Real Estate Search Blog

For buyers interested in real estate in Harvard Square, finding available Harvard Square properties can be difficult. The area owes is popularity to its unique restaurants, bars, and shops, frequent cultural events, movie theaters, and accessibility to the Charles River. Countless businesses call Harvard Square home, including the real estate office of Hammond Residential.

Cambridge real estate agent Charles Cherney of Hammond Real Estate has created a website for those looking for Harvard Square real estate at HarvardSquareProperties.com. Rather than digging through MLS listings, potential buyers can visit the Harvard Square Properties website to find a full list of frequently updated Harvard Square real estate listings.

As a Harvard graduate, resident of Cambridge, and real estate agent based in the heart of Harvard Square, Charles Cherney is the best resource for potential buyers seeking Harvard Square properties. No one knows Harvard Square and its properties better than Charles Cherney.

Boston real estate is hoppin’! There comes a time in life when an abrupt change can turn life completely around, in a good way. When looking to settle down and purchase real estate, most people do not stay within the limits of the town they grew up. Relocating to a different city can be an exciting, life-changing move.

The city of Boston has been opening its arms to newcomers since the first immigrant arrived at the Port of Boston long ago. Things have changed a great deal since then (though Boston has retained its soft spot for cobble-stoned streets and brownstones).

Here are a few highlights of exciting things that happened in Boston over the past year:

Boston residents and others were invited to skate on the ice at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. First Skate at Fenway Park was arranged in preparation for the NHL’s Winter Classic Game on January 1st.

The 2nd annual Boston Greenfest took over Boston last summer with music, art, seminars, workshops, and activities.

What would a major city be without a Restaurant Week? Boston area residents enjoyed the delicious cookery of over 200 restaurants.

Though not quite up there with Paris or New York, Boston Fashion Week has grown over the years to become a press-magnet and party-fest. All the better for its guests!

Renee Zelwegger and James Franco won the annual Harvard Hasty Pudding Award.

(Not a killer bee attack) Surrogates Filmed in Boston, along with many more movies:

• The Women, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening and Eva Mendes: September 12.
• My Best Friend’s Girl, starring Dane Cook and Kate Hudson: September 19.
• Bride Wars, starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway: January 9, 2009.
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop, starring Kevin James: January 16, 2009.
• The Pink Panther 2, starring Steve Martin and Andy Garcia: February 6, 2009.
• The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden: March 20, 2009.
• Real Men Cry, starring Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke: June 2009.
• Ashecliffe, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Martin Scorsese: October 2, 2009.
• The Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis: November 20, 2009.
• The Company Men, starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones.

If you’re preparing to or already in the process of selling a home, here’s a way to squeeze more cash out of your property. Massachusetts has alloted over $6 million dollars to help you get money back for your old appliances. The Massachusetts Appliance Rebates program is scheduled to begin in March 2010.

Eligible products include

• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Clothes washers
• Dishwashers

For more information, contact the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.

Prudential Prime Properties is a Boston real estate firm that has years of real estate market experience to fine-tune its home-selling strategies. If you are hoping to sell real estate in Boston, list your property with Prudential Prime Properties.

There is an extremely helpful Boston Globe article offering loan-securing tips for new and seasoned home buyers. Buying Boston real estate and Massachusetts real estate in general is not as hard as many think it is.

• First-time buyers have plenty of options when it comes to securing a loan. The homebuyer tax credit is a good example that even extends to repeat buyers. Conventional loans for relatively smaller mortgages, which can be secured for as low as 3% down, are another example.
• Veterans, surviving spouses, and active duty members can secure a loan for 0% down.
• Massresources.org offers 30 and 40 year mortgages for 3% down. There are income requirements but they are not nearly as strict as Section 8 housing restrictions.
• Bostonhomecenter.com is a great resource for people looking for similar programs catered to Boston real estate.
• Contact your town or city offices to find out if there are additional programs available for your use.

For more great resources on Boston real estate, visit Prudential Prime Properties on the web.

In 2009, 54% of people that bought real estate in Massachusetts said that they believed their new home was a better financial investment than stocks. The statistic comes from a study published on February 9th, 2010 by the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®. An additional 29% of buyers said that their new home was as good as an investment as stocks. For sellers of property, the feelings were positive as well. Sellers in Massachusetts typically sold their properties at 94% of their asking price.

