Sold In Belmont: Let Us Now Praise Affordable Homes

May 1, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Stairmaster, 1.0

53 Gilbert Rd., Condo (second floor) in a two-family (1925). Sold: $438,500.

29 Longmeadow Rd., Large ranch (1958). Sold: $1,075,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 29 Longmeadow Rd., Large ranch (1958). Sold: $1,075,000. Listed at $1,099,000. Living area: 3,000 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 80 days.

• 53 Gilbert Rd., Condo (second floor) in a two-family (1925). Sold: $438,500. Listed at $418,000. Living area: 1,221 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 59 days.

Let’s praise affordability in Belmont. OK, you’ll need to climb a flight of steps to get to the second-floor condo and that could be problematic if you’re carrying two toddlers and a week’s worth of groceries up a flight of stairs. But this Gilbert Road condo is housing that’s economically feasible for a young, two-wage earning couple seeking their first home.

Let’s look at the numbers: Five percent down on a 30-year mortgage at four percent along with taxes and PMI is let’s say $1,600 a month. That’s doable for a young family of three – if they get some help with daycare, etc.

And look what you get (along with a daily aerobic session): a west-facing large living room, working fireplace, a sunroom off the living room and two good sized bedrooms. A nearly century-old built-in cabinet in the dining room. The kitchen is functional with “black and white speckled laminate countertops” with a pantry off the kitchen. The renovated bathroom is from Home Depot, and there is an enclosed back porch which would be called a “three-season alcove” if it was on the Hill. Ok, you have to share the yard as well as the washer and dryer hookup, and you get one car parking. But unless Ted Cruz is downstairs, this is what you have to deal with when you have a limited budget in the “Town of Homes.” And all said it’s not that bad. Now if Belmont could find someone to build 100 more of this sort of housing, we’d be in business of providing quality housing to a wider range of incomes.

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(Of course, if you get that dream job in Tampa, this is what $440,000 gets you in a good community with an excellent school system – well, great by Florida standards.)

The million dollar ranch on Belmont Hill is another home – I’ve counted four this year alone – in which the owner has spent four/five decades in and is now departing. And while this house is a nice size and all, you’d expect more from a seven figure house. An example is the kitchen. I think the Gilbert Road kitchen is warmer and more inviting. It’s all location, location, location.

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Sold In Belmont: How Hot Is The Market? Winn Brook Cape Tops $1 Million

April 25, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: This Cape sold for nearly $200K more than its assessed value.

150 Sherman St., Over-sized Cape (1940). Sold: $1,065,000.

7 Belmont Cir., Condo in a two family (1958). Sold: $389,900.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 150 Sherman St., Over-sized Cape (1940). Sold: $1,065,000. Listed at $995,000. Living area: 2,463 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 90 days.

• 7 Belmont Cir., Condo in a two family (1958). Sold: $389,900. Listed at $389,900. Living area: 935 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 1 bedroom, 1 baths. On the market: 70 days.

Ah, the Cape Cod-style of residence: simplicity in design, affordability in mind. Created in New England in the 1700s, the structure was intended to withstand the storms that hit Cape Cod with its recognizable amoderately steep, pitched roof – anyone more than six feet tall has to be careful navigating those rooms – with end gables and very little ornamentation other than the use of shutters. Even the 20th-century version especially those built after WWII (that include dormers that bastardize the roof’s pre-Revolutionary elegance) still retain the essence of its Puritan roots. For those reasons, the Cape was seen as a more affordable family residence to Belmont’s favorite, the Colonial.

Even the 20th-century version especially those built after WWII (that include dormers that bastardize the roof’s pre-Revolutionary elegance) still retain the essence of its Puritan roots. For those reasons, the Cape has been seen as a more affordable family housing compared to Belmont’s favorite, the Colonial.

So when the Cape at 150 Sherman sold last week in the heart of the family friendly and not-so-fancy Winn Brook neighborhood, you’d expect it would sell at or around the town’s assessed value.

