Real Estate Search Blog

Thanks to top Cambridge real estate agent Charles Cherney of Hammond Real Estate, several homes in Cambridge can now be explored on YouTube! By visiting the Cambridge For Sale Channel on YouTube, you can watch Charles Cherney’s videos of properties in Cambridge MA. Click the yellow “Subscribe” button to receive notifications when Charles uploads new videos.

How to get to the Cambridge For Sale Channel on YouTube:

www.CambridgeVideos.com

www.CambridgeChannel.com

www.CambridgeForSaleChannel.com

www.YouTube.com/CambridgeForSale

To learn about all the active MLS real estate listings in Cambridge, visit www.CharlesCherney.com and log in as a new visitor on the home page.

If you’re looking to buy real estate in Cambridge or you’re simply new to the city, there are plenty of ways to get to know the neighborhood. “Explore the Neighborhood” is a great tool on HGTV’s Frontdoor.com that allows users to virtually explore their city. Below is a screenshot of the tool.

By using the menu bar to the right of the map, you can choose what you’d like the map to show you. For example, if you just bought a home on Harvard Street and you’d like to see if there are schools nearby, check off the “Schools” box and the map will show your pinpoints of all schools in Cambridge. Because the map is powered by Google, you can zoom in to view residential street names.

For more detailed information about the Cambridge area, visit CharlesCherney.com. Charles Cherney is a top Cambridge real estate agent who has years of experience assisting buyers and sellers of homes in Cambridge. If you are a student or working professional who is thinking of relocating to Cambridge, take the first step by visiting CharlesCherney.com.

Considering relocating to Cambridge, MA? One of the many benefits of purchasing real estate in Cambridge is that there are plenty of parks and recreational areas within the city. Below is a small selection of places to run and play in Cambridge.

Dr. Paul Dudley White Path

Above is a picture of the Dr. Paul Dudley White Path, the 18-mile long bike path and walkway lining the Charles River. On any given day, the path is populated by runners, dog-walkers, bikers, walkers, and people-watchers.

Fresh Pond

Popular with runners and dog walkers is the 2.25 mile pathway encircling Fresh Pond, where wildlife is abundant in all seasons of the year. For the golf enthusiast there is the Fresh Pond Golf Course, which is open to the public and even offers lessons.

Danehy Park

For bocce and horseshoe courts, playgrounds, picnic areas, and sports fields, make a visit to Danehy Park. It is the largest park in Cambridge and holds frequent events geared toward families and children.

New playground at Cambridge Common

Located near Harvard University is Cambridge Common. Once an important site during the American Revolution, today it is a pleasant park and the site of the new Alexander Kemp Playground.

Charles River Canoe & Kayak

Not satisfied with just admiring the Charles River? Learn how to kayak or canoe by taking a class with Cambridge’s Charles River Canoe & Kayak. Once you learn the basics you can sign up for an exciting trip out to any location you’d like to explore, like Walden Pond, Sudbury River, or simply right down the Charles. The company recently opened a new location in Cambridge’s Kendall Square, right on Third Street.

For a full map of Cambridge’s public parks, recreation areas, and reservations, visit this website. There are plenty of reasons to browse the beautiful homes and condos that make up Cambridge real estate. Browse the drop-down Categories menu on the sidebar of this blog to look at past entries spotlighting various aspects of moving to Cambridge.

According to real estate agent Charles Cherney at Hammond Residential, one of the most requested features in Cambridge real estate is elevator access. Fortunately, there are several residential buildings in the city of Cambridge that have elevators. An elevator allows for ease of access, but it also allows individuals not able or not inclined to use stairs to look beyond first floor properties to higher properties with stunning views of the Charles River and the city of Boston.

The following residential buildings in Cambridge offer elevator access as well as underground garage parking.

Condos in East Cambridge:

75-83 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA. Kendall Square. Otherwise known as The Esplanade.

10 Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA. East Cambridge. Otherwise known as River Court.

4-6 Canal Park, Cambridge, MA. Canal Park. Otherwise known as Thomas Graves' Landing.

