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allexesteven t1_j6ie6y6 wrote

if im reading this correctly -

  • more urban than suburban if you're looking for places to dine & drink in walkable distance
  • newer buildings with amenities....that's luxury condos. most of the buildings in the city are old and some recently renovated
  • don't like to be near families which means students or young professionals

seaport, somerville, JP, allston fit the bill best

  • no brokers fee or deposit...this gonna be near impossible. you can skip out brokers fee at some luxury condos but no deposit is tall order

reading your responses i don't think Boston might be for you

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LazarusLong67 OP t1_j6ifb75 wrote

Thanks for the honest/good info. And maybe I shouldn't have posted in the Boston Reddit and shot for more general MA area (since we already sort of knew that Boston itself wasn't going to work - a lot of people seem to be missing that I think).

We're definitely not suburb people (hate the 'burbs!). But we'd be open to a smaller city close to Boston where we could live in a downtown and have stuff to walk to right around us.

You're correct regarding either students or young professionals - there's a similar area in Minneapolis called the North Loop - full of young professionals but also older empty nesters and some retirees. It's mainly older converted warehouses/lofts with a ton of small retail and restaurants/bars nearby. Really exploded in the last 10 years or so.

Regarding deposit, we've never avoided having that, but a lot of larger properties have shifted to lower deposits now (normally nowhere near 1 month's rent).

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geminimad4 t1_j6jlm9o wrote

You should check out Providence! It may be a better fit for you than Boston in terms of affordability and being a smaller city.

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allexesteven t1_j6ih73g wrote

i am afraid that anything outside of boston is going to be more suburban since that's where couples in 30-40s escape to eg: quincy, nashua, framingham, burlington, waltham, worcester

city is filled with univ students and young professionals starting out, which might be more to your liking. but city has lot more older buildings than new...which means they charge substantial premium...1 bed will cost 3k or over. anything lower and real estate agents will be there

i made my peace by choosing an older building...it's affordable, didn't pay broker fee + first & last month only, in a young vibrant area, in walking distance of cafes/diners/bars.

i would recommend coming with a budget, and from there prioritizing which things you absolutely want and what aspects you are willing to compromise on

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