And you would be wrong; this over-sized Cape (about 5oo extra square feet than the traditional abode) with a renovated kitchen – gray granite countertops and boxy cabinets doesn’t really work for me – along with a new air system and extensive landscaping broke the seven-figure barrier, a whopping $200,000 greater than this fiscal year’s assessment.

Just as the overheating real estate market has produced million dollars sales in neighborhoods where you least anticipated, you can now add Winn Brook to that list.

Sold in Belmont: After Being Put On the Bench, A Colonial Sells With a Big Bow

April 17, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: On, off and then on big time with a Bow.

94 Prospect St., Dutch Colonial (1923). Sold: $935,000.

14 Bow Rd., Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,479,000.

10-12 Ash St., Two-family Residence (1954). Sold: $680,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 94 Prospect St., Dutch Colonial (1923). Sold: $935,000. Listed at $995,000. Living area: 2,292 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 80 days.

• 14 Bow Rd., Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,479,000. Listed at $1,499,000. Living area: 3,181 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 70 days.

• 10-12 Ash St., Two-family Residence (1954). Sold: $680,000. Listed at $649,000. Living area: 1,932 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 41 days.

On a section of Bow Street awash in brick homes, the 88-year-old Colonial with the off-center entry stands out for several reasons. One is the exquisite interior renovations the last owner spent $30,000 in permitted changes. The other is a mind-numbing price someone with a nice-sized wallet who purchased the quintessential Belmont structure: just a hair under $1.5 million dollars. Wow. This for a place in which the basement is unfurnished, there’s no rec room (OK, there is an attic family room) and it’s oil heated.

Not to say this place is a dump: the kitchen/mud room coming off porch is nice – but we will need to mark down the kitchen due to its use of granite counters – and the details in the living room (no great room in this 1920s abode) are charmers: the dual open shelf/cabinets on either side of the fireplace are attractive (but what is this annoying insistence of placing a television monitor above the fireplace? Stop it!) and the beautiful detail molding of the era in the other rooms. And the bathroom renovations are surprisingly right on, classic modern in white with a tile floor that is understated. While coming in at 3,000 square feet, the house does feel comfortable.

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But worth $100 more a square foot than the average home in Belmont ($465 vs. $363) even if it is within a short walk to the two elementary schools, a bit of a hike to the Chenery and a hop from the High School? Hot markets do lead to top dollars in sales.

What the house has is an interesting sales history. It was sold in June 2005 for $904,000.

It came back on the market on Oct. 8, 2013, listed at $1,100,098. But three days later, all traces of being on the market is gone.

Four months later, the house is sold that former asking price, $1,100,050 in January 2014 without the benefit of being sold through the Multiple Listing Service in a private sale. The new owner puts $30,000 into remodeling the bathrooms and paint and spruce up the place.

Two years later, in February 2016, it’s listed for $1,499,000 and sells only 70 days later for $1,479,000.

Goes to show you what a little paint and time in a hot market can reap.

Sold In Belmont: Townhouse Condo Gets Love From Buyer

April 10, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: A townhouse condo that took off like a single-family.

80 Maple St., Townhouse condominium (1993). Sold: $715,000.

133 White St., Condominium (1928). Sold: $513,000. Listed at $515,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 80 Maple St., Townhouse condominium (1993). Sold: $715,000. Listed at $639,000. Living area: 2,008 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 66 days.

• 133 White St., Condominium (1928). Sold: $513,000. Listed at $515,000. Living area: 1,431 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 87 days.

Two former two families now individuals condominiums sold last week with differing outcomes. The newly-converted condo that once was a multiple family on White Street was able to hit its list price of just more than $500,000.

While over on Maple Street, the more traditional townhouse hit the right note for one buyer resulting in a $75,000 premium over the $639,000 list price. The final sales price is a whopping $150,000 more than the town’s appraised value of $561,000 and $220,000 more than when was last sold in 2009.

The nearly quarter-century old townhouse does provide three bedrooms and approximately 2,000 square feet, although the interior appears to have all the hallmarks of a townhouse; open floor plan, narrow room on the ground floor – note how tiny the living room is (is it more a living “space” with the small divider separating the entry way/front door), an updated but smallish kitchen area, and not so spectacular room details.

