In and Around Barry’s Corner

For years, “Barry’s Corner” — the intersection of Western Avenue and North Harvard Street — felt like a drab, “in-between” kind of place. It’s in between Allston and Cambridge but it’s not the heart of either. It’s near Watertown, but it isn’t Watertown. It’s part of Boston but it doesn’t feel like Boston.

Its position on the back end of everything means Barry’s Corner never really feels like its own neighborhood — at least not since the 1960’s, when many of the houses in the compact working-class district of 9.3 acres were demolished.

Of course, all that Barry’s Corner is today — a grim mix of auto-shops, gas stations, and the Charlesview Apartments — is about to change dramatically.

Harvard University bought up much of the area and plans a major expansion, changing the character of the neighborhood forever. Aside from the new science complex, the University has talked of building an arts center with a dramatic glass-roofed theater, a fountain, and residential buildings with ground-floor cafes and shops. The dismal 213-unit Charlesview Complex is scheduled to be razed and a new complex of 400 apartments is to go up at the Brighton Mills shopping center.

In short, the new Barry’s Corner could be an urban planner’s dream if the details are ever worked out to everyone’s satisfaction.

Quite frankly, that dream feels pretty distant on Western Avenue today. But if you turn off the main drag and onto any side street, you’ll be surprised; Victorians and two and three-family homes are settled into quiet, tree-lined streets. Many houses have small, well-kept yards surrounded by white-picket fences. The neighborhood feels family-oriented, intimate, green and accessible. More and more old homes are being renovated, although there’s still plenty of room for more renovation. There’s definitely an up-and-coming vibe in the air.

Barry’s Corner remains relatively undiscovered, but considering Harvard’s plans and the area’s proximity to everything, it won’t remain so for long.

151 Franklin Street, #151
Brighton
BEDS:3/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT: 1559
$499,900

38 Waverly Street, #2
Brighton
BEDS:4/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT: 2,058
$399,900

10 Rena Street, #1
Brighton
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 582
$229K

Brighton, Brookline Archive

Sweet Digs Boston Home

Labor Day Weekend Open Houses: $1mil and up

It seems househunters can only count on mega-million dollar open houses on holiday weekends. I guess in these cases, it’s worthwhile for agents to spend a few hours of a holiday weekend doing crossword puzzles in an empty house rather than at the beach.

For those who happen to have a million bucks to spend, it’s great news. This Labor Day weekend, you probably won’t be jostling for space at the few houses that are showing. Below, find two houses open for business on Sunday and one million dollar plus condo that wasn’t holding an open house as of this writing but that might be worth visiting later on. All of these homes have had price reductions, signaling that these sellers are motivated.

9 Francis Street
Brookline
BEDS:7/BATHS:5.5
SQ.FT:5468
$1,350,000
O.H. Sunday August 31, 1- 2:30 PM

151 Gardner Road
Brookline
BEDS:4/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT:2,237
$1,050,000
O.H. Sunday, August 31, 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM

2420 Beacon Street, WH, PH,#1
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT: 2,094
$1,299,000

What’s New in Brighton, Brookline

Sweet Digs Boston Home

What’s New In Brighton, Brookline

What’s the latest in Brighton and Brookline?

• A new 57-unit condo development at 1501 Commonwealth Avenue is one step closer to becoming reality.
• Brookline is getting some new surveillance cameras, courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security. It’s a good thing because the town is such a notorious hotspot of criminal activity.
• A new ordinance has been proposed for Brookline banning bikes on sidewalks.
• The controversial St. Aidan’s condo project of 39 market rate and affordable condos and 20 low-income rental units continues construction but now early Saturday mornings.

