Posted by jenn on January 28th, 2008 in real estate advice, real estate market

Welcome to Mondo Boston!

Searching for a home in Boston can be a daunting task if you live abroad. Mondoboston.com exists to help introduce international buyers to Boston and the home buying process. Use our site to find out more about the logistics of house buying in the United States. Catch up on neighborhood news, surf our links to other Boston real estate websites, and check out our featured house listings. Our neighborhood descriptions can help give you a feel for each downtown neighborhood, and our picks can help you find the best places to find the important stuff in life… like a loaf of crusty bread or a decent wedge of cheese. Ultimately, should you decide you need a realtor, we can even help you find a professional who can work with you in your search for a place to call home.

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Posted by Pam on February 4th, 2010 in Life in Boston

In the mood for Turkish? You’re in luck. Because the Saray Restaurant, located at 1098 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton, is getting more and more attention among fans of Turkish cuisine. Robert Nadeau of The Boston Phoenix says the restaurant boasts “some remarkable and reasonably-priced food.”

More importantly, Elif, a Turkish friend of ours, has visited the restaurant and pronouced it “very, VERY good.”

So what’s so great about Saray? Well, let’s start with delectable cabbage rolls stuffed with lamb and vegetables topped with  a yummy garlic yogurt sauce. Or what about char-grilled eggplant served with cubes of chicken or lamb, or fluffy zucchini pancakes? One of the knock-out dishes, according to the Phoenix’s Nadeau, is the Pasha salmon leaves. Chunks of farmed salmon are wrapped in grape leaves and grilled, leaving the fish moist and tender and lightly scented with the aroma of grape leaves. Prices are reasonable, generally coming in at less than $15 a plate. The only hitch (especially for many Western diners) is that alcohol is not served on the premises.

While Saray seems to be getting a lot of attention in recent months, it actually opened two years ago in its modest storefront at Packard’s Corner in Brighton. Owners Selahaattin Ercisli from Van and Omer Kara from Istanbul, have lived in Boston for 13 years. Kara also owns Cooking Cafe next door. Ercisli has cooked the food of his native country in Germany, Tokyo, Sydney, and even at Michael Jordan’s restaurant in Chicago.

We’re pleased to add Saray to our list of favorite restaurant haunts.

Saray Turkish Restaurant | 1098 Comm Ave, Allston | 617.383.6651 | Open daily, 11 am–11 pm | MC, VI | No liquor | Sidewalk-level access | No valet parking

Image: Boston Phoenix/Melissa Ostrow

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Posted by Pam on February 2nd, 2010 in Boston Neighborhoods

Last year this time, the internet was awash with stories about bus tours of Chinese investors, looking to score big in the flailing American real estate market.

So what has come of all those bus tours? According to the New York TImes, nothing.

“So far at least, the Chinese have mostly been what the agents call Lookie Lous — checking out properties but not buying.

“A lot of these buyers are very cautious right now,” said Kelvin Wong, owner of Resource Real Estate Services in Temple City, California, outside Los Angeles. “They are coming over and taking a look at what is going on to be prepared for when opportunity comes.”

And what might Chinese buyers be waiting for? Probably an indication that the U.S. housing market has touched bottom. But most real estate experts are convinced that Chinese investors are here to stay on the American real estate scene, even if they are not exactly snapping up properties presently.

In 2007 Chinese buyers accounted for 7.5 percent of international buyers in the United States, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors. Last year, that figure dropped to 5.4 percent.

Forty-one percent of the Chinese purchases of residential property in the United States last year were in California, according to the national realtors group. In the past three years, the Chinese population in the state grew by more than 80,000 to about 1.2 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Another favorite investment state for Chinese buyers has been Texas.

Many buyers have children studying in the United States or have relatives here. That leads us here at Mondoboston to conclude that there will be a strong uptick in Chinese investment right here in Boston, with local universities such as Boston University, MIT and Northeastern looking to draw a greater percentage of students from abroad. Local realtors, what have you seen happening in the Boston real estate market?

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Posted by Pam on January 28th, 2010 in real estate market

It’s about time to reassess what’s on the Boston market through Euro lenses. So here’s the rundown on a few new properties that have recently come on the market:

115 Chandler Street, #1
South End
BEDS:2/BATHS:1.5
SQ.FT: 1265 or 117 square meters
$699,000 or 482,701 Euro

It’s a parlor level duplex with a woodburning fireplace and recently updated bathrooms. It’s also close to Back Bay Station and Copley Place. (Above.)

