New England Properties: Elizabeth Bolton - Cambridge MA Real Estate Agent (Coldwell Banker Cambridge, Massachusetts)

On Sunday, Dec 12, 2010 stop by 14 Holton Street in Medford MA for an open house from noon to 1 pm.

Set on the top floor of a handsome six-unit building, the condo is an appealing mix of modern upgrades and original architectural details including transom windows, exposed brick, wood floors, high ceilings and beautiful golden oak woodwork in the entry foyer.

If you work at home or just need space for an office you'll appreciate the flexible floor plan.  Previously used as a three bedroom, the third bedroom has been opened up and is a spacious office. There's also a small den off the living room and a built-in desk in the former pantry adjacent to the kitchen.

The sunny and spacious eat-in kitchen opens to a private deck.  There are granite counters, stylish cabinets and washer /dryer - no need to lug the laundry downstairs!

14 Holton Street is just two blocks from the heart of West Medford Square.  Hop on the train - the next stop is North Station in Boston.  There's a variety of shops and restaurants in West Medford and even more if you head in the other direction towards Tufts.  Whole Foods is down the street and you'll have no problem grabbing your morning coffee - both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are in the neighborhood.

Commuters will have lots of options from this convenient location.  In addition to the commuter rail the bus stops just outside your door and takes you to Davis Square, Lechmere Station or Arlington. Zipcars can be picked up nearby. There's quick and easy access to routes 2, 3, 93, 95 and 128.  By bike Teele Square or Davis Square aren't far.

14 Holton Street is listed for $299,000.  If you can't make the open house on Sunday I'd be happy to set up a time for you to come by.  If you'd like to see additional photos and get more information about the West Medford neighborhood check out the website for 14 Holton St Medford MA.

581 Mount Auburn St in Cambridge is a single family townhouse not far from Harvard Square. In move-in condition, it's on the market for $529,000.

Set back from the street, the townhouse has views of historic Mount Auburn Cemetery on one side, and the Larchwood neighborhood on the other.  Inside, the 1980 sq.ft. townhouse has a lofty, open and modern feel with:

• Renovated kitchen with cherry cabinets, granite counters, stainless steel appliances and a pantry closet
• Dining room with sliders to a private deck and enclosed garden
• 2.5 baths
• Spacious office
• Living room with wood burning fireplace
• Spacious master bedroom with bath and three closets
• Second bedroom
• Washer and dryer in the basement
• Direct access from the one-car garage
• Attic storage
• Central air conditioning

Upgrades include Harvey replacement windows on the upper floors, new HVAC, a renovated kitchen and updated baths.

Neighborhood amenities include Fresh Pond with its two mile walking trail, golf course and playground. It's a haven for dogs and their owners - Cambridge canine residents can go off-leash. Mount Auburn Cemetery is a National Historic Site and a popular destination for bird watchers with its many bucolic paths, two ponds and an observatory tower.  There's a branch of the Cambridge Public Library around the corner and a large Star Market a couple of blocks away.  Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are close by at Alewife.  There are abundant shops and restaurants in Harvard Square and Huron Village, both within walking distance.

581 Mount Auburn offers easy access to Memorial and Storrow Drives, Mount Auburn Hospital and Routes 2, 128, 93 and 95.  It's a lovely walk down Brattle Street into Harvard Square or if you'd rather hop on the bus it stops right out front. 

581 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 is listed for $529,000 with Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker.  For more information or to schedule a visit please call Liz at 617-504-1737.

166 Sylvia St Arlington MA  Every time I walk into this house it makes me happy - really happy - joyful even.  That's the way you want to feel when you come home.  Looking for a house - a home - that makes your heart sing?  Here it is. 

You can tell this house was built with quality and it's been meticulously maintained by long time owners.  It gleams - every surface looks just like it did when new.

The house is bright and cheery inside and beautifully landscaped outside with a level side yard.  Sylvia Street is cut in half and this house sits at one end of the upper half of the road. It's a quiet and serene setting - sit back and listen to the birds sing!

The expensive items have been taken care of here - the roof was new in 2001 and the high efficiency boiler was installed in 2006.  Windows have been replaced and the house is vinyl sided.

The seller remembers that the oak floors were in marvelous condition when the wall-to-wall carpet was installed in the mid-1960s. No pets have lived here since so the rugs have protected the hardwood floors for decades.  The rug has been pulled up in the corner of one bedroom where you can see the beautiful floor beneath.

Three bedrooms, a spacious eat-in kitchen, living room with fireplace and a full bath are on the main level.  Downstairs is a surprise with great bonus space. There's a family room with fieldstone fireplace and built-ins, a summer kitchen with knotty-pine cabinets, laundry, a half bath and access to the garage.  The lower level is dry - even throughout the monsoons we experienced in Arlington this spring.

166 Sylvia Street is in Arlington Heights, close to the Lexington line.  Buses to Harvard Square and the Alewife T station stop just two blocks away and the Minuteman Bike Path is close by.

