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.
Somerville Real Estate Market Activity – June 2009
Welcome to the Somerville Real Estate Market Report
Before the month gets away from me let’s take a look back at the Somerville real estate market in June 2009.
Somerville Real Estate Market – Homes for Sale
282 residential properties were on the market in Somerville on June 30, 2009 ranging in price from $1 to $1,600,000. The average days on market was 107.
And yes – that low price is $1. It appears to be a marketing technique – a condo that was on the market for about six weeks, originally priced at $329,000 and reduced in incremental drops to $307,000 was repriced at $1 a couple of weeks ago. The listing suggests that buyers can “put a true value” on the condo but also notes that if you “come in with a strong offer this condo could be yours”. Clearly despite the teaser price the seller is still looking for a reasonable price however he or she defines that. And incidentally, the lowest “real” asking price for a home in Somerville is $115,000.
Somerville Real Estate Sales in June 2009
64 Somerville houses sold during the month of June. This was an increase of over 50% from May when 40 residential properties sold. The average sales price was $408,145. The median sales price was $381,500. The average days on market was 79.
7 single family homes sold in June. The least expensive house sold for $132,500 and the most expensive home sold for $802,000. The median sales price was $340,000. In June Somerville single family homes sold for an average of 96% of list price. Average days on market was 117.
42 Somerville condos sold in June. The least expensive condominium sold for $177,000. The most expensive condo sale price in June was $657,000. The median condo sales price was $381,500. The average days on market was 78. Somerville condos sold in June for an average of 98% of list price.
15 multi-family properties sold in June for prices ranging from $215,000 to $859,000. The median sales price in June was $417,500. Multi-unit houses sold for an average of 95% of asking price. Average days on market was 64.
Total Somerville closed residential sales volume in June was $26,121,300.
See Also:
May 2009 Somerville Real Estate Activity
Information about Somerville real estate market activity from MLSPIN
Julia Child Lived Here – 103 Irving Street Cambridge
As I watched yet another ad for the new movie Julie and Julia I figured it was time to write a quick post about Julia Child, or more specifically about Julia Child’s house at 103 Irving Street in Cambridge.
Julia Child and her husband Paul moved into this large Cambridge Victorian in 1961. Irving Street is lined with substantial turn-of-the-century houses and is just blocks from Harvard Square. It is a neighborhood long popular with Harvard professors among them Child’s friend and neighbor, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who lived one block over on Francis Avenue, Cambridge’s “Professor’s Row”.
Julia Child's House in Cambridge Massachusetts
If people knew anything about Julia Child’s house it was the kitchen that was most familiar. That well used kitchen, known to so many from the cooking shows that were taped there, was described by Julia as “the most loved and most used room in the house.” Child retired to California for the last few years of her life and the house was sold. First however, the kitchen in its entirety was removed from the house and sent to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 2001.
The Childs’ home was like many wonderful old houses we see in Cambridge – little changed in decades. And like so many others it was purchased by a developer and transformed. A sleek and stylish kitchen was designed, six new bathrooms installed, central air conditioning, central vac – all the bells and whistles that are popular with buyers today in the price range. The newly renovated house was sold in 2004 for $3,755,000. It has since changed hands again for $3,700,000.
But as a woman commented, riding by on her bike as I snapped a photo of 103 Irving Street, “It will always be Julia Child’s house”.
For more about Julia’s neighborhood, take a virtual walk down the street with a slide show and info about the history, architecture and real estate on Irving Street in Cambridge.
The Arlington Real Estate Market in June 2009
Welcome to the Arlington Real Estate Market Review
Now that the real estate sales figures are in let’s take a quick look at how the Arlington MA real estate market fared in June 2009.
Properties Currently on the Market in Arlington Massachusetts
129 residential properties were on the market in Arlington on June 30, 2009. Homes were priced between $174,900 and $1,095,000. Average days on market was 73.
Arlington Real Estate Sales in June
June real estate sales in Arlington reflect properties where sellers accepted offers some six to eight weeks before the closing.
56 homes sold in Arlington during June with an average sales price of $449,966 and a median sales price of $434,500. The average days on market was 61.
27 Arlington single family homes sold in June for sale prices from $365,000 to $822,000. The median price for a single family house sold in June was $510,000. Average days on market was 49. Houses sold for an average of 99% of list price.
24 condos sold in June. The least expensive condominium sold for $142,500. The most expensive Arlington condo sold in June for $645,000. The median price paid for a condo was $345,050. Arlington condos sold for an average of 98% of the asking price. Condos were on the market for an average of 81 days.
