When should I start looking for an apartment? (Boston, Brookline: real estate, apartments)

[AN2010]

I am looking to move to Boston (will live in the city/Brookline etc.- not in the suburbs) in July last week and I am wondering when will be a reasonable time to start looking for places?
I am moving from a small town and not familiar with the "fee" some of the apartment listing website mention. Can anyone explain please?

[boston2denver]

When I first moved to Boston I was unfamiliar with realtor fees, but they are the norm here. Typically you pay a realtor one month's rent for his/her services (letting you in to see an apartment). Sometimes you can negotiate the fee, like in the summer when it's slow around here. College students return to Boston late August, and that's probably the worst time to try to find an apartment in the areas heavily populated by students.

[AN2010]

Thank you!

[shiver]

You only pay a fee if you actually rent the apartment from the broker. There isn't any cost to you if you just go looking at apartments with the broker. The fee is typically one month's rent and it's how the broker makes his/her money. An apartment can be no fee, partial fee or full fee. No fee just means the landlord is paying the broker. If you're dealing with the owner directly, he or she isn't allowed to charge a fee. It's only charged when a 3rd party real estate agent does the work. And yes, you can attempt to negotiate.

Usually you want to start looking 2 months prior to moving, but realize that a number of apartments may not come onto the market until 4-6 weeks prior to the move in date. The landlord usually has to wait until the existing tenants give notice as to whether they are staying or moving before he/she can market the property and that doesn't usually happen until a month or two beforehand.