Sold in Belmont: Homes with a View Reap in a Million

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Photo: 41 Hay Rd.

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22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000.

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35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000.

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533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000.

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41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000.

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32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000.

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69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000.

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246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000.

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

• 22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 1,921 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 140 days.

• 35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded Colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000. Listed at $1,350,000. Living area: 3,309 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 32 days.  $767,500

• 533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,195,000. Living area: 2,769 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 52 days.

• 41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000. Listed at $1,100,000. Living area: 1,490 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 148 days.

• 32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000. Listed at $429,000. Living area: 1,166 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 54 days.

• 69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000. Listed at $899,900. Living area: 2,024 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 45 days.

• 246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000. Listed at $499,000. Living area: 1,498 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 47 days. 

Tidbits

How do you double the value of your house in five short years? After buying the Colonial on Elizabeth Road for $767,500 in 2010, the owner laid down $37,000 to create an open floor plan that allowed the back end of the house to experience a spectacular view of Boston and install a new kitchen. Spend another $60,000 on new windows and siding, and then put it on the market and keep showing potential buyers the view of the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and Downtown. It sold for a cool $1.4 million. 

You don’t see this happen much; a seller delisting their house only to return with a higher price tag. That’s what occurred on Cedar Street as the price went from $859,000 in June to $865,000 in September. Did it achieve its goal of selling for the higher of the two list prices? Nope. It sold for $11,000 below the beginning sales price. 

Extensive water damage to a house on Pleasant Street in 2014 nearly laid low a house style you don’t see in Belmont even though the manufacturer is located in Acton: a deck house. Only 20,000 worldwide, the deck house is a prefabricated house built by the Deck House company founded in 1959. The structure is post and beam construction with Cedar tongue and groove ceilings. Trim is mahogany and siding was furred Mahogany. Popular in the Carolinas and in and around the factory, the Belmont example needed $178,000 to rehab the interior with another $46,000 to remodel the main and master bedroom. It sold for $1.25 million, which isn’t bad for a house built on a factory floor. 

It only has 6 rooms, a pair of bedrooms and a bath and a half crammed into less than 1,500 sq.-ft. of space. But the house is a pristine example of an Arts & Crafts cottage designed by the artist and architect Nelson Chase. Add to that it’s on quirky Hay Road, has a view of the Center, and has an artist’s studio, and the $1 million final sales price is acceptable … for some. 

 

Sold in Belmont: A Special Ranch and A Round Antique

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Photo: A brick and stone ranch on Belmont Hill.

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265 Cross St. Side-entrance Colonial (1930). Sold: $720,000.

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195 Prospect St. Brick and stone ranch (1954). Sold: $1,395,000.

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592 Trapelo Rd. Antique two-family (1882). Sold: $550,000.

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

• 265 Cross St. Side-entrance Colonial (1930). Sold: $720,000. Listed at $749,000. Living area: 1,860 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 68 days.

• 195 Prospect St. Brick and stone ranch (1954). Sold: $1,395,000. Listed at $1,570,000. Living area: 3,569 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 153 days.

• 592 Trapelo Rd. Antique two-family (1882). Sold: $550,000. Listed at $625,000. Living area: 2,000 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 104 days.

The ranch on Prospect Street was built to impress – using brick and stone rather than a frame with Prairie School touches – and it still does, although the nearly 3,600 sq.-ft. is essentially all on a single floor so there’s lots of walking. The house is beautifully situated on a half-acre lot which can be viewed from the wonderful enclosed glass deck. Now that’s impressive, costing a cool $66,000 in 2000. While some of the interior rooms have some dated fixtures, that should not have been the reason this grand house saw nearly $200,000 drop from the list price. Still, $1.4 million isn’t chicken feed.

It’s so strange to see an antique house left standing on Trapelo Road, but the tw0-family at 592 (near to Star Market) is a fine example of what 130 years ago was middle-class residences. While there are the challenges of an old house here – who knew a bathroom could be cobby cornered in such a tight space – you do get a unique and Victorian-inspired round parlor with five/six? windows. You could do so much with this room alone. 

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Sold in Belmont: Multi-families Setting the Sales Pace as Year Nears Close

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Photo: 707 Pleasant Street.

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50 Bartlett Ave. Condominium (1927). Sold: $448,000.

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31-33 Cushing Ave. Multi-family (1939). Sold: $900,000.

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707 Pleasant St. Unique Colonial (1926). Sold: $800,000.

