Boston Real Estate Search
June 1st through Sept. 1 is the peak season for the Boston apartment rentals.
In today’s Boston Herald, an op-ed reported on a study from the Pew Research Center that concluded it helps to be white to rent an apartment in Boston. At least from those that advertise on Craigslist. The following is an excerpt:
According to real estate industry sources and a 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center, more than half of all homeseekers today utilize the Internet in their search for housing with Craigslist being the primary search engine. Between January and May of 2009 we submitted responses to a representative sample of 739 housing providers who advertised rental units on Craigslist in metro Boston. Each provider received similar e-mail responses from three equally qualified “testers” – one with a white sounding name (Matthew O’Brien or Neil Baker); one with an African-American sounding name (Tremayne Robinson or Tyrone Jackson); and one with a Hispanic sounding name (Pedro Gonzales or Jorge Rodriguez). (We also tested 726 housing providers in Dallas with similar results.)
The results of this study were similar to a recent blog post I had about a investigation conducted by our local Fox News channel.
The complete story from the Boston Herald