166 Sylvia Street, Arlington MA 02476 is listed for $409,000 with Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker.  Call Liz at 617-504-1737 for more information or to schedule a showing. 

84 Adams St Medford MA - Medford Hillside Condo 

Looking for room to spread out?  A big yard? Space for a home office? Parking?

You'll get all this and more in this newly listed seven-room condo.  84 Adams Street sits right at the Medford-Somerville line in the Hillside neighborhood near Tufts and newly listed for $359,000.

Adams Street is on land that was once part of a farm inherited by Abigail Adams.  Today it is a convenient residential neighborhood with tree lined streets and easy access to shops, cafes, restaurants and commuter routes.

Features of this stylish condo include:

• Beautiful stained oak floors
• Open living / dining room with views of the hills in Arlington and beyond
• Two bedrooms and a third room that can be used as an additional small bedroom
• Eat-in kitchen with butcher block island
• Two huge rooms upstairs - media room, playroom, office, guest space - you name it!
• Large private back deck overlooking the landscaped, fenced yard
• One garage parking space plus two more outside side-by-side parking spaces

84 Adams Street is midway between the shops and restaurants on Boston Ave and Teele Square in the other direction. Davis Square is just under a mile away.  The new Whole Foods is nearby - with a Starbucks next door.

Commuters will appreciate the easy access to Cambridge and Boston from the neighborhood. Routes 2, 3, 16, 93,95 and 128 are close by. The 80 and the 94 bus run on Boston Ave and the 87, 88 and 89 in Teele Square. The Green Line is scheduled to be extended to the neighborhood by 2014.

84 Adams Street Medford MA 02155 is listed by Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker.  Call Liz at 617-504-1737 for more information or to schedule a visit.

10 Caldwell Avenue #3 in Somerville MA is a top floor two-bedroom condo with its own private roof deck. Newly listed at $329,000.

The bright and sunny condo was renovated several years ago. Features include:

• Open layout
• Hardwood floors
• Recessed lighting
• Plenty of cabinet and counter space in the eat-in kitchen
• Stainless steel appliances including fridge, gas stove, dishwasher and microwave
• Basement storage and common laundry

Best of all - full stairs lead up to your own private roof deck with Boston skyline views.

10 Caldwell Ave is just steps from popular restaurants and shops including:

• Dali
• The Biscuit
• evoo
• The Kebab Factory
• The Wine and Cheese Cask
• Savenor's Market

Caldwell Avenue is tucked away from the main streets and is a private way, just one block long. The city of Somerville provides trash collection and snow plowing services.

Will you be working at Harvard or attending graduate school? This is an unbeatable location with Harvard Yard a half mile down the road.  You're also close to Inman Square and Union Square.

Grab some takeout and a bottle of wine and relax on your roof deck after a long day at school or work.

For more information about 10 Caldwell Ave, #3, Somerville MA or to schedule a visit please call Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker, 171 Huron Avenue, Cambridge at 617-504-1737.

119 Park Ave, Arlington MA - Mid-Century Modern Stunner.  Do you like the clean, sleek lines of the Mid-Century Modern style of architecture? The open flow, the windows opening the house to light and greenery? Then you won't want to miss this updated Modernist house in Arlington Heights.

Built in 1948, the house has been expanded and upgraded with respect for the original architecture. Prior to the renovation from the street the house looked like a Cape though the window details gave some indication that there was something special hidden behind the New England-style facade.

Once inside, like many Modernist houses, 119 Park Avenue opened itself to the large backyard. The large windows flood the house with light and the fireplace and flowing floor plan are as contemporary as can be.

From 2005 to 2007 the house was expanded and renovated with a top notch team that included architectural firm, Single Speed Design, designers of The Big Dig House and Charlie Allen Restorations of Cambridge, recently selected as Boston Home Magazine's Best Restoration Contractor. 

The renovation preserves the mid-Century modern style while upgrading the systems, appliances and fixtures and adding living area to the second floor. An emphasis on quality is apparent throughout.

There is a new and stylish kitchen that includes

• Stainless steel fridge
• Stainless steel dual-fuel range with gas burners, electric / convection oven
• Zephyr Venezia stove hood
• Fisher & Paykel two-drawer dishwasher
• Franke sink with Grohe faucet
• Dacor warming drawer
• Custom cabinets and Silestone counters

Both baths are new with laundry hookups in the first floor bath.

The first floor includes the kitchen, dining room, a large livingroom with fireplace, two bedrooms, and a full bath.

Throughout the house quality upgrades include:

• Customizable California Closet systems
• Recessed lighting on dimmers
• Rotaliana chandelier and entry lights
• Flos pendant
• Refinished original floors and cork flooring

Surprises await upstairs!

Here you'll find the master suite of your dreams - a huge bedroom with adjacent deck, an office or studio space ideal for two, a walk-in closet outfitted by California Closets, and a bath that includes a deep soaking tub, separate shower with rain shower head, and a skylight.

Don't forget to check out the lower level - where you'll find a large rec room and a separate space for exercise equipment.

