May be moving to Boston in a few months!!

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Lady Sedai: quote: Originally posted by Memnoch: quote: Originally posted by Lady Sedai: As to whether or not you can find a place to rent in three weeks, as long as you have decent credit it should be no problem. You may not find the "perfect" place in that amount of time, but it'll get you out of the hotel at least. (I'm assuming you'll be staying in a hotel until you find a place to rent, yes?) Also keep in mind if bringing Mikka that you'll either a) have to make sure the hotel you stay in will accept her for your brief stay or b) smuggle her in. [img]tongue.gif[/img] I'd go with checking on option "a)" though, or you might arrive to find they refuse you entry.

LS, are there any minimum contracts from a rent point of view? Do I need to sign in 6 or 12 mth increments? Or can I go on a month to month or a 3-mth thing? Though I'd rather not having to keep moving, it's a bit of a nightmare...particularly in winter... [/QUOTE]I hate to do this to you again, LOL, but it's going to be mostly up to the landlord. If you rent an apartment, *most* are going to require a 6 month or 12 month lease. BUT, if you can find a sublet or a less "mainstream" apartment (or even a house for rent) you may be able to set your lease terms more amenable to your needs/desires. I'd just ask each place you are interested in what they require for a lease. If you like a particular place but they normally require a longer lease than you want, you may still be able to negotiate a month-to-month or a 3-month lease simply telling them you don't know how convenient the location will be and you'd like an option of not "settling in" completely until you see how things go. *Most* people are reasonable and would rather have a paying renter in there even if they have to agree to month-to-month instead of something longer.

Found these googling, hope it helps. If you need more, let me know and again...if you need some phone calls made, let me know. Costs me nothing on my cell and I'm happy to do it.

For Rent in Boston

Sublets in Boston Area [/QUOTE]Thanks Dragonmage, that's appreciated! If worse comes to worst I'll rent a furnished place for 3 months to minimise the relocation hassles and then try to find another place after that.

[Lady Sedai]

Oh - No problem, Mems. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I enjoy helping out when I can. And I know you could probably google the same links, but I have the time on my hands and can sift through the dross for you to find the really "juicy" sites. I particulary liked that second link in that you pick your parameters and it finds the places for you. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I wish I could sell my house that easily.

As to your current plan, that sounds wise to me. It'll give you a decent enough period of time to get familiar with the area and look for something as close to "perfect" as you can find to suit your needs. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Chewbacca]

When we moved here from Bama we started looking about 6 weeks in advanced and ended up renting a room for a few months to give us time to find the perfect place. Of course we didnt find the "perfect" place til four years later but that's another story....

Anyway, there are lots of short-term furnished rooms for rent all over the Metro-area, perfect for new students moving to the area. You should have no worries going that route.

[Cloudbringer]

Maz, Landlords are all different as to what they will or will not accept for length of lease, pets (with or without a deposit), and background (ie are you a student or working etc).

Each one will have pretty much a standard lease but with their additions. For instance, I had a lease for 12 months that allowed a pet with a deposit of a hundred dollars (refundable if no damage done) and they allowed students to sign for themselves at the next to the last place I rented before building my home. But before that I had landlords who didn't allow pets of any kind, even goldfish and those that allowed less than a year's lease and those that didn't. One place insisted on a co-signer (parent!) if you were a student at any age and others only if you had no bank affidavit (showing yourself independent and able to pay your rent). Basically, check out the place, decide if you like it and then see what the landlord is requiring.

Some places will have parking on premises, some won't (street parking is a bear in most big cities and I'm guessing it's especially bad in the Back Bay area of Boston!). Some will expect a month's rent in advance plus a month's rent for security deposit which you get back after you leave and the landlord determines you've A)paid your last month's rent and B) done no damage that he/she needs recompense for.

And as Chewie posted, there should be plenty of furnished places available. Although in my experience some will be better furnished than others and some landlords must buy their furnishings at 'leftovers from the goodwill box' stores.

Over the years we've had many temporary employees at my office and we've had many of them find partial year leases. (6 and 9 mos mostly). In areas with high student saturation, you'll find some landlords will be more accomadating about the lenght of the lease but a bit tighter on how much security they want in case of damages. In your case, as a maturer student who's been in the work force a while, you should be able to find someone who'll negotiate the lease with you a little easier than someone who's a brand new student fresh out of high school.

