September 8, 2008
Got a few million dollars to spend on a house? And perhaps you’d like a few acres of lawn, a pool, and several master baths. Ahh…. look no further than Fisher Hill.
With expansive turn-of-the-century homes, curving lanes and majestic trees, Fisher Hill (also known as Brookline Hill, Mount Vernon and Henshaw Hill) is the place to go once you take your high-tech company public or you sell off one of your parent company’s subsidiaries. And it makes sense that this neighborhood is home to the merchant class today; Fisher Hill was named after Francis Fisher, a Boston merchant whose 1852 estate was built at the corner of Boylston Street and Chestnut Hill Avenue.
Bounded by Chestnut Hill Avenue to the West, Boylston Street to the South, and the MBTA tracks to the North, this neighborhood changed little in the last 100 years. From the start, the wealthy residents of Fisher Hill knew what they wanted for their neighborhood; in 1914 they signed a covenant stating “they would not allow the deterioration of their property through the construction of apartment houses, 2-family homes, public garages, stores and hospitals.”
Imagine the horror of a nearby hospital.
Today, Fisher Hill is a neighborhood of single-family turn-of-the-century mansions that sit on smaller lots than in Brookline’s “estate district” on the other side of Boylston. A few of the mansions have been converted into luxury condominiums (Longyear for example) and a few new-construction modernist houses have also been thrown into the mix. One of the nicest things about this neighborhood, which is also home to Newbury College, is that, although it feels remote, it’s right next to Cleveland Circle, the T, and near the Chestnut Hill and Brookline Reservoirs.
Call it estate living, right in the heart of the city.
Here’s what’s on the market in Fisher Hill today:
120 Seaver Street, #E-20
Brookline
BEDS:3/BATHS:4.5
SQ.FT:4,830
$4,850,000
311 Clinton Road
Brookline
BEDS:5/BATHS:6
SQ.FT:4135
$1,995,000
565 Boylston Street, #565
BEDS:4/BATHS:2.5
Sq.FT:2,781
$1,350,000
Sweet Digs Boston Home
Brighton, Brookline Archives
September 6, 2008
Columbus Center finances are up for a six-week review to see if the project can ever be completed. [Boston Globe]- Give up your car and buy a T pass; the T saves commuters more money than any other mass transit system in the country. [Bostonist]
- Speaking of the T: the Silver line might be cutting an under-used route. [Universal Hub]
- It nice to see residents caring for their neighborhoods. Thank you, Sam. [Little Impact]
- Apparently first-time buyers don’t want fixer-uppers. [Boston Real Estate Blog]
- Franklin Cafe expanding to South Boston. [Boston Condos]
- Boston is creating some new laws to make smokers’ lives even more difficult. [Boston Daily]
- Gucci is moving to the Mandarin Oriental on Boylston street. [Condo Domain]
- And… Agent Provocateur is opening on Newbury street. [The Beantown Bloggery]
- The tallest building in the world: 160 stories. [The Real Estate Bloggers]
Five New South End Listings for Seven Figures
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 5, 2008
My introduction to Somerville was from the roofdeck of a Tufts frat house. I’d just finished donating some skin to the City of Medford in the Beanpot Criterium, and was nursing my wounds with with a cold brew, talking with a friend of mine from high school. He was pointing out the sights to me, and after wrapping up said, “and this, right below us, is Slummerville.”
Safe to say, times have changed. Just 2 years after my first trip to Tufts, Davis Square sold its first million-dollar home. No one seems to be lacking an opinion on the region. Townies moan about the good old days. Hipsters take issue with gentrification. People moving out of Boston for more space whine about the distance from downtown (all of 20 minutes on the Red Line). LiveJournal can clue you in to the other recurring issues.
If you’ve never been out to Davis, or haven’t been in a few years, I highly recommend a trip out. Despite the relative lack of greenspace, the neighborhood is gorgeous in the fall, and has seen a number of new businesses open in the past few months. Yes, there are still homeless people in the T station, but plenty of folks see that as simply a touch of local flavor.
30 Day St
Somerville, MA 02144
4 Bed, 2 Bath
2,455 sq. ft.
$965,000
38 Meacham Rd #1
Somerville, MA 02144
2 Bed, 2 Bath
17,22 sq. ft.
$539,600
Open House: Sunday, September 7, 2008 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
55 Grove St #55
Somerville, MA 02144
3 Bed, 2 Baths
1,698 sq. ft.
$559,000
Open House: Sunday, September 7, 2008 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
If you want it, East Cambridge has it
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 5, 2008
Here are three in the mid-to-low range. My guess is a lot of these are new buyers; I’m hoping that by next year at this time we’ll see the first of the foreclosure-stricken buyers returning to the market, as more and more bankruptcies turn 2 years old and lenders become willing to re-embrace that legion of dis-qualified buyers.
Call me a dreamer….
41 Highland Avenue
Salem, MA 01970
Beds: 4/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1383
$ 157,000
13 Nichols Street
Salem, MA 01970
Beds: 3/Baths:1.5
SQ.FT.: 2289
$ 221,940
2 Beachmont Road
Salem, MA 01970
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1123
$ 230,000
King of Scrounge: 5 Trashpicking Tips To Save (and Post) By!
