New Real Estate Developments in the Area

There's a few new housing developments we've noticed close to us recently that bear mentioning.

image courtesy of http://www.altabrighamsquare.com/brigham-square

First, there's Alta Brigham Square by Wood Residential. Its on the former site of Brigham's Ice Cream headquarters in Arlington. The construction seems to be moving along, though the website still says there's a website coming soon and there's no date available for leasing/move in. They have a Facebook page you can check out here.

image courtesy of http://www.windsorcommunities.com/apartments/boston/vox/

Another one is Vox Two by Windsor Communities. This is the one going up right by Lanes and Games/Alewife Station, on the site where Faces used to be. Their website says units will be available starting May 2013.

image courtesy of http://ccfne.com/?portfolio=70-fawcett-street

The third property, 70 Fawcett St. Cambridge, is still in the early stages of construction. According to a website, the 428 apartment building will be called Atmark and the first of two buildings will be ready the summer of 2013. The developers also state that are "breaking ground in developing Cambridge's next neighborhood district." While we are excited to see the new complex, we hope it stays a least a little industrial as our warehouse is within walking distance and we like it there!

Besides being under construction properties, these three developments have one other thing in common. They're close to us! If you hope or plan to move into any one of these three residences give us a call! Its short to almost non-existent travel time back to our warehouse from both Atmark and Vox Two and only approximately 15 minutes travel back from Alta Brigham Square. Less travel time means a more affordable move. Not, only that, but we have a certificate of insurance should any of the buildings require it and we are familiar with working with new construction.

We'll keep checking in on these buildings as they progress. Based on their websites, they look like they'll be fantastic!

Rents Continue to Increase in the Boston Area

"Boston is a desirable place to live," says Eric Belsky, managing director of Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies in a Boston Globe article today.

Of course, we Bostonians (and greater Bostonians) know this, but we also know that can translate into some pretty high rents. Much as other Globe articles have recently mentioned (and we've blogged about here and here), the rising rents are due in part to the current state of the housing market. People just aren't buying right now, so they continue to rent and prices continue to rise in response to the demand.

Its an interesting article and worth a read whether your looking to rent or buy in the near future. And of course, if you do find that great apartment in or around Boston and need help moving, give us a call!

Boston Condo Sales are on the Rise

Here's some good news for the economy, perhaps bad news if you're looking for a deal on a luxury condo in downtown Boston. Between July and September of this year 823 condos were sold, a 22.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Luxury condos did even better compared to the third quarter of 2010, with 171 condos sold for an increase of 27.6%. The areas considered downtown by The Listing Information Network, who compiled and tracked this data, are neighborhoods like Beacon Hill, Back Bay and Charlestown. Allston, Dorchester and Jamaica Plain are not.

Pricey Boston Neighborhoods

photo courtesy of www.boston.com

There's an article on boston.com today about the most expensive rental neighborhoods in the Boston area. The list of 15 goes from Kendall Square to Newton Highlands, highest rents to lowest (relatively speaking of course). It was put together by RentJuice, a California-based real estate marketing firm.

Some of the neighborhoods could easily have been guessed, but I was surprised some others weren't on the list. For instance, I would have expected Huron Village and Beacon Hill before Kendall Square, but maybe those neighborhoods are considered part of others (like "Cambridge" which shows up there even though its a city instead of a neighborhood). Anyway, its interesting to look at these whenever they come out and see which neighborhoods have moved up in rent.

Realtors we've worked with

Being in the business we're in we interact with a lot of realtors. Here's a list of some realtors we've worked with a lot over the years that we've had nothing but positive experiences with (in case you're looking for a realtor....)

Gail Roberts, Coldwell Banker Cambridge
Thalia Tringo, Thalia Tringo Real Estate
Ed Feijo, Coldwell Banker Cambridge
Lori Orchanian, Coldwell Banker Belmont
John Angier, Coldwell Banker Cambridge
Brad Hartz, Hammond Residential Real Estate Wellesley/Weston