Centers And Squares
Welcome to Centers and Squares
As a Cambridge real estate agent, the city squares of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford and the town centers of Arlington, Watertown and Belmont, Massachusetts are my home turf. And as a lifelong New Englander who’s lived within twenty miles of Boston most of my life, I can introduce you to other nearby towns as we search for your new home. If you’re planning to sell your home in Cambridge, MA or nearby you’ll find plenty of info about the home selling process here too. Questions? Send me an email or call me at 617-504-1737.
Trees In Medford – Lecture on Thursday
This Thursday, Dee Morris, author of Medford: A Brief History, will present a lecture at the Medford Public Libary titled What the Trees Saw: Their Perspective on Medford History.
While too many of Medford’s streets have too few trees, Medford is a Tree City (see below) and has been home to some truly magnificent trees. Several years ago the city published a calendar featuring some of Medford’s grandest trees. It was fabulous – I bought a dozen copies.
Otis Street, Medford MA in 1911 -When Trees Grew Large, Unhindered by Overhead Wires
Morris’s lecture will touch on some of Medford’s early tree enthusiasts including Peter Chardon Brooks, Elizur Wright and Lauren Dame.
The tree lecture will be held at the Medford Public libray on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 7 pm. The library is located at 111 High Street, Medford MA.
Wondering what’s a Tree City?
The Tree City program is administered by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Asssociation of State Foresters. More than 3400 US towns and cities are currently designated as Tree Cities. To qualify, a community must have:
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A Tree Board or Department
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A Tree Care Ordinance
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A Community Forest Program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita
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An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation
Wondering when is Arbor Day?(I know I was as I typed the last line) It’s the last Friday in April – that’s the national observance and the day it is celebrated in Massachusetts and many other states. Arbor Day may be observed on a different day in your state particularly if there’s a better time of year to plant trees.
Rental Scams – If It’s It To Good To Be True
Beware of Rental Scams
The Boston Globe reported recently about the Cambridge Police Department’s warning about rental scams on websites like CraigsList and Zillow. I’ve received calls myself from people asking for info or advice after becoming suspicious about a to good to be true rental.
It’s the height of the rental season right now in Cambridge and the Cambridge police have noticed a corresponding uptick in reports of rental scams. Scammers advertise apartments online that they have no real connection with – often using photographs they find on real estate websites. Typically the ads promise rents that are well below market rents in Cambridge.
The prospective tenant is encouraged to send the supposed subletting tenant or landlord money – by check or wire. When the unsuspecting tenant arrives in Cambridge they discover there’s no apartment for rent and their money is gone.
What’s an apartment hunter to do – especially when trying to find a Cambridge apartment from afar?
Probably your best bet is to enlist the help of a Cambridge rental agent. He or she will be able to match your needs and wish list to the best available rentals. Renting an apartment when you’re not here to look for one is not easy – getting an experienced agent to help you will make your search much easier.
But if you’re winging it and hoping to secure a rental on your own do keep in mind that if it sounds too good to be true – it is. Landlords or tenants subletting their apartment do NOT offer absurdly low rents out of the goodness of their hearts (ok – maybe somewhere out there there are some rentals where altruism rules – but better to assume that’s not the case).
Here’s a rough idea of what realistic – i.e. real – rents are like in Cambridge:
It’s difficult to find an apartment – any apartment – for less than $1200 per month in Cambridge. If you’re close to the T, in one of the popular squares like Porter Square, Harvard Square, or Central Square, then $1200 is going to get you a basement apartment – probably a studio or one-bedroom apartment – at best. Typically, Cambridge two-bedroom apartments rent for $1500 and up with higher rents closer to the T and to the squares. Again – if the ad says the apartment is close to Harvard Square you can expect to pay top dollar. There are no bargain apartments near Harvard – or if one pops up, it will last a day before it’s rented. The landlord will not need to jump through hoops with checks in the mail, wire transfers, etc. He’ll have would-be tenants waving applications at him right off the bat.
So – remember – if it sounds too good to be true – DO NOT SEND MONEY!
Shared Housing – Making Your House Work for the Long Run
Housing Options - Is Shared Living In Your Future?
Wednesday lecture: Explore Shared Housing Options Perhaps it’s the economy or an aging population but many more people are considering shared housing as an option that might work for them.
It’s not a new idea – grandparents have often moved in with their children and grandchildren, young couples bunked in with the in-laws in order to save money, tenants have dealt with steep rental costs by sharing apartments with strangers who become roommates and perhaps friends.
At the same time that some shared housing options have been almost eliminated – single room occupancy buildings for example – others have joined the mix – with several cohousing developments thriving in Cambridge.
This Wednesday several local organizations are sponsoring a discussion on Shared Housing at the next Making Your Home Work for the Long Run workshop. Sponsoring organizations include:
- Staying Put Working Group
- Somerville Cambridge Elder Services
- Cambridge Council on Aging
- Somerville Council on Aging
- SCM Door to Door Transportation
Panelists will share their experiences and information about various forms of shared housing including home sharing, coops, joint family living quarters and cohousing. Small group discussions will touch on things to consider and questions to ask when considering some form of shared housing.
