We are off to a rough start with Inventory for January remain quite low, less 48% compared to the same period last year. ~ Condo listing $ volume is down 42% from 84 million to 48.5 million in value. Very little improvement from December. ~ The median list price rose by 9%with properties selling at about the same rate, taking an average of 4.5 months to either go U/A or off market. ~ The number of condos that went under agreement was down by 15. Cambridge condo sales dropped 13%.

Sold $ volume was down 32% from 17 to 12 million. ~ The median sale price dropped 8% with the ratio of sale price to original price reflecting the limited inventory at 97%. ~ The average square foot price for January was $433 per square foot with the average living area at 1,045 sf compared to $501 per square foot with an average unit size of 1,088 square feet in 2011.

*The Month’s Supply of Inventory gives an indication of how the market is trending by indicating how many months it would take to absorb all of the current inventory at the most recent rate. On a scale of 1 to 10, fewer months = a seller’s market, and more months = a buyer’s market. Month’s Supply of Inventory (MSI) is obtained by dividing the current listing inventory by the properties sold for that month. MSI can also be calculated using the number of properties Under Agreement. Some % are rounded out. RED = Down GREEN = Up

Source Data: MLSPIN.

Reports on other towns or property type and price ranges available on request.

Condo inventory in Somerville, MA was down by 14% for January, 2012. ~ Listing $ volume was down 1.4% from 34 million to 33 in. ~ The median list price was flat increasing by 1.4% with the active days on market showing more demand dropping from over 4 months to three. ~ Condos going under agreement increased by 48%.~ Condos sold for the month were up 7%. ~
Somerville condo sold $ volume for the month was flat up only $1,300 from January last. ~ Sold average days on market did not change at 3.7 months on average. The original price to sale price ratio dropped by 2% to 91% of the original list price. ~ The average square foot price dropped to $303 per square foot from $325 with the average condo size of 1,298 square feet compared to 1,243 square feet.

*The Month’s Supply of Inventory gives an indication of how the market is trending by indicating how many months it would take to absorb all of the current inventory at the most recent rate. On a scale of 1 to 10, fewer months = a seller’s market, and more months = a buyer’s market. Month’s Supply of Inventory (MSI) is obtained by dividing the current listing inventory by the properties sold for that month. MSI can also be calculated using the number of properties Under Agreement. Some % are rounded out. RED = Down GREEN = Up

Source Data: MLSPIN.
Reports on other towns or property type and price ranges available on request.

It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Rhonda Romeo, who represented my brother in the sale of a one bedroom condo in Cambridge. There are many condos in Cambridge and many realtors to choose from, and I would like to tell you why Rhonda was so exceptional.

My brother’s condo was being rented out and was in need of major upgrades. Before selling the condo, the tenants needed to move, contractors needed to be hired to do repairs, and on top of this, my brother has a disability. He has trouble making decisions on his own, and does not want family overly involved because he wants to be independent. At the same time, he needed a lot of support to make these plans.

Rhonda eased the entire process by making a renovation plan with us, meeting with us at Home Depot to choose materials; meeting with the contractors to let them into the building and to oversee their work. Rhonda sensitive throughout the whole process and discussed decisions with my brother while also updating and involving our family so that we could feel assured or could intervene so that the best decisions could be made. We received an early initial offer and while it was sufficient, Rhonda advised that we might wait to see if we would receive a better offer. Even though this would mean more time and effort on her part to show the condo and to manage the difficult dynamics that my brother’s illness presented, Rhonda never waivered.

I sincerely feel that Rhonda was always looking out for our best interests. She works with the utmost integrity and personal ethics. She is a hard worker, calling in from vacation to negotiate offers, looking up prices of appliances for us, and never hesitated to go the extra mile. Working with Rhonda was the most pleasant experience of the whole process of selling the condo. She always made us feel that she cared.

Rhonda was an exceptional realtor and I would recommend her without reservation.

Sincerely,

Quynh Dang

This year the residential tax exemption will save homeowners a whopping $1,531.83 in property tax. The exemption reduces the assessed value of the property by $198,423.

