studio apartments around davis?

[allli.livejournal.com]

do studio apartments exist in somerville (around davis & porter)? i've now lived in the somerville/cambridge area for 4 years, but always in shared places. i've been browsing craigslist since january but never seen a studio apartment advertised for the somerville area. is it just that my timing is wrong? or do the 3-decker victorians dominate to the extent that no somerville studios actually exist?

Comments

[alphacygni]

I just looked on craigslist now, and found lots of studios in Somerville. What are you setting your maximum price to? Sadly, studios are not that much cheaper than 2 bedroom places - certainly not half the price. Almost all the studios I saw from my search just now were $900-$1000.

If the immediate vicinity of Davis and Porter turns out to be too pricey, I recommend checking out Arlington. There are lots of apartment buildings with small units, and the prices are often much lower than Cambridge and Somerville.

[cutieperson]

yeah, the only difference is that price in a studio generally covers heat & utilities, whereas it does not in a one or two bedroom.

[ron_newman]

I'm in a one-bedroom and my rent covers heat and hot water (but not electricity, nor natural gas for cooking)

[cutieperson]

i meant difference in price between the two. It is unusual to find a one or two bedroom for under $1200 that includes those things, whereas it is common to find a studio for under that that does.
so, it's not much cheaper on paper than a larger place, but you save a lot by not having to pay anything beyond "rent".

and yes, i know people have found deals that are super duper awesome and will be exceptions to the rule.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

I live right on the medford line, and I do know of one place that's in Medford, on Boston Ave right across from Rose's chinese food. It has actually quite lovely studios that in 2002 were going for like 850. It's a bit of a hike to the T, but ...

[siderea]

I live in a studio in Cambridge a 5min walk from Davis, and I think you just missed an opening in this building. :/

[elements.livejournal.com]

A lot of the studios and 1-beds in the more immediate Davis area are very very rarely cheaper than 1000, though often as said above you get some utilities included. Usually utils are only included if it's a bigger building rather than, say, the converted "garden level" of a triple-decker or duplex, converted attic, etc. Be wary of the places that don't offer a full stove, etc., as that's not even technically legal. I've seen CL ads for places where the tenant wasn't even allowed to cook - totally not OK.

If you're looking for cheaper, there are some decent prices in Spring Hill and Winter Hill (often around 900 for a studio), and Union Sq.

Arlington Center is actually about as pricey as the cheaper near-Davis, but you're closer to amenities and the apartments themselves tend to be bigger and nicer.

If you can handle going out into Arlington Heights, which is more of a significant commute and starts feeling really suburban, prices come down to 900 or lower sometimes.

Basically, if you want to live alone, you have to be willing to shell out.

(Yes, I did a lot of research when I thought I wanted my own place. And then I decided to spend that extra $300-400/month on travel and clothes and paying down debt and other useful things, and have not regretted it, though of course your mileage may vary.)

[allli.livejournal.com]

thanks for the feedback, everyone. i will think about modifying my upper limit... maybe. arlington is kinda too far for me. even though i actually don't use it all that often, i want to be nearer to the T. i know it might be smarter to live with roommates, but sanity calls...

Patience

[spaz-i-mota.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not sure if the building will be a dump or not, but I found a 1 bedroom on the 4th floor in a building w/o an elevator one block from davis sq. for $1000 including heat. The place seems pretty nice and very sunny. I spent 3 months looking at Craigslist obsessively though, and only found 2 places that I could afford that close to everything that entire time.

Of course, I'm wondering if its too good to be true. I move in 1 weeks, so i'll know soon enough.

I was actaully looking for a studio, but a one bedroom was even better. I can see how my building works out, and let you know if anything opens up. If you can kind of take your time, I'd say you'll find something. I'll be in good shape climbing all those stairs though.