And new on the market in Brookline and Brighton this week are several large houses and condos, each boasting three to four bedrooms:

47 Craftsland Road
Brookline
BEDS:4/BATHS:2
SQ.FT: 2095
$1,200,000

323 Tappan Street, #6
Brookline
BEDS:3/BATHS:2
SQ.FT: 1269
$569K

79 Gibbs Street, #2
Brookline
BEDS:4/BATHS:2
SQ.FT: 1585
$749,900

23 Brooksdale Road
Brighton
BEDS:3/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT: 1500
$559K

45 S. Crescent Circuit
Brighton
BEDS:3/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT: 2,200
$619K

Starter Home, Schmarter Home
Sweet Digs Boston Home

“Starter Home,” Schmarter Home

I’ve always had a problem with the term “starter” home. I’ve been in one version or another of a “starter” home for the last twenty years and I’ve always been happy, never thinking I had to trade up to bigger, better, or newer.

In other countries, the starter concept doesn’t even exist. There’s never the ever-present idea that homeowners have to move up, and up, and up. Instead, people buy houses they can afford, and they spend their lives there. There is no consumeristic notion to buy a small place while saving for anything bigger, increasing the size until everyone ends up with McMansions.

This is a relatively new attitude. Remember, the average size of a family home in 1950 was only about 983 square feet. I wonder if the continual American quest for bigger and better, “great rooms” and vaulted ceilings, is in part responsible for the reprehensible mess we find ourselves in with the foreclosure crisis?

There was an interesting discussion about the starter home phenomenon on Boston Real Estate Now recently. Commenter “Miko” suggested that she and her husband had made more than $150,000 in the last four years by buying, fixing up, and selling two “starter” homes. She reasoned she would have wasted money in rent in all those years and could never have afforded her dream home without “starting” somewhere.

But think about the waste in moving twice in four years. Aside from the doubtful premise that anyone is going to be making out financially these days, think about the transaction costs, moving costs, renovation costs. Constant moving is wear and tear on the planet and wear and tear on the soul.

More in line with my own thinking was the commenter “Walthamolian”, who said it better than I could:

“I think the “starter” home is pure myth. There’s all sorts of people in the world that need all sorts of housing. Not everyone is following the path of buying a small house, then having kids and buying a big house in the ‘burbs and then moving into a city condo when retired. With our economy changing, our mindset should also change. Many of these houses (few bedrooms, 1 or 1+1/2 ba) are fine for decades. I’d like to see the term “starter” die.”

And so would I.

Below, check out three “starter” homes where you could conceivably live out the rest of your life:

145 Chiswick Road, #3
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 1080
$348K

648 Washington Street, #5
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS1
SQ.FT: 1,101
$449K

798 Heath Street, #1
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 935
$337K

Brookline, Brighton Archives

Boston Sweet Digs Home

Open Houses: 1000 square feet in Brookline

A 1000-square-foot condo is kind of like wearing a size 8 dress if you’re a woman. Sure, you could do better by pouring yourself into a size 6 (and wouldn’t it be nice if you could afford maybe, 1300 or 1400 square feet…) but let’s be realistic. A size 6 would mean starving yourself and 1400 square feet might mean eventual bankruptcy. And besides, in 1000 square feet, a single person has room to stretch out and a couple with two kids have just enough room to feasibly squeeze in, at least for a while.

Here are three Brookline condos just over 1000 square feet, that are large enough to provide for a second bedroom, a dining room, and sometimes even a second bath:

48 Loveland Road, #1
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:2
SQ.FT: 1090
$479K
O.H. Sunday, August 24, 2008 12:30 – 2:00 PM

 14 James Street, #2
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 1088
$492K
O.H. Sunday, August 24, 2008 1 – 2:30 PM

10 Auburn Ct., #1
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:1,110
$479K
O.H. Sunday, August 24, 2008 12:30 – 1:30 PM

More on Brighton, Brookline
Sweet Digs Boston Home

On the Market on Brainerd Road

As a child, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, lived on Brainerd Road.

But that’s probably about the only thing Brainerd Road is famous for — other than Saturday night parties and some colorful graffiti.