Why buy property in Boston? Massachusetts property, particularly in-demand Boston real estate, is an excellent opportunity to invest. Right now there are hundreds of condos in Boston, single-family homes in Boston, and multi-family homes in Boston that are on the market — and offered at a great value. Rental property in Boston will always be in demand due to the large number of students and working professionals entering the market at any given time. Buying real estate in Boston is a great opportunity to earn extra income, and hold onto a valuable asset for your future or for the future of your children and loved ones.

A proposed ban on texting while driving in Boston could make buying real estate in Boston even more appealing for families looking to plant roots in a safe city. The ban on texting while driving passed through the House on February 4th, and will head to the Senate.

Described as “one of the toughest laws on texting in the nation,” the ban would punish first and second-time offenders with fines, and drivers who cause an accident while texting could be faced with prison time (under reckless driving laws) and a fine. It would also require drivers to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone, and would ban junior operators from using their cell phones in any way while driving.

The new ban makes Boston an even more appealing city for individuals and families interested in relocating to a safer city. In some Boston neighborhoods, it’s possible to do without a car because of Boston’s convenient transportation options such as “the T” (the subway), buses, designated bike paths, and of course, sidewalks. Pedestrians should feel even safer after the ban on texting while driving is put into place.

For more information on Boston real estate, please visit Prudential Prime Properties on the web. Prudential Prime Properties is your source for only the most knowledgeable and professional real estate agents in the Boston area.

Walking around a new city can only show you so much. For a little guidance, there’s a new tool provided by HGTV.com that can help you see all that Newton real estate has to offer before you hit the streets.

HGTV’s Frontdoor.com provides a user-friendly guide to your future city, condensing information from sources such as City-Data.com, Yelp.com, and Eventful. With this tool, you can easily get to know the basics about your new city by visiting one website instead of several.

As shown above, click the “Reviews” tab to be shown a list of the most frequently reviewed businesses on Yelp.com. This is great because Yelp.com can be extremely helpful for residents who know the area, but a bit confusing for someone who doesn’t know Rialto from McDonald’s. A person new to the area can see what his new town is known for. The “Explore” tab allows users to choose a point of interest, like “Schools,” and a map shows pinpoints of all local schools. There are many more helpful facets to this tool, which you can explore for yourself here.

For a more in-depth analysis on Newton real estate and all that it has to offer, visit Christine Norcross and Partners online. Find out if relocating to Newton would be a good choice for you and your family, and browse the homes for sale in Newton and in the surrounding towns.

Buyers, and tentative buyers, of foreclosed properties in several Boston neighborhoods may be eligible for low-interest loans or grants up to $50,000 for purchase or renovation costs. See this Boston Herald article on the $13.6 million dollar grant recently awarded to Boston by the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

For in-depth information about real estate in Boston and its surrounding neighborhoods, visit Prudential Prime Properties on the web. Once there, you can search Back Bay Boston Homes for Sale, Beacon Hill Realty, North End Boston Condos for Sale & Boston Rentals.

The above penthouse studio condo is located at 1091 Boylston Street in Boston’s Back Bay. Living here would put you steps away from some of the swankiest shops in Boston on Newbury Street. A thriving neighborhood, Newbury Street and the Back Bay are stocked with the city’s most cutting edge restaurants and bars. This condo is ideal for a college student (it’s located directly across from Berklee College of Music), or as an investment property.

For more details on this listing, visit Prudential Prime Properties online. While you’re there, browse the MLS listings of other properties in Boston real estate. For expert guidance on real estate in Boston and all that relocating to Boston has to offer, Prudential Prime Properties will be able to answer all of your questions.

You know you need to remodel your bathroom, but you have no idea where to start. Home improvement magazines can sometimes overwhelm with dozens of expensive accessories. Where do you go for help?

A bathroom on www.remodelingmyspace.com

Remodelingmyspace.com is an excellent home improvement resource full of photos and videos of real-life home improvement projects created by ordinary people. Start with the photo galleries for ideas, then use the videos and how-to articles to help you begin the project.

If you’re computer-savvy, make sure to check out Google Sketch-Up, a FREE program designed to help you create 3D models. Imagine creating a 3D model of the new addition you plan to build onto your home!

If you’re planning on selling your home or are looking at homes for sale in Boston or the surrounding area, talk to the experts at Prudential Prime Properties. They are a full service Boston real estate agency specializing in Downtown real estate in Boston and relocation to Boston, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, South Boston, South End, Leather District, Seaport, Waterfront, Charlestown, Watertown, Cambridge and Greater Boston homes for sale.