Maps

Weekend open house tour: Charlestown around $550K

by Brenda Phan Oct 21, 2016, 2:23p

This week's open house tour features a collection of newly renovated homes that pack the same amount of charm as their more expensive counterparts. Remember, it's free to look.

Big reveal: the rent on a year-old Dorchester condo

by Tom Acitelli Oct 21, 2016, 12:15p

Only 8.94 percent of readers guessed the correct monthly asking for this 2-BR, 2-BA condo dating from just 2015. Our full RentSpotter results this way!

What do downpayments cost in cities around Boston?

by Tom Acitelli Oct 21, 2016, 11:03a

It’s one of the highest hurdles for homeownership in the region, if not the highest: the downpayment. What does 20 percent of a house's asking price run you on average in Arlington, Belmont, Malden, Medford, and elsewhere?

Tour a plush Brookline contemporary asking $5.3M

by Tom Acitelli Oct 21, 2016, 10:02a

The 6,208-square-foot 465 Warren Avenue in Brookline dropped on the sales market in late September and is now under contract. Newton-based architect Adolfo Perez redesigned the circa 1950 house in 2002.

Front Page

Boston Gentrification

Old-school Boston: Which parts do you hope remain?

by Tom Acitelli Oct 21, 2016, 8:50a

Are there certain shops, bars, cultural institutions and landmarks, random neighborhood features, quirks of the T, etc. that you hope gentrification never sinks its morbid claws in? It's Friday Open Thread time!

City postpones big vote on GE headquarters

by Tom Acitelli Oct 21, 2016, 6:46a

The Boston Planning and Development Agency delayed its big vote Thursday evening on General Electric’s three-building, 2.4-acre Fort Point campus following a very particular protest from those opposed to the development.

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Here comes General Electric's Fort Point HQ

by Tom Acitelli Oct 20, 2016, 8:32a

The Boston Planning and Development Authority is expected Thursday evening to approve General Electric’s titanic headquarters development in Fort Point. The formal nod would mark perhaps the last big hurdle for the three-building complex.

The big reveal: An 1870s Victorian farmhouse finally shines

by Mary Jo Bowling Oct 20, 2016, 10:00a

After years of preparation, hard work, and sheer determination, Mark Goff and Philip Engel are (nearly) finished renovating their dreamy 1870s Victorian farmhouse.

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Which cool Cambridge contemporary is right for you?

by Tom Acitelli Oct 20, 2016, 12:15p

Multiple homes with contemporary designs have spilled onto the Cambridge housing market of late. They include brand-new creations and at least one carriage-house conversion. And they are all thoroughly awesome. Browse away!

Sunny PH crowns renovated Beacon Hill brownstone

by Tom Acitelli Oct 20, 2016, 9:52a

The 1,685-square-foot spread at 31 Mount Vernon Street is part of a four-unit brownstone that was renovated five years ago. It includes a loft up top and plenty of natural light, never mind cathedral ceilings and a private balcony.

Kenmore
News

How to save Boston's Citgo sign

by Tom Acitelli Oct 20, 2016, 8:10a

A developer is about to redo the building that the de facto landmark has bestrode for decades and is under no obligation to save it. Here's how the city might ensure its survival.

A 760-acre Scottish island is the best way to spend $2.4M

by Jenny Xie @canonind Oct 17, 2016, 6:08p

Off-grid in the Summer Isles

Breaking: We are moving to Mars

by Jeremiah Budin Oct 14, 2016, 3:28p

See you guys there.

Ask Flipped: Why do these twin girls keep showing up in the hallway of my hotel?

by Laura Euler Oct 14, 2016, 12:57p

And do I really have to “come play with [them]”?

$32M Texas mansion has waterpark, in-ground trampoline in backyard

by Jeremiah Budin Oct 4, 2016, 12:58p

It’s the mullet of mansions: business in the front, party in the back.

Maps

Boston's 10 most expensive home sales in September

by Tom Acitelli Oct 19, 2016, 12:52p

The recently opened Millennium Tower in Downtown Crossing dominated the 10 most expensive home sales in Boston in September. The 60-floor spire, New England's tallest residential building, accounted for fully half of the trades.

Mid-Cambridge modern contemporary trades quickly

by Tom Acitelli Oct 19, 2016, 11:38a

Unit 2 at 378 Broadway landed on the sales market as recently as late September. The 3,282-square-foot, nine-room de facto house dates only from 2009 and includes a fireplace usable from the living room and the library.

More apartments on the way for Charlestown

by Tom Acitelli Oct 19, 2016, 10:30a

The developer behind the 20-acre Hood Park redevelopment in the neighborhood's northern reaches plans to add a 177-unit apartment complex where it once planned an office building. It would be the first residential component of Hood Park.

Go inside a brand-new Cambridge contemporary

by Tom Acitelli Oct 19, 2016, 9:30a

The 2,227-square-foot house at 140 Banks Street a stone’s throw from the Charles just hit the sales market. It was finished this year and it looks it.

Monster hotel slated for Boston convention center

by Tom Acitelli Oct 19, 2016, 7:15a

Just when it looked like it would never happen, a massive new hotel across Summer Street from the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center looks entirely likely. And it would have at least 1,000 rooms.

Somerville's Assembly Row could get huge addition

by Tom Acitelli Oct 18, 2016, 12:12p

The already gigantic Assembly Row development on the banks of the Mystic could get a mammoth addition. A developer has filed plans for a 1,941,592-square-foot project covering 9.4 acres of what are mostly now surface parking lots.

