I just signed a new lease for an apartment here in Boston and was thinking this morning about the rental market and how it differs so much from city to city, and even from section within city to section within city. Around here, if you see anything that even seems remotely passable at a decent price, you need to act immediately (as in same day), show up with check in hand, be pressured, give a pint of blood and some fingers, and then pay first/last/security/brokers fee in many cases.

The boy and I have started the search for our next apartment (or rental house, or um...large cardboard box, perhaps). It's more than a little intimidating. We've been in Boston for almost 2 years now, so I could go to school, and he could work :) We found the place we're living in now through a broker, and although the Fens have their charm, let's just say we're looking for something a little less...people throwing up and shrieking below our windows at two in the morning, if you know what I mean. We're not looking for anything fancy, really.