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Archive for the 'Everything Else' Category
Houses On High
There’s no getting around it - I love houses. Old houses, newer houses, houses large and small.
Working as a real estate allows me to indulge myself - though I have to guard my enthusiasms. It’s hard not to fall – and fall hard – when I see a fabulous house on tour. My budget keeps my home buying in check but there are fewer safeguards on my time.
It’s easy to get carried away online – spending precious time cruising through the listings on MLS. But every once in a while I indulge myself.
I call it the serendipity approach to MLS searching. When you need to pull up an MLS listing to make an appointment or answer a question an address search is typically the easiest way to find the entry.
But rather than type in “404 Elm Street” I type in just “Elm” and skim through the universe of listings on streets with “Elm” in the name.
Elm in fact would be a good one to search. So are street names like Main, North, Adams, West – any street’s that likely to have been around for a long time and have lots of old and interesting houses.
Yesterday I hit the motherlode when I searched the MLS for “High”. The search results maxed out – over 500 properties were listed for sale on High Street, Ave, etc or some variation of High such as Highland, Highfield or Highway.
And there were some glorious houses in the bunch. One after another fantasy-inducing house came up in the results. Too many to go through in one sitting.
Here are two of the most wonderful.
The first is a splendid turreted Queen Anne Victorian in Spencer. It’s really a compound with a large turreted carriage house and another small cottage. Check out the architectural details in the photos. All this on two acres for $799,000.
The second property is one of the most amazing houses I’ve come across on MLS. It’s a Japanese styled house in Fall River at 657 Highland Avenue. It was designed by noted architect Ralph Adams Cram in 1897 for Unitarian minister Reverend Arthur Knapp.
Buildings designed by Cram and his firm in Cambridge include houses at 128 Brattle Street and 26 Elmwood. Cram designed many churches including the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York and at least two in Cambridge: the Unitarian church in Harvard Square and the Society of St. John the Evangelist on Memorial Drive.
The extraordinary house in Fall River with its pagoda roof is on the National Register of Historic Places. Known as “Rising Sun” 657 Highland Ave is listed for just $299,888 – under $300k and magnificent!
You gott see these Houses on High - click on the small image for lots more photographs.
Is This Your Wallet?
Is This Your Wallet?
This afternoon I got a call while at the office.
“I found your wallet on Appleton Street. I’m going to come by and drop it off.”
That took me aback. Today was our weekly Coldwell Banker tour of new listings. The tour had fifteen properties and we had driven all over Cambridge and Somerville. Though I hadn’t noticed it missing it seemed perfectly plausible that I had dropped my wallet along the way.
But no – when I looked in my bag there was my wallet. Since so much is jammed in my pocketbook – bag of keys, Flip video camera, digital camera, checkbooks, etc – I thought that maybe something else had fallen out.
When the good samaritan arrived at our office with this wallet I realized it wasn’t mine.
The wallet has been almost completely emptied. You have to wonder if someone snatched it and ditched it after removing the contents. The only remaining item was one of my business cards. Perhaps the thief wasn’t in the market for real estate?
It seems likely that the wallet owner and I have met. Call me if it’s yours.
Best Doorknobs
Best Doorknobs
Best Doorknobs Cambridge real estate agents see so many renovated properties that we become mighty particular about the details.
After viewing renovation after renovation, it’s almost inevitable that you develop as sense for what works and what doesn’t – what looks right and what just doesn’t – what buyers tend to appreciate and what they don’t.
Relatively minor details – like hardware selection – can really separate the humdrum from the Wow! properties.
Getting the style right, the finish, the choice of metals – it’s not easy to pull it all together. Here’s an example from a house where the homeowner got every detail in the renovation just right.
These are the best doorknobs I’ve come across. The little flipper over the keyhole – not sure of its proper name – is reminiscent of antique doorplates but the overall style is crisp, classic - even contemporary. They’re the perfect choice for the older homes that make up most of our housing stock in Cambridge.
Not sure where these are from but I’ll add the info if I find out.
Armando’s Corner in Cambridge
Armando's Corner In Cambridge
I don’t know how I missed this – the intersection of Concord Ave and Huron Ave in Cambridge has been named Armando’s Corner – officially Armando Paolo Square.
I thought the sign was new but when I went into Armando’s Pizza to find out the guys told me the sign had been up for a couple of months. Not sure how I missed it – my office is next door to the pizza shop and I’m at this intersection multiple times a day.
There couldn’t be a more appropriate person to honor at this spot. Well known to generations of Cantabridgians and local workers, Armando and Dorothy Paolo have owned the popular pizza shop for almost forty years. The place bustles throughout the day as construction crews, local office workers, Harvard scientists and school kids line up for slices or subs.
Armando’s Pizza is at 163 Huron Ave in Cambridge, MA 02138. Stop by for a slice! The new sign is just outside the shop.
My Rhododendron Thermometer – Update
It's cold out tonight in Massachusetts
My rhododendron thermometer is back in business – and it is C-O-L-D out.
The leaves on my rhododendron are curled tight as pencils. It almost looked like the bush had died or like some of its branches were broken – the leaves are curled so tightly I really didn’t think it looked right.
But it’s just the effects of the super chilly temperatures today. It’s supposed to be below zero in Cambridge tonight. My rhododendron thermometer isn’t sophisticated enough to give the exact temperature – simply a pretty good idea of just how frigid it is.
I think the bush looks amazingly good considering all the snow that was piled on it. Clearly rhododendrons are a hearty and resilient lot. Mine has really bounced back and lived to give more weather reports.
My Rhododendron Thermometer
Rhododendron bush buried beneath the snow
In front of my house there’s a large rhododendron bush. A lovely part of the landscape, it also functions as an unofficial “thermometer”.
When I go out in the morning or when I look out the window, I get a sense of the day’s temperature by scoping out the bush.
When it’s cold the rhododendron’s leaves curl tightly. The more leaves that are curled and the tighter the curl – the colder the temperature.
It wasn’t until I looked over for a read on the day’s temperature that I realized my poor bush was bowed beneath this mound of heavy snow. It’s difficult to tell by the photo but my rhododendron bush is about a third of it’s usual height.
So without benefit of my rhododendron thermometer – it’s really chilly today.
How to Select a Pendant Light
Have you ever stood in a lighting store and wondered how to select a pendant light among all the beautiful choices? Here’s a creative way to simplify the decision. This homeowner chose to install half a dozen different pendant lights over the dining area in a kitchen. I love the look.
Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year
to one and all.
May you have a healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2011 – and a good time tonight!
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