A long upward incline running from Harvard Street to Winchester Street, Brainerd Road, frankly, is not beautiful. Lined with brick apartment buildings, some industrial buildings and garages, a few multi-family homes, and more recently a few higher-end condos, it’s a real urban mix that sits right on the edge of Allston-Brighton. Go just one block over to Verndale, and it’s a whole different experience. The Brookline experience.

But for those willing to look past a little street grit, there are actually some nice little gems on the market in this little corner of Allston. Several condo buildings on Brainerd road offer a taste of luxury living, but the romance, as well, of garage bands and street artists. There’s the urban experience of tattoo parlors, ethnic restaurants and hipster boutiques if you turn left off of Brainerd Road into Allston Village. And if you turn right, you’ve got the intellectual stimulation of bookstores and cinema in Coolidge Corner. Go straight across Harvard from Brainerd Road and you’re in the TJ MAXX parking lot. Talk about convenience.

On the market right now on Brainerd Road are about a half-dozen properties, three have been sitting around long enough that their owners just might be willing to cut a bargain. Two of these older listings might make an ideal abode for hip singles or urban couples. The third is a single-family house that has been used as an investment property but that might just be renovated into a nice family home, or even split into two condo units:

59 Brainerd Road, #510
Allston
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:994
$409,900

33 Brainerd Road, #312
Allston
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 902
$374,900

26 Brainerd Road
Allston
BEDS:8/BATHS:3.5
SQ.FT: 2371
$659K

Brighton, Brookline archives

Sweet Digs Boston Home

There ARE Some Real Dumps in Brookline

A few days ago, I had an enlightening discussion with a new resident, fresh from San Francisco, and searching for a home in Brookline. After visiting a number of houses on the market, she says she’s concluded many houses in Brookline are appalling (her word, not mine.)

For me, a West Coast native acclimated to East Coast dilapidation, it was a new and refreshing perspective.

I’m used to seeing some real dumps in Brighton. A lot of condos and houses in Allston and Brighton are rented to students, who aren’t exactly lavishing love on the 100-year-old buildings. But this was the first time I thought of the word “dump” in a Brookline context. Didn’t Money Magazine just name Brookline one of the top 100 places to live in the U.S.? Could one of America’s best towns be filled with dumpy houses?

I started thinking. On house-hunting trips to the South End, I saw condo after condo, fabulously updated. In Jamaica Plain, I noticed numerous triple-deckers tenderly restored. Even in Somerville, not the first town to come to mind for jaw-dropping homes, I had witnessed renovation fever with stunning results.

Then there’s Brookline. Out of the cobwebs of my mind, I began experiencing flashbacks….the condo on Westbourne Terrace with the poorly-installed sound-insulation covering the ceiling like a crazy quilt…. the Park Vale condo with the bad windows and the 70’s bathroom…. the expensive condo on Rawson Road that would have been perfect except for the crumbling kitchen floors.

Like an abuse victim, I wiped these horrors from my mind. Somehow, Brookline’s top-notch school system relieved homeowners of the need to pick up a hammer. Of course, homeowners in the South End or Jamaica Plain have never had the luxury of resting on the laurels of the schools.

Here’s my “Thank you” to the new Brookline resident who helped me recover those memories. Now that the slipcover is off the couch, maybe a few residents will open their toolboxes and start maintaining their homes.

Brookline, Brighton archives

Sweet Digs Boston Home

New in Brookline and Brighton, Including Open Houses

What’s new in B and B real estate in mid-August?

• In March, an old Victorian on Sewall Avenue in Brookline burned to the ground. Now the developer bounced back, proposing a new modern project of eight condo units at 109 Sewall Avenue. Not everyone is happy — the proposed project would be taller than the surrounding Victorians.
• Residents of Charlesview Apartments in Brighton are anxious for Harvard to begin its massive relocation and expansion plan in Barry’s Corner. One big reason for all the anxiety —residents say the Charleview apartments are turning to dust.
• With much fanfare, the Mayor unveiled new bike lanes along Commonwealth Avenue, although bike commuters argue the few blocks of lanes are kind of skimpy.
• A new report has come out suggesting that foreign buyers have become cautious about buying American residential real estate, but Boston agents say the city still attracts lots of international types.

