{"items": [{"author": "Brandon", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528434623843994", "anchor": "fb-528434623843994", "service": "fb", "text": "Union Square is a real bargain.", "timestamp": "1359498603"}, {"author": "Miles", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528438997176890", "anchor": "fb-528438997176890", "service": "fb", "text": "Can you share the script used to generate? Would be interesting to see this for SF.", "timestamp": "1359499543"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528440260510097", "anchor": "fb-528440260510097", "service": "fb", "text": "@Miles: \"Can you share the script used to generate?\"
https://github.com/jeffkaufman/apartment_prices
To do it for SF you'd need to adjust lat/lon bounds. Also we need to be careful not to annoy the guy who runs padmapper by putting too much load on the server.", "timestamp": "1359499803"}, {"author": "pokingpenguins", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c85wd5u", "anchor": "r-c85wd5u", "service": "r", "text": "This is awesome. TIL about padmapper for my next apartment.\n", "timestamp": 1359500059}, {"author": "[deleted]", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c85wqsz", "anchor": "r-c85wqsz", "service": "r", "text": ""crawled off padmapper". who seemed to start w/ listing craigslist, and more recently especially when cut off from craigslist seemed to be getting info from other websites utilized by expensive-highrise type management companies. in any case, the housing downtown does seem to track higher-ed and health inflation, which is what, 5-10% a year?\n", "timestamp": 1359501155}, {"author": "cbr", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c85wzbd", "anchor": "r-c85wzbd", "service": "r", "text": "→ Padmapper is still using Craigslist data. If you poke around on their site and click listings, most of them still point to Craigslist.\n\n
My understanding is that they're getting their data from an intermediary who scrapes the google cache.\n", "timestamp": 1359501877}, {"author": "BostonCab", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c863d6i", "anchor": "r-c863d6i", "service": "r", "text": "→ → Try putting in a google alert for site:boston.craigslist.org Google crawls CL so slow and incompletely these days its worthless. \n", "timestamp": 1359522175}, {"author": "cbr", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c8697s7", "anchor": "r-c8697s7", "service": "r", "text": "→ → → That alerts don't work well on cl could be either the alerting or the crawling; are you sure its the latter?\n", "timestamp": 1359557034}, {"author": "BostonCab", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c86g27y", "anchor": "r-c86g27y", "service": "r", "text": "→ → → → Last time I tried it it was only finding me apartment listings and by the time it sent me the alert the ad was gone.. maybe it is the alert but I was thinking it was the crawl because CL pages never rank for keywords anymore either...IDK\n", "timestamp": 1359577910}, {"author": "Marcus", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528454507175339", "anchor": "fb-528454507175339", "service": "fb", "text": "I wonder if this adequately handles multiple posting / longer posting of apartments that are a worse deal. Most of my friends who have bargains on their apartments found them through people they knew rather than any listing.", "timestamp": "1359503559"}, {"author": "Forsythe", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528470957173694", "anchor": "fb-528470957173694", "service": "fb", "text": "I'd be really curious about the seasonal variation aspect", "timestamp": "1359507711"}, {"author": "Brandon", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528471417173648", "anchor": "fb-528471417173648", "service": "fb", "text": "My experience is that taking a simple mapping project and extending it to the whole country is 100% pure internet-fame-making gold. If you're interested in that, that's a thing you could do.", "timestamp": "1359507863"}, {"author": "billie_holiday", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c85yrr8", "anchor": "r-c85yrr8", "service": "r", "text": "The Fenway area is a lot more expensive than what you have projected there. Believe me.\n", "timestamp": 1359507971}, {"author": "admiralwaffles", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c863oio", "anchor": "r-c863oio", "service": "r", "text": "→ Conversely, I'm paying about half what I should in Brookline Village, apparently. Self high five!\n", "timestamp": 1359523231}, {"author": "spiralstaircase", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c862dau", "anchor": "r-c862dau", "service": "r", "text": "I wonder what the dark spots are.\n", "timestamp": 1359519026}, {"author": "cbr", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c869832", "anchor": "r-c869832", "service": "r", "text": "→ Data points.\n", "timestamp": 1359557067}, {"author": "spiralstaircase", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c86993v", "anchor": "r-c86993v", "service": "r", "text": "→ → Ah, thanks.\n\n
