Boston Real Estate News & Apartment Rental Advice

A Day In The Life Of Responsible Agents

Sometimes I like to just tell a little story in our blog about a day in the life. There’s always a lesson to be learned from interacting with new people and today was no different. I’ll omit names of course, but you’ll get the gist.

There’s no doubt about it…real estate agents aren’t exactly on the top of the food chain as far as professionals that command trust. It’s unfortunate because there are a good amount of us that genuinely work hard to do our job (which in case any of you agents reading this forgot, is to represent your client, not just make money). The reason why some people view us as one step above used car salesman is because there are a large group of real estate agents that conduct themselves poorly. If knowing who to count on were as easy as having a big “S” on your cape, real estate would be a whole lot easier for those of us that put you, our client, first (also, I’d probably make better decisions in girlfriends).

Pictured: Not Us.

Of course, this isn’t the case and the industry is rife with unprofessional individuals from agents to landlords to property managers and so forth. So what does this have to do with a day in my life you ask? Thanks for the segue…

Today I was bringing a client to a building on the border of the Back Bay and Fenway areas. He was a young college student looking for his first apartment out of the dorms. He was a very nice young man which I am grateful for because what happened on our showing would have put a good number of people in a bad enough mood to drop the whole deal…all because of a 3rd party acting unprofessionally.

As we entered the leasing office of the building, we were greeted by one of the managers on duty with what I can only describe as the kindest of grunts. I was tossed some keys, given incorrect directions through the hallway, and off we went to see the apartment that in all reality, the manager should have been showing with me. My client was unfazed by the first encounter and fell in love with the apartment. Within ten minutes we were on our way back downstairs to fill out applications.

However, once we walked back into the leasing office and I asked for applications, the manager responded with, “Is he serious about renting it or just wants to fill one out?” Now, there were many ways I wanted to respond to this, but being the consummate professional that I am, I chose to go with the one that wasn’t completely abrasive. The issue is, this property manager had immediately decided that since my client was young, he wasn’t worth her time. As someone who is perpetually young (I’m not bragging…I seriously haven’t aged in over a decade) I get my fair share of people acting condescendingly towards me and it just might be the easiest way to set off my temper (small dog syndrome).

Amazingly, the client was still perfectly fine. After being in the business for as long as I have, I have had clients blow up and storm out of a building for far less than the comment made by the property manager. Not this young man. He sat down, filled out the application, handed over the deposit, and couldn’t have been happier. Even after all that, as we left and I thanked the property manager for her time, we still got a response that was tantamount to “yeah, whatever”. I shook my clients hand and told him I’d follow up the next day and quickly scampered to my car where I could fume without anyone seeing me.

It’s people like that property manager that give all of us a bad name. It’s also people like my client that make me happy at the end of the day because I know he appreciated my help regardless of anything else. So my message is this, if you’re miserable with your job in real estate, quit. If you’re only in it to make money and you don’t care about cutting corners, quit. If you are a client and have an agent that doesn’t represent you well, dump him like a bad habit. We all have our calling in this world. That property manager today just happened to have missed her’s at the McDonald’s fryer.

People are counting on you…for fries.

If you want a real estate agent that will put you first, contact a member of our team today. We pride ourselves on providing you with our absolute best. Whether you are buying, selling, renting, in need of property management or even development, our team will be behind you 100%. We look forward to helping you.

Rent Payments Affecting Credit

How’s your credit score? No matter what your answer is, you probably would like it to be even higher. It’s amazing how many things are affected by your credit score (and consequently having a poor one can really put a damper on your life). So how can you improve your credit score? There are the obvious ways like paying bills on time, cutting down on debt, ect…but now you may have a new option that can really help boost your credit score.

You may be able to start raising your credit score by paying your rent on time (which hopefully you’re doing anyway since being homeless is basically worse than having bad credit). This past December, Experian has started including rental payments in their credit history reports. Property managers and landlords can now upload positive rental history to Experian thereby giving your credit score a nice shot in the arm.

Of course, not every landlord is going to partake in this new trend, so you might want to ask your landlord to do it for you. You may even ask if a landlord reports on time rent payments to Experian before signing a lease. It just may be the incentive that gets that lease signed.

But what if your landlord doesn’t feel like taking the time to help you out? You can make it easy for them by using a website called RentReporters.com. This site collects your rent and lease information directly from you and then simply verifies it with the landlord. Nice and easy. This service isn’t free ($39 set-up fee and then $5.95 a month), but that small price is easily worth a boost to your credit score. If your landlord doesn’t verify the information for you you get your money back of course…which you should put towards a new apartment because your landlord should be nicer to you.

If you have any experience with this great new opportunity, leave us a comment below! As always, for more information regarding renting an apartment, visit our Boston apartment advice page.

