Belmont Home of the Week: Single Family Affordability in SoTra

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In Lower Manhattan, there is SoHo (South of West Houston Street).

In Boston’s South End, there is SoWa (South of Washington Street – which, of course, is an impossibility as the throughway runs north to south).

And in Belmont, there is SoTra, as in South of Trapelo Road, where you are more likely than not find housing that can be called affordable for Belmont. The housing stock “below” Trapelo – from the intersection of Belmont Street to Beaver Brook Reservation – was built to meet the rising number of middle-class home seekers who were coming to Belmont with the laying of the trolley line in 1898 and the growth of Waverley and Central (at the intersection of Beech Street and Trapelo) squares. And that trend continues today as SoTra remains one location a double income-earning family can sneak into Belmont.

Much of the housing inventory includes two-families but there remains classic single family homes, such as the one on sale at 10 Cutter St. This 109-year-old Colonial “box” – located equal distance from Central and Waverley squares – is just north of 1,600 sq.-ft. with four bedrooms and one and a half baths.

A previous owner decided to knock down a few walls on the first floor to give the interior that 70’s “open layout.” So you wander from entry way into the living room, look around a partial wall to see the dining table which is next to a wide-open wood cabinet kitchen. The lower floor has high ceilings, hardwood floors and newer windows. The full bath has a deep, oversized Jacuzzi with a shower. There is a walk-up attic and a expansive basement with high ceilings.

A nice surprise to this century old home is a large wood deck off the dining room that overlooks the backyard, is perfect for entertaining overflow and overlooks an ample level backyard.

All this for $689,000, about a hundred grand less than the medium home value for Belmont homes. There will be an open house on Cutter Street today, Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 2 p.m. Or call Century 21/Adams KC for more information,  781-648-6900.

Belmont House of the Week: 90 Somerset St.

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30 Somerset St.

Not nearly as famous as its neighbor at 90 Somerset, the literary destination “Red Top,” the Albert Higgins house is a wonderful example of New England antebellum-style architecture. While the listing agent believes the house’s design is Greek Revival, it’s more a mashup of Greek Revival (more prominent on the Boston-facing east side of the house) and the tried-and-true Federalist style with the centered main entry, twin brick chimneys and a distinct cornice. 

First off, the house, built in 1850, is not named after a previous owner but for the “house wright” who constructed it; one of the numerous carpenter builders who put up homes in that era, according to Belmont Town Historian Richard Betts.

The home’s superior interior woodwork and craftsmanship with high ceilings, a graceful Bullfinch staircase, three fireplaces, long front windows with projecting cornices over the windows and doors. All three floors have stunning views of Boston.

Entering into a grand foyer, the main floor contains a formal living room, library,unique oval dining room, a gracious sunny family room and open eat-in kitchen looking out on the property’s professionally landscaped gardens, fruit trees, patio and stone walls. A private office is off the family room.

The second floor has a master bedroom with en-suite bath plus four additional bedrooms and a family bath. The finished area in the basement has a home spa complete with a sauna and shower. The home has a new Bulderus boiler heating system. Also on the property is a newly-renovated Carriage House which has an apartment.

  • Rooms: 10
  • Bedrooms: 5
  • Full Baths: 2
  • Partial Baths: 2
  • Square Footage: 3,648
  • Lot Size: .51 acres.

Listed at: $2,325,000

Listed By: AG McEvoy Realty, Anne McEvoy Kilzer.