How long it takes to rent duplex near Cambridge?

[Mimi Zhu]

Hello, I am very new to real estate. I just bought my first investment property, a duplex close to Cambridge. I plan to do some renovations for the following month and hope to rent both units out starting in April. Is it realistic? How long usually does it take to rent a duplex out near Cambridge? How early should I start advertising? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

[Carolyn Fuller]

The vacancy rate in Cambridge is currently .54% but you can find out what the vacancy rate for your specific area is by doing a Google search:

vacancy rate [name of city]

BostonPads has real time vacancy rates for all the areas in and around Boston. For instance, Somerville's current vacancy rate is .26%. 

They also have the average rent and average number of days on market. A lot will depend upon the exact location of your duplex and the rent amount.