Boston’s affordable home buying program

Last month one of my readers noted my real estate themed posts only showcase costly new construction like the Ink Block, Four Seasons, etc… and after reflecting upon that constructive criticism, I thought I’d give a shout out to Boston’s affordable home buying program.

Boston has a well deserved reputation for being an expensive city to live, but there are opportunities to purchase and rent more affordable condominiums and apartments if you are persistent and know where to look. One such resource is the BRA Affordable Units website, which lists existing affordable units.

There is more information about Boston’s affordable housing program on the BRA website, bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/housing/overview.  While this program can take time and requires a lot of paperwork – it can really pay off.  I know this firsthand because back in 2002 / 2003, Sergio and I decided to look into this program.  At the time, Sergio was working as a flight attendant and I was working at a health and human services nonprofit; our combined income was barely enough to afford rent but thanks to Sergio’s persistence after a few missed opportunities we were able to purchase a home through Boston’s affordable home buying program at Rollins Square in the South End.

Of course there remains a chronic shortage of affordable housing in Boston and the Mayor and surrounding communities need to do more to help make housing and rentals more affordable but there are properties available (and in some great neighborhoods) if you do your homework.  For all you would-be home buyers, I wish you luck in finding the perfect property for you.