Check it out. This is what I’ve been dealing with. I’m looking for a 1-bedroom as close to $900 a month as I can get, as close to the city as I can get. I’ve been aiming mostly at the North Shore (because it’s and closer (and has less suck factor) than Worcester)(which is where things start to get cheap again heading West) – Chelsea, Everett, even *gasp* LYNN. The pickings are slim, and when you add in the Jake factor pickings get even slimmer.

There’s this, which is clearly a cleverly disguised basement, this, which distracts you from its hideous carpeting with its soul-killing wood-paneled walls, and this, which is not, in fact, a one-bedroom but an incredibly tiny studio. $850 for 200 square FEET? Are you KIDDING me? Maybe I got spoiled by our old place, a wonderful 2-bedroom in Eastie with wood floors and lots of sun, but I can’t believe that these are my only choices. Luckily (or not), all the listings now are for September rental, and I’m not looking to move until October, following a 2-week cross country journey with my B!. I only hope that next month brings some better properties. In the interim, be on the lookout for a cat-friendly pad with hardwood floors, a gas stove, and laundry on-site. French doors and high ceilings are huge selling points.