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.
Watertown MA Real Estate Review – 2010
It’s always interesting at the end of the year to take stock and see how the real estate market did this year compared to previous years. Here’s the Watertown MA real estate review for 2010 followed by the real estate sales numbers in Watertown for December 2010.
Numbers of properties sold in Watertown dipped yet again this year by about 10%. Median prices however did not fall. Condo prices essentially stayed flat while the median price of houses rose by 13.5% and by 10% for multi-families. It was a slower market for condos – on average condos took four months to sell. Multi-unit houses, on the other hand, sold briskly and were on the market just 40 days on average.
Total residential properties sold in Watertown:
Welcome to the Watertown Real Estate Market Review
Numbers in parentheses show the change from the year before
- In 2010: 290 (-9.6%)
- In 2009: 321 (-12.3%)
- In 2008: 366
Average days on market:
- 2010: 96
- 2009: 82
- 2008: 89
Total value of real estate sales:
- 2010: $113,451,149 (-7.16%)
- 2009: $122,196,592 (-17.34%)
- 2008: $147,822,196
Properties sold for:
- 2010: 96% of asking price on average. The median price was $355,000 (-3.54%)
- 2009: 96% of asking price on average. The median price was $368,000 (-1.61%)
- 2008: 96% of asking price on average. The median price was $374,000
Click here to continue reading about the Watertown MA real estate market
Buying A Home In Cambridge
Is buying a home in Cambridge one of your New Year’s resolutions?
If it is, you’ll want to keep coming to back to Centers and Squares since we’ll be running a series of posts this month on what you need to know to make your Cambridge home buying process smooth and successful.
There’s so much to think about when you are starting your search for a house or condo:
- How do I get pre-approved for a mortgage?
- How much can I afford to spend for a house or condo?
- My lease ends in June (or August, or whenever) – when should I start to look for a place?
- Should I buy a house or a condominium?
- What kinds of condos are there in Cambridge?
- What happens during a home inspection?
- How much money do I have to put down?
- How long does it take to buy a house in Cambridge?
- What do condo fees cover?
- Do I need a lawyer to buy real estate in Cambridge?
- What will I get for the money in [fill in the blank] neighborhood?
- When do I get to move in?
and on, and on.
We’ll touch on all of these questions and more in the next few weeks. And if you’re moving to Cambridge from out of state we’ll answer your questions too – tell you about Cambridge neighborhoods, transportation, places to stay while you’re house hunting, where the best gyms, supermarkets, stores, etc are, and more.
If you have questions that you want addressed please feel free to leave a comment below.
L Street Bath House New Year’s Swim
My brother Ted has lived in South Boston for years but this was his first L Street Bath House New Year’s swim. He sure picked the right year for it – the temperature was in the 50s though the water was in the 40s.
The L Street Brownies New Year’s Day swim tradition started over 100 years ago. Women have been part of the swim since the 1980s.
The unseasonably warm temperatures drew a huge crowd – estimated at over 1000. The lines were longer than any of the Southie residents we spoke to remembered seeing. In fact, Ted was in and out of the water long before my parents and I made it through the bath house.
It was enormous fun though to see the crazy getups and watch people as they jumped in Dorchester Bay. It was a glorious day and we had fun fantasizing about buying a house facing the ocean.
As for swimming? – maybe next year…
Here’s a slide show of the fun at the L Street Bath House New Year’s Swim:
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year
to one and all.
May you have a healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2011 – and a good time tonight!
6 Porter Road Cambridge MA
Arched entryway to 6 Porter Rd, Cambridge MA 02140
6 Porter Road is a brick double-triple decker built in 1898 in Cambridge Mass. There are six condos on three floors. In 2001 the former apartment building was renovated and converted to condominiums.
The condos at 6 Porter Road in Cambridge, MA are in the heart of Porter Square. Porter Road is a U-shaped street that runs off of Mass Ave by Christopher’s restaurant across from the Porter Square shopping center. The Red Line T stop and commuter rail station is just a block away.
Cambridge real estate buyers will appreciate the proximity to restaurants, pubs, shops, the supermarket and public transportation. It’s an easy walk to Davis Square or to Harvard Square.
6 Porter Rd Cambridge MA Condo Features
- Three bedrooms
- 1.5 baths
- 874 – 942 sq. ft.
