Two questions continually come to mind when I read stories about the rental market in the Boston metro area.

1.) it makes sense why I am working with and seeing so many “investors” looking for sensible property to purchase and take advantage of the rental yield; 2.) more fence-sitting buyers should really consider buying a property (condo, single fam, multi-family) rather than paying the high prices for rentals in the Boston metro area.
 
 
In the City of London, I read a story about how dear (costly) the rental and property markets (for a purchase) have …

 
Tom Grillo has nailed this right on the head. Rental prices are high in the Boston metro area and East Cambridge is said by one source to have the highest monthly rental rates. Have you walked around parts of Kendall Square and East Cambridge lately? There are several commercial new construction projects going on and those buildings will bring high paying jobs, most likely.
 
 
Read his story below:
Boston Business Journal  by Thomas Grillo, Real Estate Editor
 
 
Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 11:10am
 
 
Single-digit vacancy rates in Boston is driving production of multifamily …

In October, you decided to list your house for sale and you hired a real estate broker to be your Seller’s agent. You thought that is was standard in the residential home sales process to have a real estate sign hanging from a yard arm in front of the property for sale. When someone lists their home for sale, they put up a sign to attract buyers. The thinking is that the sign is a great broadcast that the property is for sale and there is contact information for whom to …

One trend that we (agents/brokers) have been seeing since late 2011, is the strength of the multi-family segment of the property markets in the Boston metro and suburbs. I have thought for at least 5 years that the multi-family segment of the property market made a lot of fiscal sense for owner occupants to consider. Investors have always been interested in procuring 2 and 3-family properties for their “cash flow” potential (income from rents). It made sense and still does make sense for the investor.
 
However, investors are now seeing much more competition from …

Some prime factors that influence rents for the Boston metro are:
 
LOCATION:
*proximity to the “T” (Orange Line, Red Line .. and commuter rail). Proximity to bus routes, I think, is not as great a factor as proximity to the T.
*proximity and distance from Boston .. the overall commuting time to work in Boston
*proximity and distance to some of the large private universities: MIT, Harvard, Tufts
*walkability of the area where one lives. For example, how long does it take to “walk” to the nearest T station, bus stop, food shopping, restaurants, day care, …