Single Family Home Sales

The chart indicates for single family homes an 8.1% in sales, 12.2% increase in median sale price, and that properties are going under agreement 16.2% faster than last year. While none of these numbers come as a surprise, it may be a shock that experts are predicting we will be staying on the current trend, at least for the meantime.

The largest increase in numbers comes from Multi-Family homes sales that have increased in price by 14.5% since last year as investors and owner occupants alike have been hot for the traditional two family.

One surprising thing to point out is that Condominium sales have increased by 30% since last year.

These collections amount to some of the largest in the world, and represent a cornerstone of modern Armenian Studies. Privately funded by individuals, ALMA is the sole independent museum in the greater Armenian Diaspora. Founded in 1971 by a handful of Armenian business leaders, professionals and educators, ALMA's own history mirrors the impact Armenians have made upon American and World culture.

By 1985, the collections had grown considerably and the museum admitted the public for the first time. Thereafter, the Museum assumed its current residence, a four-story brick and glass building in Watertown, Massachusetts. The 3^rd floor contemporary art gallery has showcased prominent Armenian artists both past and present, from John Berberian's iconic drawings, to noted Armenian artists from both the local and national community.

The Armenian Library and Museum of America boasts a general collection of some 27,000+ books, and approximately 400 titles comprise the circulating collection at any given time.

With a simple phone call to the staff librarian, one can arrange to view special collections: early paintings, oral history, the Herbert Offen Oriental Carpet Research Library Collection, the genocide research collection, pamphlets, audio-visual recordings, and various sundry peripheral materials such as prints, maps, and posters.

Throughout the year, the museum is open Sunday-Saturday, from noon to six on the weekends and noon to eight during weekdays. Group tours are available by appointment only, although a virtual mini tour is always accessible via the ALMA website.

The museum is home to a mixture of traveling and rotating exhibits, averaging 14 annually, ensuring that visits by returning patrons will offer them new experiences. Current exhibits include photographs by Yousuf Karsh (who photographed people from Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King, to Humphrey Bogart and Ernest Hemingway) and the world renowned ‘Permanent Genocide Exhibit’.

For anyone seeking a dynamic and exciting intro to Armenian history and culture, ALMA is an ideal place to begin and end.

The changing seasons and warmer temperatures aren’t the only things that are sizzling in the Boston area. Renewed confidence, a rebounding economy, and low mortgage rates are combining to create Boston real estate bidding wars.

What could be explained as the best-case scenario for sellers in the area, buyers are finding themselves embroiled in serious negotiations when the best properties are attracting numerous offers. Buyers are even making many concessions when trying to get the property that they desire. Some of those concessions include:

• Many buyers are adding thousands of dollars to their offer to try to guarantee that they win the bidding war. This padding in the offer means that homes are selling well above the asking price.
• Some homeseekers are even waiving their right to an inspection to capture the property that they want.
• Buyers are offering incentives like renting the home back to the seller until the seller is able to find a new home.
• This bidding war has even made buyers tug on the seller's emotions. Some buyers have been sending letters and family pictures to try to make a personal connection with the sellers in hopes of having their offer selected.

The number of multiple bids on a home has increased dramatically in the last year. Many homes are receiving several offers and selling in days or weeks instead of months as in recent years. As is customary in Boston real estate, the more affluent neighborhoods are experiencing these bidding wars right now, but the professionals anticipate this will extend to other neighborhoods as buyers expand the areas in which they are hoping to live.

Experts report that the low inventory of homes for sale is partially responsible for causing the bidding wars. As homeowner's confidence rises, more homes will be placed on the market, evening out the supply with the demand.

No matter what property a client wants, the experts caution them to never give up items that they will regret later. For example, it is important to always retain the right to a home inspection and to receive the earnest money back if the financing isn't approved. When finding the home of your dreams, rely on the professionals to guide you through the ever-changing real estate conditions.

