Redfin Sweet Digs Boston: Boston real estate blog focusing on hot properties and current market trends. » The South End

Stale Listings Need Love, Too

Alyk — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:13:39 +0000

I noticed a few stale listings in the South End that need a little attention. Some have been waiting for some love for years, but I assume they were listed in MLS before contractors began renovations. In some cases, I bet they were listed even before the first shovel hit the ground:

700 Harrison; 1085 days
Bryant on Columbus; 646 days
D4; 589 days
The Penmark; 562 days

I can see why they’ve been sitting around for a while- purchasing on spec involves some risk. That’s a risk I’ll probably never take. I want to see the completed home, ready to go— floors, walls, ceilings… I’m a bit odd that way.

A pair of listings, however, surprise me. Although agents listed 19 Worcester Square at almost $1.3 million, it’s a good size place. Almost 2100 feet for $618 per foot isn’t a bad deal, but the place has been languishing for over 500 days.

The home that disappoints me the most is the Diver House, the star of A Common Ground, one of the greatest books of Boston history. The bowfront at 118 West Newton has been wasting away for 1183 days.

Three years.

But it looks like the price hasn’t changed in three years, either. It makes me wonder if they really want to sell it or if they’re waiting for a sucker like me who wants it because it was in the book. Are these owners are really considering offers, or are they holding out for someone who doesn’t know any better?

Hitting the Links
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Five New South End Listings for Seven Figures

Alyk — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:48:16 +0000

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
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Dine and Dash: South End and Aquitaine

Alyk — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:10:31 +0000

For Sunday’s Dine and Dash we chose another close-to-home route simply because found an open house at an apartment on Shawmut we’ve been dying to visit, but never really had the chance. The rest of the open houses are in the nearby Eight Streets area, a name I never heard used except in reference to the neighborhood association.

We’ll have brunch at Aquitaine, a stunning French restaurant on Tremont Street. I’ve never been to Aquitaine because I assumed it was out of my price range. The dinner menu, although not too bad for French cuisine, lists prices out of my comfort zone, but today I realized the brunch prices are reasonable. Most plates are under ten dollars, with nothing exceeding fifteen dollars. They even offer a $9.95 fixed-price brunch, but only on Saturdays

48 Dwight Street, #3
South End, 02118
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 584
$395,000
Open House: Sunday, August 24, 11:30am – 1:00pm

33 Dwight Street, #1
South End, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 2.5
SQ.FT.: 1485
$939,000
Open House: Sunday, August 24, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

9 Hanson Street, #3
South End, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 692
$549,000
Open House: Sunday, August 24, 2:00pm – 3:30 pm

And the one we put off for far too long:

308 Shawmut Avenue, #2
Beds: 1/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 650
$499,000
Open House: Sunday, August 24, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Chinatown and the Combat Zone
Boston Sweet Digs Home

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What is a Row House?

Alyk — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:57:47 +0000

Southend.org sells these ingenious t-shirts through their website. I couldn’t have done a better job dissecting a row house if I had to.

And don’t let any New Yorkers tell you they’re the only ones with a God-given right to use the term brownstone to describe a row house. This Globe article is several years old, but it perfectly explains the difference between a town house, row house, and a brownstone. Each term has a specific meaning; however, most Bostonians don’t care. A brownstone in Boston could be brown sandstone, but it could also be brick, granite, or, God-forbid, formstone.

Dine and Dash: Dorchester and Ashmont Grill

Boston Sweet Digs Home

A Pair of South End Price Reductions Under Half a Mil

Alyk — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:25:59 +0000

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
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Then and Now: Chester Square

Alyk — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:34:47 +0000

When engineers for the City of Boston laid out plans for the newly-created Back Bay and South End, they drew inspiration from Europe: long Parisian boulevards and narrow parks dominate Back Bay, while narrow streets and London-style neighborhood parks dominate South End. In 1852, Ezra Lincoln designed Chester Square, a park to lure the wealthy from Beacon Hill to the South End.

According to the Chester Square Area Neighborhood Association:

[T]he park was landscaped lavishly by the city while developers and property owners began building the seventy townhouses that surround the park. The handsome houses are a combination of flat fronted central buildings and stepped forward, bow fronted buildings at the curved ends and “are more grant and opulent in style and influence” than any other South End houses.

The plan worked for a while, but by 1950, the South End had fallen into sad shape:

Within a few decades, the handsome houses of the South End became successively homes for small artisans, rooming houses and the residential entry point for waves of immigrants. Many fell into disrepair and were boarded up and abandoned. In the 1950’s, in the worst excesses of urban renewal, whole square blocks of the South End and Lower Roxbury were torn down as slums. Although none of the buildings that constitute the architectural framework of Chester Square were razed, in 1952 when the Southeast Expressway was completed, funneling thousands of cars into Boston from the South every day, the city took the center of Chester Park for four lanes of traffic. On its 100th birthday, the center of the historic residential square became a flowing river of traffic.

Have you ever seen the narrow fenced-in lawn on both sides of Mass Ave between Tremont Street and Shawmut Avenue? That’s all that remains of Chester Square: two narrow strips of sod.

Want to see homes near the square? I listed the following apartments in Boston instead of their respective neighborhoods because nobody can tell me whether they’re in Roxbury or the South End. I’m reasonably confident it’s the South End, but I’m afraid to make that my final answer.

