Dine and Dash: Dorchester and Ashmont Grill

I don’t know much about Dorchester, but that’s where I’m going Sunday. It’s the biggest of all the Boston neighborhoods, with several smaller sub-neighborhoods, but I never spent ant time visiting, unless passing through on 93 counts as a visit.

This isn’t breaking news, but I’ll mention it anyway: Dot is an up-and-coming part of town. It has a reputation as a sometimes-rough, working-class area, but many sections are cleaning up beautifully. Houses are relatively inexpensive and it’s not difficult to find huge homes on huge lots.

I heard Ashmont Grill offers a great Sunday brunch. They offer French Toast made of Challah in a Grand Marnier custard and I can’t wait to give it a try. Challah, Grand Marnier and custard? How bad could it be?

The Grill and all three open houses are just a couple blocks from the Ashmont T station.

1910 Dorchester Avenue, #502
Dorchester, 02124
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 905
$269,000
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 12:00pm – 2:00pm

52 Alban Street, #1
Dorchester, 02124
Beds: 3/Baths: 3
SQ.FT.: 1924
$599,000
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 12:00pm – 3:00pm

2 Farifax Street
Dorchester, 02124
Beds: 5/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1921
$445,000
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 2:00pm – 3:00 pm

A Pair of South End Price Reductions Under A Half Mil

Boston Sweet Digs Home

Open Houses And Yankee Ice Cream

No beach town worth its salt (fear my puns; your groans feed my soul) is without some serious INDEPENDENT ice cream parlors. Beverly has some great ones.

My friend Liz visits us once in a while from Tennessee, and claims I’m one of the few Yankees she can stand. But, she extols the superiority of “Yankee Ice Cream” every chance she gets.

On the high end, no one is going to beat Christina’s in Innman Square, and Toscanini is pretty fantastic. Captain Dusty’s on 128 in North Beverly (right near the candy store at Pride’s Crossing, in case you’re lactose intolerant) is surprisingly close, though. I can get my signature dark chocolate and ginger combo, and they make a heck of a malt. They are at least as good as JP licks in 90% of what they do, though with a smaller menu.

More often, I tend to go to Dick & June’s on 62, near “The Shoe,” which is what the locals call the Cummings Center. It’s just a quick jaunt over the hill, and they do rock, so they tend to get my trade.

Treadwells on 114 on the way into Salem is pretty great, too. They’ll put extra, extra, extra malt in a shake and not charge more.

Just, wash the sticky off your hands before you mess up other people’s houses:

First, a slightly pricey, but really gorgeous, condo in North Beverly:

38 West Street #3
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 2/Baths:1
SQ.FT.: 936
$299,000
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 2008 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

9 Guild Road
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 4/Baths:1.5
SQ.FT.: 1558
$ 309,999
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 2008 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

30 Budleigh Avenue
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 3/Baths: 1.5
SQ.FT.: 1052
$ 279,900
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 2008 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Image links to source.

Boston Area Redfin Open House

House hunting this weekend? Give this Redfin open house a try:

142 Middlesex Road
Newton, 02467
Beds: 3/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1405
$555,000
Open House: Sunday, July 27, 12- 2pm

Because this condo is on the town line, it’s listed in Brookline, too.

Brownstone Open Houses Bloom in Brookline

Earlier this week, The Boston Globe ran an article about buyers choosing modern condo buildings over the classic Boston brick rowhouse or brownstone. Brownstones, the naysayers argued, are a lot of work. Plus you have to take your own trash out to a smelly alley. Modern buildings, on the other hand, are shiny and new. No mice. No stairs. And hopefully no robbers climbing through your bedroom window at night.

Still, let’s face it, condos in modern buildings are never going to have the romance that older buildings have. Will the new buildings even still be standing in 100 years? If you don’t believe that brownstones are pretty darn classy, (thanks to a plethora of architectural details like wood paneling, built-in sideboards and bow windows), take a look for yourself this weekend at these open houses in brownstones:

14 Marshal Street, #1
Brookline
BEDS:3/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 1898
$699K
Sunday, July 27, 2008 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

1865 Beacon Street, #1
Brookline
BEDS:3/BATHS:2
SQ.FT: 1450
$729K
Sunday, July 27, 2008 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

22 Garrison Road, #1
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 994
$464K
Sunday, July 27, 2008 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

A Buyer’s Perspective on the Pitfalls of FSBO
Sweet Digs Boston Home

If You don’t Like the Weather in Boston…

Whatever you do, don’t say you’re sick of the rainy weather. First of all, it’s Boston; you’ve seen worse before and you’ll see worse again. Second, you’re gonna have to get used to it—for the next week at least.

