Green Line Extension Meeting

I’ve heard pessimistic rumblings about the Green Line extension recently so I think the public meeting scheduled for this Wednesday would be good to attend.

 On Wednesday, January 25, 2012, a Green Line extension meeting on Phase I: Early Bridge and Demolition Package will be held at the Somerville High School.

 On the docket are discussion of:

• Reconstruction and widening of the Medford Street bridge in Somerville
• Reconstruction and widening of the Harvard Street bridge in Medford
• Demolition and site preparation at 21 Water Street in Cambridge
• and more.

The Green Line Extension meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 at the Somerville High School, 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville MA.

Green Line photo courtesy of Pylon757

Prospect Hill Tower Somerville MA

Looking for something different to ring in the new year?   Head on over to Prospect Hill in Somerville for the annual New Year’s Day flag raising.

The Prospect Hill flag raising on January 1, 2012 marks the 236th anniversary of General George Washington’s raising of the nation’s first official flag on Jan. 1, 1776 on Prospect Hill.  A processional led by a Washington re-enactor on horseback will leave Somerville City Hall at 11:30 am.  The flag will be raised at Prospect Hill Park at noon.

There will be songs, readings, and re-enactments by several groups. Light refreshments will be served.  Books about Somerville’s history and miniature replicas of the Grand Union Flag will be available for purchase.

The circa 1905 postcard at right reads in part: “Strongest work in besieging line of Boston 1775-1776.  On this Eminence Jan. 1, 1776, The Flag of the United Colonies first waved defiance to a foe.”

Nov 8, 2011 Election results in Somerville

There were a lot of sign waving supporters on Somerville street corners on election day.  Wondering who won the Board of Alderman and school committee races?  Here are the preliminary Somerville election results for the municipal election on November 8, 2011.

Somerville Election Results

Somerville publishes the unofficial election results.  Races aren’t final until the absentee, overseas and other provisional ballots are counted.  The posted unofficial results are based on the 9,071 votes cast and counted at the polls.

Since most seats were not contested, however, there’s not a heck of a lot to report.  Mayor Curtatone and all seven members of the School Committee ran unopposed and were reelected.

Somerville Board of Alderman Election Results

The Board of Alderman races resulted in just one new face among the eleven members.

All four of the Board of Aldermen members with at-large seats won re-election: John Connelly, Dennis Sullivan, William White and Bruce Desmond.  William Roche (Ward 1), Maryann Heuston (Ward 2), Sean O’Donovan (Ward 5) andRebekah Gerwitz (Ward 6) ran unopposed and were re-elected.

Thomas Taylor was re-elected to represent Ward 3, beating Stephen Delani. 

In a bit of a squeaker in Ward 7, Robert Trane was re-elected, beating challenger Katjana Ballantyne by 40 votes, 1068 to 1028, according to the unofficial tally.

In Ward 3, Alderman Walter Pero did not run for re-election.  The unofficial tally shows Tony Lafuente beating Christine Barber in that race by 857 t o 623.

Somerville MA Real Estate Market

As we head into the holiday season real estate market activity tends to slow down a bit.  Time for a look back to see how the Somerville MA real estate market fared this year with a look at the numbers for January through October 2o11.

Last year’s numbers for the same period are in parentheses.

Approximately 7% fewer residential properties sold in Somerville this year.  Properties took an extra week to sell on average.  At the same time the median real estate sales price in Somerville increased by 6% with increases in median sales price for all property types.