But with the medium price of single-family homes reaching the high six figures, buyers are willing to put down extra for a condo that resembles a traditional residential structure even if it does share a common wall with its neighbor. Take a look at the newly-constructed townhouse that sold last month on Trapelo. Despite being located across the street from the Fire Department headquarters, next to the VFW, a funeral parlor, a popular park and fronting a busy state highway, it sold for a million dollars.

Sold in Belmont: Big is So Passé, Small Is The Way to Go

March 27, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Small and livable on the Elm.

17 Little Pond Rd., Colonial (1947). Sold: $750,000.

54 Elm St., Brick Colonial condo (1928). Sold: $549,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 17 Little Pond Rd., Colonial (1947). Sold: $750,000. Listed at $779,000. Living area: 1,542 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 123 days.

• 54 Elm St., Brick Colonial condo (1928). Sold: $549,000. Listed at $549,000. Living area: 1,162 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 62 days.

Today, many home buyers wouldn’t deem it worth their time to view a house that is smaller than 2,000 square feet. And as for new construction, 3,000 square feet appears the new minimum. Anything smaller is too “cozy” (translation: SMALL) for most modern families, the thinking goes.

But do you need a “great room” – remember when they were called living rooms? – with a kitchen the size of would equip a good-sized restaurant (so you can microwave dinner) in a floor plan in which you need roller skates to navigate the manse? Is it necessary to have five bedrooms when you only have two kids and relatives come by once a year and stay at the Meridian? A full size “play” space with the jacuzzi that no one uses? You’re a success of what you do, not what you own.

For a growing number of people, minimizing their footprint and their lives has become an important aspect of their lives. And there is a segment of the housing market to match these new demands. There is the extreme “tiny” home (300 square feet) phenomenon going on in the South and West – there aren’t any of these in Belmont … yet! – and the growing popularity of home designs and plans for homes with under 1,000 square feet, again outside of New England.

A pair of properties that sold this week in Belmont show why you would be wrong to think that big is better. The classic center-entry Colonial – just a bit over 1,500 square feet – on Little Pond shows what a little living care can go a long way to bring warmth and a modern feel to a fairly standard post-war design. The kitchen was upgraded with design smarts behind it, with new appliances and warm cherry color cabinets and Cambria countertop (Yes! anything but granite!). Space is not wasted here; you do most of your eating at the kitchen table adjacent where you cook (what a concept), and the bikes are parked beside the side door. The living room is a hop and step way and there is a dining room that is fine for most events; the stairway leads to three bedrooms and the full bathroom which was updated. Again, not a master suite in the boudoir but a bedroom that serves its function. Not a half acre out back for the coyotes to roam but a place for a grill and games.

The condo on Elm is fascinating as it was a single family segmented into condos. I know something of this as my grandfather and his employer, a banker, “bought” – they foreclosed on an elderly man and threw him into the street in 1930 – a beautiful 1874 Colonial Revival with Victorian elements on Aldersey Street in Somerville. They literally split the house down the middle including dividing the grand staircase (!) and master bathroom.

The Tucker half of the house on Aldersey Street in Somerville.

But here, a magnificent brick and frame Colonial was converted into condominiums in 2010 with the space separated horizontally (thankfully!) with the first-floor space having 38 percent ownership and the second and third floor with 62 percent (with 1,900 square feet).

As a side note; what a great way to foster affordability to Belmont by taking those big homes and turning it into condos or apartments. Solidly built, they can be converted with a little care allowing buyers who can’t afford a seven-figure mortgage into Belmont.

Sure it’s 1,100 square feet, but the buyer is getting a condo with a sense of largeness, big rooms and lots of windows, which, if smartly used, you can create a loft feel which is pretty cool. The kitchen is spare but again, just a few upgrades and you can have a combo kitchen/dining area. Plus, no stairs and a big porch where you can spend summers getting a bit tipsy on wine coolers.

3,500 square feet? So passé! Go small.

