Spacious room(s) w/ private bath in large LGBTQ-friendly house, Jan-Jun flexible lease (Shared Housing)

* more photos coming soon!

Quick info:
• $850 per month (one bedroom)
• All-inclusive: all utilities included in rent
• 1 or 2 rooms available (for 1 or 2 people who know eachother)
• Furnished or unfurnished
• LGBTQIA+ welcoming
• Starting:... January 1st
• Lease: Spring semester or January-June
• Flexible or monthly lease optional
• Must be pet-friendly (dogs and cats in home)
• Location: downtown Orange, Mass (30-min drive to Amherst)

Other logistics:
• In-driveway parking
• Upgraded in-room heating and cooling
• Rooms on 2nd floor (2 stairs options)
• Private bathroom (shower, sink, toilet) on first floor
• Washer & dryer on first floor
• Renovated kitchen with dishwasher
• Shared main fridge and/or private adjacent minifridge
• Common spaces: kitchen, livingroom, diningroom, workshop, storage room, front porch, front & back yard, shed
• House-cleaner will maintain common areas monthly

The Otterden is looking for a 3rd housemate (or two) to join our home! In this large 5-room house, there are two open rooms available for rent. We hire a housecleaner to come monthly to maintain the common areas. Current housemates go to UMass Amherst campus multiple times per week and work from home some days (separate office downstairs). Commute to Amherst is 30 minutes, or 25 miles, so it is a bit long, but with no stoplights or traffic, it is a nice drive through the woods down the 202. We often carpool together, so that is an options some days!

The room(s) can be furnished with bed, dresser, desk, nightstand, etc, if desired. The number of people or rooms to rent is flexible. A single person can rent a single room, or can rent one as a bedroom and the 2nd room would be perfect for an office or studio. Two friends or a couple can move in together and rent one or both rooms. Otherwise, if you only rent one room, we will not rent out the other and will just use it as a spare/guest bedroom. Let us know if you have any questions. One is hardwood with two doors (one with direct access to front stairs that go to front door and livingroom, the other to upstairs hallway), and the other is carpeted and is adjacent to back stairs that go to the kitchen. Total cost of rent can be negotiated depending on the situation.

We are open-minded, community-minded, creative academics. We value diversity; all current and former housemates are queer and neurodivergent. The house is very quiet during the daytime. We cook at home most evenings, and go for hikes or meet up with friends in Amherst on weekends. We love having people over (even if that doesn't happen that much) -- especially for holidays. Kate (she/her) and Chrissy (they/she) are both biology grad students at UMass Amherst.

Housemate should be pet-lover. We are pet-friendly, so you can bring, ideally, a cat. Note that the home does have 2 large dogs and 3 cats, and ferrets. The house is owner-occupied since '19. We may be moving next summer or next fall (and likely selling the house), so rental period may be limited, but there is flexibility here. We will know more by March.

The home is situated up a hill, on a non-through road, in a quiet and safe residential neighbourhood, just three blocks from the town center of Orange, Mass. Orange is a quaint town, with multiple restaurants, coffee shop, bookstore, market/coop, convenience stores, liquor store, arcade, and other shops in the town center. There is a Walmart 1 mile away, and a Hannaford grocery 2 miles away. Orange is located on the 202 and rt 2 for easy access to Amherst (30min South), Greenfield (30min West), Athol (10min East with Market Basket and really nice movie theater and many restaurants), or Boston (90min East). Public transit access in Orange Center goes to Greenfield and Boston.

All utilities (electric, heat, water, trash, recycle), laundry, and monthly housekeeping is included in rent.

We would be happy to do a video call to show you the room and house and discuss if it would be a good fit. Read More