<p>Hi All,</p>
<p>My son will be starting a new job (1st week of August) about 30 miles west of Boston in Southborough. He needs to find a place to live and I am wondering if anyone has a good real estate contact or tips/hints about finding affordable housing. He will probably need to have an apartment/house mate as preliminary online searches indicate that living alone may not be affordable.</p>
<p>He is 22 and just graduated college.</p>
<p>I’d appreciate all the help we can get. TIA.</p>
<p>Pengo- </p>
<p>It may be easier to help you if you give us a little more information. Most importantly will be 1) what is his budget 2) how far is he willing to commute 3) does he want to live around young people. Does he have friends in the Boston area? Where is he moving from-- city, suburbs</p>
<p>There are a few of us on CC who live right outside of Boston and I am sure we can help with more information. </p>
<p>He will be moving from a northern suburb of NYC. We do have a neighbor’s daughter who has been living in Somerville and he is in touch with her. </p>
<p>I expect that he will be able to pay up to $700 or so. He will be working at the New England Center for Children and his hours will not be "normal’ business hours. I imagine a shorter commute (20 minutes or so) would be best.</p>
<p>He will be meeting said friend’s friends and will also be meeting a new crop of newly hired staff at the school. </p>
<p>Thanks! </p>
<p>Pengo- Most young people moving to the Boston area live in the Brighton/Allston area as it is more reasonable than living directly in Boston or Brookline. Cleveland Circle is a very popular area. I think his commute to Southborough would be more than 20 minutes from this area. That being said, I don’t think there are many great options from a young persons point of view close to Southborough. If he lived right near Cleveland Circle he could get onto route 9 easily and it’s a straight shot up to Southborough. One alternative could be Waltham near the Mass Pike and he could take the Pike to Southborough. There are some apartments called Charlesbank Apts which are very close to the intersection of the pike and 128. I lived there at his age for a few years. It is a convenient location for commuting purposes and it has a pool and is extremely safe. It is near Brandeis, but his social life will really require a car. There is also the Auburndale section of Newton which is very suburban but there are multi-families for rent and are within walking distance of pretty things and it is easy access to the Mass Pike. I think my kids would choose to live in the Cleveland Circle area and commute if they were given the choice. I think in his budget he would need to share an apt with two other people and would need to make sure he had parking. The drive to his work would not be too frustrating as route 9 is an easy driving with the only annoyance being traffic. Once he is familiar with the area there are a lot of backroads. Another apartment complex that young people live in that has parking is off Commonwealth avenue in Brighton is near BC. It is called Towne Estates. It is adequate safe living within walking distance of the trolley for weekend and night fun. Let me know what you think of these ideas and I can give you more feedback based on what you think. I would try to narrow the area and then we can check out Craigslist and other roommate options.</p>
<p>The benefit of living in the areas that peacefulmom describes is that he will be commuting (largely) against traffic.</p>
<p>Framingham is very close to Southborough, but I am not sure there are many (or any) neighborhoods for young singles there.</p>
<p>I work in Waltham, and I too think that is a town he should consider. It definitely has a bit of a hip vibe (mixed with a blue collar vibe and people from many nations making a go of it). </p>
<p>I know exactly the location where he will be working in Southborough, and I would say he will absolutely need to have a car.</p>
<p>In terms of rent - my daughter shared an apartment in Cambridge and moved to South Boston last month to share a place with three friends. Her rent was about $1000/month in Cambridge and is now the same in South Boston.</p>
<p>I would expect it to be easier to find a more reasonably priced place in either Framingham or Waltham.</p>
<p>Editing to add: A commute from the places peacefulmom mentions will be more than 20 minutes. Most places in Framingham would give him no more than a 20 minute commute. Waltham is probably about 30 minutes (and closer than Cleveland Circle or Newton).</p>
<p>Another thought - perhaps there are people his age / recent grads already working at the Center who could steer him in the right direction, or who even need a roommate.</p>
<p>Thanks so much peacefulmom. This is the kind of info we were looking for. He will have a car by the time he moves. </p>
<p>I realize that he will probably have to share - which is fine. I just wonder how to vet a roommate - is that even done? I tend to be optimistic about these things but have heard a few roommate horror stories.</p>
<p>I am a RE broker here (but on “sabbatical”) and, if we have to go the agent route, looking for someone who genuinely enjoys helping people find a great place to live. I am NOT asking for referral fees. Just wanted to put that out there. :-)</p>
<p>I have checked out Craigslist and there are tons of shares listed but I really didn’t know what areas to focus on and I really do appreciate your input. We are looking to travel there perhaps this coming weekend or next to scope things out.</p>
<p>Cleveland Circle to Southboro 20 minutes? You have to go right by the State Police barracks on the Mass Pike, so there is no chance that this can be done on a regular basis :-). </p>
