2011 Newton MA Home Sales Data

Situated just 9 miles West of Boston, Newton MA has been one of the safest cities in North America for the last 10 years.  Newton is broken down into 13 villages and features excellent school systems, a 15-20 minute drive to Boston, and close proximity to several major expressways.  Newton Center is nice for shopping or lunch, and for high end shoppers, you can't beat Bloomingdales at the Chestnut Hill Mall.  Below is a comparison of the year end single family sales data from 2010 and 2011.

Criteria	2010	2011	% Change
Homes Sold	518	519	+.19%
Average Days on Market	76	87	+14.47%
Average Price	$882,812	$908,328	+2.89%
Total Market Volume	$457,296,429	$471,421,996	+3.09%

2011 Winchester MA Home Sales Data

Situated just 9 miles North of Boston, Winchester MA is an extremely desirable town for young and older families for it's excellent school systems and amenities.  Winchester real estate prices range from $350,000 to almost $3 million.  The charming downtown area is nice for day trip for lunch, or for residents, there are some lovely neighborhood shops.  Volume for real estate in Winchester was down substantially in 2011, yet prices were still up.  Below is a comparison of the year end single family sales data from 2010 and 2011.

Criteria	2010	2011	% Change
Homes Sold	204	178	-12.74%
Average Days on Market	88	91	+3.41%
Average Price	$785,368	$827,431	+5.36%
Total Market Volume	$160,215,075	$147,282,792	-8.07%

2011 Wellesley MA Home Sales Data

Wellesley is one of the most affluent areas in Massachusetts, and features many luxurious multi-million dollar homes.  Families love the town for it's excellent school systems, parks, playgrounds, shopping, proximity to Boston, and you have 2 beautiful grocery stores in Whole Foods and Roche Bros.  Like many other neighborhoods close to Boston, real estate in Wellesley has not only held it's value, but it appreciated in 2011.  Below is a comparison of the year end single family sales data from 2010 and 2011.

Criteria	2010	2011	% Change
Homes Sold	304	283	-6.9%
Average Days on Market	124	133	+7.26%
Average Price	$1,106,015	$1,249,963	+13%
Total Market Volume	$336,228,522	$353,739,650	+5.2%

10 Tips to Prep Your Home to Sell

1. De-clutter your home or condo, and put away toys, clothing, dishes, etc.
2. Rent a storage unit.  For $100/Month+/-, you can remove winter/summer clothes, shoes, furniture or any extra stuff.  The more clean and organized your home shows, the more storage and space it looks like you have.
3. Clear the bathroom and kitchen counter tops of all clutter
4. Hide trash cans whether inside or out
5. Replace any light bulbs that are out.
6. Remove any decorations or magnets that are on the fridge.
7. If there are any small items that need painting, caulking or repair, fix them prior to putting your place on the market.
8. If you own a house, mow the lawn, rake the leaves, and shovel the snow in the driveway and walkways.  You want the house to look well maintained.
9. If you have pets, have your home cleaned to eliminate any smell, and put away all pet food, dog bowl, litter box, etc.
10. Hire a real estate professional from The Terrier Group!

2011 Boston Condo Sales Data

Similar to the South Boston condo sales market, the overall Boston condo market experienced price appreciation, with volume being down. In summary, average Boston condo prices were up 2.9%, volume was down 4.7%, and the average days a property was on the market increased 2% in 2011.  This data was pulled from MLS.



January 1st - December 31st 2011
Condos Sold - 3540
Average Price - $535,296
Avg. Days on Market - 104

January 1st - December 31st 2010
Condos Sold - 3713
Average Price - $520,264
Avg. Days on Market - 102

2011 South Boston Condo Sales Data

This month I will be highlighting year end sales data for the Boston condo market, Back Bay, South Boston, South End, Newton, Winchester, Wellesley, and Weston real estate markets.  First up is the South Boston condo sales report.