The workshop will be held at the VNA Facility, 3rd floor, 259 Lowell Street, Somerville MA on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 from 5:45 to 7:30 pm. Light refreshments will be available from 5:15 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Reserve a spot by calling 617-628-2601 ext. 601 or by emailing Susann at [email protected]
Opposition House – Cambridge
Opposition House - Now On Hancock Place Cambridge
This Sunday, the Cambridge Historical Society will screen the documentary Opposition House by filmmaker Susan Chasen.
The film tells the story of a mid-Cambridge house that was built in 1807 to block the construction of Harvard Street.
The house was moved and still stands on Hancock Place. Nicknamed Opposition House, the property was added to the National Historic Register in 1982.
The screening at the Cambridge Historical Society is free and open to the public. The Cambridge Historical Society is located 159 Brattle Street in the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House. The movie screening is scheduled for 1:00 to 3:00 pm on Sunday, June 12, 2011.
If you can’t make the film screening this Sunday, CCTV will broadcast the movie in June on cable TV in Cambridge. Opposition House can be seen on:
- June 15. 2011 at 10:00 am on Channel 10
- June 16, 2011 at 9:00 am on Channel 10
- June 18. 2011 at 9:30 am on Channel 10
- June 22, 2011 at 4:00 pm on Channel 9 and at 9:20 pm on Channel 10
- June 24. 2011 at 6:00 pm on Channel 9
- June 27, 2011 at 3:40 pm on Channel 10
Wednesday What’s It Winners
We’ve got winners! Here’s the reveal for the inaugural Wednesday What’s It post:
The original photo:
Do you know what this is?
And the reveal:
Harvard Lampoon Building
Yes, it’s the ornament atop the Harvard Lampoon building in Harvard Square. The bird atop the ornament would have been a giveaway for many – and, no, the bird’s not a crane, it’s not a stork – it’s the Harvard Lampoon ibis.
The Lampoon Castle was built in 1909 at 44 Bow Street.
We’ll have another Wednesday What’s It next week.
Prizes are in the mail to the first three readers who correctly identified the Lampoon building – Laurie, Mark and John. Congratulations!
What Do I Need to Bring to the Closing?
What do I need to bring to my real estate closing?
If you’re buying or selling a house or a condo in Massachusetts you’re probably wondering what you need to bring to the closing.
The real estate “closing” is sometimes referred to as “passing papers” – and no wonder – if there’s a mortgage involved there’ll be a lot of papers getting passed around the table. Nowadays, selling a house or condo in Massachusetts involves a great deal of paperwork. So come to the closing table with a limber wrist – you’ll be signing your name over and over. Here’s what else you need:
What Do I Need to Bring to the Closing When I’m Buying a House or Condo in Massachusetts?
Photo ID – you’ll need a photo ID – usually a driver’s license or passport. It’s not a bad idea to bring a second form of ID since every so often a lender asks for a 2nd form of identification
A Bank Check – Unless you’ve arranged in advance to wire the funds you need for the closing you’ll need to get a bank check (aka a treasurer’s check) for the money you need. This is not the same as a personal check from your checkbook.
Your attorney or her paralegal will tell you the amount you need a day or so before the closing. Ask how the bank should make out the check – typically you’ll be asked to have the bank make it out to you. At the closing you’ll sign the check over to the lender.
Your Checkbook – It’s not uncommon to need to write a small check at the closing – perhaps an adjustment is made on the settlement statement, a charge has been omitted, or the amount of your bank check was estimated. More and more often people aren’t carrying a checkbook so be sure to bring yours with you.
Your attorney or lender may require you to bring something else but these are the must-haves at every closing.
What Do I Need to Bring to the Closing When I’m Selling a Condominium or House in Massachusetts?
Your job as seller is much easier at the closing – you’ve only a few documents to sign. Here’s what you’ll need to bring:
Photo ID – a driver’s license or passport
Your Checkbook – Usually you’re getting the check, not writing one, when you’re selling your property. But just in case some small adjustment needs to be made it’s a good idea to have a check or your checkbook with you at the closing.
The Keys – You’ll be passing along the keys to the new owners. Don’t forget the mailbox key and the garage door clicker (or leave them in the house or condo).
Ask your attorney if there’s anything else you’re required to bring.
Vertical Gardening Lecture in Somerville on Wednesday
Vertical Garden in Cambridge
For those of us in the city with limited outdoor space finding room to garden can be a challenge. On Wednesday, horticulturist Trevor Smith will speak to the Somerville Garden Club about vertical gardening and how it can be used in small urban spaces.
Smith’s lecture will touch on vertical gardening systems, how to install and maintain vertical gardens, and what plants to choose for yours.
Somerville Garden Club meetings are free and open to the public.
The vertical gardening lecture and Garden Club meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 167 Holland Street, Somerville, MA on the 2nd floor. Parking is available and the Davis Square T stop is down the street.
Big Bird In Belmont
This is my second wild turkey sighting in Belmont. We spotted this big bird on Belmont Hill this afternoon.
Wild turkey in a Belmont MA yard
What a beautiful bird he is!
When he spreads his feathers (is there a term for this display?) he’s absolutely enormous.
One Big Belmont Turkey
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