I suspected they were and desperately tried to click them to see the rent for the dots near my apartment. I gave up and looked up coordinates in the csv. \n", "timestamp": 1359557183}, {"author": "cbr", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c86fi4u", "anchor": "r-c86fi4u", "service": "r", "text": "→ → → I should definitely make them clicky. Right now it's just an image on a map, but the javascript to make it interactive like that wouldn't be bad at all.\n", "timestamp": 1359576421}, {"author": "[deleted]", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c864op8", "anchor": "r-c864op8", "service": "r", "text": "I want to move and can't afford to live anywhere. Im hamstrung by needing access to the T, and no the commuter rail doesn't work for me. This blows. \n", "timestamp": 1359526930}, {"author": "Padiddle", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c869uac", "anchor": "r-c869uac", "service": "r", "text": "→ With multiple roommates you can get down to 500 fairly easily and I know people who pay 450. I only pay 600 in East Boston and that's for a super nice room with my own bathroom and I'm like a block from the Blue Line. \n\n
Edit: Quincy is a great place to look as well for cheap apartments and right on the redline! \n", "timestamp": 1359559497}, {"author": "sssatwork", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c86a03u", "anchor": "r-c86a03u", "service": "r", "text": "→ Walking distance to Malden Center is pretty reasonable. \n", "timestamp": 1359560075}, {"author": "logrus101", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c86bgez", "anchor": "r-c86bgez", "service": "r", "text": "→ As a former Roslindale resident, I'd say it is a good place to rent an affordable place that isn't in a really rough neighborhood.\n\n
The commute in from Forest Hills was fine, and there's a great sense of community around Roslindale Square.\n", "timestamp": 1359564811}, {"author": "frankenst", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c87nqcf", "anchor": "r-c87nqcf", "service": "r", "text": "→ → I think Roslindale's affordability will likely change once the substation development in the square finally happens, and the casey overpass is removed at forest hills... \n\n
also - the prices aren't quite right for roslindale - more like anywhere between $500-1000 per bedroom.\n", "timestamp": 1359746254}, {"author": "AccipiterQ", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c868p1c", "anchor": "r-c868p1c", "service": "r", "text": "chestnut hill is only 700/br? All I saw was 1400-1600 for 1BRs\n", "timestamp": 1359554638}, {"author": "cbr", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c869abw", "anchor": "r-c869abw", "service": "r", "text": "→ The chestnut hill "$700/br" area is far enough from most apartments that it only is extrapolating from two nearby data points. I want to make a new version of the map where color intensity indicates confidence.\n", "timestamp": 1359557318}, {"author": "Mrs_DismalTide", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17itrt#c86adc1", "anchor": "r-c86adc1", "service": "r", "text": "augh I was right in my analysis that rents seem to have really spiked this year.\n", "timestamp": 1359561342}, {"author": "Diana", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/118433478854468966061", "anchor": "gp-1359577448964", "service": "gp", "text": "Followed link from \n@Tim\n\u00a0. \u00a0This is awesome.\n
\n
\nI'd like to see $/sq ft, too. \u00a0I'm skeptical about bedrooms, because I know lots of apartments are advertised by room, so as to appeal to people who want roommates and those who don't.\n
\n
\nI'd also love to see where the T stops are on the map, because I wonder how many of those little pockets of orange/red are clustered around them.\n
\n
\ni didn't even know google supported heatmaps. \u00a0so cool.", "timestamp": 1359577448}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1359578214691", "service": "gp", "text": "@Diana\n\u00a0\"I'd like to see $/sq ft, too\"\n
\n
\nUnfortunately people don't usually post square footage on craigslist, and even when they do I don't think padmapper collects that data. \u00a0If we had it though, I agree it would be ideal.\n
