Moving/Relocating to Boston--housing help needed, looking in Brookline, Fresh Pond, etc (Cambridge: hardwood floors)

[calisnoopy]

Hi!!

My boyfriend and I are moving from Mclean, VA (right outside of Washington DC) to Boston at the end of this summer.

He will be attending Harvard Business School and I will be job hunting (after I finish this apartment hunting process)...

We have a 7lb miniature pinscher (fully grown) and professionally trained at the best dog school (Old Towne School for Dogs) in Alexandria, VA...

However, we have had LOTS OF TROUBLE finding places that will accept a dog, it seems to be the rule that it's either dog or no dog and I feel as if out of 100 places, only 5 would take dogs.

We initially looked around Harvard and Central Square and almost signed on a place on 20 Jay Street (Riverside area) but then quickly cancelled before we signed the lease once we found out from friends how sketchy Riverside can be and the whole of Central Square.

We only visited the area once for the day and didn't really get to spend much time at all walking around or getting a feel for the Central Square/Riverside area especially at night (which is when the street thugs kind of come out I guess?)

Anyhow, I grew up in West LA and my boyfriend and I are both more suburban people I guess? We aren't used to people coming up to us on the streets or even harmless people passing out flyers--we generally don't like that as much and I guess we're used to having our own space in our cars etc...

(If anyone knows LA, I would say I found many parts of Santa Monica unsafe and sketchy due to the rent control and many homeless people...I lived more north of Santa Monica)

We plan on bringing our 2 SUVs with us to Boston, thus we also need parking (garage parking preferred).

Our friends suggested the following areas:

--Brookline (parking issue)

--Fresh Pond (just not near Alewife---though are there any streets or regions around Fresh Pond you guys would recommend etc?)

--Mt Auburn/Brattle Street areas (though very few rentals and tends to be pricey and hard on parking?)

--West Cambridge (is this a good neighborhood?)

--how is the area along the westside of Harvard campus and between that part to Fresh Pond--like huron, concord, brattle streets area?


Are there any other towns or areas you would suggest?

My boyfriend would like to be as close to HBS as possible...though he has resigned to the idea of driving to school each day if it means that we will live in a nicer/more upscale and safer community.



We'd ideally like to find:

--Condominium unit (owned by owner for rent)

--2 spaces garage parking/covered parking

--w/d in unit or hook ups so we can buy our own

--carpet preferred over hwd flooring

--pretty renovated or new and clean place

--concierge is a bonus but not a must

--our budget is under $2500/month



So far we've loved everything we've heard about Brookline and would like to be south of Commonwealth and North of Beacon Street (closer to HBS) and within walking distance to a metro T stop...but does any condominium exist...and if not...perhaps a house apartment? the 2 parking spots are a must as I have heard that Brookline does not allow anyone to park between 2am-6am even with residential parking permits...


Thanks in advance and I look forward to peoples feedback...especially if you have specific condo buildings we should look at

[ogre]

Since you are looking for more upscale areas, I would also suggest Newton. All sections of Newton are nice, but Chestnut Hill in particular is a Newton neighborhood pretty close to HBS. It's close to Boston College, but seems to be too upscale an area to have much of an undergraduate population. The noisy undergrad area near there would be on the other side of BC in Brighton. I'm pretty sure Chestnut Hill should be nice and quiet unless you lived right next to the BC campus.

[calisnoopy]

^^thanks so much!!!

i considered chestnut hill but it is a tad farther out than brookline and i think my boyfriend would like to be as close to HBS as possible with me being happy and in a nice neighborhood

btw is washington square in brookline or the north brookline area just as nice and safe as the rest of brookline (which appears more south on a map)

[MassVt]

I think that Newton should still be in the mix, however; lots of large 2-3 bedroom apts, with the convenience of the subway and the commuter rail..

However, if you can find anything suitable, Cambridge would be your best bet if living near the HBS is imperative; it would be a little more expensive, but convenient...

You might also consider Watertown and Belmont; the former is middle-class, while Belmont is largely upper-middle..

You might also consider getting rid of one of the cars..seriously. The subway, buses and commuter rails cover a lot of ground, and are very popular..

[holden125]

This is frankly not seeming a match made in heaven. Much of Boston is about walking the streets and taking the T, and old housing with hardwood floors.

As far as driving to HBS, does he even know if that's a possibility? Many Boston-area colleges have very limited parking. Also, HBS is in Allston, so the only transit there (other than Harvard shuttles) are the 86 and the 66 bus. If you found Central Square sketchy, I doubt you'll like the 86 bus neighborhoods much. The 66 goes to Brookline, but along Harvard St. The 66 is kind of slow because Harvard St has a lot of traffic.

If you do have an interest in Brookline, to me the Washington Square area and anything north of Beacon St is just fine. But it may be hard to find a newer or renovated Brookline 2-BR that accepts dogs and has parking for 2 SUV's and W/D at $2500 or less. And to stay on the 66 bus you might want to keep it near Harvard St (e.g. Coolidge Corner or Brookline Village).

If driving to HBS is a possibility, you really should look at Newton. Driving from the nothern half of Newton to HBS is a breeze. 15 minutes or so. It's a very nice town, not in the sticks but far less urban than Cambridge or even Brookline. Parking is more readily available and apartments tend to be much less expensive than in Brookline. Despite the proximity, however, a mass transit commute from Newton to HBS would be a hassle.

I feel for you on the dog problem. Many landlords have been burned by dogs in the past, but it makes it much harder to look if you do have a dog, even if your dog is small and well behaved.

[Cantabridgienne]

I had dinner in Central Square last night, then went for an ice cream cone, then walked home. I guess I'm a street thug?

[Highwyre237]

Originally Posted by calisnoopy

^^thanks so much!!!

i considered chestnut hill but it is a tad farther out than brookline and i think my boyfriend would like to be as close to HBS as possible with me being happy and in a nice neighborhood

btw is washington square in brookline or the north brookline area just as nice and safe as the rest of brookline (which appears more south on a map)

Hey, i just moved from brookline to newton with a dog (10 lbs Cairn Terrier)

Finding places in brookline are VERY tough with a pup, you'll have more luck in Newton. Since you have a nice budget, it'll take you far.

Try going through Centre Realty Group, they are a huge realty company in Newton, and cover the surrounding areas too. They helped us find a place in June. Not sure you'll find exactly what you're looking for, but give it a strong consideration.

BTW we found a newer place with W2W carpeting, but its in a 3 family, and the parking isnt covered... so not exactly what you're looking for... but our budget was a bit lower

[kmann-sherborn]

You're likely to have better luck finding an individual homeowner willing to lease with a dog than a complex. Sometimes I've also seen people swayed by a larger security deposit, a copy of the training certificate, and/or meeting the dog and seeing he/she is a sweetheart.

When we lived in the Bay Area and rentals were impossible to find my friend brought her old dog with her when she went to see a house she wanted, and the landlord just couldn't look in those doggie eyes and say no. I hope you have the same good fortune! :-)

[Highwyre237]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

You're likely to have better luck finding an individual homeowner willing to lease with a dog than a complex. Sometimes I've also seen people swayed by a larger security deposit, a copy of the training certificate, and/or meeting the dog and seeing he/she is a sweetheart.

When we lived in the Bay Area and rentals were impossible to find my friend brought her old dog with her when she went to see a house she wanted, and the landlord just couldn't look in those doggie eyes and say no. I hope you have the same good fortune! :-)

Agreed with this, our landlord wanted to meet us with the dog before saying yes. Once he met, and she licked his hand, he couldn't say no.