<p>Google says 35 minutes and you really want to have off street parking in Cleveland Circle (or anywhere) because when it snows, it’s insane. </p>
<p>I think Southboro is far enough west that trying to commute there from the inner Boston area is going to be tough. I think the rents will be cheaper closer to Southboro anyway, though Southboro itself is a pretty nice area. </p>
<p>Use the metro-west tab on craigslist. Look on a map to see commuting distance from Southboro. Framingham, and Natick have a lot of apartments.</p>
<p>If he really wants to be closer to Boston, I would consider Waltham near Brandeis, or some of the western neighborhoods of Newton. </p>
<p>I assume that he has a car. No question, that he will need one.</p>
<p>I honestly think this is likely best done without a realtor. The key is going to be finding the neighborhood where he wants to live. I don’t think he will want to live in Framingham. I think a longer commute is worth it. It isn’t a hard commute at all and if he has oddish hours it will be easy. Route 9 is two lanes each way. Very easy (lol- I grew up in Manhattan and didn’t learn how to drive until I was 22 and HATE highway driving.)</p>
<p>I think the Cleveland Circle area or Upper Brighton or Newton on Commonwealth Avenue to Auburndale would give him the access he needs to Route 9 or the Mass Pike and to Boston for the weekends. Being on the T line would be ideal for his outside of work hours.</p>
<p>I would check out listings from Boston College Students as this is near where he would want to live. </p>
<p>Where did he go to College? Are there any affiliated schools nearby? Does he plan to go for a Masters in the area?</p>
<p>My niece is in the process of working with a realtor looking for a place in Brookline. However, she already has a roommate and is not relying on a realtor to find a roommate. I would recommend using a realtor perhaps if he already has some roommates. I don’t know about realtors finding people roommates.</p>
<p>Waltham is fine and finding a place will be more nuanced and difficult. Charlesbank apartments are fine there. Safe, easy access to roads, but kind-of dull for a young twenty something. But may be affordable. Lived there for a few years when I commuted into Boston and my husband commuted into Cambridge.</p>
<p>Happy to help. Keep the questions coming.</p>
<p>BTW-- Boston is a GREAT city for starting out! He will be happy here!</p>
<p>As an aside - I understand the referral fees referred to would only matter if something is listed on the MLS. The rental business is so different depending on the various pasts of the country. In NYC, working with an agent usually means the tenant pays a finder’s fee. Where I am it can go either way. </p>
<p>Pengo–This is an extremely tight and competitive market. You will be lucky if you can find a realtor willing to help you at all. It is sad, but true. </p>
<p>If you agree with ClassicRockerDad:
“If he really wants to be closer to Boston, I would consider Waltham near Brandeis, or some of the western neighborhoods of Newton.” I would look at Charlesbank Apartments in Waltham, Towne Estates in Brighton and upper Auburndale. I really don’t know the Waltham market. Charlesbank is essentially Newton.
Also, ClassicRockerDad makes an excellent point about parking. He will need a parking space. The two places I recommended include parking. Parking can cost an additional 1-2 hundred dollars a month in the Boston area.</p>
<p>Thanks CRDad and PFMom. We will check out all the ideas. </p>
<p>Yes - he will have a car. He is a graduate of Colgate University here in upstate NY. We really don’t know anyone up there except for neighbor’s daughter. </p>
<p>I am really excited for him. Yes, the area is a great place to start out. And - he will be a little closer - 2.5 hours as opposed to >4 driving up to Colgate. </p>
<p>And yes, he will be doing research this year and will apply to a graduate program for next Fall. At least, that’s the plan now. 
</p>
<p>I agree that doing this on our own is probably the best bet. Thanks again.</p>
<p><a href=“http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/roo/4453991458.html”>http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/roo/4453991458.html</a></p>
<p>This looks good. I like that it is graduate students and young professional. He can take Comm Ave up to the Pike or Centre Street to the Pike or can get onto route 9. I know it is more than his budget, but it includes everything-- wash/wi-fi/cable/pckg. I’d be happy to help if you want to send some craigslist links along.</p>
<p>I would try for upper Newton or Brighton. Although his commute will be longer, I think it’s fine at his age and I would go for a longer commute and where he will fit in on the weekends.</p>
<p>I think there are a ton of kids from the Newton and metrowest area that went or currently go to Colgate. Can he post something on the Colgate Facebook graduating class of 2014 about looking for a roommate. I would highly recommend he network with Colgate Alum.</p>
<p>I think he would have a good experience choosing young professionals and grad student to live with. The undergrad community here I think would be less desirable only in that they will be enjoying Boston 24/7 and will be in a different place.</p>
<p>Also, I think living in the area closer to Boston/Brighton/Newton and not in Framingham and Waltham will give him a closeness and exposure to many of the grad students at BC, BU, Harvard, MIT, and on and on.</p>
<p>That situation does look great. It may be a little above his budget but maybe doable if we keep his phone on our plan. We may be able to help out here and there. Although I was really looking forward to him supporting himself completely. It is really hard though, these days. A lot different than 1975. 
