Are rents dropping yet? (Boston, Cambridge: section 8, renters, condo)

[HelloKitty76]

Originally Posted by Boston Shudra

If what aren’t being held? Lectures or lab sections?

I have a friend who TAs orgo lab at UNC. For the final organic chemistry labs of the semester the school basically recorded one of the faculty performing a lab operation and had the students watch remotely. However, that’s a terrible way to teach lab skills and should be avoided if possible, imo.

there are ways to do labs virtually online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIH-BfZY1eo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuk1uBCUUtU

[HelloKitty76]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Boston is often compared to SF and now rents there are down significantly.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/01/san-...ne-zumper.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrhYEJgl3dY

[yellowstatus]

Originally Posted by mdovell

The thing is this on top of covid doesn't help. If you are operating at just 40% capacity of your own students why would you let others in just because they wanted to go only online. Then to figure what institutions would take that credit which doesn't always happen. MIT is only taking back seniors which I think makes sense but obviously if you aren't a senior you can't go to MIT with all of this.

At first I thought there's no way they could deport that number, it's about a million. The last president deported 2.5 million in a eight year span so I would argue it is possible.

The administration never actually had a plan for this and it shows by how quickly they surrendered on the issue. The message is loud and clear that they are catering to the nativist base that would prefer decisions based on where you are born rather than by merit.

[BostonBornMassMade]

191 2BRs for $1900 or less in Boston according to Trulia.

Seeing many listings not make mention of credit checks anymore, some are doing just 2 months rent to move in. No Security Deposit.

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
Just an update.

If one combined Malden, Cambridge, Lynn, Boston, Quincy, Everet,t Dedham, Brookline, Chelsea, and Revere you'd find 2240 available 2 bedroom apartments for under $1900, seems slightly cheaper than normal.

[BostonBornMassMade]

seeing 1 BRs for 1600 in decent neighborhoods like Westie, Hyde Park, Charlestown and Roslindale.

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

[id77]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

191 2BRs for $1900 or less in Boston according to Trulia.

Seeing many listings not make mention of credit checks anymore, some are doing just 2 months rent to move in. No Security Deposit.

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
Just an update.

If one combined Malden, Cambridge, Lynn, Boston, Quincy, Everet,t Dedham, Brookline, Chelsea, and Revere you'd find 2240 available 2 bedroom apartments for under $1900, seems slightly cheaper than normal.

I always thought the deposit and such were history/credit-based? The last time I rented the management company waived their fee and the deposit was halved after running credit and verifying employment and finances. Still paid first and last but you're going to pay those anyway so why not up-front? Not like you're going to earn much interest on keeping the last month in savings (unless you stay in the same place a loooong time).

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by id77

I always thought the deposit and such were history/credit-based? The last time I rented the management company waived their fee and the deposit was halved after running credit and verifying employment and finances. Still paid first and last but you're going to pay those anyway so why not up-front? Not like you're going to earn much interest on keeping the last month in savings (unless you stay in the same place a loooong time).

They often are, but not in softer markets than Boston. Renting was entirely different here in Bmore when they just want units occupied.

Renting from an individual owner/landlord is also far different than from a management company

Also, I think the legality of credit checks is blurry in general...But it’s permitted.

[BosYuppie]

Originally Posted by id77

I always thought the deposit and such were history/credit-based? The last time I rented the management company waived their fee and the deposit was halved after running credit and verifying employment and finances. Still paid first and last but you're going to pay those anyway so why not up-front? Not like you're going to earn much interest on keeping the last month in savings (unless you stay in the same place a loooong time).

It's all BS tied to the "good tenant meter" rating in the head of the realtor and the landlord

We had a realtor ask us for first, last and deposit, out of the blue, when we went to sign for an apartment one time. We'd already talked the rent down a couple hundred dollars, but we didn't have the capital to tie up in all those deposits. So we said we'd walk unless we could skip one of these three. The place had been sitting for a while and the landlord was taking a bath, so he let us skip the last month i think.

Granted, this was maybe 10 years ago.

[id77]

Originally Posted by BosYuppie

It's all BS tied to the "good tenant meter" rating in the head of the realtor and the landlord

We had a realtor ask us for first, last and deposit, out of the blue, when we went to sign for an apartment one time. We'd already talked the rent down a couple hundred dollars, but we didn't have the capital to tie up in all those deposits. So we said we'd walk unless we could skip one of these three. The place had been sitting for a while and the landlord was taking a bath, so he let us skip the last month i think.

Granted, this was maybe 10 years ago.

My case was in 2014 in Brighton and it was for a unit that was on the market less than 1 day before I claimed it. I had always just figured they were more interested in landing a single professional tenant with good credit and cash reserves over another BU/BC student who needed a co-signer and/or was looking for a party pad so they sweetened the pot to reel me in.

Hearing that places were foregoing all of that background qualification surprised me a bit, though maybe with student rentals way down there's fewer of that type of tenant they have to worry about now?

[lrfox]

My rental which I'm in until we move into our new condo late next month is on the market for 5% higher than we were paying (we had small increases annually).

Originally Posted by id77

My case was in 2014 in Brighton and it was for a unit that was on the market less than 1 day before I claimed it. I had always just figured they were more interested in landing a single professional tenant with good credit and cash reserves over another BU/BC student who needed a co-signer and/or was looking for a party pad so they sweetened the pot to reel me in.

Hearing that places were foregoing all of that background qualification surprised me a bit, though maybe with student rentals way down there's fewer of that type of tenant they have to worry about now?

I've had it go both ways. I've had some that were rigid on price and fees, and I had a few offer to drop the security deposit, pay half (or all) of the broker fee, etc. I've also completed paperwork, submitted the first/last/broker/security and been approved only to have it pulled because someone else came in offering $100 more per month (that was 2 years ago). I think it just comes down to Boston being a high demand market so landlords and realtors have the ability to be selective and make concessions for the right tenants. The market is likely a little softer this summer/fall.