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.
Belmont Real Estate Sold In May 2010
Belmont MA Real Estate Report
Here’s a quick look back at Belmont real estate sold in May 2010.
Homes On The Market In Belmont MA
113 homes were listed for sale in Belmont on May 31, 2010 for prices ranging from $164,900 to $2,795,000. Average days on market was 82.
Belmont Real Estate Sold in May 2010
21 homes sold in Belmont during the month of May. Homes had been on the market an average of 81 days and sold for an average of 98% of asking price.
11 single family houses sold in May for sales prices between $540,000 and $1,204,000. The median price was $718,000. Average days on market was 79 and houses sold for an average of 97% of list price.
9 condominiums sold in Belmont in May 2010 for prices between $166,000 and $601,500. The median price was $320,000. Condos sold for an average of 99% of the asking price.
It wasn’t a big month for multi-family sales. Just one multi-family house sold last month for $585,000.
Total value of Belmont real estate sold in May was $12,038,000.
Also see:
BELMONT REAL ESTATE MARKET – April 2010
Info about Belmont real estate sold in May 2010 is from MLSpin.
Hawks In High Places
Hawk on St Peter's Steeple on Concord Ave
Hawks In High Places If you keep your eyes peeled and look in the right places it’s more and more common to spot hawks in Cambridge when you’re out and about.
I’ve learned to look at the highest points around – and that’s often a church steeple. I love to see a hawk sitting way atop the spire – surveying his territory below.
The hawk at right is a regular visitor to the steeple at St. Peter’s at 96 Concord Ave in Cambridge near my Coldwell Banker Real Estate office.
I took the second photo earlier this year of a similarly positioned hawk – he’s a bit hard to see in the picture – on a steeple in West Medford.
Pity the poor pigeons on the ground below – it’s difficult to escape the sights of that hawk as he makes dinner plans from his high perch.
Hawk in West Medford
Watertown Real Estate Sold In May 2010
Welcome to the Watertown Real Estate Market Report
As the month comes to an end lets take a quick look back at Watertown real estate sold in May 2010.
On the Market in Watertown
156 Watertown residential properties were listed for sale in the MLS on May 31, 2010 priced between $180,000 and $1,785,000. These homes had been on the market an average of 101 days. That’s a 17% increase in inventory from this time last year when 129 homes were on the market.
It does appear that some of the spring market sales were pushed into the earlier months of the year as buyers tried to take advantage of the credit. If inventory continues to grow there may be pressure on prices in some segments of the market.
Watertown Real Estate Sold In May 2010
Total value of Watertown real estate sold in May 2010 was $$12,726,994
See Also:
Watertown Real Estate Market – April 2010
Info about Watertown real estate sold in May 2010 from MLSpin
Segways in Cambridge
Cambridge Segway riders by City Hall
Segways in Cambridge I did a double take when I saw this group of Segway riders near City Hall in Cambridge today. Given their yellow vests and where they were at first I thought it was a new mode of transportation for municipal employees.
Turns out that Segway tours are offered in Cambridge by Boston Gliders. I wouldn’t mind taking the tour in order to test drive one of these. Not sure if I can sign on if the helmet’s required – never mind the vest – ugh. I grew up in the era of three-speed bikes and no helmets and have yet to don protective headgear.
Segways look like fun though. They seem like a great option for real estate agents – we spend a lot of time in city traffic – errands to the fire station, property showings around town, visits to the Registry of Deeds – a Segway seems like just the ticket. And I’ve long had a vision of 75 Cambridge real estate agents zipping around the city on Segways for our weekly tour of new listings – but my coworkers will take some convincing.
Memorial Day Parades
Memorial Day Observances this weekend
Many people – including real estate agents! – leave town for the long holiday weekend. But if you’re sticking close to home and want to attend the Memorial Day observances – or just avoid the detours – here’s the scoop on local Memorial Day Parades.
Cambridge Memorial Day Parade
The Memorial Day parade in Cambridge will take place on Monday, May 31, 2010. The parade starts with a cannon salute at the Cambridge Common at 9:30 am. The parade then goes through Harvard Square, down Mount Auburn Street, and ends with a Memorial Day observance at the Cambridge Cemetery on Coolidge Avenue which starts at approximately 11 am.
