 5:45:29 PM
Author: mercoledi

Don''t we have some Arlingtoners here?

Me! You wouldn''t be able to walk to the T from Arlington. You''d either have to grab a bus to Alewife or Harvard Square or drive to Alewife. I live a bit west of Arlington Center and it takes me about 10 minutes to drive to Alewife at any time that''s not the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes if I''m in the thick of rush hour.

Yeah, no bars in Arlington (or at least no bars that are just bars. You could probably hang out at the bar at Tryst and just drink) but we do have 2 liquor stores now! But every restaurant I''ve been into here has either a full bar or beer/wine served. ((Arlington used to be a dry town and pre mid-1990s only restaurants that could seat a certain number of people were allowed to serve alcohol, which in Arlington meant pretty much only Jimmy''s.))

 

[shigidigi]

Heh, I dont want to come across as a boozer- BUT DH does love a good pint of beer after a long day. That amazes me that Arlington was dry not that long ago!

I dont mind having to drive to get groceries, but I would like to be able to walk to the T for work or at least have a short bus ride.

It sounds like whether I live near Davis/Porter or in Arlington, it would be easy to use the T to get back and forth between the two for fun excursions perhaps? (Or have I mixed up my lines once more?)

 

[Kismet]

Here, this might help a bit. Click on the "interactive street map" tab.

 

[shigidigi]

Brilliant idea Kismet! That is most helpful!

 

[Kismet]

Oh and to give you an idea of scale, I live about mid way between rte 60 (Pleasant street) and Park Ave. and that''s about a 10 minute drive (avoiding Mass Ave as much as possible) or a 15 min bus ride to Alewife.

 

[swimmer]

Hmmm, for parking I suggest near Tufts. The Tufts graduate housing site is useful. I agree that 2br plus parking, w/d, and 1.5br is gonna be a stretch. I have never lived (in my last 9 apts all in Boston) in a place with 1.5 bathrooms. Once had two, but that was with six bedrooms and two flights. The layout is pretty standard if you are looking at living in a floor of a house, which I tend to stick to as I like a good old verbal month to month agreement over a signed lease.

Arlington is nice, I think its pretty walkable, there is a huge whole foods at Alewife and Foodmaster on rt 16 and further in, well, how can you not love a grocery that claims that moniker? The 77 bus through Arlington to Harvard runs constantly and there seems to be parking on the streets.

Medford is more of a shlep for walking, like a mile to Davis or Porter depending, but friends have huge 2br apts for around 1k a month. I like being closer to the T, so pay a smidge more.

There are a TON of new apts going up near lechmere, close to the museum of science, and on the green line. That wouldn't be a bad commute for you. Where does your man plan to work? Ummm, commuter rail from Courthouse to Salem would be a pain...but if you find the place of your dreams...can you work on the train? Just to give an idea, I get on at Davis and get off at Fenway, switching at Park, with a short walk its an hour each way. But I get to see some of the wackiest people that the US has to offer.

Have you thought of coming here to rent for a bit and then purchase when you get the lay of the land?

 

[shigidigi]

Thanks swimmer!

Renting is exactly what I am aiming to do first off to be sure I like the area, and not to mention moving to a brand new city without having lived there before probably would not make me a good candidate for purchasing right away (unless the best deal in the world fell into my lap I suppose!)

I wonder if I shouldnt suck it up and just try Salem- but perhaps only if I get a month to month lease in case I hate it. I am just really overwhelmed, but hopefully getting out to Boston and spending a few days checking out different parts of town and looking at apartments will make me feel better. If only DH could come but his teaching schedule is insane this summer.

He hasnt found a job yet although he has applied to many schools for some adjunct work. It may be that it takes him a month or two once we have moved to find something stable- which is another reason having relatively low rent would be helpful. AND I can definitely let go of the half bath dream

I have just been spoiled by my two bath apt in SF.

 

[shigidigi]

Oh one more question- what about Hyde Park south of Boston... boring neighborhood or decent place? I only ask because their home prices are amazing, which obviously means it is not the hippest place to live

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

2 quick things: Quincy is actually not part of Boston- it''s a city (with all the crazy silly small town bureaucracy that comes along with it). And we have lots o'' bars.