9 Braemore Road, #6
Brighton
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 791 or 73 Square Meters
$279,900 or 193,287 Euro

Incredibly cute, this two bedroom condo boasts stained glass, a fireplace, 10-foot ceilings and custom light fixtures.

63 Babcock Street, #5
Brookline
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 1070 or 99 square meters
$539,000 or 372,211 Euro

This is a top floor, corner unit condo near shops and restaurants in Coolidge Corner. The prices includes deeded parking.

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Posted by Pam on January 26th, 2010 in Life in Boston

Last week the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — nestled in the Fenway just a stone’s throw from the Museum of Fine Arts — unveiled a design for an ambitious $118 million expansion. The new addition, created by Italian architect Renzo Piano, is an impressive glass and copper-clad affair that will be completed in early 2012, more than doubling the size of the museum and creating a new entrance, music hall, gallery space, and even apartments for artists in residence.

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Posted by Pam on January 21st, 2010 in Life in Boston

Slump or no slump, seems like Boston is destined to remain pretty darn expensive when it comes to housing. The average cost of a Back Bay condo in 2009 was $1,027,000. In the South End, it took close to a million dollars ($793,000) to snap up your average condo. Other city neighborhoods, like Beacon Hill and the Fenway weren’t a whole lot better. Charlestown and South Boston have gotten pretty pricey too. So where do you go to find a relatively safe city neighborhood with access to the T and all the other urban amenities?

The answer may surprise you: Try Brighton.

Yep, Brighton.

Long regarded as simply a transient student ghetto, Brighton (and parts of Allston) has been attracting more and more professionals and families planning to stick around for a while. And what’s the big attraction? Well, how about a decent condo for less than $200,000? Or how about a 2 or three bedroom for just over $300,000? Only Dorchester offers a better value…but with concerns about crime and T accessibility. (We’ll talk more about the hot areas of Dorchester in future posts.) Neighborhoods that are not directly on the T line offer the cheapest prices, of course. In Oak Square, a family neighborhood of two and three families, asking prices for one bedrooms come as low as $160K. Expansive condos of two and three bedrooms can be found in the $300s. (The condo pictured above is a 4-bedroom condo of 1400 square feet for $349K and is directly on the B line). Prices tend to go up the closer a property is to the B or C lines and the Brookline border. Two of the best neighborhoods are the Aberdeen section and the neighborhood immediately north of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital at Brighton Center.

427-435 Faneuil Street
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 358
$159,000

1874 Commonwealth Avenue
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:580
$170,900

1572 Commonwealth Avenue
BEDS:2/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 700
$273,900

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Posted by Pam on January 19th, 2010 in real estate market

Buying a place for less than $200K was just a cruel fantasy a couple of years back. But not any more. Perusing the housing listings, we’re finding more and more units for less than $200K. We’re seeing these places in a number of neighborhoods, but the best value seems to be in Brighton, where you can find a decent amount of space and a relatively safe neighborhood for the price. (More on that in coming posts). In the meantime, here’s what we’ve found on the market around Boston today:

76 Elm Street, Unit G03, Boston MA, 02130
Jamaica Plain
BEDS:3/BATHS:2
SQ. FT: 1445
$170,000

This huge unit in the former J.P. high school on Sumner Hill includes off-street parking, 13′ ceilings, central air conditioning and onsite laundry, but income restrictions may apply.

200 Northampton Street, #1
South End
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 445
$114,000

This one bedroom condo is a garden-level unit in need of some repair. It’s sold “as is” and appears to be a short sale.

1800 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
BEDS:0/BATHS:1
SQ.FT:290
$189,900

This studio condo is small, but in a good location in Porter Square. It’s been fully renovated.

78 Glenville Road, #1
Brighton
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
SQ.FT: 481
$179,900

This unit has new appliances and is very close to the T.

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Posted by Pam on January 14th, 2010 in Life in Boston

With the recession raging, fewer and fewer of us are opting to move. In fact, last year, the nation’s mobility rate fell to its lowest point since World War II. Reasons, according to the analysts, include fewer jobs to move to, along with long-term demographic changes — like an aging population and more dual-career couples.

