Moving to Boston with Baby (Newton, Natick: apartments, rentals, insurance)

[Cindy5t]

Need some advice! My husband just took a job in Natick and we need to move to MA from the DC suburbs ASAP. We would like to live in a more urban environment and probably will have to rent because it'll be too difficult to sell our current home in this housing market.

So.....I would like an idea of what we're looking at as far as our options. Here's some of our background info and wishlist.

We have a baby (just turned 1), so not concerned about schools, but would like to live in a safer area.
We have a large breed dog, not sure how flexible living situations there are with a 70lb Akita.
We'd like to live somewhere where there is easy access to public transportation, and walkable to restaurants, shops, parks, etc.
Ideally we would like a place that has a one car garage (is that even possible in the city?!)
Looking to find a place along/near the commuter train line to Natick, but closer to Boston.
Hoping to find something for less than $2000/month that is spacious enough to accommodate all of us. (Probably at least a 2 bd/2 ba)

So, what are my prospects??

Thanks!!
Cindy

[ogre]

One thing I'm not sure about is renting when you have a dog. I've never been in that situation, but I've heard that a lot of rentals in the area have no-pet rules. I'd think you'd need to check with individual landlords on this. The first town that comes to mind that is safe, fairly close to the city, and on the same commuter rail line as Natick is Newton. It has the population of a small city--about 80k the last I knew--but is affluent and largely residential. Still kind of a moderately high population density, though, with neighborhood shopping areas with restaurants and small shops, rather than one large downtown area. Kind of like the innermost suburban area before the character becomes mainly urban. A little city and kind of suburban both. The same commuter rail line that goes to Natick can have you from Newton into the heart of Boston in 15-20 minutes, maybe even slightly less depending on your stop. For 2,000/mo. you may be looking at renting an apartment rather than a house, but you never know. Newton is large enough that you may be able to ferret out various possibilities. By the way, you said you wanted someplace safe. Newton is often ranked in the top ten cities in the country for lowest crime rate. If I'm not mistaken, it has been ranked number one at least once in the last few years. Best of luck with your move.

[Pinkhat]

You'll have a hard time finding rentals that will allow Akitas, Rottweilers or Pit Bulls, I'm afraid.

[WannaGoHome]

If you are not looking in Boston proper, you might be ok with the dog. And about the breed, don't worry. People know Pitt's, Rotties, and the like. But Akita's?? I don't think anyone, unless they are really into dogs, will even think of your little darling as dangerous. As for help on a city, I'm sorry, I live in Boston proper and apparently that makes me oblivious to the world outside. Haha. *rolls eyes* I've been to all of the places right outside of Boston, and even took the commuter rail to Natick to eat dinner last weekend with my family that lives out there. It was really nice out there, but I didn't pay enough attention to make any suggestions. Sorry! Good luck though!

[Pinkhat]

WanaGoHome, landlords and home insurance companies do not regard Akitas as "little darlings." I should know. I once had a beautiful Akita, a show dog.

Cindy5t, you might find this Google search useful.

[WannaGoHome]

I'm sorry that you had problems Pinkhat. That's a shame. I've signed a few leases in the past few years and pits and rotties were always mentioned, but i never saw akita's/shepherds mentioned unless they were trained as guard dogs/etc.

[scarletfire]

This one looks like a good fit:
Wellesley rental - pets welcome, 1/4 acre yard, walk to train, shops & such. Or did you need a home with a fenced yard?

[Cindy5t]

I don't really need a home with a fenced yard since my dog is content just hanging out in the house with us. We generally walk her once a day and that is sufficient exercise for her. She definitely is a pack dog and likes to stay with her pack!

So, it seems that Wellesley and Newton are the areas I should be looking at. I wonder if they are urban enough for us to walk to groceries, restaurants, etc? It seems that those areas may not be as expensive as Boston proper, but I may not be able to rent with a large dog in the city.

I'm a little bit confused about these 2, 3-family apartment houses that seem to be in abundance in the boston area....Are these renovated old houses that have completely separate living quarters, or are there shared spaces in these homes? My understanding of 'apartments' are separate living units in a block building of some sort, like a high rise.

Thanks for the info!
Cindy

[ogre]

Both Newton and Wellesley are suburban, but suburban with sidewalks and shopping areas, and moderately dense settlement leaning heavily toward single-family houses. In the right areas of those towns, you can walk to shopping, restaurants, etc. This is more the case in Newton. Newton has clusters of commercial activity scattered all through town, while Wellesley's stores are mostly along one main street, and a few streets just off of the main drag, so there are more neighborhoods in Newton within walking distance of shops and restaurants. There are also more restaurants in Newton than Wellesley, though areas in Wellesley near the main street would put you close to some basic shopping, as well as a few coffee shops and a few small local eateries.

Very often the kind of housing you're asking about has large old houses divided up into two or three apartments, which are usually self-contained, with no shared space except the front entrance.

[Pinkhat]

Originally Posted by Cindy5t

I'm a little bit confused about these 2, 3-family apartment houses that seem to be in abundance in the boston area....

They are called triple deckers. More info here.