Greater Boston Realtors

[preppy]

DH and I are going to have to start looking at places soon as our current lease is up August 15th. The realtor we worked with last time was insane and kept showing us places that didnt allow pets even though we have a small dog. Does anyone have suggestions for a realtor to find a rental in the Belmont or Lexington areas?

Also other than trulia or realtor.com where can I find listings? Thanks!!

[preppy]

Hmm. To Craigslist it is.

Moving sucks. But I am sofucking excited to live closer to work. I think it's going to be life changing.

[hw77]

We found ours on Craigslist. 1st one 2 years ago we rented right from the owner and now we are going through a management company. While we had to pay the fee this time I felt it was impossible to narrow it down to owners only. We had a very specific area we wanted to live, so we just searched each day and contacted them directly. In the city it moves so quick that half the stuff we looked at and liked on Wednesday was gone by the time we went out on Saturday... so quickly it finally sunk in what everyone had told me that the rental market is tight and moves super quick. Have your checkbook in hand

[hulley]

I know friends have had luck using NNEREN.com. It's mostly for sale but there are usually a few rentals available as well.

[preppy]

Jun 4, 2013 14:49:12 GMT -5 hw77 said:

We found ours on Craigslist. 1st one 2 years ago we rented right from the owner and now we are going through a management company. While we had to pay the fee this time I felt it was impossible to narrow it down to owners only. We had a very specific area we wanted to live, so we just searched each day and contacted them directly. In the city it moves so quick that half the stuff we looked at and liked on Wednesday was gone by the time we went out on Saturday... so quickly it finally sunk in what everyone had told me that the rental market is tight and moves super quick. Have your checkbook in hand

My DH works from home most days so I think the key will be having him look the day it's listed.

Thanks everyone!

[preppy]

www.newenglandmoves.com/property/details/678886/MLS-71534591/61-Marlboro-Street-Belmont-Payson-Park-MA-02478.aspx

I want this one, ugh it's so nice! It is probably already gone

[hw77]

That is gorgeous! The kitchen, the floors, full size washer/dryer!

Our new kitchen is tinier then our previous tiny kitchen however we do have a dishwasher and stack washer/dryer so I need to be grateful I guess... I didnt want to increase our rent budget b/c we are packing away every dollar we can for a house.

[noodleoo]

Jun 4, 2013 19:23:48 GMT -5 preppy said:

www.newenglandmoves.com/property/details/678886/MLS-71534591/61-Marlboro-Street-Belmont-Payson-Park-MA-02478.aspx

I want this one, ugh it's so nice! It is probably already gone

Holy crap that's expensive!  It is beautiful, but Wow!  I guess the rental market has increased a lot!  Good luck finding a place!

[5kcandlesinthewind]

If you find one, let me know. We were looking to move this summer as well (and also have a small dog), and Craigslist has broken me. So much crap, so many scam/fake listings, and so many annoying realtors with ridiculous fees. Of course, our budget is super limited right now, so that doesn't help.

[hw77]

I think here it is definitely you get what you pay for and b/c the market is so tight landlords dont have to do a ton of improvements b/c the place is going to rent regardless so when a landlord does do great improvements like the one above then can charge a premium. That is a very nice apartment and while I wouldnt spend that on rent I think you really have to compare apples to apples.

[hw77]

While this isnt MM board I think its important to consider everything relative... what % of income is spent on rent/mortgage differs by individual. As I mentioned we are spending drastically less on rent then we plan to spend on a mortgage b/c we are saving for a house. badmoneyadvice.com/2010/10/what-percent-of-your-income-to-spend-on-rent.html

"Dave Ramsey is fairly typical in his recommendation of renting as a useful temporary stage before you save up enough to buy a place. Once you buy, he says to make your housing costs no more than 25% of your take-home pay. Presumably, he would recommend an even smaller percentage for rent.

Answers.com, always a good source for popular beliefs, gives 25% of gross income as the maximum rent. Move.com suggests a range of 25% to 30%. "

[preppy]

That price range is more of a stretch and really I would like to spend much less. Pretty apartments distract me, lol. My manager is trying to convince me I should move to Woburn near where he lives and says you can get a lot for your money. I have never been to Woburn, anyone have any info about it? I found a very nice 2 bed/1.5 bath with roof deck there for $2100 but know nothing about the area.