570 Mass Ave, #1
Boston,02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1182
$479,900

582 Mass Ave, #2
Boston, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1010
$585,000

520 Mass Ave, #3
Boston, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1106
$579,000

And this one is directly on Chester Square:

534 Mass Ave, #2
Boston, 02118
Beds: 1/ Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 740
$430,000

Boston Sweet Digs Home

Top Five: The Most Expensive Homes in the South End

Is it the South End or Roxbury?

Alyk — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:10:22 +0000

It seems nobody agrees on the name of the area roughly outlined by Mass Ave, Melnea Cass Boulevard, and Columbus Avenue. The debate surrounding the name of the area often erupts into name-calling and subtle racism.

What is the dividing line between the South End and Roxbury: Lenox Street, Melnea Cass, or Mass Ave?

Although several issues arise regarding the name and dividing lines, they focus on two main topics:

Crime. The city benefits when police label the area Roxbury. By ghetto-fying crime, surrounding neighborhoods look safe by comparison. Crime hurts one neighborhood, not several.
Real Estate Values. South End properties are more attractive than Roxbury properties, demanding higher prices, therefore sellers benefit by calling the neighborhood South End.

I got a headache trying to determine who is right and what to call the place. I’m sticking with South End for now; Melnea Cass Boulevard is a stronger line of demarcation than Mass Ave. The land surrounding the boulevard is mostly non-residential, creating a huge chasm between the neighborhoods, whereas Mass Ave is just a four lane street that looks like any other street in the South End.

But the area doesn’t really share much with the South End stylistically…I’m stumped.

These homes could be South End, or they could be Roxbury. You tell me.

200 Northampton Street, #1
South End/Roxbury, 02118
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 445
$215,000

1914 Washington Street, #3
South End/Roxbury, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1427
$434,900

8 Newcomb Street, #8
South End/Roxbury, 02118
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1614
$649,000

Dine and Dash: It’s All in Allston

Sweet Digs Boston Home

285 Columbus Lofts Open for Business

Alyk — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:29:42 +0000

285 Columbus Lofts at Columbus and Clarendon, the intersection of form and function (according to their website), began closings last month. Boston Residential Group, of 360 Newbury fame, renovated the 20’s era Earle Building, turning out sixty-three high-end apartments. The small one-bedroom units begin at half a million, and the large, two-bedroom units include a study for about $1.5 million.

Although I live close enough to throw rocks at the place, I haven’t been inside yet. Kind of like test driving a new car or holding a helpless puppy, I don’t think I can resist the intoxicating scent of sawdust and paint, the hypnotizing shine of new appliances, and the virgin appeal of unsoiled apartment.

I don’t know how long I can hold out. Even if I find the willpower to not over-extend my budget, I still get to struggle with The Bryant on Columbus in a few months.

285 Columbus Avenue,#203
South End, 02116
Beds: 1/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1011
$695,000

285 Columbus Avenue, #607
South End, 02116
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1240
$1,015,000

285 Columbus Avenue,#805
South End, 02116
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1578
$1,545,500

Hitting the Links, May 31

Sweet Digs Boston Home

Avoid the Boot: Buy a Home with a Parking Space

Alyk — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:03:09 +0000

Last month, Cosmo discussed a Beacon Hill apartment with a valuable perk: a parking spot. The condo is nothing special, but that deeded parking spot increases the value tremendously. Hopefully the seller finds someone who sees that value.

The South End isn’t as dense as Beacon Hill, but searching for a parking space can still be a project. Finding a home with a deeded spot is nice, but finding one with a deeded space and a garage space is like hitting the jackpot. We all know the benefits of garage parking: less time scraping off ice and snow, less opportunity for accidental damage and vandalism, and less money spent on tickets, towing, and boot removal. The best benefit of all: leather seats don’t bake in the sun on hot summer days.

Those who don’t need both spaces could rent the extra space. Demand probably isn’t as high as in other neighborhoods, but it might earn some quick, easy cash.

These homes all have an outdoor space and a garage space:

1313 Washington Street, #310
South End, 02118
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 828
$539,999

7 Warren Avenue, #15
South End, 02116
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 985
$649,000

1200 Washington Street, #412
South End, 02118
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1124
$750,000

More of Alyk on the South End

Sweet Digs Boston Home

Price Reductions Near Columbus and Dartmouth

Alyk — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:07:24 +0000

Last week, I professed my affection for the Columbus Avenue/Dartmouth Street area. I love the non-stop activity, the convenient shopping, and the world-class dining. I also get to enjoy amazing views of the Prudential, 111 Huntington and the John Hancock(s). Steps from my front door I can catch the T to shuttle me to anywhere in the city. Fun, beauty, and convenience, all in one place.

Several homes a quick walk away from the Back Bay T station dropped their prices in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, even after a quarter-million dollar price drop, I still can’t afford 151 West Canton Street. The dream of buying indoor acreage remains a dream.

These price drops will surely entice some more nice, wealthy families to move into the neighborhood.

51 Appleton Street
Beds: 4/Baths: 3
SQ.FT.: 2575
was $1,595,000
now $1,485,000

30 Montgomery Street
Beds: 4/Baths: 3.5
SQ.FT.: 3100
was $ 1,695,000
now $1,649,000

151 West Canton Street
Beds: 4/Baths: 4.5
SQ.FT.: 3357
was $3,295,000
now $2,995,000

More of Alyk on the South End