Personally, I would prefer to be within walking distance of the T than walking distance to anything else. The T can take you to a bar, dinner, movie, etc and with a monthly pass it''s pretty reasonably priced. Chances are you will have to drive to either a grocery store or a laundromat.

There are some spots in JP, Brookline, Boston that have decent resident parking so if you can get a sticker you''ll have an easier time stashing your car. The only major issue being snow emergency- I always wonder where city people put their cars then!

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

Hyde Park isn''t bad- there are definitely good and bad parts. A good real estate agent (or maybe someone on here) could help you navigate the area and find a good deal in a good part. I know a few people who live there and really like it.

 

[shigidigi]

Thanks SoFar- you are right about it just being easier to be near a T stop than walkable to everything. While searching Craigslist tonight I see a lot of apts for rent within the Winter Hill area of Somerville. It looks like it is really close to Tufts (at least on the map!) should I consider this a potential area to put on my list? It looks like my money may go a bit further there.

ETA- Tufts Park, not Tufts. Spoke too soon.

 

[ellaila]

Shigi, Winter Hill is sketchy (though it''s got an interesting past! Linky ). I''d stick closer to Davis/Teele Squares (near Tufts) if possible!

 

[mercoledi]

Date: 6/11/2008 7:43:01 PM
Author: swimmer

There are a TON of new apts going up near lechmere, close to the museum of science, and on the green line. That wouldn't be a bad commute for you.

I was thinking that too, but I don't spend any time up there except at the mall

. Are there little neighborhoods? There's certainly enough housing going in an being re-furbed. The E line is fast through there and you could even walk from Government Center if you're cool with a 20ish minute walk.


Shigi- your husband is in higher education too? Does he want to teach? If he gets desperate, Cambridge College is a bit of a hell-hole to admin in, but they pay pretty well for teachers and are always desperate to hire. It's on Mass Ave between Harvard and Central.

 

[Kismet]

Date: 6/11/2008 8:44:49 PM
Author: shigidigi
Oh one more question- what about Hyde Park south of Boston... boring neighborhood or decent place? I only ask because their home prices are amazing, which obviously means it is not the hippest place to live

Hyde Park is actually part of Boston. My brother just sold his house there because he didn''t want to send his kids to the Boston public schools. His neighborhood (right on the Milton line) was nice. I''ve never spent any time in Hyde Park other than at his house so I don''t know what the community is like but it seemed to be more family-ish than young couple-ish. He did tell me that there are a lot of Boston police and firemen living in Hyde Park since they''re required to live within the city limits.

 

[shigidigi]

Lechmere- I will write that down too

Mercoledi- yep he teaches English Lit/Comp in higher ed and I dont think he has applied at Cambridge College. It always seems that English is the worst possible degree to have when it comes to teaching because everyone else seems to have the same degree! I am really hoping he will find something soon or quickly once we''ve moved so we dont have to scramble too long. As nice as it is to have enough savings, I really dont want to have to use it to "get by" but I would if I had to...

Kismet- thanks for the info on Hyde Park. The homes I keep seeing are really darling there but of course the whole public transportation is a must so I will have to keep that in mind. And since DH and I wont be having kids for quite some time I dont really worry about the schools (although I know I should- it is just thing too many to try and control).

Mercoledi, from where would I have a 20ish min walk? Lechmere? That actually does not sound like a bad walk at all- very doable.

 

[mercoledi]

From Government Center to the new courthouse.

Otherwise you have to go into Park street, change to the red line, go two stops to South Station and either walk from there (10-15 minutes, depending on how quickly you tend to walk) or catch the silver two more stops to the courthouse stop. The silverline stop is entirely enclosed, so that''ll be a nice option in inclement weather; just take the elevator up to work!

Cambridge College I would not recommend for a career, but it''s fine for work. I know the undergraduate dean there as well. DH worked there until early this year when the president was fired. During/after that a whole lot of admin type people left as the future of the place became increasingly uncertain. You can find the articles on the Globe online, the whole thing was pretty weird. All that having been said, people who teach there like it; they get the best treatment of all the employees.

