Son (25) is about to accept a job in Marlborough, he will have to work partially in-person immediately so will need to move ASAP. He wants to live near a commuter line into Boston since he went to college there and still has friends in the area. Right now he is planning to rent an apartment in Framingham.
Are there any other towns he should be considering? Also, any advice on moving during Covid? Budget is around 2k for a studio or 1 bedroom.
Right now apartment rents are low in Boston, I would assume similar for Framingham. Keep in mind that the commuter lines into the city are not running on their normal schedule (very highly reduced for the near future).
My daughter in Boston is moving the beginning of January - the movers seem not to have missed a beat - business as usual (except that they wear masks and use sanitizer.)
Just wanted to say this thread filled me with warm memories. I grew up in Marlborough 40+ years ago and went to college in Boston/Cambridge.
Back then, we went drive and park at the end of the Green Line at Riverside to go into the city. Also perhaps there are commuter bus lines as well as the train.
Depends on if he’d prefer to be closer to work or closer to Boston…if the latter, I highly recommend Newton. At the northern end, he’d be on the commuter rail (just a stop or two out from Back Bay) and at the southern end, he’d be near the Green Line (D train).
It seems to be a renter’s market in Boston right now (we just got a great deal on a apt. for my D20), so his budget seems very reasonable, especially for outside of the city.
I’ve been looking at rentals in the same area for myself and my ds25. I also lived in the area a couple of decades ago. You’ll get a lot more bang for his buck in Framingham vs. Newton. If he were working in Boston, then sure, the price difference may be worth it to rent in Newton, but since he would be working in Marlborough, he’ll be doing a reverse commute. Any of the towns between Newton and Westborough are nice.
The Framingham/Worcester rail commuter line won’t be as convenient to get in and out of Boston at off hours as the green line would be.
My advice is not to worry about living near commuter rail for occasional trips to Boston. It’s not very frequent evenings and weekends and it’s expensive. As others have suggested, he’ll be much better off driving to the end of the green line.
@Mom24boys - Hope your son found a suitable place. It must be tough planning transitions during covid.
He just finished his 1st week of work and is very happy with his job and apartment. He still does not have a mattress but that should be delivered shortly, it was due via Amazon Wednesday. The only small silver lining of this pandemic is he was able to get 2 month free rent.
Yay. Getting 2 months free rent is great, especially in Boston when renters often pay 1month realtor fee.
Very cool! We had the same situation (rented a place for my daughter and December and January are free). Pandemic pricing!
It was great, no brokers fee and security deposit was very little, very different from 1st apartment after college graduation which needed 4 months rent up front to move in.