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.
Single Stream Recycling in Cambridge and Medford
Single Stream Recycling in Cambridge and Medford Big changes are coming to the recycling programs in Cambridge and Medford as both cities implement single stream recycling.
Arlington has had single stream recycling since earlier this year. Somerville is debuting a single stream recycling pilot progam in part of Ward 5 beginning this month.
Single stream recycling is meant to make recycling easier and to increase the amount of waste that is recycled rather than put in the trash. Instead of separating paper and cardboard from your cans and bottles you will now be able to put all recyclables in one container.
There’s lots of info on each city’s website – even videos – I watched three videos as I gathered information for this post. Who knew recylcing could be so much fun?
My only concern about these programs is that the big, new recycling barrels could become eyesores. I lived for a few years in New Hampshire – the land of dumpster as lawn ornament. Many people had contracts with local trash hauling companies and the dumpsters were permanent fixtures in plain sight in their yards. Perish the thought of a parade of big, plastic bins in city yards.
Cambridge Single Stream Recycling
Single stream recycling begins in Cambridge on October 25th. New large wheeled recycling toters are being delivered to Cambridge households this week and next. If you don’t have room for the large toter / barrel you may continue using your blue bin or convert a plastic trash can with a Recycle sticker available from the DPW.
Starting with your recycling pickup for the week of October 25th all of your recycling can be combined in one container. There is more information on the Cambridge DPW’s website.
New items that can now be recycled in Cambridge:
- clean pizza boxes
- large plastics such as toys, pails and laundry baskets
- frozen food boxes (if they can be ripped)
- empty paper coffee cups
- bagged shredded paper
- spiral cans (I think they mean the tall skinny ones that hold chips or nuts)
Medford Single Stream Recycling
Medford is making several changes that are clearly intended to make residents pay more attention to what they bring to the curb. It’s all too easy to pile up our castoffs at the curb and have them magically disappear. Those days are numbered.
Single stream recycling begins in Medford on November 1, 2010. Starting this week, the City will be delivering two new wheeled carts to Medford homes – a 64 gallon trash barrel and a 96 gallon recycling barrel. A program guide with more information about the new program will also be delivered.
Both the trash and recycle carts will have lids – a super idea that should cut down on fly away trash on breezy days.
As of November 1st all trash has to be placed inside your new barrel. Details are forthcoming in the program guide but it sounds as though you will pay for overflow bags or to rent an additional trash container.
Also effective November 1st, bulk goods such as furniture, mattresses, etc will be picked up by reservation only. A pickup will have to be scheduled with Waste Management by calling 1-800-972-4545. As of July 1, 2011 there will be a fee charged for bulk items.
Somerville Properties Sold In September 2010
Welcome to the Somerville Real Estate Report
Last but not least here’s the final monthly real estate report – for this month! – with a quick look at Somerville properties sold in September 2010.
Somerville Real Estate on the Market
249 residential properties were listed for sale in Somerville in the MLS on September 30, 2010 for asking prices between $149,900 and $1,600,000. Average days on market for these properties was 113. Unlike some of the other towns we’ve looked, at inventory is largely unchanged in Somerville. Last year at this time there were 243 properties listed for sale in the MLS.
Somerville Properties Sold – September 2010
52 residential properties sold in Somerville during September with a median sales price of $471,500.
11 Somerville single family homes sold in September for prices between $175,000 and $1,001,000. The median sales price was $475,000. On average, single family houses sold for 97% of asking price and were on the market 89 days.
29 condos sold in Somerville last month for prices from $155,000 to $775,000. These condominiums were on the market an average of 115 days. The median condo sales price was $419,000. On average, condos sold for 98% of the list price.
12 multi-family houses sold during September for prices from $295,000 to $801,225. The median sales price was $526,450. On average, multi-families sold for 98% of the asking price and were on the market 40 days.
Total value of Somerville properties sold in September 2010 was $24,484,525.
See also:
Somerville Home Sale Report – August 2010
Info about Somerville properties sold in September 2010 from MLSpin
50 Follen St Cambridge – Puritan Arms Condos
50 Follen Street Cambridge Condos
50 Follen St Cambridge – Puritan Arms Condos Cambridge real estate buyers, hoping to find a condo close to Harvard Square, will want to check out any available condos at 50 Follen Street.
