I am a mom and pop landlord and can attest. We are more flexible on qualifying but still, at the end of the day we don’t want a situation where you pay rent and have to live an extremely austere lifestyle because of it. Over time that is unsustainable and forces a decision to pay rent or prioritize other expenditures. It’s not good for either party. Honestly just because you are willing to spend 50% of your take home and have some savings doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. I think sharing an apt, a co-signer or moving far from your preferred location are some solid options.

I have a brand new 3bd 2ba unit ready for occupancy Dec. 15. Rent is $3700 and it’s in East Boston 5 minutes to the train. If you grab a roommate or two you can have your own floor and bathroom (it’s a 2 story apt) for roughly $1200-1850/mo. Even if my place isn’t for you, try East Boston - best bang for your buck in the city. Nice one beds under $2700 there. My other unit in the same building rents for $1950/mo to a guy who makes a lot more than you.

Also assessed values generally lag market values by 10-20%.

The Boston tax rate is about $10.50/$1,000 but the residential exemption is probably $3K total per year. It can take 1-2 years after closing for it to kick in. Bostons tax rate and exemption are great but that is primarily because the commercial tax base pays a huge part. Most suburbs don’t have that tax base diversity and soak homeowners.