Moving to Boston. Need help in finding apartment (Quincy, Newton: apartments, rentals)

[mohanrkrishna]

Hi - I will be moving to Boston and work place will be Backbay. Need 1 bed room apartment. Please share any info you have w.r.t apartments near to Subway or Commuter rail. Looking for something in the range $1200 - $1500 with fitness center. And i am okay with 45 mins - 1 hour for commute. Did some search and found below places to be good
1) West Natick (Natick village and Kendall crossing)
2) Malden Center (Granada Highlands)
3) Quincy commons
4) West Roxbury area

Would appreciate any help in sharing information on above areas. And which one might be good place

Based on my research ,have to depend on commuter for West Natick and others on Subway.
From West Natick , there is no commuter rail after 9:16 AM until 11:15 AM. So curious to know best way to reach backbay after 9:16 AM. Can i drive to any nearest subway(not sure which one) and take subway

Thanks in advance!

[mohanrkrishna]

Hi
Can someone please provide any recommendation. Really appreciate your help.

Thanks!

[professeurpablo]

Welcome to the area!

I can't really comment on specific developments because I've never lived in them myself, but I'd offer this suggestion: try to live within close proximity of a subway station or bus stop. With a commute to Back Bay, living on or near the orange line would be sensible. Malden is a logical place to consider given your commute and price range, though I wouldn't limit myself to just Granada Highlands as there are many other apartment options in Malden that are, in my opinion at least, more reasonably priced than that location. Medford or Everett on a bus line to Malden, Wellington or Sullivan Stations could work too. You might not get a fitness center in an apartment in a private home, but you probably would save a bit and could then join a gym. The BSC at Wellington is a good one, and there are other reputable facilities in the area as well.

To me, West Natick would be too far, and the commuter rail costs and inconvenience relative to the subway lines would stretch your budget and test your sanity. Quincy has many good points, but the commute to where you'd be working would be a bit trickier than it would be from Malden. West Roxbury could work, but it's a rather long bus ride to the orange line from there, and otherwise, you're looking at the commuter rail again.

For more information on all of this transit stuff, check out the MBTA's website and explore the maps, timetables and fare information. Seeing things mapped out might help you make a decision on an area on which to focus your search.

[mohanrkrishna]

Thanks very much for your inputs. I will look out for apartments near orange line in Malden & West roxbury.
Much appreciated professeurpablo.

[professeurpablo]

Careful - West Roxbury isn't particularly close to the orange line. You'd have to take a bus from Forest Hills to West Roxbury, and this can add quite a bit onto your commute at peak times. West Roxbury is a fairly large neighborhood area wise, so you'd need to take that into account as well. Additionally, most of the bus routes to West Roxbury from Forest Hills are limited in the evenings, so you'd have to consider that. That's why I suggested that you play around with the MBTA website and learn more about the transit setup here in Greater Boston. Others may have other suggestions given your parameters. That said, I think that the Malden area would be a good place to start, particularly if you could find something near the orange line.

[mohanrkrishna]

Sure will search in Malden area first. Thanks. I am using RENT.com, Apartment guide websites. Can you suggest if are aware of any good sites for apartment search

[professeurpablo]

I would check out Craig's List - just be aware that there can be scammers on there. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Once you start looking, feel free to ask about specific neighborhoods around here. I know Malden very well and can help steer you away from less desirable sections if you need it.

[KataM]

Hi,

I would not recommend any of these options. Taking the commuter rail in is a REAL hassle and Malden & Rox are bad areas. Unfortunately, 1,200-1,500 won't get you too far in Boston.

What you need to do is contact a realtor and they will be able to help you. In Boston, it's a law that all renting needs to go through a Realtor anyway. I would recommend you look somewhere like Newton, but then you're far from the city.

Good luck,

-Katherine

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by KataM

Hi,
I would not recommend any of these options. Taking the commuter rail in is a REAL hassle and Malden & Rox are bad areas. Unfortunately, 1,200-1,500 won't get you too far in Boston.

Malden is not a dangerous area. I am a very safety driven person and not once was I afraid driving through there or getting out of my car in any part of Malden.

Originally Posted by KataM

What you need to do is contact a realtor and they will be able to help you. In Boston, it's a law that all renting needs to go through a Realtor anyway.

Where did you hear this? This is simply not true. Plenty of rentals in local papers and Craigslist.

[professeurpablo]

Katherine, Malden has very occasional rough moments, but have you spent much time there? It's really nothing like Roxbury at all. It would actually make sense for the OP's commute (orange line, not commuter rail in his case) and would fit well within his budget. There is a lot of good development work going on in and around the square - new restaurants and apartments and the like - and there are many nice, quiet, safe neighborhoods full of families and young professionals.

Also, to be clear, we're talking about West Roxbury, not Roxbury. They're completely different neighborhoods of Boston and don't even share a border with one another.