2 Bedroom Cambridge Condo Walk Score 95!

May 19th, 2013

Private patio exclusive to this unit!

2 Bedroom Cambridge Condo Walk Score 95 WalkScore.com! An urban hide-away with private patio, 2 even-sized bedrooms, chef’s kitchen, basement laundry! Not an inch of wasted space here! Shop local in any one of Cambridge’s shops and dine al fresco in your private patio! Or if you prefer a night on the town, the options are endless. Easy commute by bus or the Red Line. Don’t miss this hidden gem!

MLS 71527249
82-84 Willow Street, Unit 1
Cambridge, MA 02141

Offered at $350,000

Open House Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Call 617-797-9497 for a private showing

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Please visit the Extension to GRE settings page to complete the installation.

Newton Fire Departments Fire Safety House Fun and Educational

May 14th, 2013

Keller Williams Realty agents and Newton Fire Department sponsored a Family Safety Day at the Newton FunFest.

Newton Fire Department has a great educational vehicle called the Smoke House. Inside the trailer is a classroom seating area with a little pretend kitchen. Watch this video to see how the children learn what to do in the event of fire. The simulation is totally safe. From what I could see, the kids were riveted. This video was taken at the Newton FunFest on Saturday, May 4th. These fireman all volunteered their time for the opportunity to connect with the community in a fun and non-threatening atmosphere.

Newton Public Schools and Village Bank Uniting Community

May 5th, 2013

Newton Public Schools Partners with Village Bank

Newton Public Schools Innovation Lab Bus

Newton Public Schools just received a brilliant new acquisition. In this video Newton North High School teacher, Stephen Chinosi, introduces the The Innovations Bus! The bus was donated to the Newton Public Schools by Village Bank. The bus project was initiated by the Innovations Lab where students brainstorm and find projects to bring idea to reality.

Students from both Newton North High School and Newton South High School collaborate on many different projects. The goal of the bus project was to provide a better way for students to commute across the city. As Steve says in the video, “It takes a village!” Bravo, to Newton Public Schools and Village Bank for raising the bar to unite the Newton community.

Newton’s Innovation Lab at Newton North High School

The Mediatrician® is coming to Newton North High School!

April 30th, 2013

The Mediatrician® is coming to Newton. Don’t be afraid. The Mediatrician® is Dr. Michael Rich and he is the Director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Rich will speak about strategies and tips for managing a child’s use of technology. He will speak about the positive and negative effects of technology on children and teens. We are bombarded with tools and gadgets including cell phones, tablets, computers, television and more. Don’t you wonder how all this impacts our young people and our future?

Date: May 8, 2013
Time: 7-8:15 p.m.
Location: Newton North High School Auditorium

This even is co-sponsored this by the PTOs from Bigelow, Cabot, Day, Peirce, Newton North, and by The Newton Partnership. Another example of outstanding community participation in Newton, MA!

CMCH is a non-profit organization supported in part by the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Comcast, Google, The Stuart Family Foundation, The Norlien Foundation, Cisco, and other generous donors.

For more information, go to http://cmch.typepad.com/mediatrician/.

Newton Public Schools Improve Communications!

April 26th, 2013

Read the latest story about Newton Public Schools
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4 questions to ask before downsizing your home

April 22nd, 2013

The numbers are not clear, but the topic of baby boomer downsizing from larger home to smaller housing options features prominently in the real estate business news. The leading edge of boomers are now between 57 and 67 years old. With their lifestyles changing, many are rethinking where they want to live in retirement. Many boomers are empty nesters no longer requiring additional bedrooms or large backyards. Others are finding that home maintenance is either too much to manage or does not produce the pleasure it may have decades earlier. And, yes, some are considering smaller options that they hope will reduce their cost of living—for example, by being less costly to heat.

Downsized destinations consist of traditional retirement communities near beaches and fairways but also include a growing list of new options. Urban enclaves and college towns once dominated by young singles are now popular with older couples that desire smaller living spaces but a larger range of activities nearby. For those who like where they live but not necessarily the home they are in, there are a growing number of apartment or condominium options in the suburbs.

But before excitement about a new lifestyle in older age overtakes you, ask the following questions:

What Are My Total Costs? Consider carefully the entire cost of downsizing. This includes factoring how much you will realistically sell your home for in today’s market of economic uncertainty and prospective Gen-X and Gen-Y buyer unemployment, as well as what the rental or purchase cost of that downsized dream might be. Moreover, identify the hidden costs—from condominium fees and furnishing your new home to the potentially higher costs of living depending on where you relocate. For example, a warmer climate saves on heating costs, but will you pay a premium to stay cool? Likewise, urban living can be fun…but at a price.

