Young family moving to another apt-- Brookline or Malden (Boston: apartments, to rent)

[mephie]

Hi all,

I have the option to rent a $1700 gorgeous apartment in Malden or a very nice apartment in Brookline for $2350. We do not know what to do.

We cannot decide which to take. The Malden apartment is gorgeous, and would cost one million in Brookline. I can't believe it is only $1700 a month. The Brookline apartment is very nice too, but not as nice as the Malden apartment.

The Brookline apartment has three bedrooms, one which is in the basement and could easily be rented out to someone working in the LMA. The Malden apartment has 2 bedrooms, but 2.5 baths and 2 dens, and is much larger at 1500 sqft than the 1000 sqft Brookline apartment.

My first child is due in October and we are planning on having a second child, probably 18-24 months apart. Therefore, schools won't be an issue for ~5 more years for us, at which point we would definitely be living in Brookline. We are quiet people, do not like going out all that often. I am a student/researcher at Harvard so the commute is comparable.

We want to be near greenery. The town of Brookline is much more green than Malden, and the Brookline apartment is next to JP, but Middlesex Fells is very close to the Malden apartment (car necessary but not an issue. The elementary school is within walking distance).


Here's a nice list of what I see as the strong points for each apartment:

Brookline:

-1000 sqft apartment
-Best schools, though non-issue for ~5 years
-Wealthier families, less diversity
-Lots of parks and playgrounds, more chances to meet people who are of similar interests and with small children
-Brookline Village is active and within walking distance from the apartment
-Better chances for my wife to make connections for tutoring (she tutors high school mathematics)
-Ability to have a roommate, if wanted
-Car necessary for shopping and meeting with others, unless you are going to one of the nearby parks
-Located near Brookline Village and LMA Map: hall road, Brookline, MA - Google Maps

Malden:

-1500 sqft apartment, two floors
-It's the suburbs and will require a car to go food shopping (though so does the Brookline apartment and we usually shop at Costco)
-It's much larger than the Brookline apartment
-It is much nicer than the Brookline apartment
-The neighborhood is more run down and not as green
-We would have to move again in a few years when our children start school (I hate apartment searching)
-Car necessary
-Within 10 minutes walk to Malden Center T stop

NB: We do own one car. We can make it work where we won't need to purchase another.


Honestly, when I think about it, the Malden apartment mainly has the beautiful design going for it, whereas the Brookline apartment has the name going for it (though it is a very nice apartment too, just not as polished as in Malden). The space in the Malden apartment seems huge, but I am sure, with children, it will be utilized well. Moving to Malden would be a huge change, which I see as the suburbs, whereas Brookline does not feel that way. Malden's town is not as nice as Brookline, but I do not think it is horrible, either. Malden is much cheaper and lets us save for a $2500-3000 a month apartment in Brookline when our children start school.


I appreciate all suggestions and input!

[NotAPrincess]

Brookline, no question. I lived there for 8 years and loved it. IMO, location is so much more important than the niceness of the apartment. We tried to move back there this year, but couldn't afford what we wanted so we ended up in Newton.

Here are a few points:

- you state that the apartment is ok but not great. If the apartment was terrible, that'd be a different story.
- Brookline is great for families, regardless of whether the kids are in school not or yet.
- Brookline might be more diverse than you think. It's a different kind of diversity but, especially in Brookline Village, it's a very international crowd. Not much economic diversity, but lots of cultural diversity.
- If you move to Malden and then want to relocate in a few years for better schools, you'll have at least one child, which will make it much more difficult to find an apartment to rent. Lots of landlords don't want to rent to families with kids either because of lead paint reasons or just general dislike of renting to kids.

Only thing to keep in mind is that if you have a car, you'll need to have an off-street spot since there's no overnight street parking in Brookline.

[mephie]

Thanks. But what do you mean about the location... they are both equal in traveling times...

I did some searching and I found some incredibly nice places in Brookline that were available a few weeks ago, but when I went apartment hunting with a broker a week ago, they were all dumps. What gives?

[NotAPrincess]

Originally Posted by mephie

Thanks. But what do you mean about the location... they are both equal in traveling times...

I did some searching and I found some incredibly nice places in Brookline that were available a few weeks ago, but when I went apartment hunting with a broker a week ago, they were all dumps. What gives?