5 multi-family properties sold during June. Sale prices for multi-families ranged from $410,000 to $674,000. Multi-families sold for an average of 99% of asking price and were on the market an average of 29 days.
Total Arlington residential real estate sales volume closed in June was $25,198,100.
SEARCH FOR ARLINGTON MA REAL ESTATE
155 Brookline Street Cambridge – Lofts and Townhouses in Cambridgeport
155 Brookline Street, Cambridge MA 02139
The condos at 155 Brookline Street in Cambridge MA offer a variety of loft-like floor plans and multi-level townhouses. The Edna St. Vincent Millay condominiums were converted from a former manufacturing facility built in 1914. In this popular Cambridgeport neighborhood Central Square is down the street in one direction, the BU Bridge and Boston in the other.
The building originally housed a machine shop and was home to the George H. Dyer Co. The twenty condominiums take full advantage of the huge windows and open spaces of this converted building with ceilings 14 ft. in height or more. Some of the condos are on one level, others are larger townhouse style units with as many as four levels. Condos range in size from 1137 s.f. to 2240 s.f.
Features of the Edna St. Vincent Millay Condos
Some of these two and three-bedroom condos have private roof decks with views of the Boston skyline, and there is a landscaped courtyard at the center of the complex. Condominium features include:
- Central air conditioning
- High ceilings
- Parking
- Gas fireplace
- In-unit laundry hookups
- Hardwood floors
In case you’re wondering (I know I am) I don’t know the story behind the somewhat unusual name of the condo association and don’t know if there’s any relationship between the poet and this location. If you have the scoop let us know!
155 Brookline St Cambridge MA Real Estate Sales
Five condos at 155 Brookline Street sold in 2013 – 2014:
- A 1987 sq.ft. 3 bedroom condo with 2.5 baths and a renovated kitchen sold in 2013 for $900,000
- A 2069 sq. ft. 3 bedroom condo with 2.5 baths sold in 2013 for $918,000
- An 1884 sq. ft. 3 bedroom condo with 2.5 baths sold in 2013 for $822,500
- A 1986 sq.ft. 2 bedroom condo with 2.5 baths (renovated kitchen and bath) sold in 2014 for $1,214,000
- A 1790 sq.ft. 2 bedroom condo with 2.5 baths sold in 2014 for $950,000
Soaring spaces, sleek styling, a super location – there’s a lot to like about the lofts and townhouses at 155 Brookline Street in Cambridge MA. If any condos are available at 155 Brookline Street they’ll show below. Click on the small photo for more info and additional photos.
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH FOR CAMBRIDGE CONDOS
Hoping to find a townhouse or loft in Cambridge? I can help with that! Call me at 617-504-1737 or email me at [email protected].
Liz Bolton, ReMax Destiny, Cambridge. Info about condo sales at 155 Brookline Street Cambridge from MLSpin
The Monthly Numbers – Cambridge Real Estate Market – June 2009
June is one of the busiest months for Cambridge real estate closings. Here’s a look at Cambridge real estate sales in June 2009:
Cambridge Real Estate Inventory
On June 30, 2009 there were 410 residential properties on the market in Cambridge MA.
The least expensive property had an asking price of $199,500, the highest priced home was listed for sale at $4,850,000. Average days on market was 110.
It’s interesting to note that as I write, only eight days later, there are only 375 properties listed for sale in Cambridge. Many properties have been going under agreement in the last couple of weeks – and few came on last week due to the holiday. We may see an uptick in inventory this weekend – our weekly tour of new Coldwell Banker listings had at least eighteen properties on it this morning.
Cambridge Real Estate Sales during June 2009
95 residential property sales closed in Cambridge during June – an increase of more than 25% over May’s closings. The average sales price was $522,081. The median sales price was $418,000. Average days on market was 75.
13 single family homes sold in June priced from $365,000 to $2,287,500. Homes that sold had been on the market for an average of 70 days. Houses sold for an average of 99% of asking price.
76 condos sold in June in Cambridge. The least expensive condo sold for $191,500. The most expensive condo sales price was $1,420,000. The median condo sales price in June was $390,000. Condominiums sold for an average of 97% of the asking price. Average days on market was 77.
6 Cambridge multi-family houses sold in June 2009 for sale prices from $465,000 to $1,061,250. The median sales price was $897,500. Average days on market was 51.
Total closed residential real estate sales volume in Cambridge in June was $49,597,650.
Information from MLSpin.