\n
\n\"I know lots of apartments are advertised by room, so as to appeal to people who want roommates and those who don't.\"\n
\n
\nWhat do you mean? \u00a0Nearly all apartments I see are advertised as 1br, 2br, 3br, studio, etc. \u00a0That's the data padmapper is collecting, and both maps are based off that. \u00a0The $/bedroom map is straight up cost/bedrooms while the $/room map is cost/(bedrooms + 1) because a 2br is usually a three room apartment etc.\n
\n
\n\"I'd also love to see where the T stops are on the map, because I wonder how many of those little pockets of orange/red are clustered around them.\"\n
\n
\nSomeone on reddit wondered the same thing and made a map:\u00a0\nhttp://i.imgur.com/Tub0BMD.jpg\n \u00a0comments:\u00a0\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/17kd4b/2013_boston_rental_heat_map_with_added_tstops/\n
\n
\n\"I didn't even know google supported heatmaps\"\n
\n
\nIt doesn't. \u00a0I made the heatmap myself and the mashup is google maps plus an appropriate image.", "timestamp": 1359578214}, {"author": "Don", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528865173800939", "anchor": "fb-528865173800939", "service": "fb", "text": "Very interesting. Looks like the rents I'm charging are only 2/3 the going rate, if that.", "timestamp": "1359585484"}, {"author": "Brandon", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=528865710467552", "anchor": "fb-528865710467552", "service": "fb", "text": "Jeff what have you done!?", "timestamp": "1359585597"}, {"author": "Matt", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=529169183770538", "anchor": "fb-529169183770538", "service": "fb", "text": "Really cool map! Do you think your neighborhood baselines are robust enough to let you identify neighborhood-relative good deals as they appear (assuming you could scrape daily/weekly...)? Or is the pricing data too noisy?", "timestamp": "1359644111"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=529194807101309", "anchor": "fb-529194807101309", "service": "fb", "text": "@Matt: I think the problem with trying to identify good deals is that location and #bedrooms aren't the only things that go into how good an apartment is. So you'd be calling things \"good deals\" just because they have small rooms, ugly carpeting, don't allow pets, etc.", "timestamp": "1359648276"}, {"author": "Galen", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/113853090979911392217", "anchor": "gp-1359654886178", "service": "gp", "text": "I like this visualization, but I think there's a problem in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. The residential streets between Egleston Square and Franklin Park come up among the most expensive neighborhoods, colored in red. One small section of Uphams Corner shows the same. I've never looked at rental listings in either place, but I live near Egleston. I doubt very much that rents here or in Uphams are equal to those in the South End.", "timestamp": 1359654886}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1359656530358", "service": "gp", "text": "@Galen\n\u00a0That looks like one listing that's way too high. \u00a0Looking into it, it's a commercial listing (so \"0br\") that shouldn't have been in the data. \u00a0I just manually checked the rest of the really high listings, removing three other bogus ones, and am regenerating the maps. \u00a0Thanks!\n
\n
\n(Another thing I found is that the way I'm getting data from padmapper limits apartments to $6k. \u00a0So ones more expensive than that are rounded down to $6k. \u00a0In checking for bogus ones I also corrected some of these, so I expect a bit more red, in the right places, on the new maps when they finish.)", "timestamp": 1359656530}, {"author": "Nathan", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/115047443549315712634", "anchor": "gp-1359661319862", "service": "gp", "text": "Hi, Jeff. \u00a0Thanks for the github code. \u00a0After generating apts.png, how did you overlay it on the Google Map online?", "timestamp": 1359661319}, {"author": "Galen", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/113853090979911392217", "anchor": "gp-1359664138233", "service": "gp", "text": "@Jeff Kaufman\n\u00a0Nice. Looking at it first off, I thought it might be a geocoding problem. I wouldn't be surprised to find a hot spot of relatively high rents of about the same size, a little north of there in Fort Hill, which has a great view of Downtown from the summit. (The park there is a great spot to watch the fireworks on July 4.)