Brookline in the Top 100

Best places to live 2008 - Brookline, MA - from MONEY Magazine

Brookline has made the annual Money Magazine list at #87 in the Top 100 places to live for 2008. Obviously you all know I like to live here, and pretty much anyone who reads this either lives here, is planning on moving here, or also sells real estate here. So, for a lot of us this should not be too surprising. For those planning on moving here, we can do a quick recap of the things that have changed since last year which may have improved Brookline's standing.

1) Complete repaving and re-design of our major commercial thoroughfare -- Beacon Street.
This has added at least a partial bike lane, new smooth streets, and barriers for easy entry and exit into angled parking spaces in the busiest shopping districts.

2) Support of a Proposition 2.5 Override.
Brookline has always matched our neighbor to the North (Cambridge) in political activism. However, many Brookline political movements are a little less radical and a little more successful. Brookline is one of the few communities that has voted to support an increase in tax to fund fire, police, public works and school programs. While it's not without significant controversy, at least we haven't cut school programs this year.

3) All of the information (found below) on the national housing downturn seems to point to us as one of the bright shining stars. Cambridge is suffering as an adjoining suburb to Boston and we're thriving in some areas and fully holding our own in others.

Email this post to a friend.

More cars, fewer parking spaces in Coolidge Corner.

I took Tessie for a walk last night and noticed that my old parking lot off of Centre Street has suddenly doubled their number of Zip Car spots to start the month. This is right on the heels of a feature on NBC Nightly News about the increased usage around the country.

In urban areas, the Zipcar takes off

While I support a greater reliance on "shared" transportation, I know this particular parking lot was a vital resource for those of us who do not own or have assigned rights to parking spots. This is likely to increase prices for parking spots in an already high-demand area.

Email this post to a friend.

Goings on in Brookline

Tomorrow is the start of one of my favorite Brookline events. The weekly Farmers Market is open between 1:30 and 6:00ish. While the offerings were a little sparse at the beginning last year, the market quickly filled with farm stand favorites. In addition to vegetables there is usually a great selection of baked goods, meats, cheeses and my personal favorite fresh fish brought in from the docks that morning. The best part about the fish is it can be pre-ordered up until 6 AM the morning of. Stop by and see Cyndi (the "Fish Lady") and all of the other great offerings. The market will run through the fall allowing for a great mix of in-season produce. The market is held in the Centre Street West parking lot (Centre Street at Beacon Street).


Email this post to a friend.

If you're in Brookline...

There's a lot going on in Brookline over the coming weeks. The famous farmers market will start up again soon(get the fish!) but this weekend is something you should not pass up. The Coolidge Corner Arts Festival is on Saturday and it looks like the weather will be fabulous. There is also a new Brookline Food Festival, so if you're around, I highly recommend stopping by. For more info see the TAB article here.

New Condos near Coolidge Corner

The TAB did a short piece about a meeting that will be held tonight regarding the planned new condo development on Sewall Ave. For those who don't know the players involved, the developer is the same company that currently owns The Warwick at Coolidge Corner as well as two other multi-family lots in and around Coolidge Corner with planned condo/townhouse developments underway. While the Sewall Ave properties are getting the most press, they are the farthest away from actual work. Look for new townhouse developments, possibly by the end of the year, first.

What we do know about the developer is they've got a pretty consistent track record with their Brookline properties. From the 11 Atherton Rd development two years ago to many others, primarily excluding the Warwick because of its unique size and nature, this developer will most likely provide a building that fits in with the aesthetic styles of the neighborhood and helps maintain the overall property value of surrounding homes. I personally think Coolidge Corner could use some more housing, but I always hope that the housing we add comes with on-site parking and at a price point accessible to the many young professionals who desire to call Brookline home. This development will be a quick walk to the Longwood Medical Area and it would be a shame if that community couldn't be served by new property.

What do you mean it has no parking?!?!

