Submitted by KrockKalseeen t3_126u9zb in boston

Hello all!

My girlfriend and I are moving to Boston this summer, but wanted to ask if you guys had any recommendations of where to look? Here are our preferences / limitations:

Rent Budget of $2k, preferably with no broker fee

Looking to live somewhere close to a T station, or at the very least an under 40 minute commute to the financial district, she has a job lined up

Somewhere that is actually city and not super far outside, i’m still looking for work and would like to have some good options for a young guy

Somewhere safe, with a lot to do!

We are both in our 20’s, like good food, and have lived in a small town far too long, so are looking for city vibes!

I appreciate any responses, sorry if this is an annoying ask, we have looked at a bunch of places and have a few in mind but, here I am.

Thank you!

Any and all advice appreciated

Edit:

Some updates!

The budget is not end all be all, mostly because if the broker fee, but once we actually get over that hurdle, we could make rent up to 3k

Not looking to live with anyone else, studio is not out of the question just mostly worried about some of our furniture

GF is bringing in 70k a year, and i’m finishing school while still working, so probably 30k a year minimum, obviously looking to get a better job

I have a car, which we are ditching asap after arriving

40 minutes is just a rough eta, kinda goes hand in hand with not wanting to be outside of the city, but any combination of walking and public transport is a-okay!

I appreciate the helpful comments, sorry if some of the stuff I said warranted the negative ones.

Thank you again!

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Yak_Rodeo t1_jeaxx73 wrote

2k with a 40 minute commute to the financial district?

not happening

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KrockKalseeen OP t1_jeayaem wrote

i mean, we’ve found literally dozens of apartments fitting that criteria already.

Let me clarify, 40 minutes including any combination of walking + public transport

and 2k a month, we’re looking to rent lol

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Yak_Rodeo t1_jeaynd0 wrote

yes i understand youre looking to rent

most of the apartments you found “fitting the criteria” are either scams or landlord specials

it can take upwards of 40 minutes to go 3 stops on public transit nowadays

youre not finding good apartments in the city or close to it for under 2k

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Stronkowski t1_jeb0u3k wrote

Look at the northern end of the Orange Line or the southern end of the Red Line.

How many bedrooms are you looking for? That budget might be tough.

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Beantowncrash t1_jeb1se0 wrote

Do not take a moving truck on Storrow drive. That is all. Good luck.

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riski_click t1_jeb2o8m wrote

You mean that you guys are looking to pay $2k for a bedroom in a 3BR apartment, right? Also, these days 40 minutes away from the financial district is only like 3 T stops..

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mrkro3434 t1_jeb2zio wrote

> preferably with no broker fee

So in other words, you're in search of a Unicorn.

Also, people will poo poo the "$2k" rent budget, but it's doable. You'll just have to take your expectations and knock them down a peg, and then another peg.

You're looking at older buildings resulting in higher utility bills, no laundry on site, constantly having to force your landlord to fix broken things, etc.

If you're serious with your budget and location requirements, you guys should just bite the bullet and share a 2-3 bedroom with two other people.

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slaytrixx96 t1_jeb3lbo wrote

i would recommend checking out chelsea, revere, east boston, and everett.

i grew up in revere and have been living in chelsea for the past 3 years, my apartment isn’t the biggest but i pay $1,800 + utilities - so a little over $2k a month.

i work in cambridge and being in chelsea you have the option to go direct to the blue line via the 116 or 117 bus route or you can go directly to haymarket station which is close to the financial district via the 111 depending on what part of chelsea you’re in. the silver line is next to the commuter rail station. the silver line brings you right into south station and the commuter rail brings you to north station. my commute rarely takes over an hour (give or take on the day)

chelsea is a very walkable city, however it gets a lot of flack for how “urban” it is. i’ve never felt unsafe walking around chelsea at any point of the day/night. lots of great locally owned restaurants if you like south american food. east boston is very close by and has great views of the city (visit jeffries point)

hope this helps!

edit** if you do not want to pay brokers fees, i’d recommend checking facebook market place or craigslist, you’re able to filter ‘no fees.’ i found my apartment through fb marketplace and connected directly with the landlord, no fees at all! it gives you the benefit of connecting with them directly. i’ve been lucky enough to not have my rent raised since i’ve moved in so i hope that can be the same for you!

