Posts Tagged ‘Boston Real Estate’
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
The sun is finally making an appearance after a long winter, and once the snow and ice are cleared from your balconies, it may be time to consider using them! Space is limited in Boston, so consider yourself lucky to have an outdoor place to call your own. Now, accentuate it! Creating a simple and elegant balcony or rooftop garden isn’t hard to do if you have a little patience and plenty of sun.
- Plan your garden. Make a list of your favorite potted plants and flowers and research when they are in season. Draw a map to scale of your patio or balcony to decide what you will place where. Take consideration for where the sunniest spots are, or what areas receive the most wind. Don’t forget to leave room for a few chairs so you can enjoy your garden spot in the sun.
- Worried about having a balcony that’s too small? Vertical growth is always an option. Consider planting a trellis or building an outdoor shelving unit for potted plants. Hanging pots are also great for smaller areas.
- Consider an umbrella or some sort of shade to protect your plants from very hot days with intense sun- added bonus: this can protect you from hot days too!
- Use wooden containers for potting. These are the most insulating during the winter and won’t crack the way terracotta or plastic would.
- Place gravel in the bottom of pots for drainage, and remember to water your plants regularly. Plants in containers dry out more frequently than those placed in natural soil.
- Vary your plant selection. Incorporate bushier shrubs if you have an excess of flowers, or use evergreen plants which can add depth to your variety of greenery.
- Be careful to not place plants on railings or edges where they are likely to fall during windy days and cause a problem with your neighbors!
- Pests and insects are something to be wary of, but be careful using chemicals or pesticides in residential buildings where you could pollute the air.
- For food lovers, you may not have space for fruit and vegetable plants, but small herb gardens in pots are a great way to spice up your outdoor garden.
- The more space you have, the more you can include! Furniture is always a plus for enjoying your balcony with friends.
Tags: apartment garden, balcony, balcony garden, boston garden, Boston Real Estate, outdoors, planting, rooftop garden
Posted in The Happenings, The Trends, You and Us | No Comments »
Monday, April 8th, 2013
It’s the season for renting. Students, young professionals, even families are looking to lay their head in the Boston area, but many don’t know the most efficient way to go about it. Smart City is laying out a step-by-step way to go about renting through one of our reputable agents.
- Figure out what you want. Whether it be the number of bedrooms, the area, the proximity to public transportation, or the price, come into a rental office with a list of requirements. However, be prepared to be flexible.
- Assemble your documents. These include current and past landlord information, student documentation, or paycheck stubs for verification of employment. The sooner you are able to provide these to your rental agent, the faster the process will move along.
- Take notes on apartment showings. Make lists of pros and cons and try to recall specific details of each apartment. A rental agent can really help with these details.
- Come to showings with a checkbook. Be prepared to make a quick decision if you find your dream home. Properties, particularly in Boston, go very quickly.
- Read through your entire lease before signing. This seems straightforward but it’s important to know exactly what you are signing. Have a conversation with your rental agent if you spot anything that confuses you or raises questions.
- Finally, make preparations for your move. Consider parking, elevator access and even the weather on the day of the move.
To get in touch with one of our experienced and talented rental agents to guide you through this process, call (617) 236-0353
Tags: apartments, Boston, boston apartments, Boston Condo, Boston Homes, Boston Real Estate, Boston Trends, Find a Home Boston, how to rent an apartment, real estate, renting, renting boston, The Charles Realty
Posted in The Happenings, The People, The Trends, You and Us | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
While summer may be the warmest season for sales and rentals, spring is the time to prepare your property to go on the market. In fact, with less inventory flooding the market in the spring rather than summer, you’re more likely to have a faster sale if you list soon.
As the economy heats up, students and residents are dying to find home in this crowded city. Get in touch with an agent to warn them in advance of your preparations and plans to list. Ask when they would recommend beginning showings. The warmer the weather gets, the busier our offices become, so don’t wait until the last minute consider listing.
Preparations can include de-cluttering your home and making small updates and fixes here and there. Have conversations with family and friends about storage opportunities while making the move, and ask your listing agent if there are any renovations you should make to increase property value.
Lastly, always consider the overall look and feel of your home in terms of when it’s appropriate to put it on the market. If your home has large windows, listing during sunny weather will emphasize this positive aspect of your home. However, if your home is a top story walk-up, a hot day might turn visitors off from a big flight of stairs, so listing in spring might be the time for you.
To speak with an agent about listing while the market and the weather heat up, please call our offices at (617) 236-0353.