Maybe they have similar travel times, but Brookline Village is a way more fun and interesting location than Malden, IMO. That's what I mean by location.

But, if you say the Brookline apt is a dump, then it's a different story. I was going by what you said in your OP which was that the apartment was very nice but not gorgeous.

[mephie]

I see, okay.

Any ideas on why there are all these nights apartments available -- presumably -- a few weeks ago, but when I went looking last week with a realtor, none like these. All I could find were $2300+ 6 room 3 bedroom triple deckers close to JP that looked horrible.

It's bothersome because these are under 2k and they are very nice. I would be fine with a 2 bedroom, or even a 1+ for around $1500-1750 in Brookline...

[Bostonmania]

Originally Posted by mephie

Thanks. But what do you mean about the location... they are both equal in traveling times...

I did some searching and I found some incredibly nice places in Brookline that were available a few weeks ago, but when I went apartment hunting with a broker a week ago, they were all dumps. What gives?

I think what she means is that she would rather live in a place that she loved in a so-so apartment, than a place she didnt like as much but the apartment is nicer. in this case she would rather live in brookline than malden, even though the apartments nicer in malden.

So you're saying you looked online at these apartments, which were cheap, in a nice part, or looked nice, and then went to look at them in person and realized they were dumps?
if so, i'm not surprised. It happens to me a lot too, so i go to check out places with low standards, because a lot of the time someone will make it look and seem a lot nicer than it actually is. especially if they're on a professional marketing site, these guys will be smart in hooking you in to try to get a sale.
How were they dumps and what part of brookline were they in?\

I love both places, but for raising a family probably Brookline. It has really nice schools and I especially like the area closer to beacon street because of the nice stores and restaurants. Malden's schools are not so nice and it's definitely less of a green place, i know what you mean. I've spent a lot of time there over the years, but i love it. Not as familiar with brookline, but even though it's a town, parts of it seem a lot more city ish, and you're a lot more surrounded by boston and BU. I feel Malden is more i dont know, isolated from boston? I mean it still has the T and everything but it feels more independent than brookline and i like that.
Why you would need a car in both these places?
Both of them are bike and walkable.

[mephie]

No, what I mean is the listings on that site have some really nice looking apartments available, and quite a few under $2000. I saw one of the listings from that website I linked through my realtor and it was very nice, but I was unable to get the apartment. It is like that realty company gets very good listings. My realtor told me the reason I didn't see the apartment on the MLS was because it was an exclusive and they didn't list it on the MLS...

Or did I miss the start of when the apartments for 9/1 become available? What date is that generally?

I don't want a million dollar condo for $2000 a month, but I would like something in a house that is not drafty and something that has been updated in the past 20 years. And then I can build all types of built in cabinets and whatnot to make the place look really nice.


I am thinking maybe I should stay in Lower Allston for one more year and contact that realtor to find a very nice Brookline apartment for 9/1/2012. I was losing hope that nice listings really existed (not apartments that didn't exist, only so they could get your phone number and harras you) until I saw the listing from that company...


Examples from this specific realtor... most say unavailable now, but I assume that is because the rush is over. Or do apartments like these not exist (and are only fake to get you to call)? It's just so strange, when I went with my realtor (from a top Brookline realty company) they had access to no listings like this, other than the one I was able to see. But nothing like this was on the MLS...

[veggiegirl26]

I know I did look at an apartment near Brookline Village that looked VERY similar to one or two that you posted. They do exist but I think they're few and far between.

[mephie]

So, why are there nice apartments and crappy apartments at the same price, in the same part of Brookline? You would think the less attractive properties would be less...

[veggiegirl26]

Location? The apartment I looked at had the T running through the back "yard" and I am pretty sure you could hear/feel it. Didn't bother us but it might be a problem for some people. Also, the apartment was on a busy street that looked a little more run down. If you walked up the street and turned the corner (a maximum 5 minute leisurely stroll), you were on a nicer looking street near the heart of Brookline Village.

I'm sure there are all sorts of scams regarding finding an apartment in the Boston area. It was a pain for us (we needed a place that would accept our dog) and I would happily stay in an "ok" apartment if it meant I didn't have to find another place again soon. Moving is such a pain and I'd rather avoid it if possible.