As residents of Brookline know, few things get us as riled up as parking issues. For those of you outside of Brookline, I will quote the Town's Overnight Parking Policy:

Overnight Parking: No driver may park on any street in Brookline, or in any Town-owned off-street parking facility, for a period longer than one (1) hour between the hours of 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM on any day of the week unless allowed by the Transportation Board.

Well, this means we all have to have some sort of off-street parking. I happen to live in an 8 unit condo building that owns "two" parking spaces, and I use the term as lightly as possible because I don't quite see two cars ever fitting in them. So I, like so many others, rent monthly in an outdoor lot about 300 ft. from my front door. I pay $150 a month (which is about the going rate) and I'm in a 12 month parking lease. My management company plows (most of the time) and my car is close by when I need it. There is a large condo building with a parking garage across the street from me, so I can decide to rent a $200 garage spot if I wanted to.

What does this mean for house hunting though? So many people refuse to rent parking because they don't want to deal with the hassle or cost of it. So many sellers are worried about the value of their condo suffering because they lack deeded or assigned parking. (For the record: deeded is owned by individuals, assigned is owned by the condo association) We've already established what the cost is for rental parking in Brookline, or at least in Coolidge Corner, which is where the largest demand and highest prices tend to be. To buy a parking space these days you're most likely going to spend over $40,000 for an unattached spot. I'm referring to a spot that isn't really a part of your own property. When buying a condo with a deeded or assigned parking space you're going to see a similar increase in sales value.

Those prices make absolutely no sense for any reason other than convenience and quality of life. Of course, those are the reasons our properties here in Brookline are selling at over $400 per square foot, but let's look at what $40,000 would cost if you were to add it to your mortgage payment. We'll assume for our purposes here that you are going to get an interest rate of 6.75% That extra $40,000 will add to your monthly payment a total of $259.44. Yes, to buy a parking space you will pay at least $260 per month, yet to rent it you will only pay $150 - $200 per month. Why not buy a condo that fits your needs best and then go find parking later?

Brookline...a tourist destination?

Brookline Magazine's November issue (in your mailboxes yesterday) had a cover story about the "Tourist's Eye View of Brookline." The general tone of the article is defensive about alleged snubs because of the more well known Boston tourist destinations. At the end of the day, isn't the overall lack of a tourist draw in Brookline, but perfect access to everything in Boston the thing that draws us to live here? Yes, Brookline has tremendous schools. I live here and don't have any children yet, so I'm not here to take advantage of the school system. I live here because I can go into Back Bay tonight for dinner and some Christmas shopping and not have to worry about taking my car. I live here because I was able to quickly take advantage of window shopping and a walk around The Charles when I had family in from overseas last month. Brookline does not need to have its own tourist draws to compete with Boston. We are more here to compliment Boston. We are the small-town suburb surrounded by the arts, culture and entertainment of the big city. We walk to Fenway Park without being disturbed by the Park. Yes, Lars Anderson Park is a great place to stroll in nice weather, and the Kennedy Historic Site is an important part of our history. If that's the best we have to offer, then I am happy with what we've got. Brookline is perfectly situated to allow us all the chance to enjoy what we want to visit in Boston, and then provide us with the peace and tranquility of a small hometown.

Property news as we go into the "off-season."

As we approach the busy shopping and family visiting time of year, properties like The Warwick and Washington on the Square will most likely get more aggressive in marketing their final batches of units. Last year, when I was one of the listing agents for the Warwick, the busiest week we had was the week immediately before Christmas. That Saturday morning we were able to put 4 condos under agreement. I point this out because as buyers, you should still feel comfortable putting property under agreement if it fits the quality of life you are looking for. In fact, you might just find that the seller is more willing to negotiate in these upcoming weeks than they will in early January with the prospects of the "Spring Market" around the corner.

As you go about your holiday preparations, please consider me a resource. Having represented buildings like the Warwick as well as many other properties in and around Brookline, if there is a question about something you have seen, I will do my best to answer it. I spend much of my time during the week previewing new listings (most of the time before they hit MLS) and will be more than happy to try to point you in the right direction.

