0 Boston Rental Market Urgency

Posted on April 4, 2012 by All Access Boston

Let’s talk urgency. By now, if you’ve read our blog on a regular basis (or have lived in Boston for more than a year), you know that apartments rent months ahead of their intended move-in date. In fact we start renting Boston apartments for September in January. While some move-in dates do follow a shorter “heads up” time (namely June and July), it is safe to assume across the board that if you need an apartment for one or two months from now, you better have your pen to a lease before I’m done with this sentence.

For instance, I have already signed a lease for my next apartment (September 1st move-in) this past March. You know what I do? Rent apartments to people…a lot. I know the ins and outs of the Boston rental market like the Red Sox know signing closers that won’t even start the season (we’re looking at you Andrew Bailey). If I’m willing to follow my own advice, you should be too.

I’ve found that as a whole, most Bostonians have this concept down. Some of them were calling so early this year that we didn’t even have inventory for them yet. The group of clientele that fall into the trap of not getting their next apartment lined up in a timely manner are those moving from out of state.

Now, I can’t blame this group. The Boston real estate market is like no other. They are probably used to renting an apartment a month before they move in. All they have to go on when it comes to how Boston works is our advice as real estate agents. Of course, that advice is most of what you’re paying us for. Not taking it is like walking into a car dealership, purchasing a car, but leaving the motor. You’ve kind of just shot yourself in the foot.

So here’s the thing…we have A LOT of clients contacting us looking for May and June apartment rentals. We want to help every one of you. However, if we show you everything that is available on the market and you decide to “wait a bit”, “think it over”, or “see what else becomes available”, don’t be surprised when you are living in apartment that doesn’t match your needs at all. When we say there are two options in a neighborhood, there are two options. Don’t go from a chance to live in a nice West End apartment to commuting in from Watertown just because you didn’t want to feel pressured. The pressure isn’t coming from us, it’s coming from the Boston rental market.

So here’s how it works: 1. Figure out what you want in an apartment. 2. Call us at 617-981-6900 or contact us online. 3. Let us take you out and help you make an informed decision. Apartment hunting in Boston doesn’t have to be difficult, you just have to be aggressive with yourself.

1 5 Easy Ways To Spruce Up Your Apartment

Posted on March 13, 2012 by All Access Boston

*We will continue our multi-blog series on buying vs. renting in Boston later this week with some great information on how to turn your condo into a cash producing investment. Today, enjoy this guest blog that features 5 easy ways to fix up your Boston apartment!

Refreshing your apartment with a few easy updates can give it a new vitality and aesthetic appeal. Decide what areas of your Boston apartment are in need of a face-lift and set aside time to implement those changes. One small update will typically provide motivation for tackling the next project when you see the rejuvenating effect it has on your home. Here are five easy ways to add new life to your apartment.

1. De-clutter your apartment. An apartment filled with stuff from ceiling to floor can feel depressing and unorganized. Liven up your apartment by cleaning out cupboards and closets. Rid your apartment of toys, magazines, books and unwanted furniture and accessories, creating more usable floor space. Give usable items to charities or friends and toss the rubbish. Your apartment will look and feel better.

2. Apply a fresh coat of interior latex paint to your walls and ceilings. Start with the room that’s in dire need of a cosmetic update. Light, neutral paint colors, such as white, gray or beige provide an ideal backdrop for almost any decorating style and color scheme. Paint with a satin finish is preferable for most rooms. It provides a slight sheen to bounce natural and artificial light off of, making a room feel bright and airy. Paint the ceiling one or two shades lighter than the wall color to make it appear higher.

3. Lighten up your Boston apartment by removing heavy, dark window treatments. Let the sunshine in through clean, sparkling windows to liven up your rooms, giving them a bright, cheery feel. Install Mini Blinds or fabric Roman shades over windows to provide privacy when needed. Coordinate your Roman shade fabric colors and patterns with existing room decor.

4. Add table lamps and floor lamps to provide a lively glow on dreary days and dark nights. Three-way lamps allow you to alter the amount of illumination in a room, providing soft mood lighting for television watching and brighter illumination for tasks such as reading or hobbies. Floor lamps can be positioned to liven up a dark corner or shine down on a chair or sofa, providing task lighting without taking up much floor space.

