5 new brookline condominium listings

Condominium Listings   MLS # Status  Address Description DOM List Price   71238889 17 Rice St U:2 5 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 Family 3 $370,000     71239431 33 School Street U:33   5 room, 2 bed, 2 bath Rowhouse 2 $485,000     71238655 105 Browne St U:1   5 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 Family 4 $485,000     71239812 94 Mason Ter 1st Floor U:-    5 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 Family 1 $519,000     71239324 336 Washington St U:3    6 room, 3 bed, 1.5 bath Brownstone 2 $629,000   Average Market Time: 2.4 months     Average List Price per Square Foot: $411

Obama repeals tax on small property owners

President Obama has signed into law legislation repealing a new tax reporting requirement imposed on small property owners to track payments and distribute IRS 1099 Forms to all those who provide services in excess of $600 or more in a given year.  In the past, only those in the business or trade of rental real estate had been subject to the more onerous reporting requirement.  However, in an effort to close the tax gap last year, a provision was inserted into small business legislation enacted in 2010 to expand the requirement to any person who receives rental income from real estate. 

The repeal is an important victory for landlords and the real estate practitioners that work with them since many two-family homeowners and other small-scale owners of rental property are ill-prepared to handle the additional paperwork or absorb the expense of hiring a tax accountant to assist them in preparing 1099 Forms.  The National Association of REALTORS®, which worked hard to educate federal lawmakers as to the burden landlords and other small rental property owners would face in complying with the rule, applauded Congress and the White House for acting in a timely manner to repeal the requirement.

On Biking: a typical bicycling commuter, no longer unusual

Joe Vallely’s bike is more than 10-years old and has plenty of paint chips and rust spots. It’s what he calls, “A mature bicycle. It’s pretty basic, but all I have to do is get a tune-up once a year and it’s fine. Also, it’s not the kind of bike that gets noticed and stolen.” 

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If we build it, they will come Why aren’t more people moving to Massachusetts?

By Edward Glaeser The release of the 2010 Census results in December was accompanied by all the usual hand-wringing. Massachusetts has plenty to love, so why did the state’s population grow by only 3.1 percent over the last decade, less than a third of the national average? Given that our population growth has badly lagged the nation since the 1960s, Bay State boosters have grown adept at making excuses for the problem. We need more jobs, they say, or it’s just too cold here. But our slow growth actually reflects something else: our decision to highly regulate the building of new homes.

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February Art Camp

The Brookline Arts Center is holding registration for children’s activities during school vacation week next month. The offerings at the nonprofit facility, 86 Monmouth St., include Arctic ArtVentures, a class for ages 6 to 9 that runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 22-25, and costs $287 plus materials. Registration is required for all four of the week’s special classes, which range in target ages from 6 to 12-plus; call 617-566-5715 or visit brookline art center

Lease signed for Brookline teen center

Lease signed for Brookline teen center Posted by Leslie Anderson January 25, 2011 06:44 PM

After more than five years of planning and fund-raising, Brookline’s Teen Center has found a home.  The news was unveiled Monday night at a neighborhood meeting where organizers discussed plans for the top floor of 40 Aspinwall St., a 1930s-era brick and concrete garage with about 10,000 square feet of space.

Tom Mendelsohn, interim director of the Brookline Teen Center project, said a lease was signed in December with Rich Goodman, whose family has run a body shop and sold cars from the site for two generations.  The teen center is the brainchild of Brookline High social worker Paul Epstein and his wife, Saskia. Epstein’s brother, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, has helped with fund-raising efforts, his brother said.

Renovation and start-up costs are expected to total roughly $3 million, with construction slated to begin in September, Mendelsohn said.

Fund-raising is still ongoing, Mendelsohn said, although multiple large gifts have been pledged by individuals. No public funds are anticipated.

For the dozens of teens and adults who have been laboring on the project for the last five years, news that the teen center will be built is ‘‘incredibly exciting,” Mendelsohn said.

The current plan, according to Brookline High senior Cohen, is for a candlepin bowling alley, fully-insulated music studio, kitchen, study rooms, arcade, basketball court, performance space, and more.  “We’re looking to incorporate mind-body-spirit,” Epstein explained. “We want to meet kids’ needs: physical and recreational; academic and enrichment; social and emotional.”
Goodman for the past two summers has watched as his garage was flooded with young people and their clipboards, levelers and measuring tape.  “This is a good thing for the community,” he said. “I think my father and mother would like this. This place finally has a happy use.”