Are we crazy?

I was in my Home Staging Specialist certification class this week when a discussion about relative real estate values came up. This class was filled with Raveis agents from across the lovely Commonwealth. We were on our way to stage a listing in Chestnut Hill and after reviewing the property the agents from Norwell, East Longmeadow and Lexington were aghast at what $1.2 million dollars bought them in Brookline. I heard all of the snide comments about how they had spectacular waterfront listings with 4 car garages that were immaculately renovated, etc... It caused me to chuckle a little bit, because my little 2 bed condo in Coolidge Corner would probably cost as much as a house with a lovely yard that Tessie (my English Cream Golden Retriever) could call her own. Then I read this. I pay to live here because I love the fact that my wife can walk to work every day. I love the fact that we can leave Tessie 20 minutes before game time and be in Fenway before the Anthem. I love the fact that when family comes to visit I am out to dinner at Abe & Louie's in 20 minutes without having to get parking. When I made the switch from my old office (which I walked to every day) to my current office (I sadly have to drive a whole 10 minutes now) I regained my appreciation for the suburban feel we get living here, even though we are completely surrounded by Boston. I don't feel like I live in a city at all. Parts of Brookline remind me of the Connecticut towns I grew up in, but when I want to be in Boston I don't have to worry about how to get there or how long it might take.

Love that Dirty Water

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox on their seventh World Series title. While my celebration last night was more relief than jubilation, it was a fun night out. One of the many wonders of being here in Brookline, and living in Coolidge Corner specifically, was we were able to take a quick T ride into Kenmore Square at 7 last night, had our table in a restaurant at 7:30 and were in the middle of the fun as the game ended. As we walked back home through the hoards of students, it was refreshing to step across the town line and back into our peaceful "suburb." Truly one of my favorite aspects of Brookline living. Now off to the rolling rally...

Bringing Down the House (Again)

Front page article in today's TAB about how a Newton developer wants to tear down three properties in "North Brookline." This is my neighborhood, so I take a strong interest in following these stories. The article references two key points in my mind. Also, see my earlier post.

1) This developer has a track record in Brookline when it comes to these projects.

2) My neighbors want to impose a historic district on our neighborhood so we can create our own review committee.

On the first point, I have been in the most recent Brookline work by this developer and I have to say, while the exterior seemed decent enough, I felt like he was making the same house over and over again with "nice" finishes but nothing special. Also, the layouts as I saw them were not as well thought out as they could be leaving me to prefer projects like the 99 Winchester development.

On the second, and much more important and interesting, point, I am all for it. Tell me where I can sign up! Don't get me wrong here, I am all for responsible development. Any time we can take a house that is in complete disrepair and turn it into a neighborhood gem it becomes an extreme benefit to us all. However, looking down my street (Winchester) and seeing super-modern exterior condo buildings on top of classic old Victorian houses upsets me. I know of one group of developers who are currently lying in wait to get the house next to them so they can tear down three houses in a row and build a massive development. Developers all impact most of our lives, whether we like them or not. I look at the buyer clients I see who want stainless kitchens, upgraded baths, parking garages, etc... and I know that they will most likely find them in a property that has been improved by a professional developer.

The project we represented on Atherton Road last year is proof of this. The developer took a completely run down house where the whole front portion was sinking into the ground, totally renovated it into amazingly beautiful condos and helped turn around that part of the neighborhood. As a show of thanks to his immediate neighbors, he also paved their driveways and parking areas for them.

My consistent theme when talking about these projects is to encourage the developer and his agent to get out and meet with the community to let everyone feel involved in the project. Being a successful developer is a lot like being a politician and you need to be great at public relations. It is the charismatic people who do well in this world, and I encourage the parties involved in this to start getting together and talking. Good, responsible development is needed to sustain EVERY neighborhood. Bad, irresponsible development is the easiest way to kill a neighborhood. It's a fine line, and maybe we need a committee to discuss it. Hildy Grossman, you know where to find me!