What $700,000 buys around Boston right now

by Tom Acitelli Oct 18, 2016, 11:00a

Boston is one of the few cities in America where $700,000 is not all that much to spend on a home. What, exactly, does that sum score nowadays? At least two bedrooms and sometimes brand-new construction. Come along on our latest Curbed Comparisons.

Boston apartment rents: 1-BRs vs. 2-BRs citywide

by Tom Acitelli Oct 18, 2016, 10:00a

The most expensive areas to rent either a 1-BR or a 2-BR apartment right now are Back Bay, Chinatown/the Leather District, the South End, Beacon Hill, and along Southie's D Street. And a roommate goes financially further in some areas than in others.

Dot's grand 60 Ocean Street trades super-fast

by Tom Acitelli Oct 18, 2016, 8:51a

But there's a catch: It looks like the Victorian-era mansion and its carriage house will sell separately for a combined sum well under the original $1,750,000 asking price for the whole shebang.

Braille trail, sensory garden, and marimba bench enliven accessible park project

by Patrick Sisson Oct 17, 2016, 12:51p

The Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail near Boston shows how to design for the entire community

The five Boston neighborhoods to watch

by Tom Acitelli Oct 17, 2016, 12:13p

These are the five neighborhoods to watch as 2016 begins its slow fade into 2017. Why are they the five to watch? Because of the changes afoot in each, most of it due to new developments and some of it quite existential.

How much a month for a year-old Dorchester condo?

by Tom Acitelli Oct 17, 2016, 10:55a

The spread dates from 2015, and retains much of the gleam of its new-construction shine. The rent includes one parking space and a private roof deck. Take a look around and then hazard your best guess. It's RentSpotter time again!

News

Boston's 'official pumpkin' weighs 1,082 pounds

by Tom Acitelli Oct 17, 2016, 9:52a

The Boston Public Market on Tuesday will unveil its second annual "Official Pumpkin of Boston," which is 62 pounds heavier than last year’s champ. Grown in Greenfield, it will be on display all season.

Charming Charlestown clapboard available for $1M

by Tom Acitelli Oct 17, 2016, 8:54a

The 1,717-square-foot house dates from 1865 and was recently renovated. Said rehab left behind a gleaming, condo-like spread with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. The place also looks custom-made for a pumpkin on the porch.

Maps

Weekend open house tour: Back Bay for under $750K

by Tom Acitelli Oct 14, 2016, 3:14p

Back Bay, perhaps Boston's most expensive neighborhood pound for pound, is usually not on the radar of first-time home buyers or those looking to downsize. Yet the enclave does offer options to those without cash to burn or family money to heave.

Meet Boston's choicest conversion opportunity

by Tom Acitelli Oct 14, 2016, 1:01p

The massive Greek Revival building at 40 Beacon Street in Beacon Hill has hit the market for $20,000,000. It’s on sale as an especially tantalizing multi-family—the property has the necessary approvals for additional space and a serious makeover.

Maps

20 historic cemeteries throughout Greater Boston

by Tom Acitelli Oct 14, 2016, 12:06p

The Boston region has some of America's oldest cemeteries. And they contain a veritable village's worth of notables: presidents, poets, war heroes, jurists, academics, athletes, musicians, Ben Franklin's mom and dad, you name it.

This South End condo fooled nearly everybody

by Tom Acitelli Oct 14, 2016, 11:00a

Only around 5 percent of readers picked the right asking price for this 2-BR, 1-BA in the busy, busy South End. Everyone else went long and wrong. Our PriceSpotter results this way.

Boston Real Estate Market Reports

Boston rent increases appear to be slowing

by Tom Acitelli Oct 14, 2016, 10:00a

Boston apartment rents increased 2.2 percent during the past 12 months, according to RENTCafe’s September market report—one of the slowest paces among major U.S. cities. That’s the good news.

Expert Advice

What can Boston do to spruce up its streetscape?

by Tom Acitelli Oct 14, 2016, 8:51a

The city is already pretty darn cool at street level. Just check out the new lights around City Hall and public art projects such as the regularly updated Dewey Square mural. What else can the city be doing? Sound off in our Friday Open Thread!

General Electric decides to keep Fort Point bridge

by Tom Acitelli Oct 13, 2016, 12:53p

GE was going to dismantle the more than 100-year-old pedestrian bridge over Necco Court as part of its massive headquarters redevelopment. Some people were none too pleased with that decision.

Somerville's most expensive 1-BR condos for sale

by Tom Acitelli Oct 13, 2016, 12:15p

It’s a truism for real estate in these parts that smaller does not necessarily equal less expensive. In Somerville, the truism still hold—just not as firmly.

Here's Fenway's tallest tower under construction

by Tom Acitelli Oct 13, 2016, 11:00a

Earlier this month, construction of the Pierce Boston condo-apartment tower at 188 Brookline Avenue reached 18 floors, putting it more than halfway to its 30-floor, 340-foot height. These are photos of that monumental progress.

Boston Transportation

This might explain all those Green Line delays

by Tom Acitelli Oct 13, 2016, 10:00a

The Green Line had more derailments than any other light rail line in the nation in 2015—seven total—and has had five so far this year. Three factors have contributed to the spate of trains running off the tracks.

Boston flipping switch on new City Hall LEDs

by Tom Acitelli Oct 13, 2016, 8:53a

The city on Thursday evening plans to turn on 325 recently installed LED lights around its municipal hub. The illumination is supposed to make the area safer and save Boston money. But will it make people finally love City Hall?

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