Somerville Memorial Day Parade
The parade in Somerville leaves the City Hall – High School complex on Highland Avenue at 1 pm on Saturday, May 29, 2010. It runs down Highland Ave and concludes at the Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Teele Square on Broadway.
Earlier in the day a ceremony begins at 8 am at the American Legion Post #19 at 124 Highland Ave. There will be a short procession down Highland to the Central Library and wreaths will be laid at monuments along Central Hill Park.
Arlington Memorial Day Parade
The parade in Arlington begins at the Walgreen’s parking lot on Mass Ave on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 9:30 am. The parade proceeds to Monument Park in Arlington Center for a wreath laying and service and then continues to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.
Watertown Memorial Day Parade
The parade in Watertown forms at the Tufts Health Care parking lot at Arlington and Grove Streets and begins at noon on Monday, May 31, 2010. The parade runs down Mount Auburn Street to Main Street and ends at Saltonstall Park with a brief service.
Belmont Memorial Day Parade
The parade in Belmont will begin in Cushing Square at 11 am on Monday, May 31, 2010. Participants will march to the Belmont Cemetery at the intersection of Huron Ave and Grove Street and then to the Belmont High School.
Medford Memorial Day Observance
There is no parade in Medford but there will be a Veterans Ceremony held at Oak Grove Cemetery on Monday, May 31, 2010.
Congratulations Graduates!
Commencement Cupcake from the Danish Pastry House
Today was Harvard’s commencement and I couldn’t help but think of all the happy graduates – and their proud families – as I ate my commencement cupcake at the Danish Pastry Shop on Boston Ave in Medford. So technically this is a Tufts cupcake – Tufts students graduated on Sunday, May 23rd.
Believe me, it’s been a tough week for driving around here – graduates and their guests were causing traffic jams left and right. You can’t help but share in the excitement though when you see the students and the faculty in their gowns. Congratulations to all!
35 Pemberton Street Cambridge Condos
Condos at 35 Pemberton St Cambridge
35 Pemberton Street Cambridge is an eight-unit condo building in North Cambridge. Designed in 1916 by Cambridge architect Charles Herbert Bartlett, the building was converted to condos in 1998.
Pemberton is a pretty residential street with a nice mix of turn-of-the-century houses and multi-families. There are public tennis courts on Pemberton Street, a branch of the Cambridge Public Library nearby on Rindge Ave, and the shops and restaurants of Mass Ave are around the corner. It’s an easy walk to Davis Square or Porter Square.
35 Pemberton Street Condos Feature:
- Two-bedroom, one bath condos, 925 – 1004 sq.ft
- Four story building
- Hardwood floors
- Porch
- Parking
- Professionally managed
- Heat and hot water included in the condo fee
- Pet friendly
- Laundry and storage in the basement
35 Pemberton St Cambridge Real Estate Sales
- A 1004 sq.ft 3rd floor condo sold for $409,000 in 2009
- A 925 sq.ft. 1st floor condo sold for $375,000 in 2009
If there are condos for sale in the building they’ll appear below. Click on the small photo for more information and additional photographs.
Info about sales at 35 Pemberton Street, Cambridge, MA 0214o from MLSpin.
Widener Library at Harvard Before the Digital Days
The front page article in the Boston Globe on Monday about digitization efforts at Harvard’s libraries caught my eye. Before I became a real estate agent in Cambridge I was an archivist. As a lifelong lover of all things on paper I shudder at the thought of the venerable Harvard libraries going down the digital path in lieu of paper.
The article does give me a good excuse though to share another postcard find from the Brimfield flea market. I love this 1915 view of students studying in Widener Library, the year it opened. My photo of the card doesn’t do the detail justice. The large reading room is filled with students – all male – reading, many with their hat on the table beside them.
Vintage postcard of Widener Library at Harvard in 1915 the year it opened
If you want to read about the impact on the historical record when libraries ditch paper be sure to check out Nicholson Baker’s book Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper. As much as I’m tempted to link that title to Amazon I’m resisting since I’m also a fan of bookstores and libraries. Visit one today!
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