We at MondoBoston can’t help but see the silver lining of this trend. Less mobility means a growing sense of community, a willingness to invest in making homes and neighborhoods nice for the long term, and generally less waste and more sustainability all the way around. People may finally get to know their neighbors, and that’s a good thing.

Of course, Boston (or at least certain parts of Boston) is an extremely mobile place, with students and professors coming and going every year. It’s hard to imagine a city in which things have settled down. But when people DO finally settle down in these parts, where do they go? Here’s our quick list:

1) Brookline. Brookline offers city living for the long-term. Long-term because a stellar school district means that people can move into Brookline and enjoy it as singles, but never need to move once the kids arrive.
2) West Roxbury. This little corner of Boston often gets ignored, but it’s another near-suburb where buying a house and raising kids is easy, but where life as a single or young-married is not too painful either. Note: the West Roxbury business district has become pretty hip in recent years, attracting numerous restaurants and locales from neighborhoods as chic as the South End.
3) Roslindale. Adjacent to West Roxbury, pretty much everything that can be said of West Roxbury holds true for Roslindale. 
4) Cambridge. Yes, a lot of people move in and out of Cambridge, but a lot of people stay, too. What’s the attraction? Proximity to Boston, a top-notch restaurant scene, and for many folks, the ability to live close to work.
5) Jamaica Plain. Again, JP is a city neighborhood that offers the best of all worlds. It’s possible to take the Orange Line into work, but walk a few blocks and you can immerse yourself in nature at the Arnold Arboreteum or the idylillic Jamaica Pond. It’s got shops, restaurants, some nightlife, and a growing presence of young children — most likely because many homes are quite spacious and much more affordable than in other parts of Boston.

What place would you nominate as the best neighborhood to live in all life stages?

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Posted by Pam on January 12th, 2010 in Life in Boston

Are you a Sri Lankan living and working in Boston? Do you kind of miss home? Well you’re in luck. You can meet other Sri Lankans (as well as Moroccans, Italians, Brazilians, Japanese, French, Germans, etc.) who are also living and working in Boston simply by joining the new online networking community called InterNations. Billing itself as a “network based on trust” the whole idea is that expatriates living in major cities around the world can meet up and find other expatriates with “comparable interests and needs.” InterNations calls these folks “global minds” looking for friendship, business contacts, or maybe specific information on finding housing or goods and services. Members include diplomats, members of IGOs and NGOs, foreign correspondents, expatriates employed by multinational companies and their family members, along with local residents with strong ties to this community (e.g. journalists). InterNations is active in more than 230 cities all over the world. Recently, InterNations hosted a bar night at Cafeteria on Newbury Street. At the InterNations website, members share tips on such necessities as finding an apartment as well as good music around Boston.

Now here’s the catch: membership is strictly invitation-based.  You can join the only after receiving an invitation from a current member. That’s the way the InterNations network keeps up the trust factor, keeping data strictly private.

So start asking around among your friends and get yourself invited.

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Posted by Pam on January 7th, 2010 in real estate advice, real estate market

Recently, we wrote about the national renovation trend which has seen an uptick in people embarking on renovation projects. It seems that as more people figure they’re not going to sell, they’re making their current homes livable. They’re taking on smaller renovation projects and paying in cash. Now Money Magazine adds another caution for those hoping that putting in a new kitchen or bathroom will pay off big-time when it comes time to sell. According to an annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report released by the National Association of Realtors which was quoted on the CNN Money website, for the fourth straight year, renovation jobs are adding less to resale values relative to costs.

So sure, go ahead and remodel. After all, you have to enjoy living in your present digs. Just don’t expect to turn around and reap big profits off of that kitchen upgrade.

The average remodeling job cost $50,908 in 2009 and added $32,497 to the value of the home, a ratio of 63.8%. That was down from a cost-to-value ratio of 67.3% in 2008, when the average was $49,866 and the added value was $33,568.

If you want to see your renovation pay back when you sell, you should concentrate on smaller-scale, low-cost renovations that especially focus on the exterior of a home. Replacing siding has one of the biggest returns, as well as embarking on any renovation that improves overall square footage. (Like refinishing a basement.) In New England, replacement windows also are a good renovation investment. Some of the worst renovations to do right now, include expensive kitchen upgrades.

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