And here are the newest listings to be hosting open houses this weekend:

145 Babcock Street, #4
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1.5
SQ.FT:1034
$539K
O.H.: Saturday, August 16, 1:00 – 3:00 PM

39 South Street, #6
Brighton
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 760
$269,500
O.H. Sunday, August 17, 12:30 – 2:00 PM

11 High Rock Way, #3
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 1204
$395K
O.H. Sunday, August 17, 12:30 – 2:00 PM

What I Learned About Price Reductions on Redfin
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What I Learned About Price Reductions on Redfin

I’ve been playing around all morning with Redfin’s newest feature — the new neighborhood trends pages. For those of us following the harrowing twists of the housing market as if it were an Olympic Sport, there’s a lot to chew on. Not only can you see new listings, reduced listings and recently sold homes in one neat package, but there’s lots of market data too. Here’s what I’ve learned:

• In Brighton, there are 316 properties currently on the market — only two of those properties are foreclosures.
• Interestingly, even in this down (or at least flat) market, few house sellers are dramatically reducing prices. Only about 17 percent of houses underwent a price reduction in Brighton before they went off market, compared to almost half (47 percent) of condos.
• When condo owners dropped their prices, they didn’t drop much — a median of only 4.8 percent. House sellers were willing to give a little bit more — 12 percent.
• In Brookline, there were about 441 properties up for sale —none were foreclosures.
• About 28 percent of sellers with houses in Brookline reduced their prices, while 42 percent of condos dropped their prices.
• Again, price reductions in Brookline weren’t shockers. Sellers with houses cut prices a median of 5.3 percent, while condo owners lowered their prices by 4.4 percent.
• In both Brighton and Brookline, if you found something on the market for less than 90 days, it’s probably not worth holding out for a huge price reduction–it’s probably not coming. On the other hand, if a property has been sitting around on the market for four months, there’s an excellent chance of future price reductions, so bargain hard!

Hitting the Links

Boston Sweet Digs Home

If You Want a Good Deal….

If you really want a good deal on a house, look for houses that have been sitting on the market like stale donuts at the end of the day in a coffee shop. In fact, houses on the market for at least 94 days seem to offer the best deals, according to a Redfin analysis.

Houses on the market that long were 82 percent more likely to significantly discount their sales price. Sellers who lowered the price at least once were also 37 percent more likely to offer a healthy discount. In other words, if you’re thinking of making a low-ball offer, your best chances are not with a spanking new listing— old listings are more successful.

Impressed by the Redfin report, I thought I’d take a closer look at Brookline and Brighton. I found more than a few likely suspects — houses that have been on the market for more than 90 days that have also dropped their prices at least once.

In Brighton, many of the properties in this category are basement units, investment units, or high-end luxury condos.

In Brookline, homes meeting this criteria run the gamut: a basement apartment, some new construction, and even a converted church. If the Redfin report is true, it suggests the owners of the following homes may be ripe to offer a good deal:

90 Park Street, #14
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT:1429
$660K
On market for more than 140 days.
Comment: Evidently, a lot of people don’t want to spend their lives in church.

75 Winchester Street, #201
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:2.5
SQ.FT:1710
$795K
On the market for more than 200 days.
Comment: New construction that apparently started off too high.

797 Washington Avenue, #1
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 1500
$429K
On the market more than 120 days
Comment: Again, Looks as if they started off much too high.

244 Brighton Avenue, #206
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:1015
$406,500
On the market for more than 130 days
Comment: The proximity of Allston Village is both a blessing and a bane.

33 Brainerd St. #31
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:902
$374,900K
On the market for more than 120 days
Comment: This penthouse condo with private roof deck is pretty cute — maybe its time has come?

Hitting the Links

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