Who lives in (or knows a lot about) the Boston area

[lilafowler]

Oct 16, 2024 7:15:30 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Oct 16, 2024 7:00:35 GMT -5 lilafowler said:

Also look at rent prices. I live in a suburb and we pay way less than market value for a 2 bedroom in a 2 family house (which is why we’ve stayed here so long)-be prepared to pay $$$ if you stay in Boston proper. Shit- rents in Quincy for studios/1 bedrooms in some of the newer developments are $2500-$3000 a month.

You don’t need two cars. We have too many cars here already and the streets are small.

Rent prices are just SHOCKING. My STBX pays $3300 for a 2BR in our burb 40 mins from Boston. But when I was looking at rentals when we were separating, even the places without nice amenities like his weren’t much less.

It sucks so much. If we lived almost anywhere else we could comfortably afford a house now that H is a teacher and in the union.

[Gato]

Somerville or Arlington would be my choice. Charming, tree-lined streets, vibrant little downtowns, mostly liberals, fairly diverse, close to T. I’d do Cambridge or Brookline if I could afford it.

Chicago is also a great place to live at half the price!

[tiki]

Oct 15, 2024 22:43:26 GMT -5 livinitup said:

We have good friends who live in and near Boston. How does someone do both? Well, the wife works in Boston, so they have a house in New Hampshire to beat the cost of living and a condo near work (or near a transit line near work) for overnights when she works or when they want to enjoy the city.

We have friends who did something similar - they were renting in Brookline and trying to buy, but that ended up being impossible due to home prices.  So now they have a house in Northampton and an apartment in the city. They use the apartment when they need to work from Boston or when his mom has a medical procedure at the Brigham. 

[georgeharrison]

Oct 15, 2024 20:32:15 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

Also, if you don't truly need 2 bedrooms and can manage in a one bedroom with small office type second space, that could help with finding housing that isn't insanely expensive. Still expensive, but slightly cheaper. Or a one bedroom with a living space big enough for a pull out couch/ blow up mattress for when your child visits.

Yeah, this is totally fine. We don't need 2 true bedrooms, but I would assume that having, what I assume will be, a small living room and then just a bedroom is not going to be enough space for my husband and me to get out of each other's beeswax sometimes. I am also hoping that even with moving to the area with more of my industry I could still do hybrid working, so I'd need a place to set up a desk. Thank you for the suggestion.

[fryjack2]

I think you also have to think about if you want Boston proper ( the neighborhoods like Seaport, Back Bay, Southie people have mentioned) or if a nearby burb that has a downtown ( Arlington, Malden, Quincy, etc.) is ok.

One place I haven't seen mentioned is Newton. I think there are 11 distinct neighborhood of Newton. Newton Center is really cute and its on the train into the city. It borders Boston in some parts.

[tiki]

Oct 16, 2024 11:10:52 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

One place I haven't seen mentioned is Newton. I think there are 11 distinct neighborhood of Newton. Newton Center is really cute and its on the train into the city. It borders Boston in some parts.

I think I will never understand Newton.  It's so large and access to transit, shops, & restaurants seems so variable from street to street. 

[lilafowler]

Oct 16, 2024 11:10:52 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

I think you also have to think about if you want Boston proper ( the neighborhoods like Seaport, Back Bay, Southie people have mentioned) or if a nearby burb that has a downtown ( Arlington, Malden, Quincy, etc.) is ok.

One place I haven't seen mentioned is Newton. I think there are 11 distinct neighborhood of Newton. Newton Center is really cute and its on the train into the city. It borders Boston in some parts.

Very true! Newton has a lot to offer and T accessible.