Category Archives: Boston Parking

0 Renting Apartments In Boston

Posted on by

I rented an apartment in Boston today (for myself). As a professional, let me tell you how I approach the rental process…

Quick Background: This is the first apartment I am sharing with my girlfriend. What this basically does is turn what would be a very simple process into a nightmare. Don’t get me wrong, my girlfriend is a very loving and intelligent person (she will probably read this), but like a lot of inexperienced Boston renters, she has certain pipe-dreams about what you can and can’t find in the Boston rental market. I’ve been trying to tell her that we can’t have three cats and a medium sized dog in an apartment, but like the headstrong woman she is, she had to see for herself (we have three cats but no dog…I’ve been talking her out of that for a solid month).

So, here were our real requirements:

1. Pet friendly

2. Garage parking

3. No college students

4. Modern kitchen and bathroom

5. September 1st move-in date

6. Enough space so that we don’t kill each other

Here were some of the requirements that weren’t as realistic:

1. Three cats and a dog (hers)

2. Area to have a garden (hers)

3. Easy parking for two cars included in Brookline (hers)

4. Room to build a fort (mine)

Ok, so obviously my first step was to narrow down exactly what we couldn’t live without. These things are represented by the first list. The next step was to either talk my girlfriend out of impossibilities (having a small farm) or finding compromises (we are renting a place with a deck so that she can keep plants out there instead of a garden).

Farm Animals

'Pictured: My girlfriend's dream home.'

The next step was to see apartments. If I weren’t me (which I am) I would have contacted me for this (which I guess I still kind of did). The philosophical implications of being my own broker aside, I created a list of candidates that matched our criteria and I made arrangements for us to view them.

After a few apartments that just weren’t quite right (too small), we found the perfect match this evening. So what did I do then? I immediately contacted the landlord to get it off of the market. If I were a normal Boston renter working with a real estate agent this would mean filling out applications and putting down a deposit. Note that I did this right on the spot. I didn’t take time to “think about it” or “sleep on it”. I got it done. After all, I don’t want someone else renting my apartment. Obviously we had some pretty specific needs (again, a small farm) so there isn’t a huge amount of options for us. This leaves even less room for hesitation than the lightning fast Boston rental market usually allows.

What was the second thing I did? I sat back and relaxed for a bit. Having everything laid out and prepared gave me the luxury of knowing that I found the absolute best option. Pulling the trigger on the apartment immediately left no doubts as to whether or not I would get it. Now I can spend the rest of my Spring and Summer taking care of everything else that needs taking care of and not worrying about my apartment situation.

Renting an apartment in Boston is all about preparation and speed. Your real estate agent knows how to navigate the rental market so it is very important that you take their advice to heart in order to get the best apartment option for you. (…and to my girlfriend, I told you so).

0 Boston Snow Emergency Parking

Posted on by

Boston Snow Emergency ParkingTwo days ago, I provided you with zero useful information regarding navigating Boston during a snowstorm. Instead, Boston’s best real estate blog was used as an outlet for frustration. It only seemed fair then to provide something useful in a stunning new blog. Let’s talk about Boston snow emergency parking.

Parking. Many of Boston’s residents truck down to City Hall and get themselves a resident parking permit (you may remember a superbly written blog on the subject). Yet, the resident parking permit is not a golden ticket to parking wherever, whenever. When it snows…it….umm, snows a lot. Look, there’s no classic adage relating to snow fall, but let me assure you, when it snows…it snows. And when it snows a lot, Boston issues a snow emergency. You can recognize a Boston snow emergency by the city’s complete lack of preparation except for the extensive tow truck presence.

Snow emergencies give tow companies carte blanche to tow any and all cars parked anywhere that says “No Parking During Snow Emergency.” If you’ve been keeping score…that’s practically every parking spot in Boston. So stay informed, check http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking and never get blindsided by a snow emergency again. It’s the way to go. And while you’re at it…you can pay off all the parking tickets you’ve been accumulating, nothing is worse than shoveling your car out to find you’ve been booted. Ice cold…Vanilla Ice cold.