\u00a0", "timestamp": 1359664138}, {"author": "Miles", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=529308280423295", "anchor": "fb-529308280423295", "service": "fb", "text": "This just made it to the front page of Hacker News! http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5147442", "timestamp": "1359668627"}, {"author": "Marcus", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/111675838261170541573", "anchor": "gp-1359674320241", "service": "gp", "text": "Nice job. I will note that my experience from watching a friend search for rooms on padmapper recently is that Nigerian* scammers have taken to posting false ads for apartments, usually at better rates than the area average, so that might pull your data down a bit compared to reality.\n
\n
\n*When contacted, it would turn out the landlord was out of town, often supposedly in Nigeria, and the first steps of the conversation looked suspiciously like they were leading up to \"mail me money in return for my mailing you a key\" or \"provide me enough personal details in the info-exchange process to do an identity theft\". (one interesting answer to 'why Nigeria?' is at \nhttp://research.microsoft.com/pubs/167719/WhyFromNigeria.pdf\n)", "timestamp": 1359674320}, {"author": "Mel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=529399537080836", "anchor": "fb-529399537080836", "service": "fb", "text": "Oh good, it's not just me. I was looking at apartments today and thinking they were a lot more expensive than when I was looking last year.", "timestamp": "1359686371"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1359733355176", "service": "gp", "text": "@Galen\n\u00a0I've uploaded the revised maps.", "timestamp": 1359733355}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1359733433906", "service": "gp", "text": "@Nathan\n\u00a0\"how did you overlay it on the Google Map online?\"\n
\n
\nHave a look at the source, with pagespeed disabled: \nhttp://www.jefftk.com/apartment_prices/index?ModPagespeed=off", "timestamp": 1359733433}, {"author": "Diana", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/118433478854468966061", "anchor": "gp-1359738049127", "service": "gp", "text": "\"I know lots of apartments are advertised by room, so as to appeal to people who want roommates and those who don't.\"\n
\n
\nWhat I mean is that a lot of apartments have \"rooms\" that might be considered bedrooms, or might not, depending on who is living there. \u00a0How they are listed depends on whether the landlord wants to appeal to people who want cheaper housing (3BR = 3 roommates = shared costs = probably college kids), or higher end housing (1 BR + office + storage closet = single or couple = higher cost per = older professional type).\n
\n
\nWhen I a young professional, I lived in 3rd floor walk-up in Somerville that in theory had 3BR, but really, one of those BRs was a glorified closet, and the other was barely better -- i used it as an office. \u00a0In my mind it was a 1+BR, but before me it had been occupied by three college students. \u00a0That same apartment, had it been in a higher rent district rather than right across the street from Tufts, would probably have been advertised as a 1 or 2BR...even if the rent had been the same. \u00a0 \u00a0Thus the \"per bedroom\" cost on your map would have been artificially raised.\n
\n
\nNumber of rooms is less fungible than number of bedrooms. \u00a0Square footage is less fungible still.", "timestamp": 1359738049}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1359739911779", "service": "gp", "text": "@Diana\n\u00a0\"Number of rooms is less fungible than number of bedrooms. \u00a0Square footage is less fungible still.\"\n
\n
\nMakes sense. \u00a0If padmapper collected those I'd plot them.", "timestamp": 1359739911}, {"author": "Brandon", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534101663277290", "anchor": "fb-534101663277290", "service": "fb", "text": "Futzing with the data a little. A linear regression of rooms vs. cost has a non-zero y intercept. Specifically, for the Boston data, a linear regression with a pretty okay fit is y=547x+1431. That is to say, for the entire Boston area on average, an _address_ costs $1431 and each _room_ costs $547. The pretty okay linear trendline for the 2011 data is y=485x+1136. In a year and a half the cost of an address rose about 26% and the cost per room rose about 13%.", "timestamp": "1359917144"}, {"author": "J.", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534105379943585", "anchor": "fb-534105379943585", "service": "fb", "text": "Suggestion: seasonal variation is important. Boston prices vary