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5-7 Pearl St. Multi-family (1900). Sold: $770,000.

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

• 50 Bartlett Ave. Condominium (1927). Sold: $448,000. Listed at $425,000. Living area: 1,140 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 65 days.

• 31-33 Cushing Ave. Multi-family (1939). Sold: $900,000. Listed at $785,000. Living area: 2,728 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 57 days.

• 707 Pleasant St. Unique Colonial (1926). Sold: $800,000. Listed at $899,000. Living area: 1,551 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 110 days.

• 5-7 Pearl St. Multi-family (1900). Sold: $770,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 2,441 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 113 days.

Sold in Belmont: Three Colonials, Long Owned, Purchased This Week

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Photo: Million-dollar Colonial on Garfield.

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

• 35 Horne Rd. Center-entrance Colonial (1927). Sold: $930,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 2,485 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 17 Garfield Rd. Center-entrance Colonial (1935). Sold: $1,300,000. Listed at $1,299,000. Living area: 2,438 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 63 days.

• 442 Pleasant St. Center-entrance Colonial (1935). Sold: $750,000. Listed at $775,000. Living area: 2,058 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 92 days.

• 43-45 Gilbert Rd. Two family (1925). Sold: $880,000. Listed at $899,000. Living area: 2,935 sq.-ft. 13 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 27 days.

• 46 Slade Rd. Condominium (1925). Sold: $497,000. Listed at $459,500. Living area: 1,388 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 27 days.

Three Belmont homes, owned by the sellers for between 37 to 50 years(!), selling in a market where their initial purchase price is considered quaint. 

The original prices and the year the property was bought by the most recent owners:

Horne Road: $88,900 in 1979.

Pleasant Street: $78,500 in 1977.

Garfield Road: $8,600 in 1965.

First, each of the homes are center-entrance Colonials built within a decade of the others – in the economic optimism of the 20s to the depth of the Depression – each with an uncomplicated, refined floor plan: two stories, a welcoming central hallway where on one side (the right?) there is a formal living room with a dining room on the other, and the kitchen and “family” room in the back. Upstairs are the bedrooms and not much else. 

Because the homes have a timelessness that good taste provides, it wasn’t hard to find buyers for these “typical” Belmont houses. The most impressive sale was Horne Road in Cushing Square that sold for nearly $70,000 above list. And to think it will just a few hundred feet from the Cushing Village construction site. (BTW, weren’t the Village developers having its groundbreaking this past June?)

The Belmont Hill colonial sold what was expected, but the Pleasant Street structure needed to cut its price to come off the market.

 

Sold in Belmont: The Beauty of the Two-Family

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Photo: A two-family on Gilbert.

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18 Trowbridge St. (1929). Sold: $525,000.

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31 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $868,000.

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

• 18 Trowbridge St. “Old Style” house (1929). Sold: $525,000. Listed at $669,000. Living area: 1,700 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 98 days

• 31 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $868,000. Listed at $830,000. Living area: 2,600 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 87 days.

There are many beautiful homes in Belmont (and some that are downright ghastly) that are made up of many styles and design features: Victorians, Classic Colonials, Tudors, Arts and Craft and, in some incidences, modern construction.

One which I love for both its aesthetics and functionality is the early 20th-century two-family. Built to accommodate the rapidly growing population in town from the late-1890s to about 1930, they were constructed simply on single-family lots; but they were built solid with good workmanship and material. Many are in great shape today without significant repairs or reconstruction required. Nothing flashy but they now hold its own stylistically with other notable designs in town.

In addition, it allows many potential home buyers with modest income – teachers, middle managers, public safety personnel – who just can not breach the $845,000 medium price barrier for a single-family house, allowing them a way to reside in the Town of Homes.

When the Planning Board gets around to reviewing and rewriting the zoning code for much of the town’s residential neighborhoods, it should consider favoring the construction of two familys.

Sold in Belmont: Affordable in a Potpourri of Styles, Locations

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Photo: 81 Statler Rd.

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

• 77 Leicester Rd. Old-style center-entrance Colonial (1932). Sold: $987,500. Listed at $1,050,000. Living area: 2,510 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

• 25-27 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $710,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,308 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 42 Walnut St. Townhouse condo (1993). Sold: $667,000. Listed at $630,000. Living area: 1,800 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 43 days.

• 96 Beech St. Early Cape with commercial space (1922). Sold: $625,000. Listed at $599,900. Living area: 1,691 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 38 days.