So what is there to do in this weather, other than getting to know the poor schlub in the basement apartment while you’re lending him your Wet-Vac? Well, you could hop the T and head out to Somerville, where the residents say “it’s good for the plants.”

Or you could carefully trek over the Longfellow to Cambridge, and watch Prius drivers curse their lack of ground clearance, as they bog down in the flood and short out. Or head to the enormous climate-controlled Prudential Mall and try to boost the flagging economy with a little consumer spending.

Or you could move somewhere that allowed you all these rainy-day opportunities. Maybe that’s why Bostonians aren’t too keen on whining about the weather.  Some new listings for you:

274 Clarendon St
Back Bay, MA 02116
1 Bed, 1 Bath
686 sq. ft.
$519,000

4 Walnut St. #7&8
Beacon Hill, MA 02108
2 Bed, 1 Bath
1,023 sq. ft.
$875,000

236 Beacon St. #1A
Back Bay, MA 02116
1 Bed, 1 Bath
493 sq. ft.
$334,000

A Few Words on Upper Beacon Hill

Boston Sweet Digs Home

June and July Sale-to-List Prices for Boston Real Estate

Last night about 25 people battled the elements to take a home-buying class covering the latest on prices and foreclosures in the Boston area, tips for negotiating, and other precious nuggets of information. The slides are here (big file) and sale-to-list data is below.

The class is part of our regular Red Carpet Event. Next one’s in the dog days, on August 20th. We’ll have pizza and beer, like always, so come on out!

Boston House Sales, June 1- July 20, 2008

Boston Condo Sales, June 1- July 20, 2008

Photo credit: essygie on flickr.

Know When To Walk Away: 5 Trouble Spots (Know When To Run)

So you found the perfect starter home or upgrade, and you’re ready to move. It looks like a responsible thing to do — you’re not a gambler.

But things just don’t go the way you were told they would.

Sometimes, jumping ship is the only realistic choice you have. The following are inspired by true stories; only the names have been changed….

1. Bank Owned Properties. Say you’re in love with a house — or even just a deal. Then you go to home inspection, and they won’t let you turn the water on…or the electricity…or the furnace. To my mind, once the bank has shut a property down, and there’s no way of verifying that the pipes aren’t split, that the furnace doesn’t leak gas, or that the house won’t burn to the ground when the electric company throws the main breaker — that house is worth its market value less whatever it would cost to fix all of those things. If your deal doesn’t leave you with enough money to address major issues, it may not be a good idea at all — it may not be much of a deal. Shutting down utilities is no way to sell a house, and is the cause of so many houses becoming derelicts. If enough people walk away in this market, maybe banks will stop doing this.
2. Properties in foreclosure. I’m still bitter. We offered on a house, the seller accepted, and then we waited for her bank to approve the offer. Meanwhile, they charged her a pile of fees and interest and other made-up money, and she owned less of the house than she did when she accepted. She couldn’t or wouldn’t cover the spread (what incentive did she really have at that point?), the bank didn’t seem to care, and we sat in limbo for weeks. We even haunted open houses where the seller’s agent was sure to be, and the poor guy (he hadn’t sold a house in 6 months at that point) was at a loss. We had no choice but to walk. The bank sold the house, eventually, for about $50,000 less than we offered. Like I said: bitter.
3. FSBO — For Sale By Owner. There’s nothing wrong with FSBO sales, and lots of people really can’t afford to reduce price AND pay a seller’s agent (that’s one way Redfin is making a niche for itself). But be careful. Once you offer, who is going to hold the hand money? What guarantees do you have? Real Estate agents and brokers are licensed for a reason, and that licensing buys you insurance. To do an FSBO right, you need a lawyer. That’s probably as expensive as a seller’s agent. And…well…watch out for kooks. A lot of FSBO properties are owned by people who live in a different universe, and you may find these places are more trouble than they’re worth.
4. Dishonest Sellers. We looked at a house my girlfriend absolutely loved. They disclosed asbestos shingles, but I’d bet a shiny nickel they didn’t disclose all of it. I looked behind a dresser in the bedroom and saw a giant water stain that couldn’t have been anything but a leaky roof. When we asked we were told it was caused by varnish drying on the dresser. One lie makes another more likely, right? Pull the other one. See you later.
5. Nearby Construction. We looked at one place where the water view was going to be temporarily obstructed by a new public works project. We weighed the information we got from the city engineer’s office, and the studies of traffic patterns, and decided that it was risky. I’m 82.4% sure that the folks who bought it will reap the benefits of a super cute property blocks from the commuter rail in Salem. But I wasn’t certain that I wouldn’t end up living near a freeway. So, with regrets, we walked.