Will I Downsize My Social Network? While you may be losing excess space, depending upon where you move you may also lose friends—or at least your number of interactions with them. Countless studies indicate that the chances of aging well are greatly enhanced by having a robust network of friends and family living nearby. Friends you can count on when needed, compared with those you can count online, often take years to make. Will your new home have good friends nearby? If not, will you live in your new home long enough to develop close relationships to share fun times today and possibly tough times tomorrow?

Will My Smaller Home Mean A Smaller Lifestyle? Changing places for the better means choosing a location that has the intensity and density of activities that makes the move worth the associated financial and emotional costs. What routines that shape your life today can you preserve, and what new activities will your new community provide, pushing you to remain engaged for a lifetime? There are ‘basics’ to consider as well: Are there transportation alternatives so that driving is not your only option, and are there a wide range of quality health-care services readily available?

How Long Can I Live There? Many baby boomers may choose to downsize to communities that are for retirees by name or in appearance. But just because a community has a large concentration of 50-plus residents, has “retirement” in its name or is conveniently located near a golf course doesn’t guarantee that it has been designed to enable you to age in place. Most of us do not want to think of the days when knees creak or health conditions make stairs and standing difficult, but those days do come for most in advanced age. Does your prospective downsized home have design features to enable you to live there a long time? For example, are there kitchen cabinets that are in easy reach, bathrooms and hall clearances that can accommodate a wheelchair, or a first-floor master bedroom? An exploratory study conducted by theMIT AgeLab of several communities and developments for the 50-plus age group in metropolitan Boston revealed that most did not have design features that would enable aging-in-place any better than the average suburban home. A conscious assessment of how long you plan and can realistically stay in your new downsized home is a key factor in assessing future housing options in retirement.

Read the full post at http://www.marketwatch.com/story/4-questions-to-ask-before-downsizing-your-home-2013-02-20

Are you sure you want to be a FOR SALE BY OWNER?

April 22nd, 2013

FSBOing: This Time It Was Embarrassing

by THE KCM CREW on APRIL 22, 2013 · 1 COMMENT

With the housing market beginning to heat up, we are afraid some sellers may consider trying to sell their house as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO). This week we will post the reasons that we believe trying to sell on your own may be a mistake. Here is an article we have run before which sellers should consider. – KCM Crew LifeinNewton.com

This blog prides itself on the quality of real estate information we deliver each and every day. We try to gather empirical evidence to validate the positions we take. We do not use just an anecdotal story to make a point. We also do not get caught up in the sensationalism. However, today will be different.We can’t resist commenting on the story which appeared in the Wall Street Journal a while back regarding Colby Sambrotto, the founder and former CEO of forsalebyowner.com. It seems the founding father and lifelong evangelist of the concept of selling your home without a real estate agent was forced to hire a broker to sell his home after failing at what he preaches others should do.

After failing to sell his NYC apartment on his own as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), Sambrotto hired a broker and paid a 6% commission in order to get the job done. His personal experience helps refute some of the myths Sambrotto has been espousing for over a decade. Let’s look at two of those myths:

Myth #1 – You Will Pocket More Money Selling on Your Own

Most FSBO sites say you can save the commission by selling on your own. What happened in Sambrotto’s sale?

From the WSJ article:

“The broker, Jesse Buckler, said he told Mr. Sambrotto the apartment in the Lion’s Head building on West 19th Street near Sixth Avenue was priced too low and wasn’t drawing the right buyers.

By May, it went into contract, he said, after attracting multiple offers. It closed in the last few days for $150,000 more than the original asking price.”

Myth #2 – The Internet Alone Can Sell Your Home

Many have said that, with the introduction of home search on the internet, hiring an agent is no longer a necessity. What happened to the FSBO guru when he attempted to only depend on the internet?

From the WSJ article:

“Looking to move his family to the suburbs, [Mr. Sambrotto] said he carefully staged his apartment for sale himself, and put it on the market. But after using a mix of websites to publicize his apartment, he said he had only ‘middling success’ and switched to a broker because many buyers were so reliant on brokers.”

Bottom Line

There is a reason the real estate industry has been around for centuries: it performs a valuable service.