• 49-51 Slade St. Two family (1925). Sold: $755,000. Listed at $749,000. Living area: 2,150 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 69 days.

• 285 Common St. Brick Cape-ish (1945). Sold: $810,000. Listed at $820,000. Living area: 2,383 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

• 271 Common St. Brick Cape (1948). Sold: $810,000. Listed at $820,000. Living area: 1,684 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 16 Bay State Rd. Brick/frame Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,005,000. Listed at $999,000. Living area: 2,165 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 57 days.

• 81 Statler Rd. Cape (1939). Sold: $545,000. Listed at $525,000. Living area: 984 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 63 days.

From one of the smallest single-family homes in Belmont (most new condo/townhouses are double the size of the Cape on Statler) to a pair of classic two units close to Trapelo Road, a mishmash of add-on extensions along the Beech and a lot of Capes, the traditional frame for first-time homebuyers. There is affordable housing in the “Town of Homes.” 

Sold in Belmont: Location Makes the Sale for Quintessential Belmont Colonial

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Photo: 67 Fairmont St. 

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67 Fairmont St. Center-entrance Colonial (1937). Sold: $1,300,000.

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33 Horace Rd. Brick Colonial (1923). Sold: $990,000.

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37 Wilson Ave. #3. Condominium (2000). Sold: $480,000.

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85 Lawrence Lane. Center-entrance Colonial (1937). Sold: $795,000

 

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

• 85 Lawrence Lane. Center-entrance Colonial (1937). Sold: $795,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 1,764 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 105 days.

• 37 Wilson Ave. #3. Condominium (2000). Sold: $480,000. Listed at $430,000. Living area: 1,123 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 full, 1 partial baths. On the market: 57 days.

• 33 Horace Rd. Brick Colonial (1923). Sold: $990,000. Listed at $935,000. Living area: 1,883 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 71 days.

• 67 Fairmont St. Center-entrance Colonial (1937). Sold: $1,300,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 2,274 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 78 days.

While there is some thought that home priced in seven figures will sooner than later find themselves sitting in the barber’s chair ready for their haircut, some are located in the right place at the right time to take advantage of their appeal. 

67 Fairmont St. is one such residential property. Located on one of the side streets between Common and Goden streets, it’s a good-size Colonial – nearly 2,300 square feet – with four bedrooms. Situated midway between the business hubs of Belmont Center and Cushing Square, its location is perfect for a young-ish family with schools on their mind. The Wellington is down a block, the Chenery four streets to the south and the High School close enough so the kids can’t bug the parents to let them drive to 221 Concord Ave. While the front is facing north, the backyard is sunny with a chance to do some serious gardening. 

A quarter century, during the real estate bust in these parts, the house sold for $60,000. Twenty years ago, the town valued it at $405,000. Since then, a new kitchen and roof were put into the Colonial. This year, the town said the house was worth $942,000. So think of the buyer paying a $350,000 premium for a 78-year-old house. Wow. 

Sold in Belmont: Time for a Pricing Haircut Across Housing Types

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Photo: 275 Brighton St.

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

483 Pleasant St. Condominium (1986). Sold: $840,000. Listed at $895,000. Living area: 2,175 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 155 days.

54-56 Falmouth St. Multi-family (1900). Sold: $780,000. Listed at $825,000. Living area: 3,684 sq.-ft. 13 rooms, 7 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 64 days.

182 Waverley St. Condominium (1891). Sold: $477,000. Listed at $479,000. Living area: 1,095 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 52 days.

275 Brighton St. Colonial with extension (1946). Sold: $875,000. Listed at $895,000. Living area: 2,010 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 105 days.

Data compiled by Zillow, the online real estate database company, report that long-term sale prices for all housing in Belmont has hit its peak and will begin a slight downturn in values in 2016. 

So, was that the reason the four home sales – including two condos, a single- and a multi – that occurred last week in Belmont each failed to reach its initial list price? Is the hot real estate market cooling along with the seasons?

Probably not. While, indeed, the homes required a “haircut” of its list price to move the sale, there remains a short inventory of homes in Belmont. Also, mortgage rates remain low, enticing potential homebuyers as the market awaits the Federal Reserve raising grates by at least 25 basis points later in the month.

More likely, the failure of list prices to hold their position could be influenced by the small number of sales in the sample, half the usual number impacted by the holiday. Or sellers and their Realtor/sales person continue to overvalue homes, hoping to squeeze as much money from their houses.