Be sure to submit your application for the residential tax exemption within 90 days of the 1st half bill issued in April. The application can be downloaded from the City’s web site www.cambridgema.gov under the ‘Online Services, City Permits and Applications’ section.

Keep in mind you need to be living in the home on January 1, 2009 in order to be eligible for the 2010 Full Year Allowable Exemption. So, if you purchased last year and inherited the exemption from the previous owner, you will see your tax bill increase until you establish your primary residency the following year.

That’s why it is important to apply now while it is top of mind. All too often I meet homeowners who forgot to apply and lost thousands of dollars. Don’t let this happen to you. Either call the Cambridge Assessor at (617) 349-4343 or go online and apply now for 2011.Tulips

Dizzy loves lounging on her red velvet cushion when she is not perched from her favorite window watching squirrels and birds in the back garden.

Dizzy and her sister, Baby, are rescues from the Faxon Animal Rescue League of Greater Fall River www.Faxonarl.org. We adopted them in 2006 after coming across their photos on www.Petfinder.com.

Sometimes Petco next to the Galleria Mall in East Cambridge hosts a Saturday Adoption event where a rescue is brought in to meet prospective owners. That’s how we met our third feline, Ezekiel. Zeke, as he is affectionately known, was rescued by Second Chance Shelter in South Boston www.secondchanceanimals.org.

The ‘mother’ of all animal care and pet adoptions in Metro Boston is the MSPCA-Angell www.mspca.org. Last year, MSPCA-Angell reportedly placed an estimated 13,000 animals in permanent homes and provided care for 50,000 animals.

If you are thinking about adopting a feline, I recommend contacting Charles River Alleycats charlesriveralleycats.org . Not only do they serve the public by offering low cost adoption and neutering, CRA is a compassionate organization focused on stray and feral cats in Somerville and Cambridge.

Last spring I became a CRA volunteer assigned to transporting kitties to the vet for their mandatory pre-adoption shots and neutering. It was amazingly fun to help these wonderful animals get ready for their new life in some kind person’s home.

So whether you need a mouser or a lap cat, I hope you will adopt a kitten or a cat for your home in Cambridge.

The landmark church tower is all that remains after an extensive fire damaged the main structure designed in 1911 by well-known Boston architects Louis C. Newhall and Albert H. Blevins.

In its place today, mid-way between Harvard and Central Square, stands a serene community of 30 multi-level, one and two-bedroom condominiums with underground garage parking.

It’s rare when a unit comes on the market in this complex. The last one sold in 2005 for $346,500. It was a one-bedroom with 665 square feet of living space.

Compared to the last unit that sold, the unit I am selling is a real value with a listing price of $335,000. It’s an awesome condo with a great floor plan and tons of natural light coming off the south facing balcony.

Here’s what else is cool about this place:
<ol>
<li>Asking $335,000 including garage parking and private storage</li>
<li>Bi-level floor through with good flow</li>
<li>Extra half bath with Full Size Washer/Dryer</li>
<li>Covered balcony accessible from Bedroom and Living Room</li>
<li>Generous Closet Space</li>
<li>Baseboard Heat, fueled by gas (included in condo fee)</li>
<li>Central Air Conditioning, individual unit control</li>
<li>Property Tax: $860/year with residential exemption</li>
<li>Landscaped communal green space</li>
<li>Professionally managed, elevator building</li>
</ol>

First, thanks for these – I’ve been to real-estate agents who said “sure, I’ll send you listings”, and did very little about it. I like your get it on attitude a lot.- posted today 2/16/10 by JLof Cambridge, MA

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Check back soon for more tips and information on selling your single family homes, multi-family homes, condominium, condominium conversion, commercial property, and land in the Cambridge and Somerville area.

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Contact Rhonda with any Real Estate questions you have.

If you’ve been searching for an apartment for any amount of time you already know great apartments don’t last!

Call me today to help you find your dream apartment before someone else snags it.

You are an excellent sales person to get above asking price on any house, well done!

I can’t say this enough, you rock as a real estate agent. The industry could use more people like you.

Thomas Ballas
Somerville, MA

I would like to recommend Rhonda Romeo to anyone who is considering buying or selling a home in the Cambridge-Somerville area. Rhonda recently sold my house in the Paine Park neighborhood, and her performance went beyond my expectations in every respect.