5. Accessorize your room with a vibrant painting, vase of fresh flowers or potted greenery, adding color and energy to a space. Colorful toss pillows liven up a sofa or chair with assorted textures, patterns and shapes.

0 The Perfect Boston Apartment

Posted on October 14, 2011 by All Access Boston

It’s midnight. Do you know where your next apartment is?

If you’re searching for an apartment in Boston, you might not. We are in the middle of one of the tightest rental markets in years. There simply aren’t enough apartments for everyone that is currently looking.

This makes our jobs as real estate agents in Boston very difficult…and here’s why (I’m going to let you in on a little secret). The hardest part of our job isn’t finding you the right apartment. It’s convincing you that you must make a decision based on what is currently available.

Most people go into an apartment hunt with an idea of their perfect apartment. If they are new to the process or simply new to Boston, their preconceptions about what they can afford (or even what exists) may not be realistic. We have the tough job of explaining this to you. It’s not fun. We want you to have that perfect apartment. It just may not be possible.

Most renters who find themselves not finding the “perfect” Boston apartment with a real estate agent blame the agent instead of the market. They’ll accuse the agent of not looking hard enough or “only caring about getting paid”. Two important things come to mind when I hear this. 1. Finding apartments is relatively easy when you know what you are doing. If they’re out there, we will find them. Ultimately however, you must rent based on what is available, not what you think should be. 2. Do we want to get paid? Of course. However, we aren’t the stereotypical used car salesman some people see us as. We are people doing a job. That job is to help you. Why wouldn’t we want to find you the perfect Boston apartment immediately? It gets us paid even faster. Think about it.

All too often we find ourselves at an impasse when a client simply won’t listen to our advice. Whether it’s someone ending up in an apartment they hate because they didn’t listen to us when we advised them to rent the available apartment that they simply liked instead of loved, or someone finding themselves having to relocate back in with their parents because they waited too long to get their paperwork in, there are renters who put themselves in a corner all the time. Believe us, it’s as frustrating to us as it is to you.

So my point is this: If you don’t know where you’re going to live in the next few months, talk to your real estate agent. Tell them you want to know exactly what your options are. Then when they tell you, believe them. If making tough decisions were as easy as ignoring their existence, I would have ended up playing Major League baseball when it came time to decide a career path. You have to make a decision based on the options before you.

This isn’t the best news you’ve ever received but the rental market dictates the rules, not us. During this extremely thin market, it is imperative that you act quickly from start to finish. Get yourself out on a showing. Make a decision immediately after seeing all of your options. Get your application in. It’s as easy as that.
We are here to help you. Always remember that.

0 Listing Your Boston Condo

Posted on April 17, 2011 by All Access Boston

Who are you listing your Boston condo with? Are you following up with the work they are doing for you? Anyone can list a condo on MLS and then send you a report every week as to how many times your property has been shown. With a few clicks of a mouse, MLS will create reports for your real estate agent based on all sorts of analytics that he can send you. Sure, it makes him look like he’s working hard, but, in reality, you might be listing your Boston condo with a dud of a real estate agent.

So what can you do to make sure that your agent is working hard to represent you? Here’s a short list of options:

1. Everything starts with your MLS listing. Make sure you have access to it and that it is filled out properly with pictures that accurately represent your condo and ALL of the information pertinent to your property. Just listing the standard details isn’t enough. Put it this way, I see tons of Boston condos listed on MLS that don’t even show the square footage of a property. If your agent can’t take the time to measure the condo, why in the world are you going to pay them a dime?

2. Ask your agent when the next open house is scheduled for your property. If there isn’t one, fire him on the spot. Assuming there is, show up unannounced. Stick around for a bit and see how your agent shows your Boston condo. Is he doing it justice? Does he go the extra mile to get prospective buyers/renters interested?

3. Have a friend schedule a showing with your real estate agent (but don’t let on that they know you). Your friend can give you an honest idea of how easy it is to deal with the agent you have working for you. Is he easy to get on the phone? Does he return calls? You’d be amazed how many agents won’t even bother to call back a prospective buyer/renter because they have something “more important” going on.

