early warning apartment hunting

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

My roomie and I have decided we want to move closer to Davis Square when our lease is up in July. Before we get our hopes up, how likely are we to find a 2-bedroom with washer and dryer and two off-street spaces for $1250 within a 20 min walk to the Square? I was sorting through the rental tags and will explore some of the realtor recommendations on there but will most likely us Craigslist to avoid the fee. Any other "super secret" tools we should use and how soon is too soon to start seriously looking? Happy holidays!

Comments

[elizethesleaze.livejournal.com]

i had been looking for apartments through craigslist and various realtors off of craigslist... most of them didnt want to even deal with us more than 1 1/2 months in advance... in the end i realized the realtors were all evil and found a place using the "apartments by owner" filter on craigslist.

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the times I moved before the last one I used Craigslist with good results. I can't afford to pay a realtor several hundred dollars anyway. :)

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

that's kinda cheap for close in to Davis; you might have better luck teaming up with 1-2 other people if you're aiming for the 600ish-per-person mark. otoh, if you look a bit further down toward Winter Hill/Union Square (say, 25 min to davis), you'll probably be able to find something.

also, most apts are on the market for may and june when the students go away, or september, when they come back. you may want to look on the early side, esp. if you can swing double rent for one month.

good luck!

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

We are currently a 30 min walk from the other side of Tufts, so it wouldn't be worth the hassle to move for only 5 min gain. Not likely that we could do the double rent thing. Thanks though.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Unlikely you'll find anything for less than $1400, in my experience.

No secrets

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

I don't have any secrets: Just craigslist and shoe-leather. It doesn't hurt to start early, just to get a feel for the price-range and market, but within 30-60 days of your targeted move-in date is when you'll find the most.

Apartment-brokers will save you time but not money; if you want to do it cheaply you have to do it yourself and that means going 'round and looking at places.

Re: No secrets

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

That's about what I was figuring, so it is good to have that confirmed.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

I live in an apartment that meets your requirements, PM me if you would like further info and I can tell you my realtor and such, I cannot guarantee they have apartments though as I have lived here four years.

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

I would love more info, thanks. I will send a PM.

[ringrose.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what your financial situation is, but go through the evaluation of "can I buy someplace?" Then your rent goes toward owning a place, instead of toward someone else owning it. If you do look closely at buying there's a host of other suggestions.

Also if either of you are affiliated with a local college or institute, check their off-campus housing office.

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

No down payment and lenders would laugh at my debt to income ratio. Believe me, this is something I have thought about off and on for several years. I hate paying someone else's mortage.

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

I know of a place that fits that description *except* that I don't know about the off-street parking. Shall I send the email description to you?

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

Please send me a PM with the details. Thanks!

[maru-mari.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhh really.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I'd think 1250 would be low unless you consider Winter Hill good walking distance. I don't, because of the massive hills.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

You might be able to find something, but there probably isn't a whole lot that meets all the criteria.

I pay $1200 for a 2-bedroom, 25-minute walk from the Square, no washer/dryer (laundromat is a short block away and has good hours), one off-street parking space.(I was able to negotiate that rent because it's just me--my lease has a provision that rent would be slightly higher if I get a roommate.)

[cold-type.livejournal.com]

I agree with the other posters. You're probably going to have a tough time finding an apartment for $1250 that meets all your criteria. Most 2BRs are more expensive near Davis, even without off-street parking. But, heck, it never hurts to look.

Re: buying. 2-BRs are awfully expensive to buy in Davis Square relative to rents. Depending on your credit and downpayment, your mortgage payment would likely cost at least $2K/month -- and likely much higher -- if you buy a 2BR in Davis.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

If it included heat, I might literally kill for that apartment.

[diatomacearth.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't kill for it unless all utilities were included, but for just heat, I'd certainly be willing to maim.

[blondeamazon.livejournal.com]

Yeah maiming for utlities included, killing for off-street and in unit laundry.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Very likely. I live 1 mile from Davis with all of those amenities (plus an additional small room for an office) and we pay $1100/month.

Edited to add: I'm in Clarendon Hill, which I don't consider far and I found my apartment via Maven Realty. Paying the one month brokerage fee sucked but it saved a boatload of time and has served us well as we love our place.