John A Keith Real Estate - Boston Real Estate » boston common condos

Bargain of the week: Grandview one-bedroom apartment, $459,000

John Keith — Sat, 15 May 2010 21:20:09 +0000

A great one-bedroom condo is for sale in the ’00′s midtown Boston Grandview building.

From the MLSPIN listing:

Tremendous opportunity to own in Boston’s Newer 61 Unit Luxury Boutique building w/ $Million Residences. Spacious 1 Bed/1Bath home w/over 650 sq ft in the GRANDVIEW located on Boston Common.

The residence features Large living room/dining room w/ oak flooring & floor to ceiling windows. Chef’s kitchen w/ stainless, granite and maple cabinets. Master bedroom includes 2 closets, washer/dryer & marble master bathroom w/ Jacuzzi tub. Amenities include common furnished roof terrace, 24 hr concierge, building supervisor.

There is no parking included in the sale price.

The property is listed at $459,000, which is $100,000 lower than its 2010 assessed value (and considerably less than what the owner paid in 2006).

Jeanine Cort of Coldwell Banker is the listing agent. Please contact me for buyer’s agent representation and to learn more about this listing.

Midtown Boston 2-bedroom, 1-½ bathroom, 1,377+/- square feet, 9th-level condo, listed at $725,000

John Keith — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:55:33 +0000

Midtown Boston 2-bedroom, 1-½bathroom, 1,377+/- square feet, 9th-level condo, listed at $725,000

Address: 3 Avery Street (Ritz Carlton Towers) #908, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts 02111

Ricardo Rodriguez of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is the listing agent.

Please contact me for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Click for more details and photos: MLS #71014288

To search through all condos and residential real estate currently listed for sale in Boston, click here.

Midtown Boston 3-bedroom, 4 ½ bathroom, 3,246+/- square feet, 28th-level condo, listed at $4,900,000

John Keith — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:19:01 +0000

Midtown Boston 3-bedroom, 4 ½ bathroom, 3,246+/- square feet, 28th-level condo, listed at $4,900,000

Address: 2 Avery Street (Ritz Carlton Towers) #28E, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts 02111

Kathleen Cook of Atlantic Associates RE is the listing agent.

Please contact me for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Click for more details and photos: MLS #71014054

To search through all condos and residential real estate currently listed for sale in Boston, click here.

Midtown Boston zero-bed, one-bath, 532+/- square feet, 8th-level condo, listed at $387,000

John Keith — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:16:57 +0000

Midtown Boston zero-bed, one-bath, 532+/- square feet, 8th-level condo, listed at $387,000

Address: 170 Tremont Street #801, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts 02111

Diane Giacobbi of Boston Realty Advisors is the listing agent.

Please contact me for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Click for more details and photos: MLS #71012100

Beacon Hill Boston one-bed, one-bath, 7th-level condo, 438+/- square feet, listed at $279,000

John Keith — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:36:26 +0000

Beacon Hill Boston one-bed, one-bath, 7th-level condo, 438+/- square feet, listed at $279,000, MLS #71005728.

Address: 21 Beacon Street #7B, Beacon Hill Boston, Massachusetts 02108

Karen Pica of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is the listing agent.

Please contact us for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Clients, click for more details and photos: MLS #71005728

Someday, someone’s going to wind-up and punch you and I want to be there to see it

John Keith — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:43:49 +0000

Six years ago, when I was with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, all the company’s agents were invited to an open house at a new condo development under construction – The Grandview, on Boston Common, in the Midtown section of Boston.

The project was in disarray, at that point. It was three-quarters done (or so) and deposits had been taken (I think) but construction had stopped, there had been a fire, and word on the street was that it was doomed. Meaning: keep your clients away.

We were given a very nice presentation by the (new) sales team. They had wisely chosen to have the event at around 5:30 PM, just as the sun was setting in the west, off in the distance over the Common and the Charles River. It was a beautiful view (I still remember it, well!). Every agent walked out of there excited, impressed, and eager to make a deal.

The company that had been hired to handle sales was Radco, out of Atlanta, and the company was run, as it is today, by Norman Radow.

