It says, “The Greatest Neighborhood This Side of Heaven.”
Whoa. That’s quite a pronouncement.
Care to guess where it is, and what neighborhood it’s talking about?
I said guess, don’t cheat and find out.
Source: archBOSTON.com

These are some of the most fascinating photos I’ve seen of Boston.
Then, and now.

And, there are plenty more to see, here.
Source: Back Bay, Before and After – archBOSTON.com

It’s something you pay for, as a buyer, when you close on the purchase of a house or condo.
Yet, you might not think about it, too much.
Well, until you get to the closing table, and you face a bill of $1,000, or $2,000, or more.
What do you do? You figure it must be right, [...]

What would you say, if I told you I hate the brick sidewalks, in the South End?
Would you say, “I agree with you”?
Or, more likely, would you say, “You’re crazy, that’s what our city’s all about!”
Have you ever walked down one of the side streets, such as West Canton Street, or Dwight Street, and had [...]

In the fall, 2006, several large condo complexes will be completed – 360 Newbury and The InterContinental, in Boston, and One First, in Cambridge.
If these projects do open, as scheduled, you’ll see a lot of closings, in the fourth quarter.
These closings may skew the data, showing a spike in the average and median sales prices [...]

That’s the advice that the Herald’s Nena Groskind gives out, pretty regularly.
To wit:

Q We’re interested in buying a condo and have found some units in three-family homes that we love. Is there anything we should know about the pros and cons of buying in a converted home vs. a large condo development?

A My short answer [...]

You can’t stop a rumor, as they always say.
From last week’s South End News:
Though the 26-unit condo development in the old Area D4 police station on Warren Avenue and Berkeley Street, called YooD4, is about five to six months behind schedule, work is continuing and the project should be completed by late winter or early [...]

Have you heard of Keith Town?

The town is full of single-family homes, each around 1,000 square feet, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, complete with patio and a driveway.
The homes can be built on pieces of land as small as 2000 square feet.
More photos: Keith Town

Oomph. Lots of stories to post today. I’ll have to take a break after this, and post the rest tomorrow.
Never go on vacation!
PIMCO bond giant founder Bill Gross writes a monthly Investment Outlook column, and lately, at least, he discusses the real estate market, or, more accurately, the bond market, which affects the [...]

According to CNN/Money, although the average family size has contracted by 20% since 1970, the average home size has increased by 50%.
What’s gotten bigger? Kitchens. Bedrooms. Bathrooms.
The average new home had around 1,660 square feet, in 1973; the average new home today has over 2,400 square feet.
You know, my family did pretty [...]