Tags: Boston Real Estate, boston summer, spring summer listing, summer housing boston, summer listing, summer listings boston, sunny boston homes
Posted in The Happenings, The People, The Trends, You and Us | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
A new luxury property for rent in the Charlestown area! 21 Walker Street is now available at $2,350 a month. This sunlit one-bedroom apartment comes with many luxury accommodations. Hardwood floors and a marble bath make this home radiant throughout. The kitchen is fully equipped with Energy Star appliances and cherry cabinets as well as granite countertops. In addition, the home has cathedral ceilings and many convenient extras such as a full washer and dryer and a built-in ironing board. For safety and ease, the apartment has a video entry system that will record images of callers to your home when you’re gone. With easy roof deck access and central A/C and heat, this home is the complete package. Not to mention the great location in charming Charlestown, with access to the highway, shopping and public transportation.
Tags: 21 Walker, apartments, Boston, boston apartment, boston apartments, Boston Condo, Boston Homes, Boston Luxury Building, Boston Luxury Buildings, Boston luxury real estate, Boston Real Estate, Boston Rentals, Charlestown, Find a Home Boston, luxury condo, Luxury home for rent, New Lease, new listing, The Charles Realty, Unit 3
Posted in The Trends | No Comments »
Monday, March 11th, 2013
Hot on the market: two of our most recent listings are located in the luxurious 3 Repton Place in Watertown. This building hosts a wide variety of great amenities including easy parking and a relaxing courtyard with a playground and landscaped grounds. This building is more secluded than properties in downtown Boston, and is convenient for commuters thanks to easy highway access.
Exterior at 3 Repton Place
Unit 3402 is a sweeping three bedroom, two bathroom home with plenty of space for storage and family members, while Unit 3202 also offers additional space with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a den. These homes are the complete package.
Repton Place Luxury Courtyard
Both listings include many desirable aspects: private balcony, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, tall ceilings and dramatic windows letting the sun pour in to these spacious apartments. Additionally, both homes offer not just one, but two garage parking spots per listing. The on-site management and superintendent are always on top of property maintenance. Condo fee includes snow removal, refuse removal and constant exterior maintenance and landscape work.
The Watertown area includes shopping, walking trails, and bike paths for the active homeowner. The latest listings at 3 Repton place are sure to impress anyone seeking a new place to lay their head in the Boston area. Go to www.thecharlesrealty.com or (617) 236-0353 to inquire further with the listing agent, Sarah Glovsky.
Tags: apartments, Boston, boston apartment listings, Boston Condo, Boston Condos, Boston Homes, Boston Luxury Building, Boston Luxury Buildings, Boston Real Estate, Find a Home Boston, luxury condo, new listings, repton place, The Charles Realty, watertown
Posted in The Happenings, The Trends | No Comments »
Friday, March 1st, 2013
The Boston home market is still on the rise. Listings are barely hitting the market before offers come flowing in. We’re not just talking one or two offers either, we’re talking about several offers on single listings. In this brief post we just want to highlight some of the reasons why homes are moving so quickly.
Zillow is reporting a 6.2% increase in home values across the country since last January and a 0.7% increase since December. With this in mind it’s also worth noting that this is the lowest percentage of homes with price reductions on the market in over four years. People know that if they buy now and market trends continue, then there’s potential to make a profit in a matter of just a year or two.
In Boston, as we’ve stressed before, inventory is incredibly low across the city. Thus, home values are up 9.5% from last year. This is a clear reflection of the low inventory, thus making this the ideal sellers market. With this trend, now is the time to put your home on the market. Sellers are receiving multiple offers within just days of listing and the market is only getting busier as we come into the spring.
Sources:
http://www.zillow.com/local-info/MA-Boston-home-value/r_44269/
http://blog.altosresearch.com/three-signs-2013-will-be-the-hottest-housing-year-since-2005/
Tags: Boston Homes, Boston Real Estate, home appreciation, home values, real estate, The Charles Realty
Posted in The Trends | No Comments »
Friday, February 22nd, 2013
Right now going green is the big movement, securing a more sustainable future for all of us. In the Boston area with so many older colonials and victorians it’s difficult to find homes with a green initiative, but there’s a new home on the market in Charlestown and it strives to meet all eco-friendly requirements. This 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom condo offers energy efficient Bosch appliances in the kitchen, energy efficient washer and dryer, fresh air intake, and 99% efficient HVAC.
