Moving to Boston: Help Please! (Cambridge, Newton: apartments, rentals, brokers)

[smolowitzn]

Hi
I am moving to Boston with my Husband in June 2009 from Australia. He is going to be doing his Graduate Diploma at BU, I will be working (not sure where yet). We are both 30 years old.
I have never been to Boston so have no idea where & how to look for rentals. We are looking for a furnished apartment in a hip & central area (but not too noisey) and are looking to spend no more than $1,700 per month.
Does anyone have any advice for the best areas to live & how to go about looking for them.
Thanks!

[jake786]

There are plenty of nice places around BU. Brookline is more family oriented than Brighton and Allston, but there are nice parts to all. If you have a car, Newton, Waban and even Watertown/Cambridge/Somerville are possible. Dedham is a fine place for a family too. Prices range.

[eevee]

a furnished apartment might be slightly more difficult to find, but w/ your budget (assuming you're looking for a 1 bedroom, though you may be able to snag a 2 bed at that price), you should do ok. areas very close to BU tend to be a bit noisier due to undergrads, but parts of Brighton and parts of Fenway (the parts away from Landsdown St, either bordering Brookline or the South End perhaps) may work. really almost area may work for you, including the South End and North End, depending on what other amenities you may need (do you have a car? you didn't mention anything in your OP, but do you need a family friendly/car friendly area?) and what you want in a "hip and central" area (live music? theater? high end shopping and dining? etc)

[smolowitzn]

Thanks so much for your help. By "hip" I mean lots of nice resturants & bars. We do not have a family or a car.

[Luke9686]

Back Bay or the North End.

[BubbyBu]

Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville all the the bill. Brookline and Cambridge both have signifigant international populations.

[smolowitzn]

Thanks everyone! What are the best web-sites to use for rental searches? I have been using Craigslist, but it is not very good..........

[RemiJP]

Craig's List is the best resource, in my opinion. I found all of my apartments there! You may also want to read classifieds on Boston.com. Also, keep in mind that because of the big student population, leases often start in September, and apartments to be rented in Sept 2009 are listed starting in April/May. This time of year is not a very active time for new apartment rentals. BU's Off-Campus Services might also be able to provide you you with a list of realtors and resources.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by eevee

you should do ok. areas very close to BU tend to be a bit noisier due to undergrads, but parts of Brighton and parts of Fenway (the parts away from Landsdown St, either bordering Brookline or the South End perhaps) may work. really

The Fenway closer to the South End (Westland Av, St Stephen) is also pretty loud due to undergrads. As people have said, Allston, to the west of BU, is also full of noise.

I'd check Central Square in Cambridge (easy train ride downtown, quick bus to BU) and Coolidge Corner in Brookline. You might also want to check out the streets in Brookline closer to Allston (area near Thorndike, Columbia, Fuller). There you could pretty much walk to BU and to all the restaurants and bars of both Allston and Coolidge Corner, and have access to the Green line T to go downtown or to the Back Bay.

The Back Bay itself is a beautiful area with a lot to do, but more expensive to live in. The South End is slightly less expensive but it is slower to get to BU from there.

Craigslist, for all its flaws, is the most comprehensive. The boston.com listings are good if you're looking to buy property, but I find their rental listings to be more high-end. Most of the other sites I've seen are not very helpful. You might do a search on craigslist for those areas and see if you can link to the websites of the brokers in the area through the listings that come up.

[clevedark]

I think Cambridge has a much more sophisticated and varied selection of restaurants than Brookline. And Cambridge seems kinda close to BU.

I've heard people say it's heaven on earth in Cambridge!

Have a great year.