My D (recent grad) is looking to rent in the Boston area. She is looking for a roommate(s) situation starting Sept. 1 with access to public transport (bus/T). She is working in Cambridge near the Harvard Square T stop. Right now she is in a summer sublet with roommates in Somerville. Cambridge itself and center city Boston are not in her budget.
Any information/advice about Boston-area neighborhoods/towns that are relatively cheap and also safe? Approx. budget is $900 including utilities for room in shared apartment. If we have to subsidize for safety we will, but would prefer to let her handle it.
Davis Square Somerville area is a slam dunk, with only two Red line subway stops to HS T stop and relative safety T. Her budget is very tight for the area, yet may be achievable ($1000-$1100 plus share of utilities might be more likely). It is a popular neighborhood for young professionals and full of restaurants, bars and stuff to do. Easy access out of the city on weekends if she has access to a car, too. Some landlords actually have multi bedroom apts near there and sublet them room by room with input from current roommates. Lets her off the hook if a room mate bails. Also is near Tufts, so one can easily attend university activities at both ends of your commute. All the best to her. Also consider Union Square, Somerville, though the transportation options may be different, depending upon location.
Nothing on Craigslist? We know several young folks who rented rooms in houses or two families…for $1000 for their share. Any chance anyone at her work has a lead?
She is on housing lists for two local alumni sites (Wellesley and MIT). She has a possibility in Watertown with 2 other roommates ($900) and in Jamaica Plain ($850) but I am worried about crime in JP.
S will be attending grad school in that area. He just got a place near Inman/Union Square. He’s paying $1150/month with a roommate. He’ll either walk or take a bus to Harvard Square. As I’m sure you know, the housing market is very tight in the area. S & his prospective roommate each made trips to the area and couldn’t find anything. They finally rented a place sight unseen. They found it on Craigslist. Be prepared to jump on anything that looks promising.
She could have gotten the JP apartment with roommates but it is near Bromley Heath and a T-stop with a high crime rate. I am very concerned about this but maybe my concerns are irrational (which is why I started this thread).
I wouldn’t worry about crime in JP. I might worry about crime in Mission Hill but even that is quickly gentrifying and filling up with college students. JP should be fine - I’d be more cautious in Mission Hill/Roxbury, which kind of border it, so you’d want to look at specific locations, but I know a lot of people who love living in JP.
However - I wouldn’t want to live in JP and work in Harvard Square. I’d keeping looking in the Cambridge/Somerville area if I were her. I live in North Cambridge and I’d love the ability to walk to work if I worked in Harvard Square.
A 30 minute commute would be acceptable. D’s father has commuted an hour plus every day for 30 years into NYC so she’s acculturated to commuting. 30 minutes is nothing (as long as it’s not majority walking). Also, MBTA monthly passes are really cheap ($85/mo.).
Ha, I am seriously thinking about retiring to JP. Like all areas of Boston, some are safer than others. I agree with the others though, keep looking in Somerville.
I think for a 30 minute commute she’d have to stay on the Camberville side of the river or on the red line. Or maybe Allston/Brighton because it’s actually a fairly short distance from Harvard Square and there are buses.
I just looked on Craigslist. I looked under Rooms/Shares in Cambridge and Somerville. There are many possibilities listed there in your D’s price point or slightly above. I would have her look there. I see some where there are young women who are around her age or a little older.
Thank you all. Her sublet is actually very close to Tufts even though it is in Somerville. She is a 20 minute walk to Davis T stop which is not ideal. In the winter it would be a real drag. She had a possibility in East Somerville for under $600 but I wondered about it because it seemed too cheap (too good to be true–you think, what is going on here?).
She works in Cambridge near Harvard Square. She just looked at a place this afternoon in Watertown. It is $875 plus utilities so I’m assuming that will come close to $1000 a month on average (it is a 3br/2 ba unit). It is on a bus line convenient to her work. It is a little above what she wanted to pay but I wonder if I should encourage her to really pursue this possibility anyway. I’m not sure she’ll be able to do better for the money.
NJSue, also check out the Porter Sq. area of Somerville. Many 4 bedroom, 2 floor places as part of 2 family houses.
My son is paying $938 a month, plus utilities in one which is a 5 minute walk to the Porter Sq. station of the red line.
Probably a little too high priced for your daughter, but the 4 bedroom place or 5 bedroom places will be cheaper per person, generally, than the smaller places. My kid’s place has 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and is 1,700+ sq. feet.