Newton Public Schools Embraces Community

April 19th, 2013

Megan Smallidge is the coordinator of communications and community engagement for Newton Public Schools. Megan’s title is appropriately long considering the scope of her job. There are many amazing things happening in the Newton Schools and Megan is making a great impact by improving communication about all of the good news. I was delighted to meet with Megan and learn of the amazing job she is doing under the leadership of Newton Public Schools. Megan is energetically immersing herself in the Newton culture and is quick to express her enthusiasm about the abundance of talent in Newton. We are lucky to have her as part of our community!

Vision 2020 Strategic Plan

Some background data about Newton Public Schools

Newton Public School District has a total enrollment of over 12,000 students with 15 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 2 high schools, and and integrated pre-school program. According to enrollment data from the Massachusetts Department of Education, Newton is the 9th largest district in the state. Central Administration houses approximately 11 Teaching and Learning Departments. Curriculum Coordinators, Department Heads, Teachers, Librarians collaborate to maintain excellence as stated in the NPS Mission Statement.

Mission
To educate, prepare, and inspire all students to achieve their full potential as lifelong learners, thinkers, and productive contributors to our global society.

This powerful system of collaboration is netting big. Teachers in Newton are modeling cutting edge approaches to a new learning model. The Newton Public Schools’ website is not only serving the community with improved communications and accessibility, but also reflecting the inspirational work being done in the classroom and beyond. Just watch this compelling video on the Vision Plan for 2020.

Newton Public Schools Website at a glance

There is a ton of content on the NPS website (www3.newton.k12.ma.us). Visit these 2 noteworthy sections.

The Families page is worth bookmarking (Click on the For Families menu). It is designed for current and perspective families is full of useful information including links to checklists and forms for the student registration system. This page also contains useful links for easy access.
Visit the revamped District News section which features a calendar with links to events and stories. For example, in April, Newton students performed on two Steinway pianos are on loan at the Scandinavian Living Center as part of a fundraiser for the Center. Watch the video here.

Links to all public schools

Important links for easy access

Welcome page for current and prospective NPS families

What’s Happening at Historic Newton

April 15th, 2013

Discovery Day at Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds

Thursday, April 18, 2013 2:00 PM Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds 286 Waverley Avenue, Newton

Cost: $10 per family, $5 for members. Includes museum admission, materials, and snack.

Prepaid registration is required, limit 30; call 617-796-1450 to register. Have you been wondering about all the construction going on at the big green house on the corner of Waverley Avenue and Kenrick Street? Be among the first to see the amazing restoration of the historic house in person and help us develop our family activities for the new museum. You’ll be able to tell your friends that you helped create museum exhibits!

We’ll start with a tour of the historic house, spend time with the new interactive exhibits in the Family Learning Center, then enjoy a snack on the new grounds.

2013 Newton Student EnviroArt Contest Awards and Exhibit

April 13th, 2013

Congratulations and thanks to the Newton students in grades 2-5 and afterschool programs, teachers and schools who participated in Green Decade/Newton’s 7th Annual Student EnviroArt Contest! Mayor Setti Warren also attended the 2013 Awards Program at the Newton Cultural Center on April 2 for more than 90 environmental artists from Angier, Burr, Countryside, Franklin, Lincoln-Eliot, Memorial-Spaulding, Underwood, Williams, Zervas, Solomon Schechter Day School – Extended Day Program, New Art Center and Suzuki School of Newton. All of the contest artwork will be exhibited at the Newton Cultural Center’s auditorium until April 15.

2013 Green Medalists (1st place):

2^nd Grade Ava & Grace, Zervas - Ava Neal & Grace Grabowski

3^rd Grade Audrey Gagnon, Franklin

4^th Grade Saylor Flannery, Angier

5^th Grade Jessica Stephen, Countryside

After-School Hoot Hoot, Solomon Schechter Day School – Jonah Tillman & Joseph Nickerson

Photos of the Green Medalist artwork and of the 2013 Awards Program can be seen atwww.greendecade.org, along with a list of all Green Medalist and Special Recognition award winners and their schools.

Green Decade/Newton would also like to thank our 2013 sponsors: NSTAR, The Village Bank, Whole Foods Market and Green Planet Kids. We also appreciate the continued support of Green Energy Newton, the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs, New Art Center, Newton Community Service Center, NewtonPatch, Newton PTO Council and the Newton Schools Foundation.

Read the full story at Newton Patch.

Credit: http://newton.patch.com/