dramatically throughout the year. How can you communicate that?", "timestamp": "1359917823"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534277156593074", "anchor": "fb-534277156593074", "service": "fb", "text": "J. Nathan: How much do they vary? Enough that people should try and look for apartments at certain times of year?", "timestamp": "1359953734"}, {"author": "J.", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534277636593026", "anchor": "fb-534277636593026", "service": "fb", "text": "Jeff, very much so. With >60 universities in the area, they vary with the academic schedule. Lots of sublets in the summer and Christmas break. A good time to hunt for an apartment is June/July, and prices get higher as people panic more and more", "timestamp": "1359953894"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534524709901652", "anchor": "fb-534524709901652", "service": "fb", "text": "J. Nathan: You're saying prices are lowest in June and highest in August? Do you know the rest of the year? Has someone tracked this?", "timestamp": "1359991537"}, {"author": "Laura", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534527086568081", "anchor": "fb-534527086568081", "service": "fb", "text": "It did seem to me when I was looking (July through October) that prices were rising throughout the summer/early fall, but that's only an impression.", "timestamp": "1359992208"}, {"author": "J.", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=534535523233904", "anchor": "fb-534535523233904", "service": "fb", "text": "Jeff, I haven't seen numbers, but personal experience apartment hunting and anecdotes suggest this. I also don't know the rest of the year", "timestamp": "1359992833"}, {"author": "Alex", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100936518160252317727", "anchor": "gp-1360510218333", "service": "gp", "text": "Others may be interested in this DC heat map I just found:\u00a0\nhttp://welovedc.com/heatmap/", "timestamp": 1360510218}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1360518191708", "service": "gp", "text": "@Alex\n\u00a0added it to the post. I also made ones for Atlanta and Baltimore.", "timestamp": 1360518191}, {"author": "Alex", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100936518160252317727", "anchor": "gp-1360519320689", "service": "gp", "text": "@Jeff Kaufman\n\u00a0Awesome. Atlanta looks pretty spotty everywhere except right downtown, probably since it's so much less dense a city than Boston or Baltimore. I'm sure you've thought of this, but one could imagine building a much better interpolation of sparser cities if Padmapper offered historical data.", "timestamp": 1360519320}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1360523714659", "service": "gp", "text": "@Alex\n\u00a0Historical data would help a lot.\n
\n
\nI could relax my coloring rules and make Atlanta less spotty, but only if price variation in less dense cities is longer wavelength.", "timestamp": 1360523714}, {"author": "Shaun", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=537750929579030", "anchor": "fb-537750929579030", "service": "fb", "text": "Please do Dallas - Ft Worth", "timestamp": "1360611267"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=537796626241127", "anchor": "fb-537796626241127", "service": "fb", "text": "@Shaun: If you'd like to make one for Dallas you could use the source code: https://github.com/jeffkaufman/apartment_prices", "timestamp": "1360620424"}, {"author": "Jon", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=538158952871561", "anchor": "fb-538158952871561", "service": "fb", "text": "Lots of mathematicians work at www.zillow.com", "timestamp": "1360701932"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=538181886202601", "anchor": "fb-538181886202601", "service": "fb", "text": "@Jon: Zillow probably has the data to make a $/sqft map, which would be awesome, but instead if I look up cambridge I see http://www.jefftk.com/zillow-cam.png", "timestamp": "1360705952"}, {"author": "Jon", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=538183859535737", "anchor": "fb-538183859535737", "service": "fb", "text": "yeah they aren't transparent are they. it's public data, but impossible to extract for other uses, such as yours.", "timestamp": "1360706390"}, {"author": "David Chudzicki", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/528433157177474?comment_id=538186469535476", "anchor": "fb-538186469535476", "service": "fb", "text": "I just signed up for Zillow's API. Maybe I'll try to look at see if it's possible from what that gets you.", "timestamp": "1360706721"}]}