Photo: 16 Troy Road.
- 91 Channing Rd., Cape-style Colonial (1942). Sold: $639,900.
- 249 School St., Colonial with Dutch gable elements (1929). Sold: $1,381,000.
- 33 Gilbert Rd. #1, First-floor condominium (1925). Sold: $490,000.
- 16 Troy Rd., Cape (1950). Sold: $651,000.
- 100 Clairemont Rd., Extended Colonial (1930). Sold: $1,225,000.
- 10 Holt St., Townhouse condominium (2004). Sold: $850,000.
- 46 Lewis Rd. #2, Walk-up condominium (1924). Sold: $470,000.
A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”
• 91 Channing Rd., Cape-style Colonial (1942). Sold: $639,900. Listed at $649,900. Living area: 1,212 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 76 days.
• 249 School St., Colonial with Dutch gable elements (1929). Sold: $1,381,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 3,044 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bath. On the market: 61 days.
• 33 Gilbert Rd. #1, First-floor condominium (1925). Sold: $490,000. Listed at $449,000. Living area: 1,065 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 62 days.
• 16 Troy Rd., Cape (1950). Sold: $651,000. Listed at $649,900. Living area: 1,306 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath. On the market: 74 days.
• 100 Clairemont Rd., Extended Colonial (1930). Sold: $1,225,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 3,281 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 4 baths. On the market: 120 days.
• 10 Holt St., Townhouse condominium (2004). Sold: $850,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 2,550 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath. On the market: 57 days.
• 46 Lewis Rd. #2, Walk-up condominium (1924). Sold: $470,000. Listed at $425,000. Living area: 1,182 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 50 days.
How does any firm get someone other than their top line executives to move to Boston?
Let’s says mid-level manager Jolene Hightech is moving the family from Huntsville, Alabama (where the percentage of high tech workers in the labor market is second only to Silicon Valley) for a job in Cambridge and decides Belmont is perfect to relocated to because the fabulous schools and a quick commute to work.
In a gated community in the Alabama tech town, they were residing in their less-than-a-decade old 4,000 sq.-ft., four bed, four bath Federalist-style abode on Thayer Street. The amenities are numerous; a formal living, dining room and library – known as “the great room” – with hardwood floors opens to a big kitchen with access to the back patio. Upstairs is the master bedroom suite with a “Glamour Bath.” Homeowners can enjoy outdoor living in the covered front porch after parking their three cars into the garage. Across the street are two parks, a main clubhouse (it is a gated community) with an Olympic-sized pool, “and the neighbors who are all most kind, considerate, and friendly.” It is the South, y’all.
The price tag in ‘bama: $650,000.
So Jolene comes to one of the many friendly Belmont salespeople and says, “What can I see in the $650,000 price range?
![$650K will get you this in Huntsville, 'Bama.](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.26.37-PM-350x253.png)
$650K will get you this in Huntsville, ‘Bama.
![and this in Belmont, Mass.](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.27.03-PM-350x230.png)
and this in Belmont, Mass.
How about a 65-year-old post war framed Cape – with original wallpaper – in which the entire house could fit into the Huntsville’s “great room?” The bad news; there is only one bath room for the entire household. The good news, it’s inside. There is a chance that Jolene could carve out a study on the first floor but that would require sacrificing a bedroom that was cubby cornered next to the living room. And while there isn’t a pool nearby, the commuter rail is a dependable wake up alarm as it rumbles by at 5 a.m.
![Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 1.38.54 PM](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.38.54-PM-350x231.png)
Kitchen on Troy Road, Belmont, and …
![Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 1.41.29 PM](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.41.29-PM-350x249.png)
… kitchen in Huntsville.
Seriously, how do salespeople in Belmont convince transplants what they are obtaining is anything close to what they are leaving? That’s a mystery to me.
![Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 1.41.57 PM](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.41.57-PM-350x218.png)
The “great room” in Huntsville.
![Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 1.44.36 PM](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.44.36-PM-350x231.png)
The study/bedroom in Belmont.
What needs to be done is convince developers to build mid-priced housing in the suburbs so inventory in this much needed sector can grow. But all the news in Boston and eastern Massachusetts is that luxury, high-end developments – such as the new multistory towers in downtown Boston and the Fenway and around the transportation hubs in nearby communities – are the only thing anyone wants to build, a segment of the market that has adequate supply.
And now you know why high tech jobs are migrating to North Carolina, the northwest coast of Florida and Alabama.
![Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 1.43.04 PM](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.43.04-PM-350x218.png)
Outdoor living in Huntsville, (you can see the Olympic-sized pool and two parks from here.)
![Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 1.43.50 PM](http://belmontonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-12-at-1.43.50-PM-350x236.png)
And in Belmont.
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