If that’s not enough “green” for you then there’s always the roof deck along with the roof garden! This home truly has it all, environmentally friendly bamboo floors stretching throughout, granite countertops in the kitchen along with entertaining peninsula, custom blinds, and a video recording security system, you’ll never be at a loss. Don’t worry about storage, there’s plenty including a california closet, hidden coat closet, designed master closet, and towering kitchen cabinets.
For more information contact Betsy Herald at betsyherald@realtor.com or call the office at (617) 236-0353
Tags: Boston Real Estate, Charlestown, charlestown condo, charlestown real estate, eco-friendly, eco-friendly condo, green initiative, The Charles Realty
Posted in The Trends | No Comments »
Friday, February 1st, 2013
Boston’s skyline is expecting a few new developments. We’ve posted about Millennium Place in the past- a new building planned for the downtown area on Washington Street, with 256 luxury units forming fifteen stories of living space. The building will add a modern glass and steel look for eye-catching extravagance in the Boston Common neighborhood.
Millennium Place plans
In addition to Millennium Place, a few other future developments have caught our attention. It’s recently been noted that the Christian Science Plaza, a local landmark known for its reflective pool, will have two new buildings in its midst. Filling up the space previously reserved for public parking and empty city space, the city plans to add “a 50-story tower containing a hotel, condos, stores and restaurants, as well as a 20-story building with additional apartments and retail space” (according to Boston.com.) These two multi-purpose buildings will be planned by Cambridge area developers, “Carpenter and Company.” The Christian Science website states, “Carpenter and its team will be responsible for designing, financing, constructing, and maintaining the new buildings.”
Locations of future Christian Science Plaza developments
While some may bemoan the loss of parking in the Christian Science Plaza vicinity, many are excited at the prospect of more living space alternatives in the Back Bay area, as well as other benefits planned for these new buildings. With restaurants, hotel space, and retail capabilities, the building has potential to add a lot to Boston’s commercial center. The Christian Science landmark, as it stands, will not be affected by these developments. Mayor Menino confirms in a recent statement, “I am very pleased that the development of these buildings will allow the Plaza itself to be maintained for the enjoyment of Boston residents and visitors for many years to come.”
Lastly, a new development in the waterfront area is sure to gain some attention as time goes on. While the city may have approved the “Portside at Pier One” plans eight years ago, it is just now starting construction. The building is intended to be five stories of luxury living space, containing 176 units, and retail space on the ground level. Developers claim that renting each of these living spaces should cost around $3,000 a month. The development, spearheaded by Roseland Property and Co., is a $67 million project.
New Waterfront property to come
As things progress, we can’t wait to see the final products, and we’ll be keeping our eyes out for more construction in and around the Boston area.
Tags: additions to boston, boston apartments, Boston Developments, Boston Real Estate, Boston Waterfront, Carpenter and Company, changes in boston, Christian Science Plaza, construction boston, Downtown Boston, Millennium Boston, new buildings in Boston, Portside at Pier One, The Charles Realty
Posted in Back Bay/Beacon Hill, North End/Waterfront, The Happenings, The Trends | No Comments »
Monday, January 14th, 2013
Recently more numbers and predictions have been released from sites like Zillow, supporting the idea that property values are going to continue to rise. Pictured above is a graph showing the estimated rise in property values based on surveys of 100 economists. With an expected 4.6% rise in home prices in 2013, this is undoubtably the time to buy and sell.
This may seem confusing, but for buyers your property is expected to jump in value and steadily rise in the coming years, while sellers have the opportune moment to put their home on the market, with such low inventory (we know, we sound like a broken record). If you’re looking to sell quickly, things are flying off the market these days, and if you’re looking for a good longterm investment, buying is the right thing to do in this economy.
Event from October to November home value increased by .6%. This is the 13th consecutive month of home appreciation, a positive sign of the recovering real estate market!
Tags: Boston Real Estate, buying, market trends, selling, The Charles Realty, zillow
Posted in The Trends | No Comments »
Friday, December 21st, 2012
As we enter the last week of 2012 and celebrate the holidays, everyone at The Charles Realty wants to say thank you for a wonderful year. We’ve worked closely with many good friends, and built many new relationships this year, and are truly fortunate for all the great things that have come our way in 2012. We all truly enjoy what we do here and would not want it any other way.
Thank you to everyone for your support for The Charles Realty and we’re excited to look to 2013 a promising new year!
Tags: Boston Real Estate, happy holidays, The Charles Realty
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