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 5, 2008
With Labor Day weekend behind us and summer unofficially over, it’s time to turn our thoughts to serious matters— like the fall housing market.
This time of year, sellers sweep away their unwillingness to negotiate because they know if they don’t complete a sale before Thanksgiving, they may wait months for another buyer to come along. On the other hand, buyers who may have spent the spring and summer hunting for houses with a firm upper price limit in mind may also be more willing to yield just a little bit for the right place. Here’s a sampling of what they’ll find on this first weekend in September:
67 Toxteth Street
Brookline
BEDS:7/BATHS:3
SQ.FT:3988
$1,175,000
O.H. Sunday, September 7, 12 - 2:00 PM
98 Sewall Avenue, #6
Brookline
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:844
$385K
O.H. Sunday, September 7, 12 - 1:30 PM
12A Eastburn Street,#A
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT:1420
$485K
O.H. Sunday, September 7, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
Boston Sweet Digs Home
Brighton, Brookline Archive
September 4, 2008
Most peoples’ conception of Cambridge begins at Kendall and ends at Alewife. Sure, some hipsters will gab on about Inman Square, but for the most part, people see it as an overducated, arsty-fartsy counterpoint for its neighbor to the south.
But outside of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge has an industrial past. 120,000 called the city home midway through the century, working at mills, warehouses, and the Boston and Maine railroad. Today, the stacks and soot are gone, but the workers’ houses, and the bombproof brick buildings in which they toiled, remain.
From the condos over North Point park to refurbed rowhouses on Fulkerson Street, to mixed use living space/lab space butting right up against Kendall Square, there’s no neighborhood in Boston that packs the same diverse living arrangements into such a small area.
While unstable conditions in real estate nationwide have forced the massive North Point project to scale back somewhat, the resulting market fluctuations are most certainly in the buyer’s best interest. With an open-til-midnight Shaws, access to the central subway, the Cambridgeside Galleria mall, and the best Karaoke in Boston all within easy walking distance, no question costs here are some of the best value buys in Boston.
10 Museum Way #1621
Cambridge, MA 02141
2 Bed, 2 Bath
1,016 sq. ft.
$669,000
42 Winter St #3
Cambridge, MA 02141
2 Bed, 2 Bath
876 sq. ft.
$339,600
303 Third St #601W
Cambridge, MA 02142
3 Bed, 2.5 Baths
2,018 sq. ft.
$1,364,168
“Crashacusetts” Rebutted
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 4, 2008
I had a landlord a few years ago who thought it was “dirty” when I made 3 trips down the street to pull a wrought iron patio set out of my neighbor’s trash. She and her teenaged daughter argued about it, and an hour and a can of flat black spraypaint later, the daughter made a point of coming out and complimenting me; it’s a pretty set, and there wasn’t anything wrong with it.
That was when my GF and I were first moving in together, and I had already salvaged a beautiful beveled glass table top, knowing wrought iron tables get tossed all the time….because someone broke the tabletop. GF sits at it on sunny mornings and drinks coffee and smells the potted rosemary.
I helped 2 friends move on Monday; the third hadn’t moved in years, and had, in her folly, made it a big joke when she didn’t come near us until we were safely settled in. And the walls were painted. Rachel carried her own damned boxes, and no, there’s no storage space at my house.
City folk are a true mystery to me. Moving from one third-floor JP garret to another third-floor JP garret? Come on! Brighton? On Labor Day? What were you guys thinking?
The Globe ran a story over the weekend about the amount of trash generated by Labor Day moving in Boston — repulsive. I saw the paper lying on my friend’s kitchen table while we stood around gulping down water and cinnamon buns, stretching, thinking about those stairs.
Here’s what Boston.com said:
“As part of move-in weekend, officials schedule extra pickups by the city’s two contracted trash-removal companies in neighborhoods like Allston and Brighton, where last year 184 tons of trash were removed over the long weekend.”
I guess no one’s heard of Goodwill — and, anyway, that would take effort and thoughtfulness. But why not at least post it on Craigslist Free? (Did you know that microscopic plastic particles concentrate in the bowels of ancient sea turtles, killing these otherwise nearly-immortal creatures by shutting down their excretory systems? Both gross, and true. Now pick up that laundry basket and take it to the Salvatin Army!)
My friends tease me for my trash picking — the ones who aren’t so disgusted by the idea of recycling and freecycling that they don’t like to bring it up. Lately, I’ve scored a beautiful, nearly-new black leather loveseat that looks great near the wood stove, an 8-foot, argon-gas-filled Anderson bow window, 3 smaller double-glazed windows, 6 sheets of rigid foam insulation, and a fairly new GE full-sized double wall oven. I think I spent $200 in gas. No one even asked me for money, and they were all glad to get rid of their stuff without having to pitch it into a Dumpster.