Condos close to Harvard Square:

975 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA. Located at the Charles Hotel complex.

221 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA. Harvard Square. Otherwise known as Riverview.

1010 Memorial Drive*, Cambridge, MA. Harvard Square.

*Note: Listings at 1010 Memorial Drive are co-ops, not condos.

Condos in Cambridge on Mass Ave between Central and Harvard Squares:

950 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. Otherwise known as the Bay Square Building.

931 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.

To browse listings at any of these properties, visit Cambridge real estate agent Charles Cherney at CharlesCherney.com.

The city of Cambridge is home to some of the Boston area’s most charming townhouses. Many townhouses in Cambridge MA are located quite close to MIT or Harvard. Here is one that is currently on the market.

If your perfect idea of a Sunday is catching the newest indie film and then meeting up with a friend at an intimate cafe, then this place could be for you. Pictured above is one of the Cambridge MA townhouses that is located at 22 Lilac Court. The property includes 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a study, and just about 1500 square feet of space. 18 foot ceilings and a private patio will certainly wow your guests.

A quick browse through real estate in Cambridge MA may just have you fawning over the charming architecture of all of the properties on the market. A townhouse is a comfortable way of experiencing city life with the benefit of investing in a property instead of just renting. If townhouses aren’t for you, take a look at some of the other options that Cambridge MA real estate can offer.

The Cambridge Arts Council has reserved a section of its website for a walking tour map of the city’s own public art. Artists of public art usually design a sculpture or painting specifically for its chosen site, and for this reason the removal of a piece of public art can cause an uproar among local citizens, as in the case of Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc in New York City. This is not surprising, as public art often shapes a town or city’s identity, and leaves a legacy for future generations.

If you are searching for real estate  in Cambridge MA, a weekend trip with your family might mean stumbling upon one of the city’s pieces of public art.

Children’s book illustrator Julia Kepes designed a flock of bronze birds on a brick wall next to a playground. Ms. Kepes is best known for her award-winning book Five Little Monkeys. She and her husband also collaborated on a mural on the side of the Morse School in Cambridge.

The stained glass windowpanes above are a product of collaboration between glass artist Linda Lichman and apprenticing community residents. One can see the art in person when visiting the O’Neill Library.

Just finished in 2002, Mierle Ladreman Ukeles’ “Turnaround Surround” encompasses 55 acres of Danehy Park in Cambridge. As the site was once a landfill in the seventies, the sculpture aims to give a creative solution to an environmental problem. The sculpture includes a half-mile long path made from glass, mirror, and asphault, allowing for stunning views of the surrounding city and neighborhoods.

For every kind of home buyer, there is a special town or city that will satisfy all of his or her needs. For the individual or family who enjoys visiting museums or parks on the weekend, Cambridge MA real estate may be worth looking into. There are plenty of cultural activities going on year-round in the city of Cambridge. The real estate in Cambridge may offer you and your family the chance to have arts and culture right at your fingertips.

If you are searching for real estate in Cambridge MA, one of the many advantages of buying a home in this wonderful city is the support that the city provides for homeowners who would like to decrease their energy bills.

Financing a home may be the biggest investment that an individual will make over the course of his lifetime. It is a valuable perk if a town or city extends financial incentives to homeowners. Selecting a home from Cambridge MA real estate will offer instant and long-term financial savings, through Cambridge’s intiative toward energy-efficiency.

The Cambridge Energy Alliance is a city-sponsored organization that helps homeowners save money while at the same time reducing Cambridge’s carbon footprint. A free energy audit is available to all Cambridge homeowners who are NSTAR customers. After signing up on CEA’s website, an energy specialist will visit the homeowner’s property, audit it, and make specific recommendations for improvements. The assessment focuses on weatherization (insulation & air leakage), mechanical systems (air conditioning, heating & hot water), and major appliances and lighting.

Homeowners in Cambridge are even offered utility incentives and rebates to be applied towards the energy specialist’s recommendations. Typically, by applying these incentives and acting on the energy specialist’s recommendations, the average homeowner decreases his utility bill home by 20-30%.