Once you’ve found where you can and can’t park, get to one of the areas designated for parking FAST. It will be an all out war for parking spots and only the strong survive…ok only the fast survive but you get the idea. If all else fails, find yourself a parking garage. Remember, no one likes paying that much for parking, but getting towed costs a lot more. Boston snow emergency parking isn’t a day at the beach, but being prepared is the best way to keep the pain to a minimum.

0 Brighton Two Bedroom Apartments

Posted on by

Search Brighton Two Bedroom Apartments

Brighton Two Bedroom ApartmentsGood news, you just rented a new Brighton two bedroom apartment. You’re going to be within walking distance of the T, tons of great restaurants, and stores that you’ll need to survive. So that’s the good news, your Brighton two bedroom apartment is yours and off the market, so what’s the bad news? Well, the bad news is that you’re new to the area and don’t know what’s around. Fear not, I’m here to help…it’s what I do.

Most likely, one of the selling points of your new Brighton two bedroom apartment was the proximity to great eating. Your real estate agent did not steer you wrong. You have a wealth of options from Thai, Indian, sandwiches, and marginally passable pizza. Don’t try and get real pizza…you won’t find it anywhere in the state. Reverting back, if it’s Thai you’re in the mood for, you can’t do any better than Bamboo Thai on Comm. Ave. Not only is it the best Thai in Brighton, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s some of the best in the city. Try it, walk there from your new Brighton two bedroom apartment, you will not be disappointed.

Convenience comes next. Driving in Boston can be a nightmare. As someone that chooses to keep a car in the city, I can assure you that it requires dedication to the love of motoring. I’m not talking about wracking your bumpers into cars with a parking permit, I’m talking about taking care of your main method of transportation, this isn’t the T…it’s your baby, treat it as such. Yet, if you do not have a car (common sense prevailed) Brighton two bedroom apartments are no more than 5 minutes away from a T stop. You’ll appreciate that in the Boston winters while we’re all digging out our cars and you’re cruising along in a nice warm T car.

Lastly, day to day living. The best apartment in the world isn’t the best apartment in the world if it’s not near anything. Sure the floor plan is great, the fixtures are new, and the moldings are all original…but where’s the pharmacy? Where’s the grocery store? Where’s the corner convenience store that stocks the really hard to find flavors of pop tarts? Without these oft overlooked establishments, your apartment is just a space for your things. The (all) access to these places is what makes your new Brighton two bedroom apartment something more, it makes it a home.

Proper planning is key. Your All Access Boston agent will assess your needs, talk with you about your desires, and help you locate the perfect Brighton two bedroom apartment. Why am I so confident in my knowledge of Brighton two bedroom apartments? Guy… I live in one right now, remember, it’s what I do.

6 Applying for A Boston Parking Permit

Posted on by

Visit Boston’s City Hall to get your parking pass.

boston city hallWell loyal readers, the weekend turned out to be interesting. In lieu of the events of the last several weeks, your favorite Boston apartment bloggist found it necessary to go through the motions of securing a Boston resident parking permit for his vehicle. For many, parking is a hot topic, and although I have covered it in the past…that was way in the past, and that was only written from a theoretical perspective. Today, you will get my first hand account of what really happens at City Hall.

Not to take anything away from my black frog +editor’s note: don’t ask him to explain why he calls it that+, but I have found cruising around in a little anonymous hatchback to be supremely enjoyable the last few days…but to truly get the full experience, I needed to obtain an Allston/Brighton parking permit. This glorious sticker is free of charge from the parking clerk at City Hall, but it’s worth it’s weight in gold. It will allow you to park in any designated space that says “Resident Parking” in the neighborhood corresponding to the pass. To get it, is to be free… Continue reading →

3 Boston Street Sweeping

Posted on by

A few tips to avoid Boston street sweeping parking tickets.

Boston Street Sweeping SignWith every good thing comes a downside (maybe a little pessimistic, but true in this case). While April marks the beginning of the best part of the year, Baseball Season (and to a lesser extent, the glorious day when most of us make the switch over to iced coffee and don’t look back), it also ushers in a dark day for all Bostonians. That day is April 1st, the beginning of street sweeping.

“But don’t the street sweepers keep Boston’s roads sparkly fresh?”. They do their best, but with their gallant efforts to vacuum a city comes a high price. That price is the loss of half of every city block’s parking spaces twice a month for a number of hours. While this can’t be avoided of course, mark my words, you will Continue reading →