Fenway Kenmore Apartments

Fenway Kenmore apartments are going to be hitting the market very soon and you’ll want to be armed and ready with all the information you need to rent the best Fenway Kenmore apartment. So what do you need to know? Let’s go over it step by step…

First things first: Fenway-Kenmore Neighborhoods

There is more to Fenway Kenmore apartment rentals than just one neighborhood. You can consider Kenmore Square as a neighborhood of its own. With the Kenmore MBTA stop smack in the center, this is like the “downtown” of The Fenway area. There are a ton of things to do (including eating at one of my favorite restaurants, Eastern Standard) in Kenmore Square. It is also one of the major MBTA hubs in Boston, so Kenmore apartments are always in high demand among commuters.

Audubon Circle is almost like a miniature Kenmore Square (and also just minutes away on foot). This gateway between The Fenway and Brookline is criss-crossed with side streets that are lined with some pretty fantastic apartments. Most of these aren’t listed with just any real estate agency (hint…hint). If you are looking for a little more of a suburban feel in your Fenway Kenmore apartment, Audubon Circle may be perfect for you.

The bulk of The Fenway area is to the West of Kenmore and Audubon Circle. Boylston St. and Brookline Ave. are the two main drags off of which sprout residential streets such as Peterborough, Queensbury, and more. This part of the Fenway Kenmore area has a larger amount of “student” apartments at lower prices. With both Boston University and Northeastern within walking distance, these Fenway Kenmore apartments rent FAST.

Next thing to know: Your Budget

It’s no secret that Fenway/Kenmore apartments aren’t exactly cheap. While there are some inexpensive studios starting around $1,300, these apartments are small in size and in number. Expect to pay closer to $1,400 for a nice studio. One bedroom apartments in the Fenway Kenmore area will start around $1700. Again, bear in mind that this price will get you a “student” style apartment. For a modern apartment in the Fenway, you are going to be closer to $2000 (starting…luxury will be around 3k). Now, if you have a roommate and are looking to save a bit of money in the Fenway Kenmore area, you might use a one bed as a two bed “split” apartment. This means that you use the living room as a second bedroom instead of having a common area. This is a popular means of stretching your rental dollar among students in Fenway Kenmore apartments.

Looking for Luxury: Luxury Buildings In The Fenway Kenmore Area

Trilogy and 1330 Boylston are two of the mainstays of Fenway Kenmore luxury apartment living. However, there are some other options as far as upscale condo buildings including Audubon Park. Within the next few years, once the Fenway Center Project is finished, there will even more luxury living options. Be aware of the changes in the cost of luxury apartments, however. Over the last few years, the cost of rent not only in Fenway Kenmore luxury apartments but across all of Boston has raised significantly. You can learn more about these fantastic buildings and all of their amenities from one of our Fenway Kenmore real estate specialists.

The most important thing you need to take with you in your search for a Fenway Kenmore apartment is a sense of urgency. While rentals all over Boston rent quickly, apartments in the Fenway Kenmore area move even faster than normal due to their high demand among both students and professionals. I am not kidding you when I say that I have sent photos of applications to Fenway Kenmore landlords from the very apartment I had the applicants in. I wasn’t even willing to risk taking the time to get back to the office. Bring a check and be ready to pull the trigger because the Fenway Kenmore apartments you see today may very well be rented by tomorrow.

Homes For Sale Needham MA – 580 South St

When you’ve been in the real estate industry for a while, you get to see some pretty spectacular stuff. I’m about to show you one of the most amazing homes I have ever seen that I had the pleasure of taking a tour of two weeks ago. There are homes for sale in Needham MA, and then there is this house sprawling over 9000 sq. ft., all of it brand new and built with no expense spared. If you are planning on buying a house in Needham MA, do yourself the favor of reading this article.

Let me begin by saying we entered through the mudroom…which at first I didn’t know was a mudroom simply because most aren’t the size of my apartment. Also, you don’t regularly have a half bathroom in the mudroom, but with a home like this, it’s a different story. I’m going to be adding a lot of photos to this article because my words just won’t do the property justice, so, here is a glimpse of the largest mudroom you will ever see in a home for sale in Needham MA.

Believe me when I tell you that the perspective of that photo is being conservative on the size. Next we walked into the foyer of this Needham home. The staircase sweeping up to the second floor could have been rendered from a Disney movie. The attention to detail in the woodwork from the graceful angles to the classic trim was all immaculately done. Even the way the hardwood floors flowed was artistic. The design team behind this Needham MA home was clearly a cut above the rest.

