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Anyone have an extra 60k Bonvoy points to sell?
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Contact d person for more info
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Rising Star
How has the Uber/Lyft situation been recently?
Bowl Leader
Anyone have an extra 60k Bonvoy points to sell?
Contact d person for more info
Conversation Starter
Rising Star
How has the Uber/Lyft situation been recently?
Bowl Leader
Lived in Boston for 7 years now. You might be able to find an apt without a brokers fee, given there’s less renters for more available units. You don’t pay the brokers fee until you sign/ get approved
Rising Star
Neither are okay! Definitely sketchy. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty broker driven market here in most neighborhoods, and as a first time renter, you’re better off using one and paying the fee vs risking a scam altogether (which happens more without a broker, based on my friends).
That said...there are a TON of folks wanting subletters so you could also land a great deal there while you figure out what you like / where you want to live! The Boston housing Facebook group is a decent start (though many are scams) as is the Harvard/MIT graduate housing Facebook group.
If you need a good broker / housing recs, I’m happy to email you the contact info for mine. Ended up testing 10 before I found one I really liked and have since referred all my coworkers to her 😅
I will say though that a lot of apartments these days are more flexible on listing price (given lower demand), so you should work with your broker to at least try and negotiate start date / rent.
Thank you so much! This is all good info - I appreciate the time it took to write it out. I’ll definitely keep it in all in mind. I also just joined some Boston housing pages so thanks for that suggestion!
1. She asked for the broker’s fee as an application deposit and would not review my application until I paid it. She said it would be returned if I wasn’t accepted. Is this common?
2. She was the current tenant of the apartment but did not disclose this to me. She kept referring to “the current tenants” yet didn’t tell me that it was in fact her. I only found out after googling the apartment and seeing she was the current resident. Are brokers required to disclose information like this?
Just trying to gauge my experience and understand what I should expect going forward.
Yeah, you shouldn’t have to pay a penny to just apply for an apartment.
I really like living at the Longfellow Towers. Really easy to the airport, and a good location. I had no broker fee.
Who’s the broker?
Rising Star
Left a note below!
Why move to Boston instead of stay home with parents? Genuinely curious because I’m in the same boat
My job offer is for Boston! Plus my parents live in a small town where there’s not really any professional opportunities or things to do. I think it’ll be better in the long-run for me to leave my home state and honestly healthier for my relationship with my parents.
Depending on your budget - we are moving to a house we just bought and renting out our apartment (it’s right by the Museum of Science in a full service building with gym and pool). PM me if interested, no broker fee. It’s a 2 bed 2 bath.
Don’t pay brokers fees. The rental market has tanked in Boston - there are so many vacancies, historic levels of availability. Landlords & agents are desperate.
My husband has his real estate license and has helped a bunch of our friends find a place. Message me if you want his info! He’ll help you filter through the madness
Housing in Boston is difficult. Try going to rental places/managers directly. There's lots on the market right now. Start with Blackstone Williams (617) 421-4000, they're pretty good.