- Open layout
- Wood floors
- Central air conditioning
- Storage and laundry in the basement
- Some owners have installed in-unit W/D
- On-street parking
- Pet friendly
Recent Sales of Condos at 6 Porter Road in Cambridge
In 2009 two condos at 6 Porter Rd sold. Both were third floor units, measuring 912 and 937 sq.ft. One condo sold for $425,000, the other for $440,000.
If condos are available at 6 Porter Rd, Cambridge MA they will appear below. Click on the small photo for additional photographs and more information.
These Porter Square condos are located at 6 Porter Road, Cambridge MA 02140.
How to Get Rid of Your Christmas Tree
Christmas tree at the curb for pickup
This is last year’s post. Here’s the Christmas tree recycling info for 2012
Already taken down the tree? Wondering about Christmas tree disposal or recycling? Here’s the scoop on Christmas tree pickup and recycling in local towns.
Several local towns recycle Christmas trees by turning them into mulch. When you leave your holiday greens curbside remember:
- Trees mut be bare – stripped of all decorations and tinsel
- Trees should not be left in plastic bags
- Tree stands must be removed
- Wreaths and garlands can’t be recycled because of the wire used. Wreaths and garlands should be left in the trash
Arlington Christmas Tree Pickup
Arlington recycles trees and will pickup trees on your regularly scheduled trash pickup day between January 10 – 14, 2011
Cambridge Christmas Tree Recycling
Cambridge turns Christmas trees into mulch. Trees will be picked up on your regular pickup day between January 3 – 14, 2011
Somerville Christmas Tree Disposal
In Somerville Christmas trees can be left at the curb during the month of January. The DPW will pick up the trees for mulching. If your tree is put out after January it will be picked up as trash.
Christmas Trees in Belmont
In Belmont you should put your Christmas tree out with the trash. Belmont does not recycle trees.
Medford Christmas Tree Pickup
In Medford Christmas trees should be left at the curb on your regular trash pickup day during the week of January 10 -14, 2011. Waste Management sends out a truck to pickup the trees for recylcing / mulching. Since only one truck goes out and it fills up quickly, your tree may not be picked up bright and early but it should be picked up that week. Since the trees are recycled you need to make sure the tree is completely bare.
Medford residents who don’t get their tree out next week can either leave it with the trash in subsequent weeks or keep it outside until spring and yard waste pickup begins again.
Save Your Back with a Back-Saver Shovel
Backsaver Shovel - Buy Yours Today!
We’ve all been doing a lot of shoveling this week. The Cambridge area got about a foot and a half of snow on Sunday and Monday.
That’s a lot of snow – and plenty of shoveling to dig out driveways, sidewalks and cars.
There’s only one way to shovel as far as I’m concerned and that’s with a Back Saver Shovel I got my Back Saver ergonomic snow shovel a few years ago and winter’s never been the same.
The Back-Saver shovel’s handle is ergonomically correct – the bend in it is a miracle – truly a miracle. Somehow it transfers the load so the shovel, not your back, does the work.
No matter how heavy the load, no matter how many hours you shovel – with a Back-Saver shovel you’ll be in fine shape – no pain, no strain.
Even better, Back-Saver shovels are made right here in Massachusetts by a company called Rugg.
I looked for Back Saver shovels in local stores since I had planned to give my Dad one for Christmas. I wasn’t able to find one locally but you can order them online
Boston Sightseeing Tours of Yore
Duck Tours have always struck me as a bit goofy and a weak alternative to the Freedom Trail. The tours are popular with tourists however and someday I may just take one if guests are in town who want to sample the local schtick.
Who knew that goofy tours have a long history in Boston? This vintage postcard – “Sight Seeing Auto. The Ride I Took In Boston, Mass.” – gave me a chuckle. It dates from 1908 but bears an uncanny resemblance to today’s Duck Tours.
Vintage Boston Sightseeing Tour Postcard
A man named Frank sent the postcard to his sister Anna in Manchester NH. It was postmarked October 19th. Seems that Frank’s visit to Boston coincided with Indian Summer – he writes “it is awful warm down here, the thermometer registers seventy-eight yesterday. The trees on West Newton Street are in bloom just as on a spring day”.
Cheesy tourist rides. It’s tradition.
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