I recently moved from Tennessee to San Francisco. The best thing I did to familiarize myself with a new place from a distance was to combine craigslist with Google maps. I was on craigslist everyday for about a month. Though it was too soon to rent a place, I became familiar with where nieghborhoods were and what types of apartments and prices to expect in the different neighborhoods. Then, I dropped pins all over a Google map of San Francisco, seeing how these places related to each other and to the necessities of everyday life. By the time I moved, I had an apartment within 2 weeks in a neighborhood where I've been happy now for over a year.

My first tip is to never, ever use the word "nabes" unless you want to see people roll their eyes at you.

My second tip comes from hard experience in NYC: Go to the closest place of business and see what it is and what's for sale. A nice neighborhood cafe = awesome. A scary-looking, sub-7-11 corner store that appears to make its rent selling lotto tickets and glue traps for rats = run far away.

Nabewise is a pretty decent source of info on the subject, I think it needs more participation before it can be considered truly definitive. It does a good job of pointing out the trendiest neighborhoods but not the "good value"/tweener ones and tends to over inflate the very bad ones in the name of internet PCness.

P.S.. Don't move to Alston unless you are under 22 and dirt broke.

Since I've only lived in our new neighborhood for a few months, I don't have a full grasp on conveniences/negatives but I LOVED our old neighborhood in St. Louis, the CWE.

We try to find neighborhoods that have their own character, but we try to avoid the "hot" neighborhoods that real estate agents really push. It's worked well for us... right now, I'm in authentic Greek and Italian food heaven (down to the mom and pop grocers).

See if you can find a blog about the neighborhood or a neighborhood paper with a website... follow that for a few days/weeks and you'll soon get a flavor of the kind of place and neighbors you might have! More than one person has admitted to falling in love with my nabe (Ditmas Park, Brooklyn) due to our fun, homey blog!

i joined a few local listservs and subscribed to a local e-newsletter and basically stalked my neighborhood of choice for a few months. i also found a great local message board with individual boards organized by neighborhood, so i was able to brush up on local politics, community issues, new restaurant reviews, and building/community development projects.

Single woman here. I was living in Arlington, VA while looking for a house to purchase in 1998. My only must haves were a teeny tiny bungalow with a front porch. I found that Takoma Park, Maryland had them in spades (funky progressive suburb of Washington, DC filled with craftsmen bungalows and victorians). But, before I bought my house, I drove through the neighborhood at all hours of the day and night (okay, not in the middle of the night), on weekdays and weekends to get a feel for it. Everyone walks in my neighborhood, so I would literally drive by women or a couple walking, role down my window and ask them about the neighborhood, was it safe, etc. Everyone was happy to talk to me and encouraged me to buy. My first week living there I was walking to my neighbor hood coop (2 blocks away) while hearing the bells ringing from an ice cream truck driving by. I had tears in my eyes as I finally felt like I had found my home.

what yuppiescum said. i still have nightmares about my years there.

My advice is to look around the area and see what types of restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, etc. are around there. It'll give you a good idea of what the neighbourhood is like.

Research neighborhood organizations. Some cities seem to be highly organized in that way (Minneapolis is!), others, less so. Here in Minneapolis every part of the city is part of a neighborhood, and most (possibly all) have websites, many have Facebook pages, many have email lists, online newspapers, etc. Many areas also have formal studies available for both commercial and residential districts; these can be full of useful things like resident surveys, market studies, even traffic counts. (yeah, I like my research.) It's not the most useful way for the very initial searches, but is great for when you're starting to zero in on a smaller list of options. Nothing can replace actually getting out and walking around a neighborhood, though. Also keep an open mind and explore adjacent neighborhoods, just in case. When we moved to LA we assumed we'd be in Los Feliz or Silverlake, then fell in love with the weirdness that is Hollywood. We zeroed in on our SF place using Craigslist, then later finding a wonderful local blog. I also use walkscore.com to get a snapshot overview of types of businesses in the immediate area, supplemented with google streetview "walks."

I'll be moving to Boston next fall, and I was definitely glad to come across this post. However, a lot of people have told me to check out Allston/Brighton and forget Jamaica Plain completely...as we know that's strange for me to hear considering all of the fantastic house tours hailing from that neighborhood.

Any tips for a 23 year-old grad student moving from southern California?

Yuppiescum is right - Allston/Brighton is a pretty convenient place to live, but only if you're a college student. I'm leery of it because it's loud, full of hipsters and angry traffic, bedbugs, and limited MBTA options.

It really depends on where you'll be studying/doing your work. JP could easily work out well for you. It really is a gorgeous area. My bf and I opted not to move there because the commute for us would be too long.

Cambridge and Somerville are also excellent towns to live in. I'm particularly partial to Davis, Inman, and Union Squares.

Good luck with your move!

Boston Neighborhoods

Jamaica Plain is super awesome and really pretty. It is an up and coming yuppy neighborhood. That being said there are still projects in the neighborhood and places that are unsafe. The area around Hyde Sq (not Hyde Park Ave), area north of the Pond and Heath St. is great. There is a new Whole Foods being build there. Unfortunately there are very few apartments available right now in that area and you do have to consider there are some unsafe places in this neighborhood.

