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.
Garden Lecture in Somerville Tonight
Crocuses are the first sign of spring in Cambridge
You know what they say about April showers… soon local gardens will be in full bloom.
The garden tour circuit has yet to kick off but come June there will be garden tours aplenty.
Tonight, to whet your appetite, Somerville gardener An Sokolovska will speak about storing and controlling water in the garden. Sokolovksa’s garden, on last year’s Somerville Garden Club’s tour, makes use of cisterns, French drains, gutters and other methods to control water.
The lecture is part of the Somerville Garden Club’s monthly meeting. All club meetings are free and open to the public.
The meeting takes place at 167 Holland Street, Somerville, MA on the 2nd floor tonight, Wednesday, April 13, 2011 from 7 to 9 pm.
The spring real estate market has kept me too busy to update my garden tours page. Bookmark it though – I promise to get the info out there well in advance of this spring’s tours. The house tour page has started to fill in for this year – can’t wait for the first tours!
Sorry – I Can’t Make That Time
“Sorry, I can’t make that time.”
“That time won’t work.”
“I’m already booked on Saturday. You have to call by Tuesday.”
“None of us is available then.”
“Sorry, I’ve got another appointment.”
“I’m going to be three towns away at that time.”
These are not the things you want your agent to say when another agent calls to request a showing of your property. Yet sadly we hear excuses like these all the time when we make calls to show properties in Cambridge.
Many Cambridge real estate agents think that accompanied showings – when the listing agent meets the buyer and the buyer’s agent at your property – are the way to show property.
In fact, there are many drawbacks of accompanied showings but limiting accessibility is the most critical one.
You need to show your property to sell it – to as many buyers as possible. Every potential showing is important – even more so nowadays in a very competitive real estate market. It’s often not possible for an appointment to be rescheduled at the convenience of the listing agent. Buyers are coming to Cambridge from out of town, or after work, or for a buying trip lasting just a weekend. You want your house in the mix.
It’s simply unrealistic to think that an agent – or even a team of agents – can accomodate every request for a showing. Some do a better job than others accomodating requests for appointments. But even the most flexible of agents or team of agents can’t be available all day and every day. Instead, usually unbeknownst to the sellers, listing agents throw up roadblocks to showings.
Don’t let this happen when you’re trying to sell your home. Talk to your real estate agent about using a lockbox to enable buyers agents to show your property without your listing agent.
When someone calls about showing your home to a buyer the best answer is “No problem”. Make sure the welcome mat is out – and sell your home!
Wild Turkey in Inman Square
Wild Turkey in Inman Square
A week or so ago I was driving through Littleton and was startled by a huge wild turkey that flew right in front of me – inches from my windshield. He was gorgeous – like the Bell’s Seasoning turkey come to life.
In retrospect it’s not that astonishing to see a wild turkey in the outer ‘burbs. But I’m always delighted at another wildlife sighting – I’ve seen a deer in Cambridge, a stuck ‘possum in Somerville and another wild turkey in Belmont, just to name a few of my encounters.
I was taken aback this evening though to discover a wild turkey right in the middle of Inman Square. As I drove down Hampshire Street I saw something large (and by large I mean humongous!) and brown land on the sidewalk and pulled over.
The big bird at right sauntered off the sidewalk into this yard tucked behind some buildings. He was searching for dinner on the lawn.
I gotta say – seeing these beautiful birds up close makes me rethink the Thanksgiving menu.
1716 Cambridge Street Cambridge MA – Fox Croft Manor
Fox Croft Manor Condos-1716 Cambridge St Cambridge MA
Fox Croft Manor condos at 1716 Cambridge St in Cambridge MA offers Cambridge real estate buyers a classic brick condo building immediately adjacent to the Harvard campus in Harvard Square.
FoxCroft Manor, built in 1942, has a lobby with knotty pine paneled walls and polished flagstone floors. The studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom condos have elegant proportions and handsome architectural details.
There are 31 condos in the four-story building at 1716 Cambridge Street, Cambridge MA. Many of the one-bedrooms are exceptionally spacious and some measure more than 900 sq.ft.