Sold in Belmont: Math Says Hurd Road Colonial Goes for Seven Figures

March 20, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 2 Comments

Photo: A million no matter how you count it.

54 Hurd Rd., Colonial (1926). Sold: $1,000,000.

35 Radcliffe Rd., Ranch (1975). Sold: $701,000.

329 Mill St., Ranch (1955). Sold: $714,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 35 Radcliffe Rd., Ranch (1975). Sold: $701,000. Listed at $679,000. Living area: 1,557 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 67 days.

• 329 Mill St., Ranch (1955). Sold: $714,000. Listed at $747,900. Living area: 2,092 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 131 days.

• 54 Hurd Rd., Colonial (1926). Sold: $1,000,000. Listed at $995,000. Living area: 2,644 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 70 days.

The quintessential Belmont Colonial; on a side street (Hurd Road, with its tumbling elevation change) on a “squat” lot (6,400 sq.-ft.) with lots of room for kids and just general living. So how much is the oh-to-typical Belmont house is going for?

The sellers did know how to crunch the numbers: one a prominent math professor – he has a well-known theorem in number theory named after him! – while his spouse is a mathematician, computer expert and biologist. Don’t have to worry about how much to tip or split a check when you’re out with this Belmontian couple. When the wife was named this summer to a big-time position in San Diego, the house purchased exactly 30 years ago for $259,000 was placed into a market in which family homes are at a premium.

What a boom for the homeowners: The typical 30-year mortgage is paid off, the sale is pure profit, and they got great use from a wonderful house. Win, win, win.

And what a nice well-cared for house with an up-to-date kitchen. It’s also in that zone of homes that are within “walkable” distance for elementary, middle and high schools, so you don’t have to drive the kids every morning (“I don’t care if it’s a snow day, you’re still walking to school.”)

And for the past three years, the assessed value has shot up $130,000.

2014: $776,000
2015: $832,000
2016: $906,000

And the sum of it all: a cool million for the homeowners.

But still, a million for a 90-year-old house in a neighborhood that isn’t the first place people will look for a seven-figure house is a bit much to swallow. But this is Belmont, 2016. I will not be surprised if the Board of Assessors come to the Selectmen in December with its property tax rate recommendation with the data showing the median home in Belmont tops $1,000,000.

Let’s do the time warp again

The house on Radcliffe is likely one of the last ranch-style homes built in town, in 1975 when they were seen as out-dated (townhouses where the “cool” structures being built.)

I just want to show the photos of the interior – which is all original as the couple who built the house sold it – which is like opening an interior designers book from the mid-1960s. Wow, The vibrant pink bathroom, patterned wallpaper, the iron railings. And the kitchen: words can’t express this look into this time tunnel: much like Howard Carter’s experience opening King Tut’s tomb.

But you can’t be that critical of the owners choice: it’s of its time when it was furnished, an age that’s best remembered in photos.

Sold in Belmont: Million Dollar Townhouse on Trapelo (Yes, Trapelo) in Middle of the Action

March 14, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: I paid a million dollars for a house on Trapelo Road and all I got was a stinking common wall!

316 Trapelo Rd., New construction condo townhouse (2015). Sold: $1,040,000.

9 Summit Rd., Condo (2007). Sold: $1,230,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 316 Trapelo Rd., New construction condo townhouse (2015). Sold: $1,040,000. Listed at $1,100,000. Living area: 2,900 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 3 full, 2 half baths. On the market: 85 days.

• 9 Summit Rd., Condo (2007). Sold: $1,230,000. Listed at $1,289,000. Living area: 2,715 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 230 days.

How in demand is Belmont real estate? While not on the level of Boston’s Seaport District or East Cambridge, it’s hot enough to where you can sell a new townhouse condo on Trapelo Road, one of its busiest and bustling streets, for a cool million.