Total properties sold in Somerville – Jan-Oct 2011:

• 495 (529)
• Average days on market = 84 (77)
• Properties sold for an average of 97%  of asking price (98%) 
• Median price of $410,000 ($387,000)

Somerville Single Family Sales – Jan-Oct 2011

• Total sold: 57 (70 )
• Sale prices ranged from $109,000 – $965,000  ($150,000 - $1,001,000)
• Median price: $475,000  ($390,000)
• Average days on market: 89   (70)
• On average, houses sold for 98% of asking price   (99% )

Somerville Condo Sales – Jan-Oct 2011

• Total sold: 309  (334)
• Sale prices ranged from $73,000 – $1,180,000  ($150,000 - $775,000)
• Median price: $367,000  ($357,000)
• Average days on market: 85  (79)
• On average, condos sold for 98% of asking price   (98%)

Somerville Multi-Family Sales

• Total sold: 129  (125)
• Sale prices ranged from $190,000 – $2,075,000  ($248,000 – $940,000)
• Median price: $520,000  ($510,000)
• Average days on market: 80  (75)
• On average, multi-unit houses sold for 96% of asking price  (98% )

Info about Somerville MA real estate market in 2011 (2010) from MLSpin

On Tuesday, the city will discuss the results of the Well-Being Survey, aka the Happiness Survey, at an interactive community meeting at the Somerville High School Library.

Mayor Curtatone and city staff members will share findings from the study.  Audience input will be encouraged and residents will get a chance to share their opinions and stories about how Somerville impacts their happiness.

The Somerville Happiness Survey meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 23, 2o11 at 6:30 pm at 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA.  Take a right after the Main Office and the Library will be down the hall to the right.

Cambridge and Somerville - Most Walkable MA Cities

Cambridge and Somerville Most Walkable Cities in Massachusetts  The popular site Walkscore just came out with its 2011 50 Most Walkable Cities.  Boston was #3 in the country with a Walkscore of 79.2, behind only top ranked New York City (Walkscore of 85.3) and San Francisco (84.9) .

Dig a little deeper, however, and you realize that the Most Walkable Cities list only included big cities – it’s a ranking of the walkability of the 50 largest cities in the US. 

When you look at the Walkscore rankings for Massachusetts you discover that Cambridge is the most walkable city in Massachusetts, followed by Somerville.  Using Walkscore’s methodology (Walkscore has a complicated algorithm meant to measure how easy it is to live without a car.  For the city-wide rankings the scores are weighted for population density throughout the city.) Cambridge and Somerville handily outrank Boston in terms of walkability.  Here’s the ranking of the top five cities in Massachusetts:

• Cambridge 89
• Somerville 84
• Brookline 83
• Boston 79
• Everett 77

And here are the 2011 Walkscore rankings for some other towns in Centers and Squares territory:

• Arlington 67
• Belmont 63
• Medford 64
• Watertown 74 (ranked 6th in Massachusetts)

You have to take Walkscore rankings with a grain of salt – sometimes the amenities included in a location’s ranking are a little funky.  Also, for these aggregate scores realize that some parts of these cities are much more walkable, while other neighborhoods are more removed from shops, schools, etc.

No question though – many real estate buyers are looking for properties in close proximity to shops, restaurants, public transportation, pubs, etc. In a time of high gas prices and traffic congestion the option of living car free is very appealing.  It’s not surprising that Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline continue to be popular with home buyers.

Somerville Railroads Lecture

Historic Somerville is sponsoring a lecture on Wednesday, March 3, 2011:

Transportation Gateway to New England: 175 Years of the Railroad in Somerville

John Roderick, Somerville resident and local train buff, will speak about the railroad in the Northeast with a focus on trains in Somerville.

Two of Roderick’s model trains will be on view.

The Railroad in Somerville lecture will take place Wednesday, March 3, 2011 from 7 to 9 pm.

The lecture will be held at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, Somerville MA 02143. The museum is at the corner of Central Street and Westwood.

Admission is $5 for members, students and seniors. $8 for nonmembers

The number of real estate sales in Somerville rose by 3% in 2010. 

Single family sales rose dramatically – by more than 20%.  The median price of single family houses sold in Somerville rose by 6%.

Condo sales in Somerville rose by a more modest 3.6%.  The median price of condos sold in 2010 dipped slightly.

The number of multi-families sold fell by 7%. The median price, however, rose by 8.5%. It’s always difficult to get a real guage on actual increases or decreases in real estate values. Much depends on the mix of inventory. When we look at what sold in 2010 we find that twice as many multi family houses in Somerville sold for more than $700,000.  There were more multi-families sold in popular – and expensive – neighborhoods like Davis Square and a number of three-deckers in good locations.

