Resources To Use When Moving To Boston (apartment complex, houses)

[BlockAvenue]

I am interested to hear what people do/use when moving to a new area like Boston. Lets say you get relocated to Boston. There really is so many options both in the city and the surrounding metro towns - what are the key metrics people look for? I understand there is a big difference if your single or you have a family - but are there any common tools that people use to find the "right neighborhood or town" for them?

Obviously people care about crime, schools, and convenience, but what about lifestyle? What else is important?

Full disclosure: We are building a website that will hopefully help people with these choices, now in our research mode we are very interested in hearing back what people who are moving (either in-town or from out-of-town) think/want.

[citylover94]

I would look at parking if I owned a car because parking in some neighborhoods is almost impossible to get. How accesible the grocery stores are/ how close they are. If you want a yard/ open space that goes to your apartment complex or is nearby.

[Verseau]

As I prefer not having a car in Boston, I look for walkability (WalkScore is always a helpful resource), and then whether those nearby supermarkets are really affordable or not. If not, I check Google Maps to see how accessible the affordable grocery stores are.

Google Street View is also an invaluable resource, as it saves you the trouble of actually visiting the neighborhood if it looks completely undesirable. Lets you see what (if any) green space there is, how well-maintained the houses are, etc.

Another biggie is the commute time; I also reference Google Maps or the MBTA website for this.

One thing that requires a little more research is figuring out the age demographics of the neighborhood. I prefer to live somewhere where there are other people my age.