When we decided we had to leave Cambridge for a move to the West Coast, we decided quickly on a realtor from one of the large, dominant agencies, believing this would be a low-risk strategy for getting someone with experience and making sure out house was exposed to as many potential buyers as possible. But then a friend from the neighborhood introduced me to Rhonda, and she convinced me that she would be able to provide me with better service and go the extra mile to sell the house, especially given all the difficulties of selling a house while living on the other side of the country.

This was an extremely good decision. As I was preparing the house for the market, Rhonda came by every day to see how she could help. I was under a good deal of stress and have probably forgotten half of what she did for me, but she went out of her way to pick up items at Target, the hardware store, etc., and kept me on track. Rhonda’s advice about pricing, marketing, and showing the house were right on target, and we had a good offer in about two weeks—during a time when the market was fairly slow.

Rhonda worked very hard to show the house to a large number of people, and followed up extensively with the interested parties. Since I was out of town, she took care of the house, watered plants, and kept things looking good. My neighbors assured me that either she or her assistant was at the house every day. She stayed up late at night to accommodate my West-Coast schedule, and always kept me informed.

But unfortunately her work was only beginning when the offer came through. The inspection did not go well, and the deal was in danger of falling apart. This is where Rhonda’s skills and hard work were especially valuable. She used her contacts in the neighborhood to get quotes and second opinions, which put us in a strong and informed bargaining position. She kept up a positive attitude and sense of humor through a stressful process. She also continued to follow up with other interested parties, and did not stop working hard until the house had closed. A few minor crises came up, and she helped resolve them. In the final stages she exhibited good negotiating skills. One of her biggest challenges was probably to reduce my own anxieties, which she did very well.

In short, Rhonda is an extremely hard-working and skilled agent, and you can’t go wrong by working with her. I’ve met a good number of realtors around Cambridge over the years, and I would be surprised if you can find anyone who surpasses Rhonda’s energy and work ethic. I don’t know what we would have done without her.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Rodden

Thank you for demonstrating outstanding sales skills. Although it is the people that you represent who should really be thanking you! Keep up the good work.

Dariella
Somerville, MA

Thanks so much for all your help these past couple months. You never know, in three years, we’ll have to do this all over again and Boston is sure to be on our list!

Andy Beck
Pittsburgh, PA

Thank you for taking the time to drop off the packet of information in re condos in Salem, and for the bonus Starbuck’s gift bag. It’s rare to see such committment to customer service. Kim and I are lucky to have bumped into you.

Donovan Dodrill
Belmont, MA

Please find this letter in reference to Rhonda Romeo Amir as recommendation of her as a highly skilled and highly qualified Real Estate Broker.

We enlisted Ms. Romeo Amir’s services basically on a lark as a result of a chance meeting, and came to be very satisfied with her sales skills, her networking and knowledge of the housing and Real Estate markets, in addition to her tenacious ability to get the job done with all parties involved satisfied.

Rhonda exhibited great skill in handling any misfortunes that may have cropped up in the course of selling our home. Perhaps more importantly, she helped us stay the course and maintaim a positive outlook throughout the process, which is an invaluable asset.

We would not hesitate to recommend Rhonda to any of our family and friends. Her fiduciary skills helped facilitate a smooth and desirable transaction in the selling of our property.

Sincerely,

Todd W. Clark
Elizabeth A. Clark

Medford, MA
(617) 501-6361

Thank you for all your help; I enjoyed working with you and hope we will do it again in the near future.

I will read my book too, thanks so much, it was very thoughtful of you.

Kasia Tokarska
Winchester, MA

I am so grateful for all your hard work and help during the entire process. It was great to have you over on Saturday.

Thanks for bringing food!

Leah Shapiro
Jamaica Plain, MA

Winchester, MA

First and foremost, I want to inform you that you are the best real estate agent I’ve come in contact with through out my house hunting endeavors/research. Tenacious, but definitely not annoying, quite the contrary. I love these random e-mails I get from you, which I get from no one else I might add.

Jason Buggy
Medford, MA