Single woman would move to Cambridge? (Boston, Somerville: rent, insurance, house)

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

Just out of curiosity, what do you think she can find in Cambridge that she can afford on her own?
Seen prices of rentals lately?

$60k * 0.25 /12 = $1250

Cambridge:
boston all apartments classifieds "cambridge" - craigslist

Somerville:
boston all apartments classifieds "somerville" - craigslist

Arlington:
boston all apartments classifieds "arlington" - craigslist

Are there problems with these places? Probably, but there are problems at all price points. They'll be small, they may not be in great shape, but they'll be close. In general, the further out you go, the more you get for your money, the lower your auto insurance, and the longer you'll spend each day commuting to work. How you sort out these variables is up to you--personally I've chosen to live further out, primarily because my wife doesn't like high-density city living. I'm not saying living in Cambridge is something she should do, only that it's something she can do.

Would she be better off going to some other part of the country? That's for her to figure out. If you hate Texas and love Massachusetts, it would take a lot of money to make one better than the other. If you're indifferent to where you live, though, Cambridge is not a great place to start out.

[kingeorge]

Are you aware that most of "cheaper" adds on Craig's List are scam--just a bait so RE agents can get to some flesh and blood. They have one place to rent and then 10 agencies are spinning same place 10000 different times.
My good friend was trying to "upgrade" recently in the area, and every of one of the adds was "fake" or "just gone to someone else", BUT now if you are interested and you can stretch your budget... (you get the gist). After a year of wild goose chase, friend just said screw it, and stayed put. Places that one could find were awful, and/or very expensive. Friend "saw the light" and figured out that place he lives at, not so bad after all.
Nothing you can do about it. Too much competition.You want good place, you need to know right people, or have plenty of money, or crazy good luck--which I do wish upon OP.
I would hate for OP to get her hopes high and then get crushed when she gets here.
If she goes out toward Quincy she can do much better. Commute will not be 20 minutes but more like 40-45 minutes but it will get her place on her own.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

Are you aware that most of "cheaper" adds on Craig's List are scam--just a bait so RE agents can get to some flesh and blood. They have one place to rent and then 10 agencies are spinning same place 10000 different times.
My good friend was trying to "upgrade" recently in the area, and every of one of the adds was "fake" or "just gone to someone else", BUT now if you are interested and you can stretch your budget... (you get the gist). After a year of wild goose chase, friend just said screw it, and stayed put. Places that one could find were awful, and/or very expensive. Friend "saw the light" and figured out that place he lives at, not so bad after all.
Nothing you can do about it. Too much competition.You want good place, you need to know right people, or have plenty of money, or crazy good luck--which I do wish upon OP.
I would hate for OP to get her hopes high and then get crushed when she gets here.
If she goes out toward Quincy she can do much better. Commute will not be 20 minutes but more like 40-45 minutes but it will get her place on her own.

Nope, wasn't aware of bait and switch. Our one trial with Craigslist went exactly as expected. Not every place we looked at was good, but everything we saw was available for the price it was advertised for. This was 5 years ago, though, and in Belmont/Watertown, not Cambridge.

[brightdoglover]

Many of the nice older "Harlow" buildings in Cambridge are owned or managed by one big company- the name usually posted in the unlocked entry area. For instance, there's Chestnut Hill Realty, in Brookline, that manages several buildings in Cambridge (esp. north of Harvard Sq. to Porter). People often just walk the neighborhoods they want and jot down the number, call and see if anything is available. I got my best apartment ever that way- it was on the market for all of ten minutes when I called from outside the building and met with the super.

[BostonRevealed]

Of course! You can live pretty comfortably on 60k in Cambridge. You should be making 3k/month and you can find 1brs for $1300+. Get a roommate or two and save some $. Studio runs at about 1200-1500/month.

Cheaper areas are East Cambridge, Inman, North Cambridge, Porter Square, and parts of Central.

[Rhenzanite]

The place I'm subletting right now is 1200 a month and it's on Oxford, fairly close to Harvard. I suppose it can be done.

Of course, it's super teeny tiny and basically falling apart...but I'm moving next week so it's no big deal

[charolastra00]

I second a previous recommendation for Arlington, and add Somerville (specifically Teele Square, near Davis). If you're willing to put up with a 10 minute walk to the T (buses stopping every few blocks as well), you can get a lot more for your money and are more likely to have a little outdoor space.

Arlington is a great area - my roommate downsized by moving in with roommates in Medford, but he was a 22 year old living in a nice 1 bedroom in East Arlington (right across the Somerville line) for $1100. It can be done by looking outside of the box. Rentals that have leases starting outside of the August - September high months can often be had for a steel.

One thing to keep in mind with your budget is heat. Try to avoid oil heating if at all possible because that can up your budget significantly - we pay around $300 a month for a 3 bedroom 2nd story apartment in the winter where we never, ever, ever turn our heat above 65 degrees (and generally is kept at 60). I always shoot for 2nd floor apartments in triple deckers because the heat rises - keeping your apartment warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

[cluelessfromky]

Thanks for all the great advise! Now I have a general idea of where to look (and what to watch out for; like fake rental ads).
Now I am thinking about would I have to give up my car. It would be really nice to keep it! It would be hard to discover all those beautiful surrounding areas without a car. So my next question is; how much is the lowest low of car insurance you guys ever had (or heard of)? I keep hearing how outrageously expensive it is in MA. I know it depends of the car, but just an example, right now I pay a little more than $50 a month for a liability only insurance. Is it possible to keep it pretty low? What is the state minimum, etc. Or you all only heard about people paying 200-300 a month?

[kingeorge]

Insurance depends on the area you will live in. If you stay in Cambridge--it will stay high, you go to suburbs it gets very low. As low as 35-50 a months for very decent car insurance (not just liability). Cambridge even for the old clunker you will be paying probably double. I would advise you against cutting corners when it come to insuring your car and in general. You can not be without insurance, it is illegal. Car is a must even if your amenities are pretty close. Unlike where you are coming from, we have snow storms, ice, and bad weather in general. You think you can shlep your groceries on public transport through two or more feet of ice and snow?

[cluelessfromky]

Oh, no.. I would never consider NOT having car insurance, if I had a car. I just wanted to know if it was really that high. Some of the posters also stated that it was possible not to own a car and still get by, but I agree with you, I would probably really miss it, if I gave it up.