At the time, the Grandview project was one of the few (only?) Boston projects in trouble.

Well, fast-forward one real estate boom later and one real estate crash later and Norman Radow has got his hands full.

According to the New York Times:

As founder of Radco Development Solutions, Mr. Radow is on the firing line in the continuing battle over failed residential real estate deals. Banks hire him to resurrect developments gone awry, particularly those half-empty condominium towers and gated communities that sprang up like weeds during the boom and are now in foreclosure.

Mr. Radow, a lawyer turned developer, has been plying his trade for 15 years. Day in, day out, he has to negotiate with unpaid contractors and architects, face enraged homeowners deprived of heat and hot water, and field calls from bankers anxious for solutions. Ride-alongs with him, then, essentially amount to tours through the still-tangled detritus of the real estate crisis — with all accompanying venom, tantrums and raw emotions.

Mr. Radow estimates that his privately held company is trying to salvage $2 billion worth of distressed property around the country. One of his biggest clients is Lehman Brothers, which is liquidating its huge real estate portfolio to satisfy creditors after declaring bankruptcy last year.

The Times article includes a humorous story about his dealings at the Grandview:

In 2003, Lehman sent him to Boston to rescue a failed condo tower. There had been a fire after the bank foreclosed on the mortgage. Radco repaired the damage and quelled labor unrest. At one point, Mr. Radow says, a union elevator operator punched him in the face when he absent-mindedly pushed the button for his floor. “He said, ‘This is a union job!’ ” Mr. Radow remembers, massaging his jaw.

There were some things his company couldn’t fix. Ceilings in the tower were seven and a half feet high, about a foot and a half less than typically found in luxury condos …

To help solve the height problem, Mr. Radow hired only sales people who weren’t much taller than 5 feet. He sold all the units, and Lehman Brothers was thrilled.

I remember the guys in the elevator, too!

(The blog title is courtesy of my brother, Brian. He used to say that to me. Has only happened once. I guess the guy didn’t swing hard enough because I’m still standing.)

Photo of The Grandview courtesy of Tishman Construction. Photo of the Grandview Coffee Shop courtesy of the Grandview Coffee Shop.

Midtown Boston one-bed, one ½-bath, 7th-level condo, 1,059+/- square feet, $595,000

John Keith — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:52:58 +0000

A 1,059+/- square foot, one-bed, one ½-bath, 7th-level condo in the Midtown neighborhood of Boston, listed at $595,000, MLS #71002692.

Address: 3 Avery Street #709, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts

William Shirreff of Otis & Ahearn is the listing agent.

Please contact us for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Clients, click for more details and photos: MLS #71002692

Midtown Boston three-bed, three ½-bath, 35th-level condo, 1,848+/- square feet, $1,965,000

John Keith — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:04:10 +0000

A 1,848+/- square foot, three-bed, three ½-bath, 35th-level condo in the Midtown neighborhood of Boston, listed at $1,965,000, MLS #71002381.

Address: 2 Avery Street #35A/B, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts

Kathleen Cook of Atlantic Associates Real Estate is the listing agent.

Please contact us for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Clients, click for more details and photos: MLS #71002381

Midtown Boston 1-bed, 1-bath condo, 22nd-level, 735+/- square feet, $370,000

John Keith — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:32:19 +0000

A 735+/- square foot one-bed, one-bath, 22nd-level condo in the Midtown neighborhood of Boston, listed at $370,000, MLS #70999159.

Address: 151 Tremont Street, #22C, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts

Valerie Post of Premier Properties of Boston is the listing agent.

Please contact us for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Clients, click for more details and photos: MLS #70999159

Midtown Boston condo, 2,109+/- square foot, 3-bed, 2 ½-bath, $2,100,000

John Keith — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:17:30 +0000

A 2,109+/- square foot condo, 3-bed, 2 ½-bath home in the Midtown neighborhood of Boston, listed at $2,100,000, MLS #70997834.

Address: 165 Tremont Street #903, Midtown, Boston, Massachusetts

Brigitte LaBonte of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is the listing agent.

Please contact us for more information and to inquire about buyer’s agent representation.

Clients, click for more details and photos: MLS #70997834