You’re not the king of scrounge, even if you got some nice utility shelving off a streetcorner in Lynn, or an old leather car seat to sit in while you play Nintendo. There can be only one king of scrounge, and I’m claiming the title. This is grown-up, pickup-truck home industry. And I think I would have paid $10g for the stuff I saved from the landfill. Like, a significant chunk of a year’s salary. In fact, soon-to-be equity in a summer house I’m beginning to rehab.
(Oh, and I got a bathroom sink, some really nice light fixtures, and a Kitchenaid meet grinder attachment from the 1950s.)
(Of course it works.)
Hint: If you don’t have to pay for materials, you can afford to pay someone to do the work. There are endless DIY projects, but it never hurts to bring someone in to knock you a few steps forward in your neverending war against leaky waterheaters and wonky ovens.
I’d like to see everybody engaged in this kind of anti-consumption consumption. You still get the “it’s my birthday” tingle, but without the credit card bills. Just follow some rules:
1. Know what you want. Don’t just fill your house with crap; have plans. Browse, but don’t hog.
2. Give when you get. Pay it forward. Get a really nice rug? Shake out a not-as-nice rug and offer it on freecycle or Craigslist.
3. Only claim things that you have a real plan to pick up. If you are not very strong, and don’t have a bunch of strong friends, don’t agree to pick up a piano from a thrid floor appartment. If you agree to take someone’s junk, show up! Showing up keeps people from throwing stuff out to avoid freecyclers. Don’t be such a spazz!
4. Only respond to “curb alerts” that are fresh and really close by. Don’t drive 45 minutes for a free hot tub that’s listed “out by the curb — first come first serve.” It’s a huge waste of energy and time. And money.
5. Conserve while you reuse. Don’t drive 50 miles in heavy traffic for an item that’s worth $35. Let someone else have it, and wait for someone to give one away closer to home. Everything is free on Craigslist eventually!
The Market Is Moving In Beverly
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 3, 2008
I was poking around, and was delighted to see 103 results for recent sales in Beverly in the last 3 months. A lot of these sales look like first time buyers, so the burst bubble has done a lot of people some good, anyway. We wouldn’t have been able to afford our place 3 years ago, I know that.
Here’s a sampling. Food for thought.
19 Lovett Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 3/Baths:1
SQ.FT.:1522
$232,500
6 Cliff Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds:3 /Baths: 1
SQ.FT.:1153
$295,000
17 Balch Street Address
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 2/Baths:1
SQ.FT.:917
$165,000
Open Houses in Beverly this Weekend…Really???
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 3, 2008
There’s more to the Bay State than just Boston. I know this because I grew up as far from the State House as you can possibly be and still live in Massachusetts.
But to hear this armada of bubble bloggers, you’d think that every home seized in the Commonwealth was two blocks from Copley Square with a low condo fee and free off-street parking.
“Home seizures surge“. “Crashachusetts“. to borrow an expression from some avowed Yankees fans, “yadda yadda yadda”. Five seven-figure homes just popped up in the South End—does that sound like a crashing market to you?
If you want to see economic downturn and all that hoo-ha, head out to Chelsea. It’s on the bike route to Logan Airport. You’ll find foreclosures, underperforming schools, and one measly commuter rail stop. Nothing against the good people of Chelsea, but with the exception of a few brave hippies, it’s safe to say they’d rather be somewhere else.
That’s the thing about bubbles—they only pop when demand dies down. Back in 2005, Chelsea was Boston Magazine’s “Best Place to Live for Hipsters”; they’ve since gone back to Allston. Back Bay remains, as ever, the best place to live if you’re rich, or just want everyone to think you are.
233 Commonwealth Ave #6
Back Bay, MA 02116
1 Bed, 1 Bath
806 sq. ft.
$525,000
330 Beacon St #75
Back Bay, MA 02116
1 Bed, 1 Bath
800 sq. ft.
$799,600
377 Marlborough St #1
Back Bay, MA 02115
1 Bed, 1 Baths
605 sq. ft.
$449,000
New in Brighton: The Students Are Back
Boston Sweet Digs Home
September 3, 2008
I noticed something today that might not surprise anyone else in the city, but I was taken aback: five of today’s new South End MLS listings are seven-figure homes. I’m confident this isn’t the first time it happened; for example, several new buildings listed a bunch of units at once this year, but the five units listed today are at four different addresses.
It’s possible they were just taken off the market recently and re-listed to freshen things up. 285 Columbus Lofts (at the intersection of form and function) began closings three months ago; I don’t know why #708 just listed today. They could be re-listed for any number of reasons, but that doesn’t diminish my shock at seeing so many high-dollar homes in South End stats and trends.
Does anyone know if these are all new? How did this happen?
155 W. Brookline Street
South End, 02118
Beds: 4/Baths: 4
SQ.FT.: 2944
$2,495,000
291 Shawmut Avenue, #1
South End, 02118
Beds: 3/Baths: 2.5
SQ.FT.: 1700
$1,099,000
285 Columbus Avenue, #708
South End, 02116
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1240
$1,035,500
98 Waltham Street, #3
South End, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 2.5
SQ.FT.: 1931
$1,375,000
98 Waltham Street, #2
South End, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 2.5
SQ.FT.: 1663
$1,275,000
Hitting the Links
Boston Sweet Digs Home
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