A Pair of South End Price Reductions Under Half a Mil
Boston Sweet Digs Home

A Pair of South End Price Reductions Under Half a Mil

A pair of homeowners in the Washington Street/E. Berkeley Street area dropped their asking prices this morning. The first dropped a moderate $20K from the asking price of a Washington Street condo, but the second, a condo on nearby Fay Street, dropped a more significant $60K. And that’s on a condo previously listed at $529,000!

Last week, the price on a larger condo, also on Fay Street, dropped $60K. At $589K, this one cost a bit more than the first two, but it includes 500 square feet of rooftop terrace: a nice amenity to have in the city.

Another nice amenity: all three condos are near Myers & Chang, a great restaurant owned by the same person who blessed me with warm sticky buns at Flour, Joanne Chang.

1140 Washington Street, #10
South End, 02118
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 850
Original Price: $469,000
Today’s Price: $449,000

40 Fay Street, #502
South End, 02118
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 886
Original Price: $529,000
Today’s Price: $469,000

35 Fay Street, 411
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 969
Original Price: $649,000
Today’s Price: $589,000

The Rose Kennedy Greenway: Quit Complaining About It
Boston Sweet Digs Home

New In Town? You Could Be! (3 New Listings in Beverly)

Every time a seller lists a new property, an angel loses its wings. Anyway, that’s what it feels like if you’ve been a seller for longer than is comfortable for you.

But if you’re buying, every one of these new listings (theoretically) dilutes the market value of every other one. And with low unemployment rates and an economy that looks healthy and wealthy next to (say) Pittsburgh, you’re going to see this market recover sooner or later.

Of course, most people that are listing now are (generally) realistic about the market they’re selling in. You probably have more leverage with stale listings than with new, as new listings get way more attention. But don’t let that stop you. I wouldn’t sell a house in this market unless I had to, and so some of these folks need to unload their casa. If you’re dreaming on a deal, one of these might be the ticket:

19 Melvin Avenue
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 3/Baths:1
SQ.FT.: 1400
$ 395,000

5 Porter Terrace
Beverly, MA
Beds: 2/Baths:1
SQ.FT.: 1241
$ 289,900

60 Glidden Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1176
$275,000

A Buyer’s Perspective on the Pitfalls of FSBO

I used to think that “for sale by owner” houses were a good way for home buyers to save a little dough. After all, a seller without an agent saves the five or six percent commission. In theory, that savings would be passed along to a buyer. The buyer gets a good deal, the seller nets more than what he or she would get with a Realtor and enjoys the competitive advantage of pricing a home for a quick sale.

That’s what I used to think. Then I started visiting FSBO’s.

First thing I noticed was the homes were invariably overpriced. Instead of using the savings on commission as a way to lower a sales price, sellers expected top dollar regardless of the home’s condition.

And speaking of condition, I noticed that FSBO homes didn’t have that spit-shined, freshly-vacuumed look of homes shown by agents. The homes I saw needed lots of work —not that the sellers noticed. Sellers seemed stubbornly arrogant or sadly “out of it.” They might have learned a thing or two by visiting the competition.

I discussed this frustrating phenomenon with a friend, who gave me his theory: “People who sell their own homes are the people who weren’t willing to listen to a Realtor about the real value of their property,” he said.

After several maddening FSBO experiences, I decided he was right. The best use of my time was to stick to homes marketed by professionals — especially if I wasn’t saving anything by dealing directly with an owner.

I confirmed my decision when I found the perfect place, marketed by a pro. It was also confirmed when I saw two FSBO ’s I previously viewed end up with Agents who lowered the prices to where they should have been all along. Ironically, both sellers made significantly less than if they lowered prices when they were trying to sell on their own.

Perhaps in a slower market, some FSBO sellers will come to their senses. Or, maybe not. Take a look at these FSBO properties and tell me what you think:

19 Winchester Street
Brookline
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 700
$335K

1731 Beacon Street
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:2
SQ. FT: 1200
$525K

21 Park Vale Avenue
Allston
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 780
$250K

Recent Sales in Brighton and Brookline
Sweet Digs Boston Home