Updated systems include:

• A new high efficiency furnace powered by gas that replaced the old oil-fired system
• Central air conditioning
• On-demand tankless Rinnaia hot water heater
• Upgraded wiring including CAT-5 cable / internet / phone system with multiple outlets on the 1st & 2nd floors

There's a deep backyard with patio, expansive lawn and a garden, planted and nurtured by the previous owners and described by the sellers:

The yard is planted with blooming perennials that from the early spring to late fall bloom in sequences that splash the yard with color. 

Of the first to arrive in the spring are daffodils along with a few forsythias, followed by a symphony of blue with three iris varieties and several large rhododendron bushes as background. 

These are followed by an explosion of white for several weeks as the eight established peony plants on the property bloom.  Around this same time the dogwood tree in the front yard blooms - a profusion of pink blossoms that makes a spectacular sight from the second floor. 

The yard then goes from predominately blue to a sea of yellows and oranges in the summer as tiger lilies bloom punctuated by cone flowers, bee balm, and framed by hostas, and honeysuckle. 

The summer ends with the late blooming light purple hostas and lovely New England aster that invite in the fall colors. 

One neighbor likes to call the circular planting area in the backyard "Monet's garden."

Exterior upgrades include:

• New, redesigned roof over house and deck area
• Redwood siding on the second floor
• Mahogany deck
• Bluestone wall and paver pathway at the front of the house
• Patio at the back of the house
• New entry stairs at the front and back of the house
• Split rail fence

119 Park Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476 is listed for $789,000 and shown by appointment. Please call Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker, Cambridge at 617-504-1737 to schedule a visit or for additional information.

65 Newbury Street in Somerville, MA is a two-bedroom, two bath condominium close to Teele Square and Davis Square priced at $469,000.

Measuring 1293 sq. ft, the condo is on the top two levels of this renovated two-unit home.  The rooms are unusually large with an open layout.  There's a spacious bedroom on each floor and a full baths on both levels as well.  Gleaming hardwood floors, central air conditioning, plenty of closets, a huge kitchen with adjacent in-unit laundry, a small deck, basement storage, garage parking plus an additional parking space outside - there's lots to like here!

The backyard patio is common and exceptionally well landscaped. 

This is probably the sunniest home I have ever sold.  Every time I visit I plan to turn on lights until I open the door and realize the rooms are already as bright as can be. 

Can't find space for your bedroom furniture in the cramped bedrooms you're seeing? You'll be delighted at the size of both of the bedrooms here - there's really no second best - both bedrooms are huge by city standards.

Another one of my favorite features is the siding (we real estate agents take pleasure in seemingly obscure things I guess!) - it's attractive wood clapboards on the front, street facing side of the house, and low maintenance vinyl siding on the other sides of the house.  Wood siding is much easier on the eye and presents a much more attractive view to the street.  Here you've got the best of both worlds - an attractive facade and far fewer maintenance headaches on the sides of the house that aren't as visible.  That's brilliant I think and a super solution for a condo building.

Newbury Street is a one-way street that starts in the heart of Teele Square and runs to Mass Avenue in Cambridge - just opposite the new Dunkin' Donuts.  #65 is approximately .6 of a mile to Davis Square where you can hop on the Red Line or alternatively, you can walk down the street to Mass Ave and grab the 77 Bus to Harvard Square.

This Teele Square condo at 65 Newbury Street, Somerville, MA 02144 is listed by Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker in Cambridge.  Call Liz at 617-504-1737 for more information or to schedule a private showing.

Update:  88 Pearl Street sold for $525,000 after receiving 10 offers.  I look forward to the transformation!

Calling all contractors and old house enthusiasts! This 1820s house at 88 Pearl Street in Cambridge Massachusetts is on the market for the first time in over sixty years.

If "old and untouched" is what you look for - you'll want to check out 88 Pearl Street.  There's still some nice vintage detail here - paneled doors, built-ins, some wide board floors, front and back staircases, and ladder like stairs to an attic.

Developers and contractors will find a lot to like here. This is the perfect project for the spring market! The house is configured as a two-family and lends itself to condos.  Alternatively it could be converted to a single family home.  The rooms are large and very sunny.  The City of Cambridge gives the approximate living area as 2380 sq. ft. 

No mistake about it - the house needs a lot of work.  Some things have been taken care of though - the furnace was new in 2002, the leaking roof was replaced in 2008, and the windows have been replaced.

The current room layout has four large rooms and two baths on the first floor and five rooms with one bathroom on the second floor. There is off-street parking for 2 - 3 cars.

This is a super location - just blocks from the heart of popular Central Square, MIT is just down the street, Harvard is one subway stop away on the Red Line, and the Charles River and Boston are nearby.

88 Pearl Street is new to the market and priced at $475,000. 

Please call Elizabeth Bolton of Coldwell Banker on Huron Avenue in Cambridge if you would like more information or would like to schedule a showing.  Liz can be reached at 617-504-1737.

There will be an open house on Sunday, August 23, 2009 from 1 to 2:30pm at 88 Pearl Street, Cambridge MA 02139.