Roslindale Rising Higher!

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Once viewed as the “poor relation” of Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, Roslindale —  or Rozzie as we  call it —  has become a destination of its own over the past decade.  Housing values have risen dramatically, with the average price for a single-family home (according to my bible, MLS) going from $340K in 2010 to $433K this year.

Now, with the much-anticipated arrival of Parkside on Adams in the heart of Rozzie Village, our rental reputation will be rising several notches as well.  The 43 state-of-the-art apartments planned for Parkside will not only be constructed and finished with eco-friendly materials; the building itself will be a magnet for young working people, medical professionals and empty-nesters.  At the intersection of 14 MBTA bus lines, two blocks to the Commuter Rail to Back Bay and South Station, and walking distance to a full array of service providers, restaurants and retail shops, the location of Parkside will speak to folks wanting a simpler, greener, unencumbered life style.

Parkside Rising
Substation transformation with Rozzie Congregational Church in the background

Current plans are for 12 studios, 21 one-bedrooms, and 10 two-bedroom apartments.  There will, of course, be parking connected with the building, and a Zipcar station is also planned.   Peregrine Group, the Providence-based developer for this project,  and well-established restaurateur, Chris Douglass of Ashmont Grill and Tavolo Restaurant,  are currently in negotiations for a restaurant concept on the main floor of the substation building while Roslindale Village Main Street and other community partners are working to find a use for the ground floor.

Colin Kane, Principal of Peregrine Group, cited “the extraordinary work the Roslindale community has put into this” and called it “one of the more interesting projects we have done.”  Under the able leadership of Jordan Stone, Principal of Peregrine Group, and H.V. Collins Construction, Parkside on Adams promises to be an engine for positive change for Roslindale ‘s economy and its residents.

Project completion date is late summer of 2015 — I will keep you posted!

What Buyers Want this Fall

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As the post-Labor Day real estate season approaches, old and new clients are calling with the question that has always been music to my ears:  Can you come by and tell us what to do to get our place ready for the market?

Everyone seems to have gotten the message that buyers are out in huge numbers and that inventory is way down (by 20%) from where it was a year ago.  Buyers are willing to pay top dollar, and their top is higher than ever before with these historically low interest rates.  However, they are and have every right to be very picky.  If a home buyer is going to outbid half a dozen other people in a multiple-offer situation — and bidding wars have been the norm for months now in Roslindale, J.P. and West Roxbury —  the product they end up with must be excellent.

Here’s my top 7 picks for items that your home must have (and I’m talking mainly about single families right now) to get the price you want:

1.  If you have two levels in your house (or condo, with rare exceptions), you must have two bathrooms.  A half bath on the first floor is fine but it must be nicely finished.  (P.S. Save your money and don’t get a spa-style tub.)

2.  First floor must have an open floor plan.  Knock down as many walls as you can between living, dining and kitchen areas.  On a budget?  Get creative with mirrors and lighting to maximize spaciousness.

3.  Your kitchen must be clean, serene, and  mostly updated.  Granite and stainless are the quickest way to effect this illusion, but there are many less predictable finishes that also make buyers pull out their check books.

4.  Front of the house, including masonry and carpentry, must appear perfect.  That first approach has to be positive or you’re dead in the water.  Remove unattractive shrubs.  Back porches and stairs must be solid and pretty, too.

5.  Eliminate wallpaper, paper borders (egad — a fad whose time is SO long-gone).  Pull up any wall-to-wall, except maybe in finished attics.  And in those spaces, it must be new and clean and neutral.

6.  Replace a heating system that’s more than 20 years old or is rusty and nasty looking.

7.  Take advantage of the strongest sellers’ market in many years, and possibly for many years to come.  Listen to your Realtor, not your best friend — unless he or she is an interior designer —  and get your place sold quickly at a price that will thrill you.

See you out there — and fasten your safety belts for a wild fall (market)!

32 Robinwood Ave, Unit 2, Boston, MA 02130-Jamaica Plain

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Living Room
Front View

Welcome to this stunning two bedroom, one bathroom condo situated in the heart of Jamaica Plain! Conveniently located just seven minutes from the Stonybrook T Station, this is one rental opportunity that you won’t want to miss.

Upon entrance, you will immediately notice that the unit has been beautifully restored and maintained with original details, brand-new custom closets and creative storage throughout the space. The gleaming fir floors will immediately catch your eye, and the new windows will allow Boston’s natural light to shine throughout your home each day.

You will love your incredible foyer-dining-living space, created by removing several walls throughout the unit. You can curl up on cold winter nights by the ornate fireplace, or enjoy a meal in the beautiful dining area, featuring a chandelier for a touch of elegance. You can also visit with guests in the foyer and living areas, which are situated right by the windows for enjoying Boston’s beautiful views.

You can enjoy your culinary concoctions in peace in the perfectly situated country kitchen, which leads to a private back deck with lovely views of the city. A gracious hallways leads to the back of the unit, where you can escape at the end of the day to one of two private bedrooms. As you walk throughout the space, you’ll notice the ornate customizations and beautiful details throughout.

