Welcome to the College Real Estate Page for Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. Many parents ponder whether they should buy or rent while their students attend college. For some the answer is to buy and for others the answer is to rent. College Real Estate hopes to help you find which is the right answer for you. Another great tool in helping you decide is our College Real Estate guide book that walks you through the entire process of buying student property. We hope you find this site useful and welcome any and all feed back. If you would like to be connected with a College Real Estate's exclusive Realtor in Boston, Massachusetts please visit our buying page. If you have decided that buying student housing is not the right answer for you and would like to be connected with a leasing specialist please visit our leasing page.
Now a private research institution, Boston College was founded in 1827 as the first higher education institution in Massachusetts. Back then, BC was a liberal arts college and prep school in Boston’s South End, and one of the first American colleges founded as a Catholic Jesuit institution. Today, Boston College is home to one of the largest Jesuit communities in the world. BC’s current nickname is “The Heights” -- a double reference to it’s location on Chestnut Hill or “University Heights” and also the school’s high goals of academic excellence. In 2006, Boston College was named one of "25 New Ivies" by Kaplan/Newsweek, which includes "colleges whose first-rate academic programs, combined with a population boom in top students, have fueled their rise in stature and favor among the nation's top students, administrators and faculty -- edging them to a competitive status rivaling the Ivy League.”
While BC may not carry the Ivy League title, it is close behind as one of the most selective schools in the nation with an acceptance rate of only 27%. Congratulations if you have fought the odds and made it into the pool of 10,690 Undergrads and 4,302 Graduate students currently attending! During your time at Boston College, undergrads are looking at an average tuition of $35,150 a year plus $10,720 for annual room and board.
In order to really understand off campus housing options and the Boston real estate market, you first need to know a bit about the neighborhoods that comprise Boston. The main BC campus is located on the west side of Boston, nestled between Brighton and Newton atop Chestnut Hill. Just one mile farther west, the satellite “Newton campus” is home to the law school and a third of the college’s freshman housing. Allston and Brighton are hot spots for student housing, due in large part to the ample multi-bedroom housing options, affordable rent, and lively bars and restaurants along Harvard Ave. Recent renovations and clean up efforts in Allston / Brighton are taking the once dumpy student area up a notch, but also causing housing prices to rise. Brookline, surrounded on three sides by Boston proper, is another popular area for students where you will find brick apartments and beautiful wood houses that have been converted into 2 or 3 bedroom condos. Generally speaking, Brookline is more expensive than Allston or Brighton, but not as expensive as the more suburban area of Newton. Quiet, affluent Newton may sound like a convenient option because of the satellite BC campus, but the area attracts few students.
Condos are the popular choice for those looking to buy property around Boston College. Two bedroom condos in Allston / Brighton start around $300,000 and go up into the $500,000s and beyond once you venture out into Brookline. Over the last 5 years, the market has seen huge appreciation with most properties almost doubling in value, but with recent market shift, most property will see approximately 20% appreciation in the next 5 to 10 years.
If you’re in the market to lease, your odds are good for finding property since most student rental property turns over from year to year. The best time to look for a fall lease is June to August while spring leases get snatched up from late November to early January. If you are really on the ball and you know what you are looking for, you can begin looking up to a year in advance. You can expect to pay about $1,500 per month for an average two-bedroom apartment in the Allston and Brighton areas of town while those prices will go up in Brookline.
Let it be known that bringing a car to Boston is not a desirable option for most out of state – and even out of city – students. Not only is there extremely limited street parking in most areas of Boston, but there is also ridiculously high mandatory insurance required for all vehicles in the city. The insurance is only issued to cars registered at city hall, which could be a major hassle and a limiting factor for students desiring off campus housing if it weren’t for the “T”, Boston’s thorough and convenient public transit system.
College Real Estate’s goal is to make the moving transition as worry and stress free as possible so we have created a moving center which provides you with helpful information from your utility providers to local grocery centers, restaurants, churches and much more.
College Real Estate also offers a How To database that will keep a new homeowner or those of you renting a house or an apartment from paying an arm and a leg for a service that can easily be done yourself. You can learn how to fix the garbage disposal, light the pilot light, the best way to get rid of rodents, and many other useful lessons. We invite you to take advantage of this knowledge or even post your own helpful article.