Allston - College / hipster neighborhood. Not very well taken care of: dirty streets, icy sidewalks, noisy. The upside is that you can find cheap apartments, they are always available and it is relatively safe.

Brighton - Similar and near to Allston. It is pretty far from downtown Boston and the commute on the T can definitely take some time.

Other neighborhoods I recommend looking into: Brookline, South End, Beacon Hill. Most people quickly write them off as too expensive but if you really spend time looking, you will probably be able to find something in your price range. Beacon Hill has more available than the South End right now. Brookline is very spread out and there are many different areas to look at. For the most part, the neighborhood of Brookline is really safe and many families live there.

Cambridge - Central Sq is a great cheap place. There are a few bars and decent nightlife. It is similar to Allston / Brighton that it is generally safe but you should always be alert. Davis Sq is T accessible and cheap / safe as well.

I hope that is some information to go on. I have lived in most of these neighborhoods (I have moved way more than I would have liked to) and have just finished up another apartment hunt. These are just my opinions and obviously people might feel differently than me - I don't mean to offend anyone. I ended up finding a cheap, completely redone 1 bed in Jamaica Plain near Mission Hill so that will be my new location. I hope to move closer to Hyde Sq or the South End later on if I end up staying in Boston.

I live in Allston, but I'm 24 and a law student (i.e. I'm poor). The only reason I can tolerate it is because my building is all condos and I rent a unit. My neighbors are quiet, nice, and generally pleasant -- this is rare in Allston. The only undergrads are in the basement.

Jennie Jackson!!!

JP IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! THOSE PEOPLE ARE LIARS!!!!!!!!!! I lived in Boston for the past 2 years getting my masters, and I purposefully moved out of Brookline and into JP because it was the perfect fit for me. STRONG sense of community with an obsession with local, independent stores, lots and lots and lots of local grocery stores (other than Whole Foods), lots and lots of restaurants, great shopping, fun bars, right on the Orange line (which isn't scary like people will tell you), AND before you write it off totally, google "Arnold Arboretum." I grew up in a really forested area of TX and was missing trees desperately in Boston, so when I found the Arboretum around the corner it was like I found a slice of heaven.

I'll put it this way: excepting the time I was in Boston, I've been living in Austin,TX for almost 8 years now. JP was the ONLY part of Boston that felt even remotely like Austin to me.

Apartment Therapy, this is why I love you. I know I still have a year until my big move, but this has been such a help.

Now to visit again and figure out a roommate situation. Can we start a thread on that? :)

If you don't have a car walkscore.com is a pretty good resource to see if a particular address has the amenities you want within walking distance. Plus it has the advantage of avoiding the word "nabes" (lol re: red zinger's post above). I live Boston's South End but I think Jamaica Plain is a pretty awesome neighborhood. I don't see why it should be avoided.

Jennie, I think people are telling you to avoid Jamaica Plain because of outdated notions about what JP is. I grew up in a suburb just west of Boston in the 80s, and back then, JP was considered a good place to get mugged. This has changed, but longtimers from the Boston area who haven't bothered checking these places out in the last decade (because they'd rather not get mugged) don't know this. Well, their loss.

The exact same thing could be said of Somerville in the early 80s. Then they extended the Red Line subway out from through Somerville, and now I'd be hard pressed to afford to buy a property there.

Allston's reasonably safe, but I wouldn't make it my first choice.

just read the "choosing a real estate agent" & have Qs:

why do you need a realtor at all?

technically when you are buying, you don't pay your realtor, but since the % comes from the price of the house sold, a realtor would not be interested to negotiate hard to get you a cheaper price on the house, no?

I didn't know real estate agents cannot talk safety. Makes sense though, since that's such a big bias.

I'd add that if you know someone in the area already, see if you can spend some time in their place to make sure you really are comfortable. Talk to as many people as you can who live in the area, but maybe not the specific neighborhood: that'll help you get some pros and cons as well.

I'm a 24-year-old young professional and my only advice is STAY AWAY FROM ALLSTON/BRIGHTON! It's an undergraduate ghetto lacking sophistication or any other adult-like amenities one would expect from a major city.

The Metro recently ran a story about the abundance of rats in student-heavy areas like Allston. http://www.metro.us/boston/local/article/942964--welcome-back-students-rats

From personal experience, I believe rat infestation is a result of slumlords who refuse to make updates to old buildings. Slumlords tend to be in Allston/Brighton and Fenway because they know they can manipulate undergraduates (and there will always be a demand for these units). Unfortunately, I live in one of these units... Last month, we caught 4 mice on sticky traps in two days. And our slumlord refuses to plug up rodent entry holes (b/c it would involve re-tiling the floor).

Just don't do it.

@nato,

Great question! Let me preface my response by saying real estate is a local business and every market is different. That being said, a buyer's agent works for you and represents your fiduciary interests. It's their job to get the deal done with the best terms for you. It is not in an agent's best interests not to negotiate on behalf of their client so that the price is higher. The thing is, if the deal doesn't get done, no one gets paid.

Alternately, if you are unrepresented, you're not level at the negotiating table with the seller's side, and that's where you could be taken advantage of. You also don't have the benefit of your agent's experience & knowledge of real estate attorneys, home inspectors, etc.

Hopefully that helps!