Room for rent by Carol in Allston, Boston in May 21 -$967

Available Room for Rent

Old fart seeking similars for two rooms in a 3 bedroom in historic Allston Rock City!

Large 3 bedroom apartment with 2 rooms available (1 pending), $966 monthly rent, about $100 monthly for utilities. Sturdy 1930s brick and wood building, no sheetrock, no bugs. Looking for 2 responsible, mature, clean, working people who can handle the rent. Sublet for now (lease arrives in Feb. and runs from Sept-to-Sept.) No students or first-timers please.

short version:
I'm a middle-aged working woman (I usually say "girl" because I'm also a tad delusional) who tends to keep to herself and isn't in the common areas very much so lots of "breathing space" for the right people. I smoke from time to time in my room and am as considerate as possible about it.* (*Yes, I know, non-smokers. But some of us DO try!) I've been carrying the rent for now but can only do it for so long; hoping there are still decent slightly older folks out there looking for a comfortable, safe, place to live in the coming months. Year. Years?

There are two washers and dryers in a basement laundry room, there is a deck off the (large not huge) kitchen, lots of closet space, hardwood floors, and a resident parking sticker is available for on-street parking. Needs paint. Lots of paint. There's a door that squeaks. Maybe two. It's run down in an old sturdy old building way, like an old house, and the maintenance company is very good about shoveling and fixing.

There are photos of both available bedrooms from when they were lived in as well as how they are now (totally empty!) Ask me if you'd like a photo of something specific or just more of the same.

--- UNABRIDGED VERSION ---
I have an apartment in Allston, it's a nicely sized place, NOT the slightly-too-narrow-hallway-sheetrock crummy type of Allston apartment but old, roomy and comfortable. A small old house. Like most people, I'd prefer my own place, but this is Boston and the rents are the same for a studio or one-bedroom as the rent on this entire 3-bedroom place, and you're not splitting the bills with anyone. This is a solid brick-and-mortar building, plaster and wood. It's not smart and it could use a bit of paint. It's extension-cord dependent. You don't want to use the toaster and the microwave at the same time. If you're nodding with a little knowing smile, well yay! (But no, there isn't a Harvest Gold rotary-dial phone on the kitchen wall with a long curly cord so you can twirl while you prattle.) (Not yet, anyway...)

Nice, virtually tree-lined street. Quite close to public transportation of all sorts, and the turnpike. No private parking, but a residential on-street parking sticker is available through the management office. Having a car in this area is not recommended as parking is a nightmare (less so these days, but it's creeping back slowly.) B-Line and buses are all a 5 minute walk. The heat's very good. The ceilings are high (9 feet!) (Yes, there's a ladder in the giant closet.) All maintenance requests are handled quickly, and in wintertime you will hear the sound of snow shoveling in the wee hours of the morning as the crew makes our front sidewalk and steps safe to traverse.
Looking for self-sufficient working people with experience in apartment living. Groceries and cooking are not a communal thing (different schedules, easier to shop separately,) kitchen space is the rule of thirds, and there are pots and pans and dishes, dishwasher, microwave, rice cooker, coffee grinder, etc. Gas stove and oven.

There is the ubiquitous Boston 3-story apt plastic wood deck off the back (kitchen.) There are two new (2019) washers and dryers in the basement (save up your quarters!) We cannot grill on the deck, I'm afraid.

There is a LOT of storage room, including a small room between the 3rd bedroom and living room, that can either be a storage room, art studio, or an annex to the smaller bedroom - it's styled in Early Unfinished Basement, complete with peeling wallpaper (it's ALWAYS been a 'we never use that room' room, but they finally put new baseboard heating in and it has a door with glass panes to the smaller bedroom - with a bit of work it could be.... charming? (Note: This paragraph was referring to a spare room that is off of the smaller bedroom. It is not available on its own. It is adjacent to the smaller bedroom and can be used by whoever rents that room should they like to have more space, or leave it a common room if they prefer.)

There's a walk-in closet off the main hallway for things like suitcases, boxes of things you meant to go through and might still, old computers, etc. Really, it's gigantic. The closet is ALSO not available for rent - this isn't pre-Covid NYC!!

Light-smoker-friendly, not chronic chainsmoker-friendly. Organics are fine too. Windows open, fan fanning, outside whenever possible, etc.

Neatness-wise the vibe is 'mom will be home soon,' but mom's a softy. Trash is right next to the building. Best to not take your trash out once it's dark out. Ahhh, nature.

Neighborhood: Allston's a little less bustling now, but there are still many restaurants open, and two 7-11's close by. CVS and Walgreen's are across the street/down the block, as is Dunkin' Donuts. (Allston is "against" Starbucks, for some reason. In a completely unrelated note, there are about 53,986 Asian restaurants in Allston.) Supermarkets are a bit of a walk but there is a Russian grocery store that's fantastic and an Asian grocery that's a little grubby, each a block or two away. Peapod (Now Stop 'n Shop) delivers. Burger King and KFC are a short walk as well. You can catch buses to Kenmore, Brookline, Harvard, Watertown, Brighton and Kendall all in a 5 minute walk. (Allston in its Bunratty's/Father's/Molly's/Macy's/InYourEar heyday was like the center of the universe!)

So here's me: Born-and-bred New Yorker classic rock girl, Mensan, centrist, loner, old-school Star Trek fan. I'm an overgrown 1970s kid and honestly I get along better with guys. Not looking for any type of romance thing here, just being honest. I've been working regularly (printing), full-time, throughout the entire pandemic and trust the CDC. I don't spend a lot of time in the common areas of the apartment; time alone is a treasure as every retail worker knows. I'm a couch potato who likes gaming, pop culture, reading, cooking, comedy (un-PC - I know the difference between humor and journalism.)(that previous sentence was BOTH!) I cook, read, I once was a smart kid who used to go to Ramones shows... and now I ignore the latest AARP magazine and advertise for roomates every few years because dammit I REALLY like this place and old crumbly Allston.

Yep, living the dream.

If you've read all that and are still interested, you may want to see a doctor, but that can wait - a better idea would be to reply! Two boomer hermits like myself would be great but if you're boomer-adjacent that could work. There is currently another gentleman interested in the larger room. He is working out some details in another state before committing or not, that should be in the next couple of weeks. The other room (with the adjacent spare room if interested) is still fully unclaimed.
(Don't take this to mean the larger room is absolutely spoken for. It will absolutely go to whoever wants it first and seems able to manage the rent and doesn't own a snake, lizard, or ferret.

Rent is $966, bills about $100+/- (oil heat, gas stove, electric, cable/internet) Xfinity cable/net (I killed all the streaming services for the time being but they can come back.) Oil costs more in the colder months; electricity a bit more in the summer.

Bottom line: It's a safe, clean, sturdy, roomy place with a safe, clean, fairly sturdy person living in part of it who expects people to know where they are and what they're doing a good part of the time, even if it's nowhere and nothing.

Required to move in: First and last month rent. Usually security as well but hell it's tough enough just finding the right folks.

The lease goes from September to September, so it will be a sublet until September. The leases get sent out this month to be signed and returned, but you can be added at any time.

Regardless of WHEN you're looking to move, please send an inquiry at least half as detailed as my novella to ensure a reply (like an informal resume of sorts); I feel I've given you a good sense of things with my overlong writing, and I thank you for being as considerate.