The Apartment Blogger

How does your rent compare? I just recently discovered rentOmeter, a website that asks you to plug in your zip code, how many bedrooms you rent and for what price. After some number crunching rentOmeter gives you a ballpark idea what your neighbors are paying and thus, how you compare.

Since anybody can plug in whatever they want the results are not necessarily accurate but I thought it was an interesting concept nonetheless.

Enjoy

IG

Filed under: Apartment Renting, Tips and Tricks by IG on 01.03.2008
2 Comments »

Rather than talk about how painful parking in Boston, in particular, the neglected areas of South Boston during the snow season, I want to make a suggestion to city officials.

As we all know, in many neighborhoods in and around Boston, people who shovel their parking spot claim it with some sort of a marker.

Some of my favorites from this year:

1. an old TV – Really old
2. A mail box
3. Some twisted version of frosty the Snowman (This marker is for single-use only)

Although the rules of marking a spot require that the marker be removed 48 hours after a storm – the vast majority keep their marker until most of the snow melts and you can find a spot without having to trudge home from Castle Island.

This year I noticed two things that made the situation worse.

1. Snow removal was slow, late and insufficient with more snow and ice makes piled on top to add to the mayhem.
2. The city, without warning, decided to pay its workers to remove some markers at random.

Here is my suggestion:
Reinstate Street Cleaning Rules for one week, after a major snow event, to facilitate snow removal. And I mean removal by wheel loader and dump truck. Why are workers being paid to remove markers instead of snow!?

Preferential Treatment

Unless Boston passed some new “Preferred Traction” law for the Back Bay I don’t see a reason for South Boston’s street corners and crosswalks to be totally iced up two weeks after a storm and in the Back Bay you can pretty much eat off any curb you see because it’s so well cared for.

Thanks,

IG

Photos: John Tlumacki, David L. Ryan, Boston Globe

Filed under: Current Trends, Tips and Tricks by IG on 12.22.2007
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In the greater Boston area, many of the rental units are in extremely old buildings and the combination of an inefficient heating system with poor insulation can lead to 100’s of dollars per month in heating costs.

The best case scenario for renters is to get the heat and hot water included in the rent. That way any insulation or efficiency problems are the landlord’s responsibility.

Before signing a lease:

When visiting a potential apartment you want to ask what kind of heating system they have in place.

1. A gas-based furnace that heats a hot-water baseboard is, in my opinion, the most economic.
2. Gas bills are somewhat cheaper than electric or oil.
3. Oil based burner – Oil, like, we all KNOW is expensive right now.
4. Electric baseboard – from my experience this is the most expensive heating system to the renter.

Another questions or observation should be the windows – are they new, old?

As far as insulation goes, try and see if the unit is drafty. If you place your hand on an outside-facing wall (from the inside) in a poorly insulated unit, you can sometimes FEEL the draft. That draft is heat and your $$$ escaping and being replace by cold air from outside.

Another good bit of advice is to call N-Star, KeySpan or the previous tenant or landlord what the average bill is during the winter season.

Like anything else, some landlords might be willing to negotiate the utilities when paying a higher rent price.

Hope this helps.

IG

Filed under: Apartment Renting, Tips and Tricks by IG on 12.12.2007
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