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riski_click t1_jeb5b4v wrote

I'm not feeling it, but I really hope you did a lot of research before you pulled the trigger on this. Keep in mind that for a $2k place (if you find one), you'll have to put down at least $6k, which you will only see a small fraction of again, in the far future. Plus, Boston is still a majority Sept-Sept market, so you're moving at a limited choice time of year. Finally, I hope your girlfriend has a well-established job bringing in serious bank, and I hope you have a degree in a very marketable field. I wish you both luck, and I hope you're not bringing a car or pets.

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capta2k t1_jeb5qlu wrote

Check for rentals in Quincy. You probably can't get into any of the brand new buildings at your price point, but you might find older units available in your range. Quincy is right on the subway and commuter rail lines that take you to the South Station/Financial District area.

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dxbaileyy t1_jeb63b4 wrote

You may have some luck in Allston/Brighton. I assume you want a 1 bed - it won’t be impossible to find one at $2K or less but these get snatched up pretty fast. A one bedroom that’s $2k or less, with no broker fee, and close to the T is going to be harder to find and even harder to secure because a lot of people will also want that great of a deal.

You will likely need to increase your budget by $100-200 and compromise on the broker fee. Maybe you’ll get lucky but I want to be realistic with you. I still think Allston/Brighton is your best bet especially if you’re concerned with safety and still want to be in city limits.

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Pinwurm t1_jebl6mr wrote

I hope you'll be ditching your car.

Given your ages, I would look at Lower Allston or Brighton Center. Very safe, walkable to a lot of stuff. There's trolleys and buses that will get you Financial District in about 40 minutes. There's good eats all around, plenty of fun & games. You really can't go wrong if this is your first neighborhood to in Boston. However - these are mostly student neighborhoods - so at some point, you do 'age out'. Avoid Alpha Management.

East Boston is fairly inexpensive still. The Blue Line will take you straight to Financial District in 10-15 minutes.

The neighborhood doesn't have a lot of fun and games, but you can access it all fairly quickly with the Blue (which is the most reliable line, usually). There is great Latin food, parks and public art. It's fairly safe and very walkable. The biggest negative is it's near the airport, so you'll get some noise pollution.
The other negative is that it's somewhat of an island from the rest of the city, so you can't just 'walk home' if the T isn't running, your only option is Uber. Jeffries Point has more people in your age bracket. Eagle Hill is a hodgepodge. Orient Heights is mostly families. If you know a little Spanish, you unlock a ton of DLC for East Boston.

I would look as far as Revere off the Blue Line. Though it gets less "city" the further you are.

I'd then look at anything off the Orange Line in Malden or Medford. Super safe, both have little walkable town centers with good eats scattered throughout. They're not exactly "city vibes" though.

Also Quincy. Though, it's a little farther away and off the Red Line, which has been really bad lately. Like Medford & Malden, it's super safe and has a walkable town center.

Your price range is fairly low, but for a small 1BR - I'm sure you'll find something. If you push to $2200, you'll do better.

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Girlwithpen t1_jecdi3i wrote

Keep in mind $100K in Boston is actually 45K. Also, since you are not a born and bred Bostonian or Boston suburbian, you are both forever outsiders. But welcome!

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f1Ynoeld3TRCRaw t1_jed7oe0 wrote

> moving to Boston this summer

that sucks and you're late looking for housing already then.

> Rent Budget of $2k, preferably with no broker fee

good joke, what's your actual budget?

> under 40 minute commute to the financial district

so essentially in or around fidi then?

> Somewhere safe, with a lot to do!

so not fidi then...

> We are both in our 20’s, like good food

why come to Boston then?

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SocaWarriors t1_jedyg1l wrote

You have to do the work yourself. Reddit is very very very tiny portion of real people here. There's lots of options for that price point but you have to be an actual human and do the legwork to find these properties and talk to the landlords. Don't let the jaded yuppies paying 3k a month deter you from your goals if you're determined you will find it.

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