The City’s energy-efficiency assistance is just one of the many reasons to continue looking at homes in Cambridge MA.

The CRS Designation is awarded to the nation’s top real estate agents by the Council of Residential Specialists. Fewer than 4% of all licensed Realtors are Certified Residential Specialists. For a real estate agent to receive the prestigious CRS designation, he or she must have significant experience, a particular volume of real estate transactions, and a base amount of gross sales. The agent must also complete advanced educational classes. Last, recipients of the CRS designation must maintain membership in the National Association of Realtors, and abide by its code of ethics.

Why should the CRS designation matter to home buyers and home sellers? Consider the large pool of real estate agents in Massachusetts. For those new to the home buying or home selling process, it might not be easy to tell a good agent from an unreliable one. The CRS designation helps simplify the process. Choosing a real estate agent with the CRS designation assures the home buyer or home seller that he or she is working with one of the best real estate agents in the nation.

Charles Cherney of Hammond Residential is one real estate agent specializing in real estate in Cambridge, MA who has obtained the CRS designation. He was invited to pursue the CRS designation after attaining a required level of sales volume and gross sales. Mr. Cherney has completed the program’s rigorous core curriculum which includes topics in business planning, customer service, and technology, in addition to other available courses which focus on technology as a valuable tool in the industry. Mr. Cherney is one of only 4% of licensed Realtors who have been invited to obtain, and have successfully achieved, the CRS designation.

The GRI designation is considered the nation’s number one real estate designation. Only 19% of realtors in the United States have obtained this designation. The GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute designation) is administered and given by the National Association of Realtors. The designation is comparable to the accounting industry’s CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation and the financial industry’s CFP(Certified Financial Planner) designation.

Charles Cherney of Hammond Residential is one real estate agent serving the Cambridge, MA area who has obtained the GRI designation. He has completed about 90 hours of classroom instruction on various topics including recognizing and addressing potential legal issues, tax policies, types of mortgage programs, fair housing laws, basics of building construction, and the home inspection process. GRI programs differ by state in order to educate participants on their own local and state real estate practices.

What does this mean for the home buyer or seller? Choosing a real estate agent with the GRI designation means you are working with one of the best and most knowledgeable real estate agents in your state and in the country. Your real estate agent will provide you with a high level of professionalism and in-depth knowledge of every step in your home-buying or home-selling journey. A real estate agent with the GRI designation is theoretically involved in all parts of the home buying or home selling process. While other agents must put blind faith into a home inspector’s findings, an agent with the GRI designation fully understands each detail and will be able to explain the results and further courses of action to the home owner.

Buying a home will most likely be the largest single investment you will make in your lifetime. Only a real estate agent with the GRI designation will understand every detail in the home-buying process, and will be able to provide you with the high quality of service needed to steer you through the process.

Countless families purchase homes in Cambridge MA because of the city’s top-rated schools. Home to some of the nation’s top universities, it’s no surprise that its public schools are at the forefront of technology in the classroom.

Blogging at the Cambridgeport School

First graders at the Cambridgeport School post weekly blogs about things they have learned. Dozens of teachers are able to explore the advantages of Smart boards in the classroom. Keypals is a program at the Kennedy-Longfellow School which links sixth grade students to volunteers at MIT and IBM, for an email-based mentorship designed to help students sharpen their writing skills. Authors and illustrators regularly visit each school to share their work and connect with the students.

Cambridge public schools are made up of 12 schools and one high school. The schools each have their own distinct, unique identity – and parents are free to select their top three choices of schools for their child to attend. For instance, the Baldwin school is home to a renowned music program and offers many programs based in arts and design. Fletcher-Maynard Academy offers an eight-hour school day for students to spend extra time on projects in assorted academic areas. The high school, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, is one of the top public schools in Massachusetts.

There are many reasons to look for a home in Cambridge MA real estate, and the city’s cutting-edge public schools is just one of them.