Located just around the corner from the Cambridge Common and close to Harvard Law School, 50 Follen is a convenient location on a residential side street.
50 Follen St Cambridge MA – History
50 Follen Street was built in 1940 as the Puritan Arms Apartments. Forty years later in 1980, the building was converted to condominiums.
50 Follen Street Cambridge MA – Condo Features
Many of the condos have views of the Cambridge Common or the pretty yards and houses on Follen Street. One of the most memorable features of the Puritan Arms Condominiums is the lobby. The expansive lobby has a flagstone floor, fireplace and beamed ceiling. Other features of the building include:
- Five story building with 90+ condos
- Studios, one-bedrooms and two bedrooms
- 286 to 1114 square feet
- Elevator building
- Heat and hot water included in condo fee
- Full-time super
- Professional management
- On street parking for most units
- Pet may be allowed by trustee permission
50 Follen St Cambridge – Real Estate Sales
There’s been just one recent sale at 50 Follen Street – a three-room one-bedroom 705 sq.ft. condo that sold for $326,000 in 2010. One bedroom condos have rented recently for $1900 to $2200.
If units are available in the building they’ll appear below. Click on the small photo for more information and additional photographs.
The Puritan Arms Condos are located at 50 Follen Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Medford Properties Sold in September 2010
Welcome to the Medford Real Estate Recap
Here’s a quick look back at Medford properties sold in September 2010.
Medford Real Estate On the Market
On September 30, 2010 223 residential properties were on the market in Medford priced between $159,900 and $1,300,000. That’s a 38% increase in properties for sale from this time last year at this time when just 138 homes were listed for sale.
Medford Properties Sold In September 2010
43 properties sold in Medford during September 2010 – that’s the second month to month increase in sales with an increase of more than 25% compared to August’s sales. The median sales price in September was $340,000. Properties that sold had been on the market an average of 77 days and sold for an average of 97% of the list price.
27 single family houses sold in September for sales prices between $132,000 and $555,000. The median sales price for a single family home was $340,000. Houses were on the market 77 days on average and sold for an average of 96% of the list price.
9 condos sold in Medford last month priced between $199,900 and $433,000. The median price was $255,000. Condominiums sold for an average of 98% of the list price and were on the market an average of 102 days.
7 multi-family houses sold during September for prices from $325,000 to $512,500. The median price paid was $460,000. Multi-families sold for an average of 97% of the asking price and were on the market an average of 48 days.
Total value of Medford properties sold in September 2010 was $14,732,097.
Also see:
Medford Home Sale Report August 2010
SEARCH FOR PROPERTIES FOR SALE IN MEDFORD MASS
Information about Medford properties sold in September 2010 from MLSpin
Massachusetts Archaeology Month
October 2010 Is Massachusetts Archaeology Month
Massachusetts Archaeology Month Last night I attended a lecture at the Jason Russell House in Arlington. The lecture was sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society and the Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum.
Patricia Capone of the Peabody Museum at Harvard spoke on Unlocking Arlington’s Past: Archaeology and Native Americans of the Region. Her talk focused on an archaeological project at Harvard where the remains of Harvard’s 1655 Indian College are being unearthed in Harvard Yard.
Turns out that October 2010 is Massachusetts Archaeology Month. Events are offered all over the state this month. Here are some of the free events:
Acton: Mapping Acton’s Development Using Early Surveys. Wed, Oct 13, 2010 7:30 pm at the Acton Memorial Library
Acton: Faulkner Homestead Archaeology. Sun, Oct 24, 2010 3 – 5 pm at 5 High Street
Billerica: Archaeological Investigations of the Ten Hills Bridge and Middlesex Canal in Somerville. Thurs, Oct 14, 2010 7 pm Middlesex Canal Museum, 71 Faulkner Street
Hudson: Tour of Gleasondale Railroad Junction. Sun, Oct 17, 2010 9:00 am Assabet River Rail Trail lot off Wilkins Street
Wayland: Mansion Inn Site Tour. Sat, Oct 16, 2010 2:00 pm Russell’s Garden Center on Route 20
This is just a small sample of the events offered throughout October for Massachusetts Archaeology Month. More information about these events and other offerings is available at the state’s website.