And what do you get for seven figures, besides sharing a common wall – a million dollars can’t get you your own single family house … on Trapelo Road? – with the people who will purchase the adjacent townhouse? You’ll be good friends with the Belmont Fire Department as you’re a stone’s throw from the headquarters and directly across the street from the newest bank branch in town; TD Bank. On your right-hand side is the VFW (for now) and on the left a nice two-family appraised at $565,000. You’ll also be a minute’s walk away from Memorial Chapel and the always open LC Variety, the convenience store favored by people who hold up retail operations. With the traffic, fire engine sirens, traffic going into the bank and other events, hopefully the new owners are an adrenalin junkie.

One advantage will be soon-to-be-renovated tennis courts, and the likelihood PQ Playground (just out of your backyard) will undergo a sprucing up in the next few years. (As someone who lived next to open space – the Chenery playing fields – I can say there is far more upside than down living next to one.)

The original property was a quarter-acre vacant lot which was sold in October 2013 for $545,000 to Oteri Construction Inc. in Watertown, a good all-purpose contractor which will do jobs both big (like the Trapelo site) and small (repair a door lock) which is becoming a rare business in this age of specialisation.

The company then put aside $675,000 to construct a pair of townhouses – they probably couldn’t comfortably squeeze in two singles with setbacks and space between structures – on a good sized lot. Construction began last year this time.

One place Oteri didn’t put much money into was the exterior, a design which is dank and uninspiring (Really? Grey for the shady side facing the street?) But what Oteri is known for is some outstanding interior work like his award-winning kitchen design and construction. The example here is from another project. The kitchen fireplace is a wonderful touch – referring back to the true nature of fireplaces in the history of homes. And what a smart way to incorporate skylights, grouped together in a single room.

(But I have to make down the plan due to the knee-jerk need for granite counters. It screams “Hello, 1982!” There are so many wonderful alternatives to ugly, cold granite; from Soapstone for around the stove top, to composites of stone aggregate and polymers, to my favorite, zinc, which is beautiful as it changes color over time.)

Back to the money: with purchasing the land, the material and construction costs (got to pay these guys with the hammers), think $1.3 million. You’ve just made all but $300,000 back and expect $900,000 for the second townhouse and you’re looking at $600,000 profit. And you get the sirens for free!

Sold in Belmont: ‘Old Fashion’ Flip Pays Off on Trowbridge

March 7, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Flippin’ old fashion single family on Trowbridge.

18 Trowbridge St., “Old fashion” (1929). Sold: $811,000.

438 Trapelo Rd., Unit 1, Ground-floor condo (1917). Sold: $400,000.

38 Slade St., Unit 1, Condominium (1925). Sold: $450,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 18 Trowbridge St., “Old fashion” (1929). Sold: $811,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 1,700 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 56 days.

• 438 Trapelo Rd., Unit 1, Ground floor condo (1917). Sold: $400,000. Listed at $419,000. Living area: 941 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 90 days.

• 38 Slade St., Unit 1, Condominium (1925). Sold: $450,000. Listed at $425,000. Living area: 1,097 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 61 days.

A Watertown firm brought back some sparkle to a beautiful but worn down “old fashion”-style house on Trowbridge Street. With a little rehab, maintenance and paint, the single-family was good as new.

But Foxhound Properties on Whitney Street – literally a baseball throw from Belmont – isn’t a contractor or renovation specialist hired by the homeowner. Foxhound “sniffs out” properties which owners who are looking, for a myriad of reasons, to sell fast and so will cut a deal.

“If you are looking to sell your house quickly or if you have found yourself in a real estate dilemma and you are only looking for answers, we can help!” says the company’s Web site.

Once in its hands, the clock starts and the team has contractors it has at the ready to whip the property into shape and flip it asap.

Take 18 Trowbridge – which stands side-by-side to one house that in 2011 burned to the ground (20) and the other severely damaged (16) by fire in 2008. The owner put the property, rated as a C- by town assessors, on the market in July 2015 for $669,000 then lowered it to $659,000 two weeks later. But no one was taking the bait.

In October, Foxhound made a deal with the owner and bought the house for $525,000, below the town’s assessed value ($556,000) in a market where sales prices most always exceed that level.