</p>
<p>Here is one in Watertown - Watertown might work, close to the PIke - just to give you a sense of the kind of things you can find on CraigsList:</p>
<p><a href=“http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/nfb/4483904648.html”>http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/nfb/4483904648.html</a></p>
<p>Here is a sublet for July/ August in Waltham - maybe he could take something like this and then find something for the long term when he knows the area better:</p>
<p><a href=“http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/roo/4486183384.html”>http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/roo/4486183384.html</a></p>
<p>I looked for something in Framingham and didn’t see anything appealing.</p>
<p>Pengo- Everything is so different now. This seems like a great value. All the extras like wash, utilities, and on and on really add up. I think there are some other Craigslist options. I didn’t look too far, but this one stood out. When you come up to Boston, do you have a place to stay or will you be staying in a hotel? I could give you a list of nearby hotels. </p>
<p>The Watertown link above looks quite nice, but I honestly do not know anything about living in Watertown.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Things may have changed since I lived in the Boston area, but there are places within Brookline which can match or sometimes be more reasonable than Allston/Brighton if one knows where to look. </p>
<p>It also depends on what type of living environment your son wants. I avoided the Allston/Brighton area as it was heavily populated by undergrads from nearby universities who tend to get loud and rowdy as I found from visiting friends who lived there. </p>
<p>It’s great for undergrads and young professionals who want to continue living that type of life, but many others either don’t find it as agreeable or felt it was time to move on to more quiet environments where one can get some sleep at night after working 8+ hours/day. </p>
<p>Also, if one needs a car to commute, that can be a serious issue in those areas unless the apartment building comes with its own parking space. </p>
<p>Considering your son will need a car to commute to work, I’d look for buildings, neighborhoods, and nearby towns where parking won’t be a serious issue and yet, be accessible to public transportation so going into Boston/Cambridge on the weekends or evenings won’t be a long trek. </p>
<p>I should also add that September 1 is THE day when everyone moves.</p>
<p>So this means that there will most likely be quite a few options for moving in to someplace on September 1 (for a year’s lease), fewer options before and after.</p>
<p>Last year, my daughter was looking for an apartment share for October 1 in Cambridge. It was VERY competitive to get a room. I combed CraigsList for suitable places, forwarded them to her, and she checked out probably 6 - 8 apartment sharing opportunities. The best places had their pick of potential roommates. She “lucked in” to something at the very last minute - the apartment was nice and ideally located, but she didn’t bond with her roommate and decided to find a place with friends. (She easily subletted her existing room and was able to move the lease to the new roommate.) She DID have to pay one month’s rent to the real estate agent, and this is the norm if you are putting your name on the lease.</p>
<p>I know this is not anyone’s first thought, but I work with someone who went to Clark and spent two years living and working in Worcester right out of school, and she loved it. She goes back to go to her favorite restaurants and hangouts regularly. So that’s another possibility if he doesn’t want to be completely in the suburbs. I would not count on having a commute less than an hour if he’s living in metro Boston, even with the reverse commute. I know someone that drives Cambridge to Needham, and it regularly takes up to an hour.</p>
<p>The link from peacefulmom looks appealing. It’s great to havefree parking and no extra utility expenses. </p>
<p>DS shared a sublet in Allston last summer and liked it. His place had a frand then carpool to Framingham. but after a few weeks he found a carpooler. The commute was a bit of a drag, but tolerable. They found it worked best to go fitness center after work to avoid the really bad traffic. </p>
<p>I’d suggest your son look for something in Framingham. He should check out Craig’s List and look in the Metro West section–he might be able to find something near Framingham State (MA state college). From Boston to Southborough–even going out of the city, it’s going to take him (depending on traffic) at least 45 minutes to get to Southborough from Boston. If he takes the Mass Turnpike, he’ll have to get off in Framingham and make his way down Route 9 to his job, which means he’ll have to go through a number of stop lights. It would be a much more shorter commute if he were already in Framingham. Worcester is another possibility (personally I’d rather be in Framingham). Rents will definitely be cheaper in Worcester. He could also look in towns West of Rte 495 (e.g., Westborough). </p>