The Pink Shoe Diaries

At a Christmas party a few weeks ago, I got to talking with my Aunt Barbara about my apartment. She grew up in the neighborhood I currently live in and was curious about how much it costs to live there now. When I told her that my rent is $1075 a month she was SHOCKED and also appalled. I initially thought she was surprised at how low it was (and it is, for the city I live in and considering that heat & hotwater and 2 off street parking spots are included) but she was really shocked at how high it was. She told me "God, it's a terrible time to be starting out". (Always a nice thing to hear, right?). But I have been told this before. Repeatedly.

And I still cling to hope.

I am not at the point in my life yet where i feel "The Boston area is so expensive, I am moving the hell away". I love it here, and I want to be positive. Yes apartments are expensive and buying a home is even more so. But if you work hard, and are smart about it, I believe there are affordable homes in the Braintree/Quincy area. This isn't so much based on extensive real estate studies but more my casual perusals of the real estate section of Boston.com which sometimes yields houses under 300K. SOMETIMES. And whether or not they are built on a graveyard or a toxic waste dump remain to be seen.

In any case, I look at it like shopping clearance at TJ Maxx. Yes, it looks like everything good has been snatched up, but if you perservere, and really hunt around, you might be able to find a Tahari suit for $29. Or a townhouse style condo with a yard and off street parking for under 400K.

Dreams do come true

Or so I thought.

So last night I was leafing through the Improper Bostonian and came across an ad for a new condo complex whose name I won't reveal here so that they don't come after me....but if you hunt around you know what I am talking about. Anyway the ad was LOVELY and boasted a gated community, state if the art media/theater, billiard room, fitness center, swimming pool, huge two bedroom units and assigned parking.

Sounds fabulous, right?

Then I saw the price. STARTING at 600K, all the way up to a cool million.

So I figured "Oh I wonder where in Boston this is? Or maybe it's in Chestnut Hill?".

But lo, it's in Braintree. And when I saw the address I realized that this "luxury community" is actually across the street from the Town Dump, basically ON train tracks, and used to be a shady industrial park. It's also on essentially an island in the middle of the highway.

Starting at 600K??? Their is a hotel equidistant from the same attractions that this complex boasts being near and it is not considered a luxury. It is considered a Motel 6.

This sort of broke my illusions. Or at least brought them closer down to reality. And I'm sure that whoever came up with these luxury condos is laboring under an illusion too, but their illusion will make them a multi-millionaire whereas mine means I will probably end up living in a shanty.

Better start saving now! By the time I can actually afford a place shantys will probably be in the high 400s.

And that's without deeded parking.