In summary, average South Boston condos prices were up 4.3%, volume was down 4.5%, and the average days a property was on the market increased 7.3% in 2011.  The only interesting number is the average price which was up year over year, and I expect to see that in many Boston suburbs and Boston condo markets.
January 1st - December 31st 2011
Condos Sold - 465
Average Price - $382,283
Avg. Days on Market - 102

January 1st - December 31st 2010
Condos Sold - 487
Average Price - $366,588
Avg. Days on Market - 95

South Boston Real Estate Update

Below are several updates on neighborhood developments, and restaurant/retail business openings.

Social Wines - photo of location above

• February 2012 Opening
• 52 West Broadway at the corner of A Street
• 1000 sq. ft. for the retail portion.  Total leased space is 2000 sq. ft.

11 West Broadway

• November 2012 Opening for 50 Apartments
• Located at the intersection of West Broadway and Dorchester Avenue
• 25 One Bedrooms, 25 Two Bedrooms with 6 of them being designated affordable
• 36 Garage Parking Spaces including 1 for Zipcar.  Bike storage for 16-17 bike's
• Starbucks has signed a lease for 1500 sq. ft. and will be opening in June-August 2012
• Subway has signed a lease for 1500 sq. ft. and will be opening in June-August 2012
• 5000 sq. ft. of restaurant/retail space is still available for rent

West Square - formerly Emerald Court

• Entire city block from West 1st Street to West 2nd Street between C and D Streets.
• Emerald Court was approved for 245 Units with 318 Parking Spaces
• West Square filed a notice for project change on 7/20/2011 to include 259 Units with 143 Parking Spaces.  This was denied by the Boston Redevelopment Authority due to parking.
• Recent Update:  New Proposal to include 252 Units, and 252 Parking Spaces

Newton, MA Real Estate News - New Grocery Store!

For those of you that shop at Bloomingdales, and the Chestnut Hill Mall, you may have noticed a large commercial property being demolished across Route 9.  For several months I've been wondering what was being built in it's place, and today I found out.  Newton MA real estate owners and residents are getting a new grocery store!  Wegmans Food Markets of New York will be opening it's third grocery store in Massachusetts.  Their first store opened recently in Northborough, and is their first grocery store in the state.  They are currently building a second store in Burlington.  The projected opening date for the Newton store is early 2013.  Click here for the full story from the BostonGlobe.com.

Currently Newton has several large grocery store options, including Star Market, Trader Joe's, and 2 Whole Foods Market's.  Newton's close proximity to Boston and excellent school systems has made it an extremely desirable location for families and professionals.  Unfortunately with those desirable features comes high real estate prices.  In 2011, the average sale price of a single family home in Newton is over $900,000!

28 Condos Under Construction on West 2nd Street

Demolition on the existing structure at 360 West 2nd began yesterday and the developer will be building 19 condos, as previously reported here.  Right next door at 348 West 2nd construction of 9 condos is under way, and they finally have a foundation built.  If you look at the gorgeous photo to the left, the 9 unit project currently has a cinder block foundation and elevator shaft.  I'm not sure what the delays were, but it's been a slow process.

Outside of these 2 projects, there's an enormous amount of construction going on in South Boston, especially on the West side.  If you have kids, and like mine they are infatuated with construction vehicles, don't bother bringing them to a Touch a Truck show.  Just head on over to West 1st and F Street!  You can see backhoes, bobcats, excavators, front loaders, and "diggers" as my son likes to call them.

New Trendy Restaurant Coming to South Boston

More good news for South Boston condo owners and residents.  Another new restaurant is coming to Broadway.  The name of the restaurant is yet to be determined, but the plans are to convert the old Payless Shoes space on West Broadway into a beautiful restaurant, as seen in the rendering.  The incoming tenant is the same owner that is opening The Paramount on East Broadway.  

The owner deserves credit for realizing the enormous opportunity restaurant owners have if they are willing to take a risk on something that South Boston so desperately needs;  quality local restaurants that are different from every other bar & grill in the area.