Malden - seems like a nice town to rent (Boston: apartments, lease)

[affirmed1]

Am renting in Somerville now and my lease ends August 31. Will be renting with 2 friends starting in September. lots of stuff in my price range (around 2,500 or so per month) decent places but can certainly use to be painted, cleaned up overall, and maybe some updates in the bathroom or kitchen. They look like people just crash there so to speak



Found a great freshly updated (totally gutted and updated last year) 3 bedroom in Malden, 8 minute walk to the T (commute is into Boston) $2,400 / month. Seems to be lots of places this nice in Malden.


I keep thinking this place is too good to be true, but maybe the 10 extra minutes on the T outside Boston beyond Somerville is far enough to find really nice places for nice prices.

[matrix5k]

Rented near Oak Grove during grad school, it was very nice and convenient to the city. Similar walk to the T stop. It was annoying when the T broke down and you had to cram on a bus to get home though. And the winter can be blistering cold and windy for that walk. They have a pool that's free to the public in the summer. There was always a pickup basketball game going on at the park.

Traffic is bad in the area if you drive, on weekends it's okay. It's a short drive to the city if there's no traffic. Lots of convenient shopping nearby like assembly row.

Malden Center T stop area is kinda rough, I wouldn't go there at night.

[darkone]

You want to rent the town?

[BostonBornMassMade]

2400 is not a steal in Malden. Not many towns price gouge as much as Camberville.

[lrfox]

We've honestly been considering Malden Center area to buy potentially (would rent in the area first). It is by no means cheap at this point, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than Somerville/Cambridge, has good urban bones downtown (which is undergoing a massive makeover) and I think represents one of the best values in the region if you like urban/transit accessible but don't believe 900k for a 2br condo in a three decker is worth it.

We've looked at rents and I think $2,400 is about right or a 3br. I agree that I wouldn't call it a steal, but considering that it's hard to find a nice 1br for that in most of Somerville, I think it's a decent find. Depending on where you live/work, the T commute isn't any worse than much of Somerville. If you live around Sullivan and commute to North Station, then yearh, Malden (esp. Oak Grove) is longer. If you live near Davis and commute to North Station/Haymarket, the time will be comparable from Malden and definitely more direct. Great news is that both Malden stops are before the OL gets jam packed.

[BosYuppie]

Malden Center does not seem that rough to me. There's a lot of new construction. Most importantly, Idle Hands brewery is right there. You're also a quick ride (T or car) to Assembly, easy uber to Somerville as well.

I think it's firmly in the "overlooked gems" category. I'm not sure the high school is even that bad in the grand scheme of things.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BosYuppie

Malden Center does not seem that rough to me. There's a lot of new construction. Most importantly, Idle Hands brewery is right there. You're also a quick ride (T or car) to Assembly, easy uber to Somerville as well.

I think it's firmly in the "overlooked gems" category. I'm not sure the high school is even that bad in the grand scheme of things.

Agreed with all of this, especially the bold. Mystic Brewing is allegedly looking to leave their Chelsea location in favor of Malden Center as well.

[azu612]

I saw a sign in the center the other day that there is another brewery opening there in the fall. I forget the name though.

[johngolf]

My son rented on Summer St. (105 to 107???) a few blocks up the hill from the downtown T Stop (short walk) when he was working at Copley Place Mall and had no car. Older 4-5 story, U shaped brick building. Reasonable size apartments and a great/safe location.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by matrix5k

Malden Center T stop area is kinda rough, I wouldn't go there at night.

Things must have changed since I lived in Malden in the late 80's, early 90's. Back then, the rough parts of Malden were the parts bordering Everett. There were housing projects down there you did not want to walk past. One kid who transferred to my elementary school from that part of town got caught with a pocketknife at school! Malden Center and the T stop did not seem that sketchy at all back then. In fact, I've been back a few times recently and Malden Center looks even more vibrant than the past.

As for the O.P., $2400 for 3br spells out $800 per room if sharing with roommates. That is a good deal to me, being only 8 minutes from the station.