Need a place in Boston starting June, when do I apartment hunt? (Cambridge: sublets)

[crystal_slipper]

Hi,
I'm moving from LA to Boston this summer. I don't have any place to crash at; so, I'll have to stay at a hotel while I go apartment hunting for places either in Brighton/Cambridge.
If I want a place around June 1st, and do not want to go broke from staying at a hotel too long, should I arrive Wed, May 28th/sooner/later?

Thanks

[eevee]

wait, I don't get your question. are you saying you are looking to move to Boston June 1st, but won't start looking for places to live until May 28th? you should be in the city, ready to move into your new place by the 28th, not looking for a place to live 2 days before you move.

you could start searching virtually for 6/1 apartments now, since this is around the time many students leave the area. you'll likely find a lot of sublets (most leases fun from 9/1-8/31), but some of these may turn into long term deals. at this point, coming up to April 1st, many LLs, esp. those that cater to the student population, will already know which apartments will be available at this time (and I wouldn't be surprised if a few were already rented out). I'd try to get to Boston to secure a place no later than May 1st (and do some arrangements on line). you could use a realtor, but if you set up your appointments right and do your research, you can do this solo (esp since you're only looking at 2 neighborhoods). you should, hopefully, have a place lined up by 5/1

[xS☺B☺s]

eevee is right. Boston has a really high occupancy rate. You need to plan. Be aware too that apts go so fast in Boston that if you see something you like and call back the next day it very well may be gone. Happened to me more than once.

sublet.com would be a great place to find a good deal.

The Hostel on Hemenway St could save you some dough.

The Hostel is right on this corner:

http://www.mediamax.com/colek98/Hosted/hem.JPG (broken link)

[crystal_slipper]

To clarify, I want a place by June 1st. Thanks everyone for your advice, esp. the hostel

[crystal_slipper]

When do most people show apartments, weekday/weekend?

[sue629]

The apartment market in Boston is very hot this year. I am in the business(owner) and have been for many years. i have not seen a more active market. rents are up and vacancies down, anything decent that comes on the market does not last. this is very different from a few years back when people had the luxury to not move on a place right away and it would still be available. It is not like that now. alot of landlords come out with their vacancies 30-60 days ahead, those who came out earlier with decent apartments are mostly rented. You should start looking in april, late may is too late for a june rental, rentals in boston generally run sept-aug or june to may. there are of course exceptions. prepare to pay 1100 and up for a 1 bed. If you want more info, you can email me.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by crystal_slipper

When do most people show apartments, weekday/weekend?

this depends of the LL/realtor and MOST importantly, the folks still living in the apartment. I doubt you'll be seeing many vacant apartments, unless you're looking in complexes that reserve a model apartment. LLs have to work around the schedule of the current renters a bit. some LLs may schedule viewings on a weekday while the renters are at work, others may try for a weekend. I've had appointments cancelled b/c the current renters decided not to show the place that day, or b/c the place was trashed, so. prepare for this and make sure you have back up places to see.

[jronald]

You should not have a problem, it really does depend on what you are looking for though. You can rent an apartment and have the paperwork go through in days depending on the realtor or landlord. There are many apartments available at all times, but they can go quickly. Realtors will show a place usually any time of day, to a point, and on weekends. They will ask a fee though, some landlords will pay the fee others will pay half. You will also need quite a bit of cash saved to move sucessfully. Many apartments require first, last, security deposit and fee (the fee will be equal to one months rent). A really cheap/free option would be to stay at someones house, sounds like you do not have an aversion to crashing at people's apartments by your message.

CouchSurfing

Hostels are a good option, I rented a short term apartment which turned out to be cheaper than a hostel. Couchsurfing would be the least expensive option of all. Good luck on your move, Boston is great.