Moving to Boston - Where to live? (Quincy, Somerville: transplants, sales)

[Déja]

My wife and I (mid-to-late 20s) will be moving to Boston to start grad school this Fall. We will be visiting the Boston area this summer and we want to have a list of apartments to visit before we get there. However, we're not very familiar with the Boston area so we're looking for input on neighborhoods to avoid or even specific apartment buildings to check out or to avoid like the plague.

Here are our basic criteria:
* Safe neighborhood
* Pet friendly (we have 2 cats)
* Would prefer under an hour to get to downtown Boston via public transportation
* We're hoping to keep the rent around $1500/mo, but might have some flexibility depending on whether or not utilities are included
* We're looking mostly for 1-2 Bedrooms

We don't have kids, and we don't have any specific attachment to being close to the nightlife. We're not opposed to places with a lot of students, but it wouldn't be our first choice. We do have a car, and would prefer somewhere that has parking, but we'd rather not have to rely on it for getting to work/school during the week.

I've done some research, and have heard that places like Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan are not exactly the safest neighborhoods. What about places such as Roslindale, Quincy, or Malden? Are they generally safe? How safe are the T stations as you get further away from the city center?

I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions to make this cross-country apartment hunt a little less daunting

[nate14ri]

depends on where your school is. but i do enjoy the Davis Sq area. fun, viberant, 20 somethings.

[IrishLad71]

Wife and I moved to Boston about a year ago and had the same requirements as you two had (cost, location, pets, commute, etc.)

We found a really nice 1 BR apt. in Jamaica Plain or "JP" (right on the Orange line - 15min ride into downtown Boston) for $1,300/month (which includes one parking space, heat & hot water, snow/trash removal, etc.) Coin laundry & reasonable storage space in the basement. Very pet friendly (we've got two cats as well).

It's a great neighborhood - vibrant, happening (but not college party type of atmosphere), progressive, hippy, great feel of community. Walking distance to Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond (if you like the outdoors).

I agree with Nate14ri - it depends on where you're going to school. JP would be great area for Northeastern Univ.

I think you're right - places like Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan are probably best for newcomers to avoid. Like anywhere, JP has some run down areas too.

You mention Quincy (red line) Nice area, but a bit far from Boston (and not as "walkable"), but it depends on your tolerance for the commute.

I don't know much about Malden, but it's on the Orange line and looks to be a short commute to Boston.

Roslindale neighbors JP. Not a bad place - again, it has its nice sections and not-so-nice. It's close to the Arboretum and we've found Roslindale Village to be "up and coming" with lots of good, fun restaurants. Not right on the T, but relatively convenient bus routes and commuter rail. My wife and I are considering buying a place in R'dale. Likely to find cheaper rent, but it'll take some diligent searching.

I use the T a lot and have never felt unsafe when riding them or at the stations - even late at night. Obviously, it's a city and you'll hear from time to time reports about crime, but that's more common in the areas you mentioned above (Mattapan, Dorchester, etc.) But even the nicest areas in the city aren't immune to crime, of course.

One thing I would consider -- we've found public transportation to be very convenient, but pretty slow. We have friends that are literally a 10 minute drive away, but it would take an hour to get to on the T because you have to go a fair distance into the city, change T lines and ride back away from the center of the city. Here's a link to the T map and you'll see what I mean. MBTA Subway 'The 'T' > Maps, Schedules, and Fare Information for the Boston Area Subway System

If you live on the end of the Orange line and your school is on the Green line -- be aware that taking the T will be a good chunk of time.

Again, it does depend on where your school is. Again, I agree with Nate14ri -- Davis Square (as well as Porter Square, Harvard Square) are great places. You'd look for Cambrige and/or Somerville to find a place in those areas. Might be a bit expensive than the other areas mentioned, but definitely a lot of fun.

OK, probably too much information, but I know what it's like to search for a place from far away.

Good luck and give a shout if you need more help.
Peace,
Jim

[Déja]

Not too much information at all To clarify, I'm not certain which school I will be going to, but at the moment I'm leaning toward New England Law, which looks to be right downtown, so easy access to pretty much any of the T lines would work.

[Déja]

Also, can anyone give any suggestions for websites or other reasources I could use to search for apartments in the Boston area? I've hit most of the mainstream national apartment listings, but if I go purely by those sites, there's not a lot for us out there.

One other thing, I'm noticing a lot of listings for September 1st, how hard is it to find leases that begin in July or August? Moving on Sept 1st wouldn't work too well if classes start in the middle of August.

[Cliff Clavin]

If you're looking at a school downtown, look into South Boston. It's mostly mid 20's-30's transplants (myself) and older generation townies. Not much of a college crowd, but there are plenty of bars to grab a drink. Depending on the neighborhood, you could even walk downtown. I do it everyday. And since there aren't many students, you'll be able to find leases expiring at all times through out the year.

[IrishLad71]

I found Craigslist to be really helpful in locating an apartment. Also, boston.com isn't too bad. I tried using a realtor when we first started looking, but they showed us nothing but dumps. We had far better luck on our own.

We found the apartments did tend to run on a Sept. to Aug. cycle.
Hey, we're moving out of our place by mid-August or earlier - want our place? lol

[Déja]

Haha, tempting, but our lease is up August 1st, so that would be the absolute latest we could reasonably move.

I'll keep a watch on CL. I've see a couple places, but there seem to be few scruples about advertising no fees in the title, but hefty broker fees in the actual advert.

[Curious22]

I've lived in Malden for over 3 years now, and it is ridiculously safe. The commute on the orange line from the Malden T station into downtown Boston is only 15 minutes. I take it to work every day. I recommend keeping your apartment searches to West Malden if you want to be able to walk to the T, and the nicer neighborhoods are on the west side as well. Lots of old Victorians and farmhouses--gorgeous nieghborhood.

Malden is definitely a suburb, so it has the suburbian feel to it and does not have a lively night life. You live here if you like things to be quiet. There are a handful of decent restaurants in Malden Center, and the Middlesex Fells Reservation is a short walk away for some decent hikes and mountain biking. Malden is often overlooked, but that's kind of nice. It's a hidden gem.

Also, the rent is reasonable here. I lived in a 2 bedroom w/offstreet parking for $1200, and now live in a 1 bedroom for $950 (heat and hot water included).

Good luck wiht your apartment search!

[IrishLad71]

lol. Curious - you're a good sales person for Malden. I think we all want to move there now... haha.

Deja - I was only half joking about our place. We're hoping that by June we will be in the final stages of buying a house. Our apt. lease runs until Aug. 31st, but could potentially be available as early as June. Who knows. So lets keep chatting on these discussion boards and if you're still looking by the time we know we're leaving, I can email you some pictures of our place so you get a feel for it.

You're right about broker fees. I think the usual arrangement when using a realtor for finding an apartment is: if you rent the apartment the realtor helped you find (let's say it's $1,200/month), YOU pay the realtor $600 as a fee for finding you the apt. and the landlord pays the realtor $600 for helping find a tenant. We didn't find using a realtor to help us find a place to be helpful at all.

We found our place on craigslist. There was a realtor involved, but only for the landlord working to help find a tenant. We didn't have to pay anything (other than first and last month's rent).