[ 05-26-2005, 07:26 AM: Message edited by: Cloudbringer ]

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Memnoch: Which brings me to another question - how efficient are the Brown Bombers (ie the parking cops)? And how much is a ticket for parking illegally? Do they just ticket you or do they tow/clamp your car?

Nobody was able to answer this question (I assume you're all law abiding when I'm probably not as much ). Is Boston a "tow it" kind of city like New York?

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Memnoch: quote: Originally posted by Memnoch: Which brings me to another question - how efficient are the Brown Bombers (ie the parking cops)? And how much is a ticket for parking illegally? Do they just ticket you or do they tow/clamp your car?

Nobody was able to answer this question (I assume you're all law abiding when I'm probably not as much ). Is Boston a "tow it" kind of city like New York? [/QUOTE]They tow and ticket.

I left my old van parked on the street if front of our building the first Winter we lived here near South Boston. Come spring I recieved a abandonded vehicle sticker on my driverside window although I had driven the thing around the block for routine maintence just a week before. I felt so lucky to have the same spot when I got back. So after I got the window sticker I moved the van up the block and around the corner and scrapped the sticker off.

The next day it was gone! Towwed away for being an abandonded vehicle although it had been moved more than 100 yards away onto a different street! GRRRRR! 85 bucks to get out of impound!


I also got a string of Parking tickets on a street with no "No Parking" signs in Newton near Boston College. It was a royal pain to take care of. First I ignored the tickets becasue I didn't believe them! Then I forgot about them. Then my drivers Licence was suspended for non-payment of these tickets and the date to dispute them was long passed. $400+

I don't mess with the parking man around here no more....


Another quirk about parking, especially in Boston city neighborhoods, is how people claim their spots during the winter. After a storm people will dig out their cars and go to work, leaving lawn chairs, garbage cans, ect. to claim the parking spot they dug out. It is considered unneighborly to move someones markers and take their spot.

The Mayor made a big stink last winter when he tried to ban parkining spot claiming. Its virtually a Boston tradition, especially in South Boston where parking is especially tight.

[ 05-26-2005, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

[Memnoch]

Hmm, I'll have to change my driving habits then...I don't have much patience for finding parking. They're very anal about parking here in Sydney but they generally don't tow your vehicle unless you're blocking a clearway.

I just got another acceptance - to Babson College, my first choice!!! In case not many of you have heard of Babson, it's a specialised MBA program which has been #1 in Entrepreneurship for the past 15 years. So most likely I'll be at either Babson or BU in Boston, depending on financial considerations.

I've still got an upcoming interview with London Bus School (hope they don't make me fly to the UK to do it) and am still waiting on Columbia and UCLA but I'm really set on going to Babson...so looks like we're going to be citymates, Chewy. I'm going to be leaning on you for info a bit closer to the date for info, if you don't mind mate. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Chewbacca]

Hey Congrats Memnoch!

Babson is just up the road from my house! If you get housing near the school then we will indeed be city mates. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I'm happy to hook you up in anyway possible! [img]smile.gif[/img]

So what do think your ETA will be?

[Memnoch]

At this stage I'm planning to arrive sometime early August. I want to catch the Australia v NZ Bledisloe Cup match on the 13th August (tix cost $150 and I'd hate to miss the game) but if I have to leave earlier to make sure I get housing sorted out I'll leave earlier.

Looks like if I go to Babson I may end up having to buy a car, eh.

[Cloudbringer]

Yup, I'd consider buying or leasing a car there, Mems. [img]smile.gif[/img] Way cool that you might be near Chewie, too!

Hehe.. yup, from what I know, Chewie, your towing/ticket experience is the common one out there! I've got a friend who used to do contract work just outside of Boston and she had a gazillion parking tickets she ended up paying. She had the late fees assigned to them too for not paying on time.

They tow in our area too, especially in the winter when there are 'snow emergencies' declared and you're on the wrong side of the street or all on street parking is suspended (some smaller suburbs do this for the day after a big storm).

We'll have to hook up after you get settled in, Memsie!