So not to worry; there is no Belmont bubble homeowners need to be concerned over … yet.

Sold in Belmont: ‘Tired’ Homes on the Hill Sell Below List

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Photo: 60 Stony Brook on Belmont Hill. 

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

48 Summit Rd. Townhouse condominium (2005). Sold: $1,345,000. Listed at $1,375,000. Living area: 2,520 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 84 days.

19 Thayer Rd. Condominum (1958). Sold: $263,750. Listed at $259,000. Living area: 625 sq.-ft. 4 rooms, 1 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 42 days.

89 Bay State Rd. Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,050,000. Listed at $1,050,000. Living area: 2,616 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 70 days.

60 Stony Brook. Custom-design/ranch (1959). Sold: $1,100,000. Listed at $1,400,000. Living area: 2,616 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 161 days.

112 Winter St. Renovated (1946/2001). Sold: $895,000. Listed at $929,000. Living area: 3,100 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 78 days.

58 Crestview Rd. Ranch (1959). Sold: $1,025,000. Listed at $1,100,000. Living area: 2,816 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 4 baths. On the market: 70 days.

If you’ve lived in Belmont for any amount of time, you know that not every house on Belmont Hill is a brick manse with sculptured gardens with a view of Boston. Yes, they are pricey but many are beginning to show their age especially in their design and style.

Likely the custom-built house on Stony Brook Road was a humdinger of a residency when it was constructed half a century ago. Just how trendy was it to have a two-car garage projecting out from the Colonial-style split ranch with a brick wing jutting from the side. Not like those boring Colonials! Well, while those “boring” Colonial are much sought after, this mish-mash of styles looks and feels old. The interior is cramped with little in ways of options to use the available 2,600 square feet. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the structure’s asking price fell by $300,000 before selling at $1.1 million. 

The same could be said for the ranch on Crestview (in the shadow of the Boston Temple), and the terrible retro build structure on Winter, each selling below their list. Sometimes “location” can’t help a tired old building sell for what their owners think. Sorry to say but these homes would be suitable candidates for demolition with a new building on the foundation. 

Sold in Belmont: Easy as Ones, Twos and a Three

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Photo: A split-level ranch in the Winn Brook neighborhood sold for nearly 12 percent of its original list price.

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

9-11 Sabina Way. Two-family (1923). Sold: $880,000. Listed at $825,000. Living area: 2,520 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 63 days.

218-220 Blanchard Rd. Multi-family (1952). Sold: $900,000. Listed at $849,000. Living area: 2,520 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 42 days.

63 Country Club Ln. New construction (2014). Sold: $2,050,000. Listed at $2,475,000. Living area: 4,824 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. On the market: 225 days.

14-16 Vincent Ave. Multi-family (1910). Sold: $860,000. Listed at $895,000. Living area: 3,090 sq.-ft. 15 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 70 days.

65 Marlboro St. Three-family (1900). Sold: $875,000. Listed at $849,000. Living area: 3,216 sq.-ft. 14 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 42 days. 

199 Beech St., #2. Walk-up condominium (1924). Sold: $391,000. Listed at $429,000. Living area: 868 sq.-ft. 4 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 106 days.

115 Lexington St. Colonial (1925). Sold: $625,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 1,682 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 139 days.

55 Sherman St. Split-level ranch (1955). Sold: $907,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 1,840 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 139 days.

306 Orchard St., #2. Condominium (1900). Sold: $455,000. Listed at $435,000. Living area: 1,525 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 70 days.

I think it comes as a surprise to many people when they discover that Belmont’s housing stock is far from being a homogeneous collection of Colonials and brick mansions. 

Unlike outlying surburban locations such as Wilmington where 93 percent of the housing stock is the typical single-family house, just under half (45 percent) of Belmont’s 9,600 residential structures are detached homes, with an almost equal number being multifamilies.

This past week, more than half of the sales in the “Town of Homes” were multifamilies including one three-unit building or a condo in a two or greater unit building. It appears the market for multis is healthy as all but one of the buildings sold for more than its list price. 

On the single-family side of the week, the owners of the split-level on Sherman Street stuck to their guns (leaving their house on the market for nearly four months) and saw a nice bump of nearly 12 percent from their list price. Twenty years ago, the term split-level was a deal breaker for many buyers as the style was considered old-fashion and the structures cheaply constructed. Not now.