No, there isn't.

I get what you're asking. Maybe there's a secret website listing places that are too lazy to put up listings on the apartment listing websites. However, if there were such a place, it would just be another one of those apartment listing websites.

Like, Craigslist is a website that connects apartment buildings that don't post on MLS - but it's well-known enough that it's just part of your "places I already know about."

There are other websites like Zillow and ApartmentList, but I don't think you're just looking for another version of MLS/Apartments.com/CL. I think you're hoping for a magic list of "buildings that never list their apartments and probably have great vacancies I could get." If such a website existed, we'd all use it and then it wouldn't be the site you're looking for.

There are quite a few predators there and you can tell them a mile off

It’s a great service. If the property is your primary residence, the city knocks almost $500,000 from the assessed value of the property.

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Wait where do you apply for this?

Was in Cambridge, MA, just a few weeks back. Great place to hang, but the rents are just bonkers.

https://www.apartments.com/park-151-cambridge-ma/dknxy6k/

Agreed!

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You apply once. The tax year after you owner occupied for a full year. Yep, pretty much a free $3k reduction in property tax. A million dollar condo only has about a $5k annual property tax

Cambridge actually spends a lot in services. For example $28k per year spent per student vs $20k per student in lexington. Cambridge has a huge commercial tax base

Fresh food and ingredients being a luxury item is not the norm in the rest of the world, although it is increasingly becoming so as other countries follow the US model. Frankly it is a policy choice by the US government to subsidize processed garbage.

If you want housing related news, A Better Cambridge (ABC) sends out a monthly newsletter that often covers Cambridge-related political news. An example can be found here. It's from a pro-housing / yimby perspective. You can subscribe here: https://www.abettercambridge.org/sign_up

Strange how unaffordable doesn't factor into livable. But these types of articles are usually trash anyway.

Livable is not the same as affordable, which seems to escape some commenters, although affordability is a part of the calculation.

This was probably the most out of touch thing I've heard a rich person say since George bush Sr didn't know what the barcode scanner at the grocery store was

For unlivable mortgage or rent, for a newcomer.

Does liveable mean you can walk from your $4000/month cold drafty two bedroom without parking along the cold desolate streets to empty squares that just have empty bank branches? Or snobby exclusionary institutions?

That’s what draws many people to Cambridge. You can actually buy good quality food at specialized markets, instead of the garbage they sell at the mega stores.

Of course, it’s not the sole reason, but it’s certainly a benefit of living here.

We lived there for two years: washer dryer is actually full sized and works great. If it’s not working they replaced ours super fast.

Management is awful, my boyfriend did autopay for rent and I chose to manually pay but there’s no reminders if autopay doesn’t actually take your money. Also, our friends boyfriend had a door part literally fall on him (the part that makes it auto open at the top) and management basically just said “oh sorry”.

We honestly never heard our upstairs neighbors, but we could hear people in the hallway way more, like if someone was walking by talking on their phone.

There are lots of dogs in the building, it’s a dog friendly building that has a dog park on site. Definitely note that re: noise and if you’re dog people.

As far as noise, it’s not awful if you’re in your apartment with the windows closed. But our apartment ran hot (something they were never able to fix) and it was so loud if we had a window open. If you’re facing lechmere, you can definitely hear the announcements.

We got a great deal during COVID so that’s what drew us in, great walking to cambridge crossing through Morgan St.

TLDR: the noise isn’t from upstairs and there’s lots of cons to consider.

*edit: spacing and spelling

“Livable” is a strong word when most of the places to buy groceries are premium-priced markets.

https://bostoday.6amcity.com has an email newsletter that gets sent out every weekday morning at 6am and has had so much helpful info about events and local news for boston, somerville, and cambridge. if you dont like newsletters their website is great too

Agree with Cambridge Day, UHub, and Axios Boston.

For a more edgy (but still generally worth reading) newsletter, try Contrarian Boston.

Livable is a weird word choice, but it’s basically not possible to have it be both desirable and affordable.

I live here now - feel free to DM me!

I lived in the area for a year. I am also sensitive to noises, and the construction alone got to me. I lived there before the green line extension was up and running.

I was there early evening on a Saturday with friends recently and we found the (not live) music volume on the louder side for conversation. We got a table where it was bearable (I think depending on where you are in relation to the speakers, some spots are better than others), but there were definitely spots it would have been tricky to hear.