Beacon Hill Residents Want to Build Esplanade Playground
November 16, 2010
December 1 is the date for the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation’s hearing for a proposal that’s been drawn up by a Beacon Hill parents’ group to build a privately financed playground to the tune of $1.5 million to be located near the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade.
The parents’ group, also known as the Friends of Esplanade Playspace, claims that the current playgrounds around the river are geared more for children under the age of 5, and the large amount of neighborhood grade-school aged children need something more suited to their age, the Boston Globe reported this morning.
The plan calls for a 10,000 square foot space that will be designed for children ages 5 to 12, featuring climbing “rocks”, nets, a jungle gym, slides and swings. The location is slated to be riverside very near to the Esplanade Cafe, and not far from the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge that crosses Storrow Drive.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns and maintains the Esplanade, is backing the project as is Mayor Thomas M Menino. The hope is that it’s completed by the Summer of 2011.
Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and South End Boston Condominium Market for past 6 months
November 15, 2010
Here are the latest MLS statistics for condominiums on Beacon Hill and in the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods of Boston as of 11/15/10.
Beacon Hill:
- 75 condominiums have sold on Beacon Hill
- Average Days on Market – 98.75
- Average List Price per Sq. Ft. – $743
- Average Sale Price $639,895
- Condo’s Under Agreement in the past six months – 16
Back Bay:
- 239 condominiums have sold in the Back Bay
- Average Days on Market – 120.22
- Average List Price per Sq. Ft. – $869
- Average Sale Price $1,058,759
- Condo’s Under Agreement in the past six months – 59
South End:
- 297 condominiums have sold in the Back Bay
- Average Days on Market – 85.23
- Average List Price per Sq. Ft. – $626
- Average Sale Price $644,069
- Condo’s Under Agreement in the past six months – 51
Boston Real Estate Condo Sales – January 1, 2010 – November 1, 2010
November 1, 2010
Please note that this information is only taken from the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and does not include property that may be listed in the LINK listing service.
Back Bay Condo Sales from January 1st, 2010 – November 1st, 2010
Back Bay Condo Sales 2010 – 351 Units Avg. List Price $1,275,195 Avg. Sale Price $1,198,810 (94%) $944/Sq.Ft.
Back Bay Condo Sales 2009 – 277 Units Avg. List Price $1,024,419 Avg. Sale Price $957,107 (93%) $861/Sq.Ft.
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Beacon Hill Condo Sales from January 1st, 2010 – November 1st, 2010
Beacon Hill Condo Sales 2010 – 109 Units Avg. List Price $757,423 Avg. Sale Price $720,981 (95%) $789/Sq.Ft.
Beacon Hill Condo Sales 2009 – 120 Units Avg. List Price $732,306 Avg. Sale Price $697,654 (95%) $821/Sq.Ft.
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South End Condo Sales from January 1st, 2010 – November 1st, 2010
South End Condo Sales 2010 – 426 Units Avg. List Price $648,822 Avg. Sale Price $630,305 (97%) $618/Sq.Ft.
South End Condo Sales 2009 – 375 Units Avg. List Price $674,630 Avg. Sale Price $652,380 (96%) $612/Sq.Ft.
Boston real estate from the eyes of agents; part 1.
September 3, 2010
In my on-going quest to meet with agents around Boston, I’m coming to the conclusion of what I have already known; things in the Boston condo market while temporarily slow are still very strong from a sales perspective. This slowness seems mainly to be due to the time of year, however, it’s also about buyers and sellers being difficult and thus letting deals fall apart.
It’s interesting to get other perspectives but I’ve found over the years that if you’re actively working the marketplace on a daily basis you generally knows what’s happening everywhere. An obvious and somewhat general statement I know, however, when you work in a city as opposed to the suburbs you deal with various neighborhoods with different buying and selling climates. One way I do this (in addition to speaking with agents), is by creating “hot sheets” in the MLS system (Multiple Listing Service), and checking them daily to see what’s new, what’s sitting, etc. It’s also a great way to see who’s selling what.
The dilemma we as agents face is the misperception from the public on what is really going on in the market. There has been so much negative press that people become brainwashed into thinking or believing that the market as a whole is depressed. *While the numbers in the suburban markets might be down the city has continued to sell; consistently. From an agent’s perspective the result of this doom and gloom scenario is that we now must deal with seller’s who are unwilling to budge on a list price and buyer’s who think that they can say and do anything to buy a property because “you know the market is so bad, this seller has to do what we want”…
In speaking with some of the top agents in the city, I am hearing the same things. In looking at actual sales figures for these agents it’s clear that they’re not being affected by a down market in comparison to other years. They’re working it!
With mortgage rates at their lowest level in history it’s such a great time to buy and sell you would think we would have an over-abundance of properties on the market; yet we don’t. Another issue we’ve been dealing with in Boston for some time now is the reduced inventory which in turn keeps the older inventory on the market as those sellers still maintain their stubborn attitude of refusing to lower prices, etc. It seems like a never-ending cycle.
Anyway, all for now. I’ll continue to meet with agents and continue this post again.
4 Alarm Fire
July 9, 2010
Forget the news of LeBron James choosing Miami over Cleveland last night, the real news here in Boston was that of a 4-alarm blaze which engulfed the beloved DeLuca’s Market on Charles St., Beacon Hill. According to the owner, Virgil Aiello who was in the basement at the time unloading produce, he saw and heard a loud pop and flash at the electrical box around 7:00 a.m.
According to firefighters it could take months to re-build which Mr. Aiello says he will do, something he did once before following another fire 27 years ago.
For those of us in and around the neighborhood this is tragic news. DeLuca’s is the kind of corner store which everyone loves. A place where everyone is recognized. My wife is in there pretty much every weekend as am I throughout the week. On warm summer evenings the doors are always open. Need a specific ingredient for a recipe but don’t feel like driving over to Whole Foods? Swing by DeLuca’s.
The store itself has been a landmark of sorts in Boston. It’s a family-run business that’s continued for three generations. Joseph S. DeLuca, an Italian immigrant, bought the store in 1919, and it has not left the family since. It is the oldest grocery in Boston, according to its website, and, for many, the kind of place that grounds one of the city’s most storied neighborhoods.
“Firefighters found it difficult to extinguish the fire in the basement, where cardboard boxes, liquor, and produce caught fire, said Steve MacDonald, Boston Fire Department spokesman. They poured water in from the outside until sometime after noon, when they were finally able to gain entry.” – Boston Globe
I took this shot this morning. The aftermath…
