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.
Why Don’t They List The Taxes For The Condo?
Sometimes when you’re looking through the real estate listings of condos for sale you’ll come across condos where no amount for the property taxes is given. Or maybe there’s a bunch of nines – “99999” is often used to fill in a required field when there’s no info to enter. So why don’t they list the taxes for the condo?
Typically a lack of property tax information means that this is a new condo – either a newly built condominium or an existing building – often a multi-family – that’s in the process of being split up and converted to condos.
In the case of an existing building sometimes the listing will show a number that seems too high – much more than you expect to see for annual taxes for a condo in this price range. That may be because the agent has put the tax bill for the entire building in the field. However, as a condo owner you’re only going to be responsible for taxes on your unit – not on the whole building.
When an existing multi-unit building is converted to condos there is typically some lag time before the town or city Assessor assesses the individual condos. Until then your tax bill will be your portion of the bill on the entire building. Your condo’s percentage of ownership is defined in the condo documents.
Let’s say you bought a condo in a triple-decker that’s just been converted to condos. If the units are all the same size your ownership percentage is probably 33.3% – so you would be responsible for one-third of the building’s tax bill until the city recalculates the taxes by unit.
You’ll want to talk to your new neighbors in your building to find out how the tax payment should be handled. Perhaps one person will collect everyone’s checks. Often your lender is collecting money from you each month in an escrow account that will cover your taxes. You want to make sure that your bank only pays your portion – not the whole building’s.
The City of Somerville website has a really good page about taxes for new condos. While much of the information is specific to Somerville, there’s also a good description of what happens tax-wise when new condos are created.
Wondering what your taxes are likely to run? To get a rough idea you can look at the taxes on condos that are assessed for amounts close to the purchase price of your condo. Or check the city or town’s property tax rates and multiply by the sales price of your condo to get an estimate.
Have more questions about your real estate search? Email me or call me at 617-504-1737 – I’m happy to help!
Concord Festival of Authors – Two Weeks for Book Lovers
I was showing property out in the ‘burbs this weekend and grabbed a copy of the Concord Journal to accompany my quick lunch at New London Style Pizza (if I ever get to have a last meal it will be their Italian grinder – for 30 years it’s been my favorite). The Journal had a supplement about the Concord Festival of Authors and I’m amazed by how much will be going on.
The Concord Festival of Authors runs from October 21 to November 8, 2009. There are events in Concord, Lincoln and Lowell and most are free (though donations are welcomed). All sorts of community groups, local businesses and nonprofits are taking part in the festival.
Here’s just a sample of what’s on the schedule:
Howard Dean in Cambridge
Howard Dean is the opening speaker on Wednesday, October 21st at 2:30 p.m. at the Emerson Umbrella. Dean is on the lecture circuit for his new book, Howard Dean’s Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform. We heard him speak in Cambridge a few weeks ago and it was superb.
Verrill Farm presents Chef Fest: A Food Tasting and Book Signing on Saturday, October 24th from noon to 2 p.m. It’s a great chance to visit the Verrill’s beautiful new stand. Participants include:
- Steve Johnson – Executive Chef and owner of Rendezvous in Central Square
- Peter Davis – Executive Chef at Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge and author of Fresh and Honest
- Catherine Walters – author of Raising the Salad Bar
- Lisa Zwirn – author of Christmas Cookies
- Clara Silverstein – author of The Boston Chef’s Table
Mystery Night takes place on Friday, October 30th at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord Libary. Hallie Ephron, author of the “On Crime” book review column in the Globe is the Mistress of Ceremonies and authors include:
- Katherine Hall Page – The Body In the Sleigh
- Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and Jere Smith – Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery
- Thomas H. Cook – The Fate of Katherine Carr
Orchard House Concord
Harriet Reisen, author of Lousia May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, will be at the Concord Bookshop on Sunday, November 1st at 3:00 p.m.
John Wargo, author of Green Intelligence: Creating Environments that Protect Human Health will be at the Wannalancit Mills, UMass Lowell on Friday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. in an appearance sponsored by the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell.
This is just a fraction of what’s planned for the Concord Festival of Authors. There are more than 20 events scheduled. More information and the full schedule can be found at the festival’s website.
The Thoreau Farm Trust included this quote in the Festival supplement – it’s a sentiment that rings true for book lovers –
“Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheiritance of generations and nations”
– Henry David Thoreau
Bowdoin Court – Condos at 41 Bowdoin Street Cambridge
Condos At 41 Bowdoin St, Cambridge MA
39-41 Bowdoin Street is a “Harlow Building”. Designed by Cambridge architect Hamilton Harlow in 1927, Bowdoin Court was originally an apartment building. Now there are 33 condos in this brick, four-story building at 41 Bowdoin Street in Cambridge.
Located mid-way between Harvard Square and Porter Square the building is in the Radcliffe / Avon Hill neighborhood. It’s a walk-to-everything location – the Red Line T and the shops, restaurants, and more on Mass Ave. are nearby.
There are studios, one bedrooms and two bedroom condos in the building ranging in size from 436 sq.ft. to 984 sq.ft.
Features of 41 Bowdoin Street Condos
- Fireplace
- Resident super
Landscaped Entrance at Bowdoin Court
- Hardwood floors
- Moldings and built-ins
- Beautifully landscaped courtyard entrance
- Storage and laundry in the basement
- Heat and hot water included in the condo fee
Recent Sales at 41 Bowdoin St. Cambridge MA
Condominium sales in the building this year included:
- 1st floor 701 s.f. one-bedroom sold for $345,000
- 3rd floor 436 s.f. studio sold for $252,000
- 4th floor 707 s.f. one-bedroom sold for $350,000
If there are condos for sale in the building the listings will appear below. Click on the picture to see more information and pictures.