And the clock starts. Foxhound likely assembles its usual crew to do basic maintenance such as paint the interior and exterior (I like the blue they used outside, reminds me of rural Maryland) and redo the hardwood floors. Other contractors came in and updated the baths and kitchen (which always means adding that horrid granite counter tops), ripped out the old heating system and added central air and make the deck pretty again.

Time is money, and the property was back on the market in January at $699,000. Offers come in because 18 looks nothing like it did before. The sale took place on March 4 for $811,000.

So let’s say Foxhound’s construction expenses were $75,000 (I doubt that amount) and additional costs of $25,000, these guys made an “old fashion” profit of $185,000. That’s relatively good for a firm that is seeking to make money flipping homes.

The result is that a uniquely styled house is given a new life, some family comes into Belmont to add yet more kids to the school system, and the former homeowner isn’t holding onto a property they wanted to be sold. Win, win, win?

Sold in Belmont: Waverley Affordability in a Pair of Condos

February 29, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Cozy and affordable on Maple in Waverley.

202 Beech St., Second-floor condo (1928). Sold: $396,000.

47 Maple St., Condo (1910). Sold $311,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 202 Beech St., Second-floor condo (1928). Sold: $396,000. Listed at $429,000. Living area: 1,646 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 151 days.

• 47 Maple St., Condo (1910). Sold $311,000. Listed at $329,900. Living area: 1,027 sq.-ft. 4 rooms, 1 bedroom, 1 bath. On the market: 145 days.

If you don’t mind cozy – less than 1,100 square feet so keep your elbows up – then the condo on Maple should have been considered. With only a single bedroom, a bath and two other rooms, it would be inexpensive for Belmont – about a third of the median price of Belmont homes that is nearing $900,000 across town – but you do get something for your money: century-old molding, restored hard wood floors, nice size living room and some unique cubby corners. I wonder who bought this rather nice condo? A young couple thinking of staying for a few years while starting a family? An investor who can rent this for $2,000 a month?

Sold In Belmont: Nothing This Week So Let’s Look at a Mansion for Sale (Already a Bargain!)

February 21, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Talk about a full shot!

Now, THIS is a mansion. With just more than 7,500 sq.-ft. of high-end interior construction (it’s a little more than 30 years old), the house at 224 Marsh St. – No, this is not Mitt and Ann Romney’s old house; that’s up the road at 171 Marsh – is a spectacular example of spending your hard-earned money the correct way.

There’s nothing garish or brassy with the interior, just a solid – maybe even staid – but impeccable design. Forget the “open floor” trend or the need for a “great room” because architects are too indifferent (i.e., lazy) to differentiate the purpose for particular spaces within a house.

That’s not a problem here as walls and doors separate each room (what a concept!). There is a defined family room, off the foyer for casual encounters which leads to a more formal living room (25 x 24 feet) – with a bar – that is separate from the kitchen and breakfast area. The dining room is off the foyer and the kitchen as is by tradition. Every space in its place, functioning separate or/and in concert with the adjacent rooms. The molding in the rooms are elegantly understated – the fireplace mantelpiece is simple and gorgeous – as are other details, but what is this obsession with granite counter tops!

Upstairs are big bedrooms with the majority of the house’s five full and three half baths. There’s a neat feature in one bedroom; a spiral staircase to an attic office space. There’s a built out basement with a little sauna. If there are downsides to this house it’s that the building is heated entirely by electricity –Belmont Light must love this place – and a very tiny backyard (it does back up to conservation land, so the band of coyote/wolf mix breeds is your neighbors).

Being sold by the long time owner (I wonder if the creator of Reddit is related to them?), a real estate developer who spent nearly a decade trying to redevelop his commercial buildings on the East Boston waterfront into luxury residences. The current asking price: $2,879,000, and that’s a bargain if you know that it first went on the market in July 2014 with a $3,449,000 list price. By waiting, you’re more than a half a million dollars ahead of the game!

My question to readers is how much lower will the list price go before it’s sold? My under/over is $2,629,000; it needs to lose another quarter million before its finds the right buyer. Belmont isn’t the Seaport, you know.