Apartment #5 - Porter Sq., Somerville
Friday night my friend Allison sent me the link to this apartment and after calling the realtor, she explained that it was the last night she could show the apartment, so I was determined to find someone to go see it for me! Thankfully, a couple of my friends stepped up to the plate and went and saw it for me! The 1 BR apt. was just completely re-done, and yes - there are brand new appliances that come with the apt, even though this picture doesn't show them. When I saw the kitchen in this picture I knew it would be perfect, even if there isn't a ton of counter space. The tile backsplash, new cabinets and appliances, new tile floor, hardwood floors, great location just an 8 minute walk from Porter Square - everything sounded great! VERDICT: Yes, please!!!
Apartment #6 - Porter Sq., Somerville
Just one street up from Apt #5, the location for this apt was also great. Though some people may not like this kitchen, I thought it had a lot of character! The red cabinets (and lots of them!), full-size stove, lots of counter space - and everything was in pretty decent condition. Outside of the kitchen this apt has lots of space too - a separate living room and dining room, which is nice since I have a pretty big dining table, hardwoods floors, outdoor space and parking. It definitely needs a lot of cleaning done since the current tenants are there until 3/1, but I think this apt has a lot of potential! VERDICT: Yes, please!!!
Apartment #7 - Arlington, MA
I've noticed a general trend that apartments look better in pictures than they do in person. This kitchen is definitely a good example of that, though you can see here just how small it is! As soon as I stepped into this small 1 BR apartment, I knew right away that it was not going to work. It was one of the smaller ovens, smaller fridges and almost zero counter and cabinet space. Yes, at $1,025 it was a good price for the area, but it was pretty far from Arlington Center, a bus ride away from work, and I would've been very unhappy blogging from this kitchen! VERDICT: No thank you!
Apartment #8 - Arlington, MA
I'll admit the kitchen in this apt wasn't the problem. Lots of cabinet space, normal stove, full-size fridge - could've had more counter space, but overall not bad. But it was a semi-basement level apt in a complex that was pretty far from Arlington Center and living alone, being on that ground level makes me nervous. There also wasn't really room for a kitchen table, since just beyond that laminate floor was carpet for the "living room." VERDICT: No thank you!
Apartment #9 - Arlington, MA
So this was a 2nd apt that I looked at in the same complex as Apt. #8. It's amazing that two apts can be so different in the same building. This one was on the top floor with hardwood floors, separate living and dining areas and a better situated kitchen. There wasn't a great way to get a good picture of the kitchen because it was sort of galley-style, but it was spacious with good appliances, and lots of cabinet and counter space. There was a strange open space to the left of the oven where a table wouldn't quite fit, but I'm sure I could figure out something to do with it. The complex location and $30 application fee are the only things holding me back from putting in an application right now. VERDICT: Maybe!
Apartment #10 - North Quincy, MA
This picture says it all. Easily the BEST apartment I looked at with the most perfect kitchen for me! Only problem? It's location in North Quincy. It's actually pretty close to the N. Quincy T stop and grocery stores, but besides that there isn't a lot else in the area and w/o a car, that makes me nervous. It would also be a longer commute to work. This apt. was just redone, about 2 years ago, and has beautiful hardwood floors throughout, perfectly new and modern appliances, TONS of cabinet space, a nice area for the dining table, ceiling fans throughout and so many other perks. If I picked this apt up and moved it to Cambridge I'd be paying well over $2000 a month - so I know I can't expect this quality if I want to be closer to the city, but it's very tempting! VERDICT: Maybe! (I need to decide today!)
Apartment #11 - Belmont/Cambridge Line, near Fresh Pond
I'm not even sure this apartment needs explanation. There was nothing good about this place - horribly dated kitchen (look at those cabinets!), gross carpets, stupid location, no grocery stores nearby, etc. As soon as we pulled into the complex, we knew - but didn't want to be rude to the realtor and so we looked just to be nice. VERDICT: No way!!
Apartment #12 - Arlington, MA
The realtor didn't tell me which apt we were going to look at in Arlington, so we followed him there and realized as we pulled in that it was the same complex as apartments #8 and 9, which we had seen earlier that day. He had a different apt to show us though, so we looked and this was in the middle of the other two. The kitchen was acceptable (galley-style) - pretty similar to the nicer of the two that we had looked at before. But the rest of the apartment wasn't great - if I was going to pick any of them from this complex, it would be the nicer top floor one. VERDICT: No thank you!
So if anyone out there has thoughts or opinions, I'd love to hear them! I start my new job on Wednesday and will hopefully be able to move back to the city soon to one of these apartments!
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