This conveniently located, lovely unit is in a professionally managed building. The lease is a minimum of one year, but once you make yourself at home you won’t ever want to leave. The rent includes heat, hot water, water, snow removal and grounds maintenance. Don’t miss your chance to rent this Jamaica Plain gem!

64 Kittredge Street, Boston, MA 02131 – Roslindale

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Living Space
Front View

A young, sun-filled Garrison featuring four bedrooms and two full bathrooms awaits your arrival in Roslindale. Located just steps from Roslindale Village and commuter rail to downtown Boston, this home was built in 1997 and includes plenty of desirable amenities throughout. While the first floor boasts a lovely open floor plan, the upstairs and basement offer ample space to add your personal touches.  In the eat-in-kitchen, plenty of counter and storage space makes meal prep a breeze. Expecting company? Dine in style in the large dining room, perfect for any occasion. After the meal, a bonus family room or study located just off the kitchen is ideal for relaxing or a home business. Enjoy central AC to help you chill this summer, and a spacious two-section basement. Additional features include terrific closet space in all bedrooms, two off-street parking spaces and easy access to the Arboretum, shopping and more.

5 Easy Ways to a Greener Real Estate Practice

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My recent Audubon excursion to an island off the coast of Maine has me more impassioned than ever about not using plastics in any form. The environment is saturated with them, and recycling, though perhaps helpful, is not the answer as the market for recyclable plastics is not what it was before the world-wide economic downturn.  And energy conservation, in any form, is more important now than ever before.

What can we do, as independent business people?  Let’s start with the home office, though some of these suggestions can apply to your central office as well:

1.  Buy paper for your photocopy machine that’s wrapped in paper, not plastic.

2.  Turn off any lights or other appliances that you are not using, including your printer and computer.  An aside: take a look at these disposal guidelines from the EPA,  for when you break a compact fluorescent bulb.  I was totally unaware of the dangers of mercury gas; sometimes I think we should stick with incandescents and use them sparingly.

3.  Working at home?  Save water by sticking to the old adage: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow.  If it’s brown, flush it down.”  And never, ever, leave the water running while you brush your teeth or wash dishes.

4.  Coffee break?  At-home coffee makers that use disposable plastic one-shot containers might be quick and easy, but why should our caffeine needs hurt the environment?  Going out for coffee?  Bring your own refillable mug and keep one more plastic lid out of the landfill.  And if the counter person sticks your plastic iced coffee container into a styrofoam one, kindly decline the outer cup.

5.  Urge your local grocer to stock products that are wrapped simply.  Yogurt in plastic containers that we eat with plastic spoons?  Lettuce in a plastic box?  Mushrooms in styrofoam packaging?  If we stop buying, the plastics producers will have to eventually stop supplying.

That’s my soapbox for today, inspired by the hundreds of pounds of plastic trash we picked up in only two days on the islands we visited in Maine.  Here’s a photo of some of the winged beneficiaries of a cleaner planet — the Common Tern — that’s becoming less and less common as our oceans fill up with microscopic particles of plastic ingested by seabirds, fish and yes, eventually, us!

Linda Burnett

Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Real Estate Maven
Keller-Williams Boston-Metro Real Estate
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Farmers’ Markets are Back in Boston!

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Today I made my annual pilgrimage to the Copley Square Farmers’ Market on its opening day.  Not that much of a pilgrimage, actually,  as it’s right outside my KW office on Boylston Street!  Crop offerings were of course very limited but I managed to snag some fabulous greens.  Had it not been such a gray and rainy day, I’m sure the lines would have been snaking all around the plaza.

Starting June 2nd,  our very own farmers’ market opens for business at Adams Park in Roslindale Village. Not only will you experience live music and first seasonal sightings of friends and neighbors — you’ll also get to purchase locally-grown goods from an average of 25 vendors each week. Each Saturday  from 9-1:30 you can choose from the finest produce, including fruits and vegetables, meat, honey, baked goods as well as handcrafted items by local artisans. You can also browse the book stall sponsored by Friends of the Roslindale Library and buy tickets for the upcoming Roslindale Garden Tour happening on June 23.   I probably don’t need to tell you:  if you don’t have AT LEAST an hour to spend at the Rozzie Farmers’ Market (that’s half an hour socializing and half an hour shopping) it’s hardly worth going at all.  I love it for catching up with my Roslindale real estate clients — and plenty of folks from Jamaica Plain, too!

While the Rozzie market is opening next weekend, the Jamaica Plain Farmers’ Market has been open for a couple weeks in its longtime home behind the Bank of America on Centre Street. A most welcome feature of this small but well-stocked market is that it’s open two days a week, giving you more opportunity to peruse the local produce. Each Tuesday from 12-5 and Saturday from 12 -3, fill your recyclable shopping bag with anything from local honey to fresh flowers. Later on this summer, you can choose between this locale and the one at the historic Loring-Greenough House just down the street, open Thursdays from 12 -6.