How Do You Create Scent Appeal?

Real estate professionals share with us their favorite home scents that are sure to please buyers.

"I recommend using lemon or citrus scented candles for showings and running a few lemon wedges through the garbage disposal."

"Covering up the smell is not the answer. Sometimes it takes a thorough cleaning of carpets, drapes, and upholstery. It also helps to open windows to get air flowing and to clean out the air ducts." 

"I think that cinnamon and vanilla are the best smells when trying to sell a home. I love to walk into a home and breathe in the fresh scent of cinnamon sticks on the stove or smell a burning vanilla candle."  

"I always use an electric ceramic crock that can hold small or large glass candles, like from Yankee Candle Co. There’s no risk of fire because there’s no flame; the ceramic crock warms the candle to melt the wax. I’ve used several of these in different places throughout the house, so as you walk through you get different fragrances." 

"I use an odor eliminator called PureAyre that smells like mint. The product can be 'injected' into furniture or carpets. It can also be sprayed into the air. When buyers come into a home, many are turned off by the smell of air fresheners or candles. Smart buyers know these are old tricks used to cover up smells, not eliminate them." 

"Put a beer in the oven on low and it will smell like you’re baking fresh bread."  

"When you introduce any pleasant smelling items to a home, try to stick to basic scents such as vanilla, apple, cinnamon, and lemon. In small doses, these often appeal to the most buyers. A small reed diffuser in a bathroom can keep a clean smell, while not overwhelming the space."  

"Heat up some water and throw fresh cinnamon into it. Turn it off just before the buyers come. They’ll think that you baked cookies for them." 

"If the sellers have a basement they may need to get a dehumidifier. Basements are in the ground, a damp environment by nature. So many times we open the basement door and get smacked with a musty odor. Bye-bye good offer." 

Staging Tips to nab buyers' attention and leave a lasting impression

LIVING ROOMS

Create a Focal Point
"Pick out the most visible corner and put a large plant—I've found that silk trees work best. Set up a spotlight behind it so it lights up the leaves and throws an interesting shadow on another wall. It really makes a difference in a person's perception of the space, especially if it's a large room without too much natural lighting."

Set Up a Chat Room
"Be sure that the living room furniture is positioned for conversation as well as entertainment. Potential buyers should be able to easily envision sitting in a space where they can easily talk without having to move a chair or turn completely around."

Get Rid of Carpet Dents
"Furniture often leaves indentations in the carpet. When a piece of furniture is moved, I tell my clients to put medium-sized ice cubes in the imprints. As the ice melts, it causes the compacted carpet to expand and erase those imprints."

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10 Things Every Remodeling Contract Should Include

Entering into a remodeling contract is no different than entering into a purchase agreement.
You need to take care to make sure all the details are in writing to get exactly what you want.
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry spells out the following key elements that every remodeling contract should have:
1. The contractor’s name, address, phone number, and license number.
2. Details on what the contractor will and will not do.

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Condo group to pay $150,000 in child-bias case

Families with children living in condominium developments have the same rights to use common spaces as their childless neighbors. That’s the message the US Department of Justice hopes will be conveyed across the country by the announcement that a Methuen condo association will pay $150,000 to settle allegations it discriminated against residents with children who played Wiffle Ball and tag in common areas. Stonecleave Village Association Inc. this week agreed to pay $130,000 to victims and $20,000 in civil penalties as part of the agreement with the Justice Department related to claims the association imposed excessive fines on families whose children allegedly violated its rules. The condo board also agreed to undergo training about the Fair Housing Act.

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Mass. home sales plunge by nearly 30 percent in October

The loss of the tax credit for first-time home buyers continued to cause home sales to slide last month in Massachusetts, while super-low interest rates have kept prices stable for now.

The October figures released on Tuesday by The Warren Group and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors mark the fourth straight month of this challenging trend for the local real estate industry.

Statewide single-family home sales plunged 28 percent last month from October 2009, when many buyers were hustling to make deals to take advantage of the generous federal tax credit, according The Warren Group. The vast majority of the tax-credit purchases were completed by the end of June.