The Bowdoin Court condos are located at 41 Bowdoin Street, Cambridge MA 02138.
Boston Is A Youth Magnet Says The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, in a much quoted article by Sue Shellenbarger, recently reported on six experts’ views on which “cities will emerge as the hottest, hippest destinations for highly mobile, educated workers in their 20s when the U.S. economy gets moving again.”
View of Boston from Cambridge
Happily Boston made the list. We’re number 11. There were a couple of ties. Humph.
Boston’s been a destination city for young people for years so it’s no surprise we’re on the list. Personally, I think we should have ranked better but there are some great destinations among the winners – Washington DC and Seattle are tied for first, and New York, Austin, and Chicago all made the cut. Those cities would be my top picks too though any list I created would definitely include San Francisco, absent from the “experts'” picks.
So, if you want to see who got the seal of approval from the WSJ’s panel of “demographers, economists, geographers and authors on urban issues” check out the article.
And if you’re thinking of moving to Cambridge or Boston take a look around this site for lots of info about living here, buying here and more.
New Cambridge Hotel on Mass Ave
New Hotel On Mass Ave Under Construction
New Cambridge Hotel Wondered what that new building under construction near Harvard Square is? So did I. Turns out it will be a new 32-room boutique hotel – Veritas at Harvard Square. It’s at the corner of Mass Ave and Remington Street at 1131 Massachusetts Avenue.
The development team includes two brothers who developed the Marina Bay complex in Quincy.
It’s interesting to see how the hotel-to-be mimics the bow front brick building next door. The new hotel replaces a green, three story bow front building that fronted Mass Ave and an auto repair shop on Remington. That property sold for $2,500,000 in 2007.
Looks like Cambridge may be getting several boutique hotels soon. There’s another planned for the Kaya site (formerly home to the Averof restaurant which I always remembered as the place that had belly dancing) in Porter Square. There’s also a proposal for a small hotel at the intersection of Beacon Street and Oxford Street on the gas station site at 369 Beacon Street.
The Calvert – Condos at 7 Centre Street, Cambridge
7 - 7.5 Centre Street, Cambridge MA
The Calvert is a 13-unit condo building at 7 – 7.5 Centre Street in Mid-Cambridge. Built in 1915, the building was designed by architect C.H. (Charles Henry) Bartlett who designed scores of buildings around Cambridge at the turn of the century.
Today these classic Cambridge condos are popular with real estate buyers who appreciate the walk to everything location midway between Harvard Square and Central Square. The building has one, two and three bedroom units ranging in size from 868 sq.ft. to 1304 sq.ft.
Condominium features at 7 – 7 1/2 Centre Street:
- Hardwood floors
- Built-ins and pantries
- Some units have porches
- Many have assigned parking
- Heat and hot water are included in the condo fee
- Common yard with patio
Recent Sales of Condos at 7-7.5 Centre St Cambridge MA:
- 870 s.f. one-bedroom sold for $339,000 in 2008
- 1302 s.f. three-bedroom sold for $514,000 in 2008
- 1304 s.f. two-bedroom sold for $539,000 in 2009
The Calvert is located at 7 – 7.5 Centre St Cambridge MA 02139
Davis Square Condos
Davis Square T Station
Davis Square Condos No doubt about it – Davis Square is a popular location for Somerville real estate buyers. Davis has a Red Line T stop, the bike path, the Somerville Theatre, and plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. There’s a liveliness to the square day and night.
The condominium styles available in the neighborhood are similar to options elsewhere in Somerville and Cambridge – units in converted two and three-family houses, in converted brick buildings – one from the 1930s, one circa 1960, lofts in former industrial buildings, condos in a converted school, and new or recently built townhouses.
In the last 12 months the average sale price for Davis Square condos was $462,504 and the median sales price was $429,500. 52 condominiums sold in the neighborhood (or at least those identified to be in the neighborhood by the listing agent – truth be told some stretch the location a bit and others fail to include the neighborhood designation in the listing entry) for sale prices from $145,000 to $893,000.
Currently 17 condominiums are listed for sale in Davis priced between $299,000 for a one-bedroom in a 15-unit brick building to $1,100,000 for an enormous condo in a converted church. The median asking price per square foot is $388.
Davis Square bench photo courtesy of ekilby
Click on the photos below for more info (and more photos) about these Davis Square condos. If you’d like to take a look at any of these or want some help with your real estate search please give me a call at 617-504-1737. I’d be happy to help! Elizabeth A. Bolton, ReMax Destiny, 907 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02144.
Goodbye Copper Beech
Beautiful Tree's Last Days
It was sad to see that this majestic copper beech on Walnut Avenue in Avon Hill had died. Beeches are my favorite trees and it was hard not to notice this one when I was on the street recently. Growing up, our backyard was filled with beech trees, some with initials carved on the trunks years before the neighborhood existed. The huge copper beeches that are found in front of some of the nicest houses in Cambridge, Newton, Wellesley and other nearby towns are some of my favorite features in those neighborhoods.
So I was tickled to see the article in the Cambridge Chronicle that told of the owners and neighbors memorializing the tree. It’s not surprising to learn that the tree had a big impact on its owners and its neighbors. Trees can do that – even ones less impressive than this beautiful copper beech. I still remember various trees that were on the routes I walked as a child.
Here’s the video of the owners talking about what the tree meant to them:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgwhwjwUBcM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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