Boston may be a small city, but we’re big on shopping locally and supporting Massachusetts farmers.   I’ll be at the market in Rozzie, just shopping, or hawking tickets at the booth for the upcoming Garden Tour or selling books as a Friend of the Roslindale Library, so I’m sure to see you there and please don’t hesitate to come and say hello — it’s been a mild but long winter and I can’t wait to see my fellow Roslindalians!

Linda Burnett

Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Real Estate Maven
Keller-Williams Boston-Metro Real Estate
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Seeing RED is a good thing at Keller Williams!

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My father was an entrepreneur his entire working life. He didn’t ever actually tell me that one of the cornerstones of a successful business is giving back to the community, but I learned by watching his consistent involvement in the Lions Club, the local board of trade and later, groups committed to racial and economic equality.  So, six years ago when I was ready for a more effective way to blend my business and non-profit lives and began researching real estate franchises, Keller Williams really stood out from the pack.

One of our most visible community projects,  RED Day, happens annually on the second Thursday in May.  The day is dedicated to Mo Anderson, one of KW’s founders whose unstinting generosity inspired this company-wide event.  By spending time “Renewing, Energizing and Donating”, KW agents across the country give back to their local communities. On RED Day 2012, my colleagues and I spent several hours sprucing up the Abraham Lincoln Veterans Center in Charlestown — a community center serving local residents from toddlers to most-revered seniors.  It’s located a stone’s throw from our Charlestown Market Center at 18 Main Street.

From cleaning the bathroom and kitchen to putting on a fresh coat of paint in the central activities room, we worked off our collective butt.  When the indoor projects were done,  I personally tackled a disgustingly overgrown and trash-filled alley beside the building, and quickly attracted the help of two young men who’ve recently joined our team.  In under an hour and a half we could actually walk through that creepy passageway without stepping on broken glass and discarded building materials that had been there so long Mother Nature had almost totally reclaimed them.

A job well done, relationships strengthened among us brokers and between our company and the community, and a great deal of fun and laughter — RED Day this year was a blast, and a testimony to Keller Williams’s success the other 364 days of the year!

That's me in the middle, working my fingers to the bone!

KW Boston Metro-RED Day Troops

Linda Burnett

Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Real Estate Maven
Keller-Williams Boston-Metro Real Estate
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Lilac Sunday — Harbinger of Spring — this Sunday!

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Lilac Linda

Arnold Arboretum, the oldest public arboretum in America, has been owned and maintained since 1872 by one of the country’s most well-known institutions: Harvard University.  Every year on Mother’s Day for the past 100 years,  one of the 2,200 species of  woody plants that populate this urban paradise is chosen for a day-long homage that has come to be known as Lilac Sunday.

Due to the early spring this year (and remember, it’s “climate change”, not global warming!),  many of the 180 varieties growing there have already bloomed, but there still will be many budding bloomers to admire come Sunday morning on Bussey Hill, the heart of the Arboretum’s lilac collection.  From 10:00 ‘til 4:00, come and be part of the community-wide celebration that includes tours of the lilacs and other special plant collections, family fun, food vendors and live music. Highlights include traditional English folk dance performances, swing jazz, Taiko drumming and puppet storytelling.  You can also enjoy the special pleasure of picnicking on the grass, not usually offered at any other time of the year out of respect for plants and wildlife. As always, the Arboretum will be open from dawn to dusk if you want to stay on either side of the super-busy time.

Many visitors (with or without their Moms)  actually discover the Roslindale and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods for the first time by attending this event. Bussey Hill, the larger, more elaborate part of the park is in JP, and Peters Hill, its humbler but beautiful cousin, is just across South Street in Roslindale.  An estimated 43,000 people attend Lilac Sunday every year and except for perhaps some parking frustration, the size of the Arboretum — 265 acres — allows us to never feel crowded.

For more upcoming programs, download this handy guide and make the Arboretum part of your family tradition!

Were I not working this Sunday, I would see you among the greenery.  And if you happen to fall in love with Peters Hill, keep in touch as I will be putting two beautiful single-family homes on the market between now and mid-June — both just a stone’s throw to “The Arbs”!

Linda Burnett

Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Real Estate Maven
Keller-Williams Boston-Metro Real Estate
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Wake Up the Earth in Jamaica Plain this Weekend!

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Spontaneous Celebrations is an organization in Jamaica Plain that  promotes positive change in the community through the arts. This weekend, they’re bringing their 34th annual celebration to  the Southwest Corridor Park across from the Stonybrook T station.

Among the most important missions of Spontaneous Celebrations is to unite and empower local communities through maintaining a strong cultural arts center. “Wake Up the Earth” is designed to bring that mission to life. Walk (or dance or stilt-walk or unicycle) in the event’s parade, catch multi-cultural music and dance performances and browse the many local food, craft and non-profit vendors. No matter what your interest, you’ll find folks with whom to celebrate this Saturday, from 12:00-5:00pm. If I can take a break from showing houses and getting ready for my Sunday open house, I’ll see you there!

P.S.  In case of really crummy weather, the same gala will happen on Sunday the 6th of May.

Linda Burnett

Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Real Estate Maven
Keller-Williams Boston-Metro Real Estate
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