 

[sap483]

I''ll chime in here. I lived in the Wollaston area of Quincy for about 2 years after living in Kennmore and Brookline during college. Quincy was pretty convenient for where I worked most of the time (Financial District). It was about a 20 minute ride to South Station on most days from Wollaston. Quincy does have it''s own bars, etc and some of them are decently fun. It wasn''t difficult to get back to Quincy from the city though to be honest. It used to cost us maybe $25 to take a cab from govt center.

FI lived in an area of Quincy called Hough''s Neck. It''s a little further from the city, but it''s quiet and close to the water. He still owns rental property there even though we live out in the suburbs now.

The biggest draw of Quincy to me was that I was able to get a HUGE renovated 2 floor apartment with parking for far less than what I was paying for this awful basement apartment in the city. For that reason I think a lot of people in their 20''s move out there. It''s affordable and still convenient to the city. I know FI''s tenants have typically all been young couples.

 

[swimmer]

Date: 6/11/2008 10:47:33 PM
Author: shigidigi
Thanks SoFar- you are right about it just being easier to be near a T stop than walkable to everything. While searching Craigslist tonight I see a lot of apts for rent within the Winter Hill area of Somerville. It looks like it is really close to Tufts (at least on the map!) should I consider this a potential area to put on my list? It looks like my money may go a bit further there.


ETA- Tufts Park, not Tufts. Spoke too soon.

Tufts Park is a bit far, its a transitioning hood, used to be the center of organized crime, Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill gang, but things are changing. My CVS is there. Its about a mile and change to Davis, a bit more to Porter depending. But there are a ton of Brazilian markets, Italian bakeries, and cheap rent there and the park pool costs like $20 for a summer membership. Just be cautious, its not an area that has been very rehabilitated. You will find ample parking, but the electricity and insulation might not be from this century or the last. Then again, they just turned a firehouse into condos and they are all granite top this and brushed stainless that...the yuppies are coming. Sounds like you might want something in between.

ETA: A word on realtors: I have been shown crackdens (is that hyphenated?) by realtors and found great places on Craigslist and vice versus. Boston is a weird place, there are typical places for every hood, but every hood has exceptions that break the rule. It sadly just takes some real sifting to find a great place.

 

[mercoledi]

Shigi- How''s the hunt going?

 

[shigidigi]

Hi Mercoledi! Thanks for thinking of me! Well after my company dragged their feet for the past month, I was told yesterday that I need to go to Boston next week to make a presentation in our office to some groups of people. I asked my boss if while I was there I could look for an apartment since no movement has been made and he gave me the go ahead!

Needless to say I am super nervous. I figured I would wait until I am about to buy the plane ticket before looking at Craigslist again for apartments to go look at. There are so many listed right now it is seriously overwhelming. I have also noticed that many places are not offering heat and hot water as an inclusion in the price of rent which I am assuming is because the cost of utilities is seriously more expensive than it was a year ago which bums me out!

I really hate the thought of moving in Sept 1st when 4 million other people will be doing it, so I will try and get a lease that starts at least a week earlier.

Wish me luck! I am gonna try to keep my sights around Cambridge/Somerville (not Winter Hill though), N. Quincy and JP. I think those will be a good start. If anyone has any other ideas let me know!

I am super nervous that I wont be able to find a good place in the 3-4 days I will most likely have to look next week! Send the apartment dust this way please!!

 

[mercoledi]

Wow, no pressure, just three days in which to hold a meeting in a new city and find an apartment. Of course you''re overwhelmed!

I bet you can find something, but it won''t be easy. Map out in advance the neighborhoods you will and won''t consider. Try to be a little flexible with the budget if you can, and maybe think about getting an agent. It will cost $ but will save you time and hassle. Will your company cover your relocation costs? If so, maybe you can pawn off the realtor fee on them. The good news is that the areas you''re looking in all have resident on-street parking. To miss Sept 1 you may have to sign for Aug 15 and just move in when you can.

Good luck! I may or may not be around next week, but if I''m here I''d be happy to try and help. I haven''t moved in the last 4 years, but I moved plenty before that!