“Unearthing the Past” is the theme of Massachusetts Archaeology Month October 2010.
Arlington Properties Sold In September 2010
Welcome to the Arlington Real Estate Report
Here’s a quick look back at Arlington properties sold in September 2010.
Arlington Real Estate On The Market
There were 166 Arlington properties on the market on September 30, 2010 priced from $135,900 to $1,259,900. Average days on market for these properties was 98.
Arlington Properties Sold In September 2010
32 Arlington properties sold in September 2010. The median price paid in September was $462,500. Homes sold on average for 98% of the asking price.
13 single family houses sold in September for prices ranging from $335,000 to $655,000. The median price paid was $484,900. Houses were on the market an average of only 21 days and sold on average for 99% of the asking price.
16 condos sold in Arlington in September 2010 for prices from $160,000 to $600,000. The median sales price was $378,500. Condominiums sold for an average of 97% of the list price and were on the market an average of 74 days.
3 Arlington multi-family houses sold in September for prices between $460,000 and $632,500. These properties were on the market an average of 117 days and sold on average for 99% of asking price.
Total value of Arlington properties sold in September 2010 was $14,377,825.
SEARCH FOR ARLINGTON MASS REAL ESTATE
ARLINGTON Home Sale Report August 2010
Information about Arlington properties sold in September 2010 from MLSpin
Save The Pink Bathroom – Website Wednesday
Mine's Blue - But Pink Is Good Too
Save The Pink Bathroom – Website Wednesday Vintage bathrooms – of the 1940s to 1960s vintage that is – quite often are blue or pink. Completely blue or completely pink.
My house came with the blue version – blue floor, blue ceramic tile, blue tub, toilet and sink. Every accessory was blue too – shower curtain, scale, cup, etc.
Turned out the toilet was a goner when I moved in. The plumber looked worried, “I don’t think I can get a toilet that color”. I confess to replying “No problem!”. I was not yet an appreciator of the vintage colored bath.
It’s the pink bathrooms though that really seem to freak out homebuyers. Guys, in particular, typically can’t seem to get their head around the all-pink decor.
One of my favorite websites, Save the Pink Bathrooms, is just what you need to make that mental shift and see your pink – or blue – vintage bath as a feature, not a defect.
Save the Pink Bathrooms is an offshoot of Pam Kueber’s fabulous blog Retro Renovation and many of the links will lead you there (be careful – you may find yourself reading for a long time – it’s addictive).
So don’t run from that house or condo with a pink bathroom – embrace it. Play up its vintage fabulousness – or decorate it with complementary wallpaper (yes – wallpaper – it can be the perfect contrast to the colored tile) and accessories. Vintage baths from this era were installed when quality materials were the norm and many of them have a lot of years left.
Save the Pink Bathrooms! And the blue ones too!
At Home by Bill Bryson
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
At Home by Bill Bryson It didn’t take me long after reading the Boston Globe‘s review of Bill Bryson’s newest book to head on over to Porter Square Books to pick up a copy.
The book is irrestible to me – about one of my favorite subjects, written by one of my favorite authors.
In At Home: A Short History of Private Life Bill Bryson delves deeply (it really isn’t “short” – it’s a hefty 497 pages) into the history of each room in his Victorian house in chapters that include The Cellar, The Bedroom, The Stairs, The Nursery, and many more. The topics in At Home are actually far ranging as Bryson’s plan was to write “a history of the world without leaving home”. I’ll have to report back on just what that entails since I haven’t yet finished – ok – started – the book.
Books about the idea of home – it’s history and evolution, what we think about it, what people thought about it in the past, etc. – line my shelves. I’m delighted to get Bill Bryson’s take on it.
Bryson’s been one of my favorites since I first read The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America years ago. Bryson wrote about America as he retraced the vacation trips of his childhood. It’s laugh-till-you-cry-funny. There are a number of Bryson books in my collection but another favorite is A Walk In the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.
If you haven’t been introduced to Bill Bryson’s books you’re in for a treat.
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson is published by Doubleday and available at your local bookstore.
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