“What we’re seeing is a return to more of a normal housing market,” said Kevin Sears, a Springfield-based real estate agent and the president of the Massachusetts Realtors group. “The housing market used to be impacted by seasonal cycles. Those cycles were completely obliterated with this tax credit.”

Single-family home prices remained strong, with the median price in Massachusetts rising 3.2 percent from October 2009 to $289,000 last month. Much of the price gains could be attributed to lower interest rates, particularly for jumbo-sized loans, that allowed home buyers to purchase more expensive homes than they would have been able to buy a year ago.

Condo sales volume took a bigger hit: The Warren Group’s figures showed a 36 percent plunge in condo sales from October 2009. The median condo price, meanwhile, rose 5 percent.

The Realtors group reported similar figures, based on the narrower band of data that the association uses. Single-family home sales tracked by Realtors in Massachusetts fell 28 percent, year-over-year, while the median price rose 3.2 percent to $294,000. Condo sales plunged 39 percent, the Realtors said, and the median condo price essentially stayed flat.

Warren Group CEO Tim Warren said that while home prices have risen every month this year compared to the same time in 2009, that streak could be coming to an end soon. He said price declines usually lag declines in home sales volume.

A steadily rising inventory also poses an ominous sign: The Realtors said the number of single-family homes on the market in the state rose each month for the past eight months.

Sears said declining unemployment in Massachusetts should help provide price stability. But the recent job gains may not be enough to counteract the effects of an anticipated rise in long-term interest rates.

 “If interest rates go up, that could have a negative impact on pricing if all other factors are the same,” Sears said. “(But) there are a lot of factors that are beyond just the interest rates.”

By Jon Chesto, The Patriot Leger

Seven Q & A Home Repair Tips

Q. I have a three-decker in Dorchester, and I am concerned about the oil tanks in the cellar. They are about 45 years old. Is there a way to test them for safety, so they don’t leak?

A. Your oil dealer can test, but it will be pretty simple: He can check for soft spots in the tank, and he will probably recommend you replace them soon, because at their age they can go at any time. And that is what I suggest. Your dealer will refer you to a tank disposal/replacement company. It will cost at least $1,800 each to drain the oil, remove the tank, install a new one, and add the drained oil.

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Brookline Town Meeting starts tonight

The Brookline Town Meeting considers voting rights for permanent residents who are not citizens, reduced parking around new residential developments, what to do with a $1.4 million budget surplus and whether the town administrator should be able to hire and fire most department heads, considering the safety of children riding as passengers on bicycles or bike trailers, a measure asking grocers and restaurateurs not to sell veal raised by the most restrictive methods...

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Downtown Crossing effort hits $1m snag

Some of the largest property owners in Boston’s Downtown Crossing are refusing to help fund a new organization created to improve the downtrodden shopping district, erasing about 25 percent of its budget for stepped-up maintenance, aesthetic upgrades, and public festivals.

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Housing crisis disrupts the way nation migrates

Indeed.com, a job search engine, compiles a list of the most and least competitive job markets. Out of 50 metropolitan areas, the ones with the fewest unemployed people per job posting are Washington; San Jose, Calif.; Baltimore; New York; and Boston. The areas with the worst job prospects are Miami; Los Angeles and Riverside, Calif.; Detroit; and Las Vegas.

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Critics hit Fed’s appraisal rules

You might have missed it, but the Federal Reserve proposed far-reaching new rules Oct. 18 that could affect home real estate appraisals - and millions of owners’ equity holdings - nationwide.

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40B low-cost housing law’s fate on line

Developers and affordable housing advocates will face off today against opponents of a 41-year-old law designed to boost construction of low- and moderate-income housing.

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Condo contrasts Prices downtown highest in decade, but sales are off

The median price of a downtown Boston condominium hit a 10-year high in the third quarter while the number of sales dropped to a new low for the decade.

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Home sales slowed down in September, but prices remained stable

BOSTON — Uncertainty about the economy’s direction weighed heavily on home buyers last month, helping push statewide home sales down by roughly 13 percent from September 2009 levels.

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Extras for the Runkle SchoolThe $20 million Runkle School expansion and rehabilitation project in Brookline may include a little more work than originally planned.

The $20 million Runkle School expansion and rehabilitation project in Brookline may include a little more work than originally planned.

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