Category Archives: Blog Posts
Southwest Corridor in Boston
One of my favorite places in Boston, are the streets the surround the Southwest Corridor in between the South End and the Back Bay. The reason i like this area is because it is close to everything that the Back Bay and the South End has to offer. For instance, I live on Marlborough Street. I tend not to walk all the way over to Washington street in the south end because its a hike. If I lived closer to streets like St. Botolph, Holyoke Street, Durham Street or Braddock Park, I’m sure I would frequent Washington and Harrison streets more often. I’ve spoke to many clients, friends who say the same about living on Washington and Harrison, they tend to stay more in the South End and venture out less to the Charles River or Copley Square. Do I have any empirical data that supports this genius theory? No. But it is an observation and something worth to consider when picking a neighborhood to live in. Other notable items regarding this area are dog parks, Children’s playgrounds, Sparrow Park, and the proximity of Shaw’s Supermarket.
One of the reasons that prompted me writing this Post was a picture that i found on the Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy Website. It is an old picture that showed what the Southwest Corridor used to look like in 1975. Wow! this area has come a long way.
Restaurant Row in the South End
I wish i could embed this clip that Chronicle did on Tremont Street in the South End, but click here to watch the video The South End is composed of some of the best restaurants in Boston and that is one of the reasons people want to live in the South End.
Now This is a Small Apartment!
The smallest studio that i have seen in Boston was about 8 years ago. The reason i remember this was because i tried to rent it, and at the time i think it was about 180 square feet at just under $800 a month. I have yet to see anything in Boston that small since, but i doubt we will ever compare to the things you can find in NYC. I saw the below video and this is just crazy.
Let me know if you know of anything this small in Boston and how much it costs!!
Boston Rental Rates are Up!!
Check out the Article Below.
This is a rental Article that was Posted in the Globe today and it has already created quite a buzz in the Real Estate market. I’ve written before regarding the high prices and low inventory in Boston, but here are some more statistics. As I said in one of my earlier posts, its good to be a landlord and much more difficult to be a renter these days.
My tip to Anyone looking out there is, if you see a place that you like and you think it is priced “fairly” don’t wait, because everyone else is looking at it too.
Temporary Wallpaper? Great idea For Renters and Stagers.
I came across this company Tempaper that makes temporary wallpaper. I thought this was a great idea for Renters and for people who need to stage a home. I might just have to test this out.
Interesting Article in Boston.com about rental prices in Boston
The one thing I notice n the Rental Business are lack of statistics. Sales is much easier. Here is an interesting article in Boston.com. It includes statistics from Rentjuice which is one of the fastest growing rental database systems out there. It’s geared more towards the entry level studios, and price breakdowns for roomates, nonetheless its good info for what you need to pay if you want to live in Downtown Boston.
Rental Open Houses? Is This a New Trend in Boston Real Estate?
Rental Open Houses?
Recently, I’ve noticed a new trend that is starting to catch on in the Boston rental market. It’s the concept of a rental open house. This type of open house isn’t really the same as a “for sale” open house, its more of a”tool to rent it out quickly and easily. In such cases it is always advisable to seek lawyers help with estate planning cases as they can help you legally in knowing more about the property and the encumbrances involved. In this market, things are going fast. Actually, things can be said for the sales market too (if the product is right), but there are a few differences between the “rental open house” and the “for sale open house”. For sale open houses are tools to increase exposure and get people in the door. According to many carpet cleaning services, open houses for rentals are similar, but there are intended to get multiple offers, and to minimize the amount of showings.
There are a few pro’s for this. Pros are: They can generate large interest and a possible offer over asking (good for the landlord and not the renter), they make it easier for a Real Estate Agent to rent out the property. Why? Instead of showing it 7 times over 4 days, you can get 7 people in one day and rent it out in 2 hours.
Cons for this are really against the renter and real estate agents working for the renter. For instance, I am working with a particular customer and i was trying to get them in the next day after it had been listed. I usually try to keep an eye out for properties, and i like to get clients in, soon after it goes on the market. I saw a great listing, called the listing agent and was told “no showings till the open house.” which was 4 days after the listing had been made open to the public. I did my job, tried to get them in early, no luck. The downside was, my client was not around in 4 days and if they were, it’s not an ideal situation.
The interesting this i see in this concept, is, we don’t see this in slower markets. Now that we are in the busiest season with low inventory and high interest, people sometimes have to bite the bullet and overpay as well as take something a little lesser quality than they had hoped for. This is something that we saw in the sales market during the boom, now its time for the rental market to follow suit.
Bottom Line…..It’s tough to be a renter this Summer. It’s also tough to be an agent working on behalf of the renter. Low inventory + high interest = higher rents and a lot of stress.
Recent Boston Metro article. Rising Rental Rates!
Today the Boston Metro newspaper wrote an article on the rental market and the recent rise of rental prices and the scarcity of rental listings. This is a good market to be a homeowner putting a condo up for rent or an investor with existing properties. It is definitely a difficult market for those searching for their new rental. Even though the article makes it sound like “who would pay for this”, my listing that is featured with that roof deck rented out in 2 showings at asking price. I had people chomping at the bit to get in as well. We will have to see how the rest of the summer goes, but i suspect this rental market will be strong and aggressive for a while and last for over a year.
Click on the link below to see the article
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is #1 in Massachusetts!
CBRB has the biggest market share in Massachusetts as well as the downtown Boston neighborhoods. Check out the Article in Banker and Tradesman.
Cottage for Rent in Brunswick Maine!
Brunswick Maine, Vacation Cottage for Rent.
2.5 Hour Drive from Boston
$800-$900 a week
Delightful guest cottage w/working fireplace on 18 acres of private, wooded shore front. Beautiful waterfront views. There are two bedrooms, one w/queen bed & other w/2 twin beds. Kitchen has microwave, refrigerator, electric stove/oven, coffeemaker, & toaster. Cooking & dining utensils, TV-VCR, telephone, picnic table w/benches & sm/charcoal BBQ & lobster pot included. The views of the New Meadows river (Salt water) here are fantastic. It’s impossible not to Relax here.
