Seeking Apartment in Boston. Help!
 

Hi -

Knowing none about US and particularly Boston, I will be relocating to Boston in the next two weeks. My office is located on 200Clarendon St, while my wife will have a daily yoga class on 108Lincoln St

We are looking for a one bedroom apartment with:
* safe and quite neighborhood,
* new or recently renovated building,
* walking distance to my office and my wife's yoga studio,
* with monthly price around $1,400/mth.

Although its not a must, a free parking lot will be an advantage.

Any suggestions on the apartment that suits my situation the best will be highly appreciated.

Thanks!
Phoea

I wish you lots of luck. If such a thing were available, I'd live in Boston instead of being stuck in the burbs. Perhaps your employer could help?

If you are coming with any Harvard affiliation, the Trilogy complex just opened. It is in a good location and and is brand new. Don't know about parking...

Sorry--I just noticed the Clarendon St. office part of your post, so no Harvard connection....

I can't imagine that y ou wll find somethng that meets all of your requirements but you miight try Craig's list for Boston. www.craigslist.org

You might try finding a Real Estate Agent in Boston, online to see what might be available, but I think if you want to live in Boston you may have to increase what you are willing to pay for rent or look in one of the suburbs of Boston. Free parking is going to be another problem, again you are probably looking at the "burbs".

www.craigslist.com is a good idea and you also might look at the www.bostonglobe.com for info on Boston.

Good luck with the move.

In the neighborhoods near your office, expect to pay at leat $2000 per month, probably plus parking, more if you need a furnished place. It is one of the most desirable areas of the city.

You may be able to rent more cheaply near Lincoln Street, which is in a loft area near South Station, an "emerging" area with some excellent restaurants but a dearth of things like bookstores and supermarkets. However, nothing is very far away in Boston, and Lincoln Street is very near Chinatown, where there are plenty of meat and vegetable markets.

Does your company have any relocation assistance at all? I would ask for their help immediately, since you are heading into August, the most difficult rental time of the year as students and new faculty are all seeking places.

You can live fairly far from work in Boston quite easily because the public transportation (bus, train, and subway) is pretty good. It is not like, for example, Oklahoma City, where you have to have a car to get anywhere. You would never, ever drive from Clarendon to Lincoln Street, for example.

More specific questions can elicit more specific answers.

Your office is in the Copley Square area (part of Back Bay) and as mentioned above the yoga studio is near South Station, about a mile away. Both places are in downtown Boston, which has been settled for nearly 400 years and does not have much in the way of affordable housing, new construction, or apartments with their own parking lots.

You are going to have to adjust your wish list. You can probably find something in the Back Bay if you give up your "new or recently renovated" criterion and don't expect anything very roomy.

Many residents of the Back Bay/Beacon Hill area don't own cars, and just rent one occasionally if needed; this frees up some funds to pay for the higher rents and convenience of being able to walk everywhere.

I would hope your business would be assisting you - if they are not - try the Coldwell Banker brokers on Newbury Street - good at relocation - many of our associates have used them - - but your prices and parking could be an issue -

Many in our area also use Zip cars for when they need them - parking is expensive - around $280 a month in most of the lots near Clarendon St -
or for renting someone's space - you can look for spaces also online at Craigs List if you must have your car in the city. Some people rent their spaces, ask if it is a solo space or tandem, etc. and make sure you are familiar enough with the area to be sure it is a safe one you would be comfortable in.

For what you want, you may have to go to an outlying neighborhood and take the T into your office and her yoga - try and remain open to those options -

craigslist, etc and Boston papers - I am hoping you are planning to come up and spend at least 2 dys before relocating to get a look at Boston and some of your options - there are areas you would like and areas you would not, areas should not be chosen without the assistance of someone in realty biz to guide you. sometimes it is worth the realty fee for peace of mind

rentals go quickly in a large college/university city, esp with Sept 1 rolling around - are they putting you up in a hotel while you find an apartment ?