For a look at last month’s numbers:
Click here for the May 2009 Cambridge Real Estate Market Report
The Mid-Year Mark – Medford MA Real Estate Market Activity – June 2009
Half the year has flown by – here’s the sixth installment of Medford MA Real Estate Market reports.
Medford Real Estate – On Market Snapshot
On June 30, 2009 160 residential propertieswere on the market in Medford Massachusetts. Asking prices ranged from $139,900 to $1,200,000. Average days on market was 112. The median price of homes for sale in Medford was $354,450.
June 2009 Real Estate Sales in Medford MA
56 properties sold in Medford in June with an average sales price of $339,622. The median sales price was $324,250. Average days on market was 79. Homes sold for an average of 97% of asking price.
26 Medford single family homes sold in June. The least expensive sale was for $259,300. The most expensive sale price was $539,000. The median sale price for a single family home was $350,500. Average days on market was 70. Homes sold for an average of 97% of asking price.
There were 20 condo sales in Medford in June. The least expensive price paid for a condo was $127,500. The most expensive Medford condo sold in June for $488,500. The median condominium sales price was $287,500. Condominiums sold for an average of 96% of the asking price. The average days on market was 103.
10 multi-families sold in June in Medford MA. Multi-family homes sold for an average of 96% of list price. The lowest price paid for a multi-unit property was $270,000. The highest sale price was $433,000. The median price paid was $340,000. Average days on market was 55.
Total Medford residential real estate sales volume closed in June was $19,018,811.
Information about the Medford real estate market in June 2009 was based on data in MLSpin
Franklin Street Cambridge – Real Estate Rambles
House on Franklin Street in Cambridge MA
Franklin Street, with its interesting variety of house styles and location between Harvard Square and Central Square, is popular with Cambridge real estate buyers. Franklin Street is a one-way street running from Putnam Avenue to one block past Sidney Street, ending at Landsdowne Street near MIT. A walkable a location as you can find, Franklin Street parallels Mass Ave, just two blocks in towards the Charles River, and crosses through two popular Cambridge neighborhoods, Cambridgeport and Riverside.
History of Franklin Street Cambridge
Franklin Street was one of the first streets laid out in the Cambridgeport neighborhood. Between 1800 and 1801 Judge Francis Dana, who owned a large portion of what is now Cambridgeport, laid out Franklin, Brookline, and Pearl Streets and began to sell lots of land. Originally named Second Parallel Street it was renamed in 1838 in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin Street Houses
There’s a funky charm to the houses on Franklin Street which are varied in style and more modest in scale than some Cambridge neighborhoods. Most homes sit close to the brick sidewalks and there are a good number of trees lining the street. Homes on the street range from small single family houses to multi-families to mid-sized condominium buildings.
Most houses on Franklin Street were built from the 1830s to the 1890s, with triple deckers filling some lots in the early 1900s. More recent buildings include the round building at 348 Franklin Street, built in 1965 and now condos, a modern apartment building at 345 Franklin, a seven-story condo building at 332 Franklin Street built in the late ’80s, and an 18-unit condominium building at 369 Franklin built in 2003.
Franklin Street, Cambridge Real Estate Sales
Single family home sales in the last five years ranged from $426,550 to $1,125,000. The average sale price was $713,694.
18 condos sold in the last two years for prices that ranged from $300,000 to $547,000. The median sales price was $452,000. The average price per square foot was $441
There have been just two sales of multi-family properties in the last few years on Franklin Street. A triple-decker sold in 2007 for $1,065,000. In 2008 a triple decker and two two-families sold as a package for $1,450,000 which strikes me as a good deal.
Click on the triangle below to see some more photographs:
SEARCH FOR HOMES ON FRANKLIN STREET
SEARCH FOR CAMBRIDGE REAL ESTATE
Calling all Cambridge Photographers – Your Photo Could be Next Year’s Parking Sticker
Submit your Cambridge photos now
Would you like your photograph to appear on cars all over Cambridge? Here’s your chance!
There are just a few more weeks to submit photographs of Cambridge to the City for next year’s Cambridge Resident Parking Permit photo.
Each year the City of Cambridge invites people to submit photos of Cambridge scenery. The winning photograph will be the image on the next year’s resident parking sticker.
To enter the photo contest, JPEGs of Cambridge scenery can be submitted via email to [email protected]
Deadline for entries is July 31, 2009. Check the City of Cambridge website for contest rules.
More than 100 photos were entered in the contest in 2008. You can see the beautiful photographs of Cambridge that were submitted to last year’s Cambridge Resident Parking Permit photo contest here.
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