Let me let you in on the reason why I’ve decided to write on this topic today. I had a client call today asking to see a property she found by searching MLS on our website. When I went to schedule an appointment with the listing agent, I found that this agent didn’t want to take the time to show the condo with me. She simply wanted to hand me the keys and have me do the work. I have no problem doing the showing, but I find it appalling that this agent is going to get paid to do absolutely NOTHING.

Here’s what I’m going to do about it. If my client likes the condo and wants to rent it, I am only going to charge her for my half of the co-broked fee. The owner doesn’t want to contribute to the broker fee but I refuse to have my client pay this useless real estate agent even one cent. It’s just not happening.

I’d love to go over the other agent’s head and call the owner but there are some lines I won’t cross…and it won’t do anything to change the fact that this person has signed an exclusive agreement with the before-mentioned useless agent. However, I will take care of my client and make sure that she isn’t paying the price for this owner’s mistake.

Here’s the bottom line: You need to hire the right person to list your Boston condo. You won’t find that in a name or a fancy business card. If you don’t do your homework, it’ll cost you. Start things out right. Whether you are looking to sell or rent a property, listing your Boston condo with All Access Boston is the way to get it done properly.

2 Boston Spring Cleaning

Posted on March 20, 2011 by All Access Boston

I’ve spent the day doing a little Boston Spring cleaning around my apartment. Every once in a while I have to stop and laugh at myself as my own worlds collide. On the one hand, I’m grabbing landlord’s listing sheets that I have down in my living room that I’ve been pouring over for a client…and right next to that is a pile of unmarked CDs I’ve ripped to play downstairs. You’d think by now I’d have the concept of titling my CDs down, but I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. With that in mind, lets go over a few Boston Spring cleaning (and regular cleaning) tips I’ve learned over the years that have helped me keep my Boston apartments sparklingly fresh.

'This was me today except manlier.'

1. GET A VACUUM. Seriously, your broom just isn’t cutting it…and while you’re at it, get a nice mop. I’m looking at you college kids. If your floor is sticky with beer or not beer, you are practically sending out invitations to ant colonies and mice.
* Here’s the secret tip for vacuuming. If you have carpeting in your apartment and take the time to shampoo it (which you totally should, it will change your life), you need to know how to make your shampooing effective. I always thought that you simply shampooed and then let the machine suck the dirty water up. That isn’t the way to really get it done though. You need to vacuum the carpet after it dries because the shampooer breaks up a lot of deep down dirt and then simply leaves it there. The final vacuuming takes care of that.

'Its not child labor if they're related to you.'

2. Do you have a garbage disposal? Does it have that not so fresh feeling? You could pour a bunch of dish soap down there and accomplish nothing, OR you could use an age old trick that I learned a few months ago. Cut up a lemon or a lime into slices and toss them down there and simply turn it on. Suddenly people will be complementing you on the freshness of your garbage disposal with alarming frequency.

3. Cleaning your range is about more than wiping it off. Is it electric? Take out the heating coils and clean under there. Any food that gets under there (boiled over milk is the worst) will absolutely stink each time you turn on your stove unless you get in there with some bleach. Just make sure they’re cool first. Is your stove top gas? See if you can lift the top completely up to get under the entire range. When you do, you’ll most likely run into a nighmare of burnt bits of food and other things you can’t identify. That’s because this part of the stove needs to be cleaned out but most people (college students) don’t even know its there. Buy some rubber gloves and get in there. It will be gross, but you’ll feel better once its done.

4. You live in your apartment. You may not notice any funky smells because you’ve grown accustomed to them. Invite a friend over to give your apartment a walk through and evaluate the overall scent. You may find areas that need a serious cleaning that you hadn’t even noticed. On a related note. Take out your trash. You may be able to live with a few bags laying around but A. Your neighbors will hate you and B. Again, mice everywhere will be e-mailing their friends about the buffet you are leaving out.

That should be enough to get you started. I find with the right tools and the right soundtrack, you can rip through a solid cleaning session without even thinking about it. Just make sure you have the right cleaning supplies, rubber gloves, and about 3 hours of solid music.

Any tips to add? Feel free to leave a comment. All Access Boston – We are your source for motherly advice.

'If we were your Mom, we'd be awesome at it.'