relocating family of 3 from Cambridge UK (Boston, Newton: apartment, rentals, townhouse) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

bybarra · 08-11-2008, 05:40 AM

My family is moving to the Boston area in early 2009 for me to take up a job in the Longwood Medical complex. We are a couple (Spanish & American) around 40 years old with a one year-old daughter.

We're looking to rent to start with and are hoping to find a place meeting the following criteria:
1. An easy commute for me (perferably public transportation),
2. $2000-2500/mo for unfurnished 3 bedrooms & a yard (doesn't have to be single bedroom; a townhouse could be OK if we could have a yard)
3. If we're out in the suburbs, some kind of nearby downtown. We like walking.
4. Nearby parks or other kid-friendly places (a pool?) to take my daughter to. A neighborhood with families would be good.

Any suggestions of where to go? So far I've heard that Brookline and Newton might fit what we're looking for.

Also, if we're looking to move March 1st, is this going to be a bad time to be looking for a place to live?

Thanks!

scarletfire · 08-11-2008, 02:48 PM

Longwood is on the green line so Brookline or Newton would be a good bet and you could find a rental in those communities in your price range. Both have well regarded school systems, nice parks & town centers/shops. Newton has a community pool & a lake but I'm not sure about Brookline.

A lot of the places being advertised now are available starting in September so it might be a bit early but it couldn't hurt to start looking around online in case you find something nice that will be ok with starting the lease in March.

RemiJP · 08-11-2008, 04:59 PM

You might also want to look at places in Jamaica Plain, particularly near the Stony Brook or Green Street T stops (nice, family-friendly areas) on the Orange Line. There are many playgrounds in the area, lots of green space, bike paths, two branches of the library (good kids programs like story hour) and two community centers (one with a pool). The #39 bus runs along Centre St directly to the Longwood Medical. You can also walk from the Ruggles T stop on the orange line to Longwood.

bybarra · 08-12-2008, 07:44 AM

Thanks for the Jamaica Plain suggestion. Are there any parts of the neighborhood to stay away from? It would be really nice to get a little bit of outdoor space, even if it is only a deck, although a tiny yard would be nice too. I've been looking to see whether the $2000-2500 could give us this, and it seems like the answer is yes.

bybarra · 08-12-2008, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scarletfire

Longwood is on the green line so Brookline or Newton would be a good bet and you could find a rental in those communities in your price range. Both have well regarded school systems, nice parks & town centers/shops. Newton has a community pool & a lake but I'm not sure about Brookline.

A lot of the places being advertised now are available starting in September so it might be a bit early but it couldn't hurt to start looking around online in case you find something nice that will be ok with starting the lease in March.

Thanks to you too scarletfire. I think it seems a stretch to ask someone to hold an apartment for us until March, though I'm definitely looking and have seen some good ones. Maybe we'd be able to get a postponement with only a month or so to go. I guess I wasn't so clear in my original post anyway. What I meant was: Is winter an OK time to be looking for an apartment? It seems that because there are so many students, the rental market migh be on a Sept-Sept rental schedule and there might be slim pickings in the winter. Any thoughts?

ogre · 08-12-2008, 11:11 PM

I've never rentend in Boston city proper, so can't speak from personal experience, but what I've heard is that the Sept.-Sept. (or often August-August) leases predominate only in certain neighborhoods that have large student populations. In other neighborhoods, there should be the same distribution of move-in dates found anywhere else. There still often seem to be more lease turnovers during the summer with many rentals, because the standard beginning of the fiscal year for American businesses is July 1, so that's when many people move to start new jobs. You might want to verify this with a realtor, but I believe there should be enough rental property in a city the size of Boston that you could find some good options at any time of the year.

bybarra · 08-13-2008, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogre

I've never rentend in Boston city proper, so can't speak from personal experience, but what I've heard is that the Sept.-Sept. (or often August-August) leases predominate only in certain neighborhoods that have large student populations. In other neighborhoods, there should be the same distribution of move-in dates found anywhere else. There still often seem to be more lease turnovers during the summer with many rentals, because the standard beginning of the fiscal year for American businesses is July 1, so that's when many people move to start new jobs. You might want to verify this with a realtor, but I believe there should be enough rental property in a city the size of Boston that you could find some good options at any time of the year.

Since we want to find a more family-oriented neighborhood to live in (and have what seems to be a reasonable budget), we're hoping that we won't really be competing with the students for a place to live. It makes sense that the Aug-Aug leases would be a big issue in the more student-oriented sections. I didn't know anything about the July 1 date at all. I guess at the end of the day, we're moving when we're moving. Who knows, maybe in the winter there will be some good places available with a shortage of perspective tenants! Fingers crossed.

tocoto · 08-19-2008, 11:31 PM

Brookline or Newton are your best bets, especially if you want good public schools at some point in the future. Both are on the green line subway that stops in Longwood and both have excellent schools. For the money you have to spend you could find a 3 bed, 2 bath apartment in a very kid friendly and walkable neighborhood.

Look on the Craigslist Boston website

bybarra · 08-20-2008, 03:06 AM

Thanks for your input. I've been seeing some interesting places in Jamaica Plain too. In your opinion, how does JP compare to Newton and Brookline?

I think when we go to buy after our first year, Newton & Brookline will be out of our price range, though we'll be able to get a better idea after we're there and see what our real costs are.