Somerville MA Real Estate Review – 2010

Welcome to the Somerville Real Estate Report

Total properties sold in Somerville:

• In 2010: 595 (+2.95%)
• In 2009: 578  (+4.53%)
• In 2008: 553

Average days on market:

• 2010: 78 (-10.35%)
• 2009: 87 (-20.19%)
• 2008: 109

Total value of real estate sales:

• 2010: 251,500,915 (+7.69%)
• 2009: $233,547,999 (+4.43%)
• 2008: $223,646,177

Properties sold for:

• 2010: An average of 98% of asking price and a median price of $389,000 (+2.37%)
• 2009: An average of 97% of asking price and a median price of $381,000 (+1.6%)
• 2008: An average of 97% of asking price and a median price of $375,000

Somerville Single Family Sales

• 2010: 78 (+23.81%)
• 2009: 63 (-21.25%)
• 2008: 80

Price range for single family homes:

• 2010: $150,000 to $1,001,000
• 2009: $132,500 to $1,100,000
• 2008: $107,000 to $970,000

Median price of single family houses sold:

• 2010: $402,500 (+5.97%)
• 2009: $377,000 (-5.7%)
• 2008: $399,750

On average, single families:

• In 2010: were on the market 67 days & sold for 99% of asking price
• In 2009: were on the market 79 days & sold for 97% of asking price
• In 2008: were on the market 107 days & sold for 95% of asking price

Somerville Condo Sales

• 2010: 373 (+3.62%)
• 2009: 360 (+9.43%)
• 2008: 329

Price range for condos:

• 2010: $150,000 to $775,000
• 2009: $88,000 to $893,000
• 2008: $134,000 to $685,000

Median price of condominiums sold:

• 2010: $359,000 (-1.24%)
• 2009: $363,500 (+3.86%)
• 2008: $350,000

On average, Somerville condos:

• In 2010: were on the market 83 days and sold for 98% of list price
• In 2009: were on the market 90 days and sold for 97% of list price
• In 2008: were on the market 105 days and sold for 97% of list price

Somerville Multi-Family Sales

• 2010: 144 (-7.10%)
• 2009: 155 (+7.64%)
• 2008: 144

Price range for multi-family properties:

• 2010: $248,000 to $940,000
• 2009: $202,000 to $1,000,000
• 2008: $180,000 to $1,150,000

Median price of multi-family houses sold:

• 2010: $504,500 (+8.50%)
• 2009: $465,000 (-.43%)
• 2008: $467,000

On average, Somerville multi-families:

• In 2010: were on the market 70 days and sold for 98% of list price
• In 2009: were on the market 82 days and sold for 97% of list price
• In 2008: were on the market 119 days and sold for 97% of list price

 And here are the numbers for December: 

Somerville MA Real Estate on the Market 

168 residential properties were listed for sale in Somerville in the MLS on December 31, 2010  – a big drop from one month ago when 213 properties were on the market.  Asking prices ranged from 135,000 and $1,600,000.  

Somerville MA Real Estate Market – December 2010

37 home sales closed in Somerville in December. The median price paid was $400,000. 

3  single family homes sold in Somerville in December for $355,000, $556,500 and $880,000.

22 condos sold in Somerville MA  in Dec. 2010 for prices ranging from $170,000 to $679,200.  The median condo sales price was $361,725.  On average, condos sold for 97% of the list price.  Average days on market was 130 for these condominiums.

12 multi-unit houses sold during December for prices from $350,000 to $876,000. The median price  paid was $433,000. On average, in December multi-families sold for 101% of the asking price and were on the market an average of just 31 days.

Somerville MA  real estate market activity in December 2010 totalled $16,641,650.

See also:

Somerville MA Home Sales November 2010

Info about Somerville MA real estate market in 2010 from MLSpin