Things to know about condos at Fox Croft Manor:
- Elevator building
- Heat and hot water included in the condo fee
- Hardwood floors
- Some units have parking
- Storage and laundry in the basement
- One cat allowed, no dogs
Recent sales at 1716 Cambridge St Cambridge MA:
The last sale at 1716 Cambridge Street was a four-room, first floor 940 sq.ft. one bedroom condo without parking. It sold for $395,000 in 2008.
If there are condos available they will appear below. Click on the small photo for additional info and more photographs.
Fox Croft Manor condos are located at 1716 Cambridge Street, Cambridge MA 02138.
Signs of Spring?
Christmas Trees Reappear In West Medford
The talk of snow (SNOW?!) in the forecast reminded me of this photo that I snapped a couple of weeks ago.
It marked a seasonal change that we don’t see that often around here – the reemergence of the Christmas trees.
Unlike most years when we get snow and it melts before we get more, this past winter it snowed early and the snow piles stayed around for months.
When the snow finally receded a couple of weeks ago the long abandoned Christmas trees appeared. Put out for pickup after the holidays, they were buried by snow before the recycling truck came by.
On city sidewalks everywhere Christmas trees appeared in March.
First the Christmas trees, then the crocuses and daffodils. Spring is here.
Central Square Condo – Open Tomorrow
369 Franklin St #302 Cambridge MA 02139
Stop by the open house at this super Central Square condo in Cambridge tomorrow.
369 Franklin Street Unit 302 is new to the market and listed for $479,900. Set on a favorite Cambridge side street, it’s just a couple of blocks to the T in Central Square and close to MIT and Harvard.
369 Franklin is a luxury building with an elevator, garage, heated driveway, exercise room, and common backyard with patio.
The condo has two bedrooms and two full baths. The kitchen is stunning with sleek Italian cabinets and really beautiful granite counters. Come summer you’ll appreciate the central air conditioning.
Stop by 369 Franklin Street Cambridge tomorrow, Sunday March 20th from 1 to 2 pm. See you there!
This Central Square condo, 369 Franklin St, Unit 302, Cambridge MA 02139, is listed with Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker in Cambridge. If you miss the open house give Liz a call at 617-504-1737 to schedule a visit.
Architectural Styles in Medford
Architecture In Medford - Lecture on Saturday
Looking for something to do on Saturday night?
The Medford Historical Society is presenting a lecture:
Home Architectural Styles in Medford: 17th Century to Present by Ryan Hayward of the Medford Historic Commission.
Medford has a marvelous collection of antique houses of many styles and periods so this promises to be a fascinating talk.
The lecture is scheduled for tomorrow night, Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 7 pm at the Royall House Slave Quarters at 15 George Street, Medford, MA.
Admission is free – donations welcomed.
Faces Nightclub – Soon To Be Apartments?
Anyone who’s driven into the city via Route 2 for the last twenty years or so has wondered about the eyesore on the right side of the highway as you enter Cambridge.
Faces nightclub, once a popular disco, has been abandoned for some twenty years. Increasingly shabby, it’s a terrible way to welcome people to Cambridge. “When will Faces be torn down?” has been asked innumerable times. Turns out that Faces site may be destined for apartments.
Arthur D. Little Office Building Is No More. Is Faces Next?
A week or so ago while on our weekly real estate tour we thought it had been torn down as we drove past on Route 2. We must not have been paying attention, however, because after circling back it turned out that it was the old Arthur D. Little office building that had just been reduced to rubble.
Is Faces next? Lately the old Faces sign has been wrapped in plastic. Far more promising, though is the recent Cambridge Planning Board meeting in February where developers presented plans for rental housing to be built on the Faces site.
Criterion Development Partners came before the Planning Board to introduce their plans to build a 227-unit apartment building on the site. There would be studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in the four story complex. The development team would buy the Faces site from long-time owners the Martignettis.
The Faces site is complicated because of the flood plain and wetlands. The developers talked about how the design of the complex addresses those issues. The apartment building will be constructed with green building standards and there is an emphasis on the use of public transportation and bicycle use, capitalizing on the proximity of the Alewife MBTA stop and the bike path. The developers proposed that residents will be given a three month Charlie Card subway pass and there will be bike storage and a bicycle sharing program for tenants.
The Planning Board had plenty of questions for the developers but it was clear that everyone looks forward to the day that Faces is torn down.
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