Real Estate Search Blog

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.

Cambridge MA is a city that invests heavily in its cultural activities. Come holiday season, there are so many fun things to do in the city of Cambridge.

• Harvard Square’s annual Holiday Fair is a gathering of dozens of independent artists from the area, proudly displaying and selling their creative wares at the First Parish Unitarian Church in Harvard Square. It’s a great opportunity to do some holiday gift-shopping.
• For an uplifting, soulful performance of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, visit the American Repertory Theatre’s production of Best of Both Worlds at the Loeb Drama Center. The show includes a rotating cast of gospel choirs from the city’s finest university, church, and community choirs.
• If you’d rather head to a folk music show than listen to gospel music, Club Passim on 47 Palmer Street in Cambridge has several holiday shows featuring folk artists and bands.
• Everyone LOVES a laugh! Take your family to ImprovBoston’s interactive Family Show on December 19th at 40 Prospect Street in Cambridge.

The city of Cambridge offers so many fun things to do for the whole family. Searching for real estate in Cambridge MA shouldn’t be a headache. Charles Cherney is one of the most esteemed real estate agents in Cambridge MA. If you and your family are searching for homes in Cambridge MA, there are plenty of gorgeous properties to look at. Some of the homes are even nestled conveniently in Harvard Square. Take a look at Cambridge MA real estate today.

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.

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.

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.

No matter what the reason you’ve decided on moving to Cambridge, MA, and having a professional Cambridge real estate agent can help you in many different ways. First off, they can start by helping you to determine if selling is the right option. They can even help you sell one home and look for another at the same time. These are the experts that can help you answer some difficult questions as well.

What happens if I sell my current Cambridge real estate before I find a new place? How can avoid getting stuck with two mortgages?

An agent will be able to show you that the best way to avoid that potential problem is to put the condition in that you need to finalize the sale of one house before you buy the other.

Are market conditions one of the factors that I need to look at before I contact Cambridge real estate agents?

No. With the right marketing plan, a house can be sold at any time under most conditions. Keep in mind that down markets are relative. That means that selling a a lower price should also mean that you’ll pay less for the home that you’re buying.

Cambridge real estate agents know their business from top to bottom and they are always there to help.

It happens sometimes. No offers come on a Cambridge condo that you were sure would sell. Still, there’s no need to hit the panic button right away. By looking at a few different areas you might be able to pinpoint the problem.

1. Have you given the agent enough time? Selling Cambridge condos can be a little different than selling homes. Remember that the whole process, even in the best of times, is likely to take several months.
2. Take a good look at the agent’s marketing plan. One of the reasons that a property doesn’t sell is it hasn’t has enough exposure
3. Is the place in the best shape that it can be in? Remember that you might not see the thnigs that need to be looked after or fixed when you live in the place everyday. The Cambridge real estate that sells quickly often has another set of eyes looking through it first.
4. Is the condo priced fairly? Here you need to be realistic. Often what you want in a price isn’t what you’re going to get given market conditions.

If looking at these factors doesn’t change things and you still find that you’re not getting any offers, you might want to offer potential customers something extra like paying part of the closing costs.

Cambridge homes that are free and clear offer some unique financial possibilities and if you’re a retiree or find yourself short of cash but the mortgage has been paid off, a reverse mortgage can seem tempting. However, you need to remember that these are essentially taking out a loan against your home and so for that reason alone many experts suggest that you look at some of the other choices that you have to get some additional cash from your Cambridge home.

1. The first alternative is the most obvious. If you’re finding that the home you’re in presently is too big or that you can get by with a smaller one, a great move is to sell the place and buy a more modest dwelling. Remember that things like excessive property taxes can be a drain on a retiree’s income and you can generally find Cambridge homes that are geared to smaller incomes.
2. Another way to avoid the need for a reverse mortgage is to rent part of the property out. The income from a rental will increase the amount of cash that you’ve got coming in.
3. Finally, one of the other methods that is becoming more popular is establishing a home business. This is a way to make part of your home expenses tax deductible.

However, you still might want to forge ahead and take out a reverse mortgage on your Cambridge real estate. If that’s the case make sure that you consider all the terms of the loan carefully.

When you’ve made the decision to set up shop and run a home business from your Cambridge real estate, there are several considerations that you’ll need to make to ensure that the launch is smooth. There are many people that are making the switch to running a business from their Cambridge homes and with the right checklist you’ll be assured of getting the information that will make yours a success.

1. You need to be sure to educate yourself. A course on marketing is more important at first than a course on getting the right computer skills. Having knowledge in the areas of credit and collection is also valuable
2. You need to keep those costs under control for the first year that you’re using your Cambridge real estate as an office. Remember that as the business grows it will be tempting to move it to an office space, but renting a space out will always be more expensive than running the shop from home
3. Remember to keep an eye on the cashflow. Without money coming in you are out of business, so you’ll need to have some kind of cashflow projection that you can look at near the end of each week and update when necessary

Using your Cambridge real estate as a home business can be rewarding when you’ve got all the angles sorted through.

Although a certain amount of humidity inside Cambridge homes is necessary for good healthy living, too much of anything isn’t good. Excessive humidity can damage your furniture in the summer months, particularly in the basement.

The Signs Your Cambridge Real Estate is Suffering

There are ways that you can tell if you’re suffering from this problem and the signs include mold growing and moisture along some windows. Another sure sign is a musty smell in your Cambridge home. However, there are some things that you can do before the issue gets out of hand.

Water leaks are one of the big culprits. You need to find the offenders no matter where they are and that generally means you need to check the roofs and windows. Often when your older Cambridge home has a humidity problem, it will show up in rooted window sills.

Making Sure That A Cambridge Home Is Properly Ventilated

You need to look after the spots in the home where there are commonly excessive moisture and that means placing or checking exhaust fans in the bathrooms. The kitchen is another room that can use one of these fans.

Most people go with the more traditional route and get a dehumidifier for their Cambridge homes. If that’s the route that you’re taking, be sure to get a model that runs quietly.

There are several things that you need to consider when you’ve decided to sell your Cambridge real estate and at the top of the list is the first impression that the property will make with any prospective buyer. Professional Cambridge real estate agents call this a property’s curb appeal and there are several things that you can do to sharpen it.

Shrubs Accent Those Cambridge Homes

If you’ve decided to sell during the peak summer months, you’ll want to add some ground cover type shrubs that accent but don’t cover the front of your Cambridge home. As well, there are many annuals that can grow in the cover around the shrubs to further the look. If you feel that you want to add something to the front of the home, flower boxes along window ledges are a good alternative. Remember that many newer places have replaced the flower bed altogether and added banks of shrubs in the front.

A Cambridge Home for Sale Needs An Attractive Front Door Too

And the front door should not be forgotten. One of the things that can make a visitor feel good about your house is a welcome mat at the front door that is sturdy and feels good under the feet. Urns of flowers on either side of the front door create symmetry that appeals to the eyes as well.

Considering the curb appeal is one of the things that will increase your chances of selling that Cambridge real estate.