[vtdiamond]

Jun 5, 2013 10:28:39 GMT -5 preppy said:

That price range is more of a stretch and really I would like to spend much less. Pretty apartments distract me, lol. My manager is trying to convince me I should move to Woburn near where he lives and says you can get a lot for your money. I have never been to Woburn, anyone have any info about it? I found a very nice 2 bed/1.5 bath with roof deck there for $2100 but know nothing about the area.

elfinia7 lives there.  My town is just north of there. It's definitely suburban and I would say maybe not as nice as Belmont or Lexington.

[elfinia7]

Love Woburn, right in the middle of 93 and 95 so it's easy to get everywhere. Plus the commuter rail stops here too. I rented in Woburn for 3 years and bought a house here 2 years ago. We rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment for $1250. It had it's own driveway and a big backyard. In Woburn, you're going to find a little of everything, crappy and cheap and nice and expensive. It is an industrial town so it makes for cheaper property taxes then say places like Lexington. It's got a busy downtown area with lots of different places to eat and ethnicities.

I can't remember if you have kids but they've been working on rennovating every school in town. The High School is done and they've been working thier way through the elementary schools. There's lots of town pride and they have a number of traditional events every year like the Horn Pond festival this month or the big Halloween parade in October.

Anyway, if you have questions about Woburn, let me know

[preppy]

Jun 5, 2013 12:31:24 GMT -5 elfinia7 said:

Love Woburn, right in the middle of 93 and 95 so it's easy to get everywhere. Plus the commuter rail stops here too. I rented in Woburn for 3 years and bought a house here 2 years ago. We rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment for $1250. It had it's own driveway and a big backyard. In Woburn, you're going to find a little of everything, crappy and cheap and nice and expensive. It is an industrial town so it makes for cheaper property taxes then say places like Lexington. It's got a busy downtown area with lots of different places to eat and ethnicities.

I can't remember if you have kids but they've been working on rennovating every school in town. The High School is done and they've been working thier way through the elementary schools. There's lots of town pride and they have a number of traditional events every year like the Horn Pond festival this month or the big Halloween parade in October.

Anyway, if you have questions about Woburn, let me know

No kids yet but looking at start TTC early fall so that is good to know. The place I am looking at online is right on Main Street in a newer building across from what appears to be a town green type area on google maps. Is right in town there a good place to be would you think? Thanks so much for your help!

[elfinia7]

Jun 5, 2013 13:08:19 GMT -5 preppy said:

Jun 5, 2013 12:31:24 GMT -5 elfinia7 said:

Love Woburn, right in the middle of 93 and 95 so it's easy to get everywhere. Plus the commuter rail stops here too. I rented in Woburn for 3 years and bought a house here 2 years ago. We rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment for $1250. It had it's own driveway and a big backyard. In Woburn, you're going to find a little of everything, crappy and cheap and nice and expensive. It is an industrial town so it makes for cheaper property taxes then say places like Lexington. It's got a busy downtown area with lots of different places to eat and ethnicities.

I can't remember if you have kids but they've been working on rennovating every school in town. The High School is done and they've been working thier way through the elementary schools. There's lots of town pride and they have a number of traditional events every year like the Horn Pond festival this month or the big Halloween parade in October.

Anyway, if you have questions about Woburn, let me know

No kids yet but looking at start TTC early fall so that is good to know. The place I am looking at online is right on Main Street in a newer building across from what appears to be a town green type area on google maps. Is right in town there a good place to be would you think? Thanks so much for your help!

Hmm, Main St goes through a large section of town so it's hard to picture what area you're referring to. I wouldn't suggest living right in the downtown part only because I immediately think of parking unless it's a side st. If you want to talk more specifically about Woburn offline you can always PM me too.

[auggie]

In my experience, Woburn has a much bigger working class/middle class population than either Lexington or Belmont. Belmont and Lexington are much more expensive/elite and their town centers have a more upscale feel, whereas Woburn center has a more urban feel.