Rental $$ Reality Check

[serious-noir.livejournal.com]

4 rm apt – 1 bedroom, living room, "middle" (dining, I guess) room & kitchen. Decent windows. Tired wood floors.
Hasn't been painted in many years, kitchen very shabby, hasn't been updated since 1950's (think: double, chipped porcelain sink on a tin cabinet), except for "self-stick" floor tiles that are all cracked and loose. No kitchen cupboards but there is a pantry. Bathroom rehabbed with "bottom shelf" Home Depot fxtures 10 years ago but now is tired.

Saving graces: quiet street, easy on-street parking and easy walking distance to DS. In apt hook-ups for W & D

Anyone have thoughts on what something like this would rent for in the current DS market? I haven't been "out there" for a long time and am facing a "should I stay or should I go" moment in light of a huge rent increase.

Comments

[alphacygni]

Is the living room a peninsula sort of a room off the middle room? Perhaps someone informed your landlord that they could decide to call that a second bedroom, and dollar signs started dancing in front of their eyes.

[serious-noir.livejournal.com]

The living room is street side off a corridor to the front door. It has a double wide entrance with no door. The "middle" or dining room is off the kitchen, also no door. The bedroom is off the middle room. Pretty standard layout for around here.

Yes, my landlord has referred to it as a "two bedroom apt".

[totient]

I'd think it would depend a whole lot on exactly where it was. Zillow thinks that such a thing at the south end of Chandler St would be $2000 a month. On Bristol Rd it'd be $800.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

In and near Davis Square? $2000ish, I believe. Further out? Less.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Location, location, location. My understanding is that basically the number of bedrooms and the location determine the rent, unless the place is really nice for its kind. So pull up a few rental listings for the area...

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

I just moved out of a place like that that was marketed as a 2-bedroom about 10 minutes from Porter Square, towards Union Square. It went for 1500 and I was given to understand that was a very good price.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Your description sounds to be about "average" if not slightly a little below but at the same time on par with some properties. Like others have noted - location,location,location! A friend was looking for a month or 2 ( a solid month seriously and 2 or 3 casually) and couldn't find anything good or decent for practical money; they were looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom for 2 of them. Eventually they found, or had to settle on, a 1-bed condo ( I assume the owner was renting it out) for $2200 across from Trum field - which was 200 above their max amount they really wanted to pay. The place itself has central air and a parking spot but I was happy they found a place but we both agreed it was a lot of money. Not sure if the situation helps.