Renters and Rentals Greater Boston Area

[Account Closed]

I am seeking thoughts, advice and constructive criticism from anybody who knows about renting/rentals in the Greater Boston area, commuting in it too. My wife and I are looking for somewhere to rent that's 'affordable' while providing us commutes on average an hour or less; my commute is to/from Tewksbury and hers to/from downtown Boston (near capitol building) via public transportation. I realize this time of the year is horrible to do this but I don't have a choice. We don't have kids or pets, credit scores above 750+, two full-time positions with good salaries and good rental history and references.  

Our criteria needs/wants is <$2300 rent not including utilities, 900+ sqft, 2BR, on-site laundry, 1 off-street parking spot (2 preferably), kitchen for someone who cooks a lot and somewhere that doesn't have a ton of noise pollution like next to a heavily traveled road, train line, or the place shaking because a passing airplane, train or flushing of the neighbors toilet. Move-in between now and late January. 

Does this sound like something that is feasible or am I totally off-base? How does someone go about finding rentals around this area and are there ones that are found off-market?

Currently have searched the towns listed below and am using Craigslist, Zillow, Realtor.com, Apartments.com, and renthop. 

Tags: Boston, Somerville, Medford, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Winchester, Belmont, Waltham, Renter, Renting, Apartments, MBTA

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and even more thanks for your responses!

[Evan Cochran]

Hi @Account Closed...Malden is becoming more in demand every year and has a decent smattering of restaurants and good T access to Boston.  

One thing to expect-- you will probably need to sign a lease to 8/31/17.  Because this is a bad time of the year, most landlords will want to get back onto a more favorable cycle and then renew you for a year after that.  It is more than likely that your rent will go up a bit, but most "mom and pop" landlords won't go up more than $100/mo or so.  Larger companies/landlords are more prone to larger rent hikes as they operate in a more business-like fashion.  They view the situation more like you're getting a discount for 7-8 months due to the time of year, and would expect to go back to market rents as soon as they can.  

So yeah-- definitely doable for $2,300/mo.  Good luck, happy hunting!