Best way to find _real_ Brookline apt/house rentals (under $2500)? (apartments, appliances)

[mephie]

Hi,

I'm sick of searching CL and Zillow, only to get unscrupulous realtors who call you ten minutes before your viewing time to tell you, "I have bad news, that apartment was just rented […] don't despair, I can show you other properties in that price range."


I'm looking for a 2 or 3 bedroom (or even a 2.5 -- I want an office, or a space I can make into an office) apartment anywhere in Brookline. I'm not particular with where the apartment is located inside Brookline. Nor am I particular about the furnishings; I don't care if the apartment has stainless steel appliances… The apartment just needs to be in a safe area (I assume all of Brookline is rather safe) and the apartment cannot look like it is falling over (though the last point is negotiable, if I can fix up the problems -- I like to do d.i.y projects).


So, is this impossible in this price range? Where is a good place to search for 2, 2.5, 3 bedroom apartments that actually exist in the sub-$2,500 range? I'm looking for Sep 1 move-in, though I can move in a month earlier or later, if necessary... And, if I need to use a realtor, how do I find a good one?

Thanks!

[NotAPrincess]

It should be possible to find a 2 br for under 2500 in Brookline. Since it sounds like you're looking at CL listings from realtors anyway, you may as well just call up a realtor. I can't really recommend a "good" one, since I don't know of any, but when we rented several years ago in Brookline we used Classic Realty and they were fine. I don't remember our realtor's name. Generally the fee is 1 months rent, but often that is negotiable.

Padmapper.com is a cool website, but I think it just aggregates listings from CL/Zillow/etc. anyway, so probably won't get you anywhere.

My advice: keep looking! It's out there!

[mephie]

Are there better places to look? Or is the suggestion just to get a realtor? I want access to all listings in my price range, not just three or four...