Gorgeous, 1,687 sq ft 2003 renovation of a 2 level (2nd-3rd floors) condo near Victory Field. Modern kitchen has granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, recessed lighting and breakfast bar. Open floor plan with hard wood floors throughout, fire place in living room. Third floor offers large sky lit room, French doors, den/study and walk in closet Front and back open covered porches, landscaped yard, 2 deeded parking, 1 covered. Open House Sunday 4/28 12 to 1:30

• Transportation. Fenway is easily accessible via Boston's subway system. The ball park is just a couple of blocks away from the Kenmore "T" station.
• Security. All fans are subject to a security check before entering the ball park. Prohibited items include bags larger than 16"x16"x8", hard-sided coolers, glass bottles and alcoholic beverages.
• Gates open. The five gates to Fenway open two hours before the start of the game for Friday, Saturday and Sunday games and 90 minutes prior to the game for Monday through Thursday games.
• Concessions. Fenway offers a variety of food and beverage items. Among these are the famous Fenway franks (hot dogs), lobster rolls, Italian sausage sandwiches, New England clam chowder and a variety of local and domestic beers.
• Tickets. Red Sox tickets start at just $28 (2013 prices) and are available from the Fenway box office, online or via Ticketmaster.
• Smoking. Fenway Park is a non-smoking facility.

What's around Fenway Park?
Fenway Park is located in an urban area, surrounded by bars and restaurants. These include Boston Beer Works on Brookline Avenue, just steps away from Fenway; Games On, another sports bar/restaurant, also just a short hop from the park; and the Cask and Flagon, located in the shadow of the Green Monster.

Being able to see the Red Sox play live is one of the great things about living in Boston. If you can, be sure to grab a couple of tickets this season and enjoy a trip to the historic, yet still vibrant, Fenway Park.

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5 rooms 3 bedroom ranch in West Watertown Home has replacement windows , hardwood floors, ornamental fireplace , refrigerator, and washer-dryer hookups. Use of back yard, Parking for 2 cars, Near 70 and 70A bus routes. Gas heat and hot water. Pets are not permitted. 

Available 7/1 $2000 tenants to pay all utilties includuing water and sewer.

New Construction! 3 Level Townhouse featuring 3 bedrooms, Master bed w/bath and walk in closet, 2 full & 2 half baths, 2nd floor laundry, 2 car gar w/direct entry to unit. HW floors, crown mouldings, lower level familyroom and private yard. Walk out your front door and access the walking path to Watertown Square to enjoy restaurants, new public library, shops, stores and buses to Harvard Square and Downtown Boston

Brick 2 bedroom Townhouse @ The Village with 1 car parking. Set back from street on quiet courtyard. Updated kitchen, replacement windows, ceiling fans in bedroom, finished hard wood floors, A/C and heating are high-efficiency, and finished heated basement. Nice finished family room or extra bedroom on lower level. New heating system and ability to control heating and ac from cellphone. Area amenities include public transportation, swimming pool, and walking/jogging trails.

Home inspections are complicated and I learned a lot from these two. But the one constant regardless of the property is that a home will almost always cost you more money than you expect because of needed repairs after the purchase. Both of my buyers, within a couple hours of each other both said something along the lines of not expecting some of the work needed when the home inspector gave rough estimates of the work.

It's not always easy to account for the work needed prior to making an offer, especially if location alone gives the property most of its value. This can be true even after viewing the property a couple of times. As a REALTOR® I'm not qualified to answer detailed questions regarding the condition of the heating system, electrical service and other items you can encounter. While overall condition is pretty easy to see, looking for defects in pipes, heating systems, quality of construction, etc. may not be as clear. 

We rely alot on the licensed professionals in the industry to provide us with that valuable information. Yesterday I used Tony Scali from Accurate Home Inspection. Tony's a friendly guy who has been in the industry long enough that he adds value to buyers and educates them without scaring them away from a home purchase. 

Every house is going to need work and it is good to know in advance what needs to be done immediately and what can be looked at as a long term project.

The main reason to perform a home inspection in the first place is to make sure there are no major issues that would prevent the buyer from achieving his or her goals, that they missed during their initial viewing of the property. This is why buyers usually have a home inspection contingency.  It allows them to evaluate the property more carefully before signing a purchase & sales agreement. 

In final thought, do not be afraid when the house you're seeking needs additional work after you have your offer accepted. Expect and prepare for it, because almost every home needs work.