Next came my favorite part of any home for sale that I tour, the kitchen. I find that a kitchen can make or break a home for potential buyers. It’s more than just a place to cook; a kitchen becomes a place to congregate. Don’t believe me? Have guests over this weekend and see which room everyone gravitates to. Of course, let’s not leave cooking out of the picture. This chef’s kitchen comes fully equipped with Viking appliances from the dual ovens to the warming oven…and let’s not forget the main sink and then the island sink for food prep. The stunning soapstone counter top was a nice touch as well. At this point I was sold, but just in case you need a little more to whet your whistle on this home for sale in Needham MA, we’ll continue.

From the kitchen there is a step down into a family room the size of a small ice skating rink. The kid in me wanted to lace up my rollerblades and take a few laps through the house, but the adult in me was too busy imagining the size of the projection screen this room could accommodate. Little did I know how foolish I was to think the designers of this home for sale in Needham MA weren’t one step ahead of me, but we’ll get to that part in a bit.

By the time we made it to the dining room, I was starting to get lost. It wasn’t that the house is laid out in a confusing manner, it’s just when you’re taking all this in, it’s easy to lose your bearings. You can see from the photo below that the dining room connects to the kitchen through the pantry/bar. Owning one of my favorite little touches in this Needham home, the bar has a sink that was hammered into shape by hand. I find that sometimes very large homes such as this one lack fine attention to detail in design. This is certainly not the case with this Needham masterpiece.

I really could go on for pages about each room in 580 South St, but instead I’ll skip ahead by posting some pictures or a few select rooms. They speak for themselves. Remember, this Needham MA home is for sale so if anything you see here catches your interest, simply click here or e-mail Dave Monheit at dmonheit@allaccessboston.com.

More pictures of home for sale in Needham MA:

Living Room

Front Stairs Second Floor

Third Floor Finished Attic/Nanny’s Room

Master Bedroom With Fireplace

Enormous Master Bathroom

Now, I’m not going to show you pictures of every single room at 580 South St in Needham MA because I want you to schedule a visit and see it for yourself. These pictures can’t capture how exquisite this home is so you need to make an appointment for a tour. This 6 bedroom, 8 bathroom home is listed at $2,749,900 and believe me, you will see why when you pull up to the three car garage.

Now, I had mentioned earlier that I was jumping the gun on mapping out a projector for the family room. Now I’ll show you why…

Yes. That is a cinema room. And yes, it actually has signage and authentic cinema doors that have been weighted for the perfect feel. I’m not kidding. This room was so meticulously designed that the gold leaf paint used on the walls cost $150 per gallon. This isn’t extravagance for the sake of extravagance, this is form and function both being prioritized into the ultimate living experience you will find in a home for sale in Needham MA. Here’s a quick peek inside…

This home for sale in Needham MA lacks nothing. It is truly an architectural delight and has already garnered some offers. If you are looking to purchase a luxury home in Needham Massachusetts, 580 South St. is simply a must see. Contact Dave at dmonheit@allaccessboston.com to schedule a showing!

Best Northeastern University Apartments

I got asked a question today. “Dave, where are the best Notherstern University apartments?” This is a question with many answers. What might be right for you, may not be right for some (queue Diff’rent Strokes theme song). Frankly everyone has different needs so the best Northeastern University apartments may be the ones closest to class…they may be the ones that fit the most roommates…they may be in a luxury building. We’ll cover all that as we venture to answer the question: Where are the BEST Northeastern University apartments?

Let’s say you want to be close to NEU. You aren’t the biggest fan of the E line and you’d rather walk to the cafeteria (which by all standards is the best place in the world if you attended college elsewhere in Boston). For you, the best Northeastern apartment may be located on St. Stephens St. or Hemenway St. Do we have apartments on those streets. You know it. From studios on up we have the best Northeastern University apartments within walking distance to NEU.

What if you want to pile a bunch of your friends into a five bedroom apartments so you can save a little scratch while enjoying a more “celebratory” lifestyle? Then the best Northeastern apartments would be on Mission Hill. Lined with multi-family houses containing 3, 4, and 5 bedroom apartments, Mission Hill provides NEU students with ample space to stretch their legs while staying just a few T stops down the road from class. If you ask me, these are the best Northeastern University apartments, but I’m biased because I lived there as a youngin’.

Ok. What if you have seen enough “college” apartments and want to park yourself in an upscale building with some nice amenities? I’m glad you asked. In your case, the best Northeastern University apartments might be right behind the campus at Douglass Park. Here you can have a little more updated feel to your NEU living experience and still be within walking distance of the school. Who needs to pack into the Marino gym when your personal best Northeastern University apartment already has a gym downstairs?

The fact of the matter is, there is an apartment for everyone. The trick is getting yourself in touch with an experienced agent who knows the neighborhood and will get you into the right apartments for you. You know what you want, we know where to find it. So, if you are looking for “the best Northeastern University apartments“, just contact an All Access Boston real estate agent today for assistance.