posted on September 1, 2000 05:19:50 AM new
East Boston is probably your best buy. VERY quick commute to Downtown (either by ferry or the Blue Line), low property taxes thanks to the airport, extremely safe, lots of families, and cheap, cheap cheap. As "Noddles Island," it was first settled in the 1850s by shipbuilders and captains as a close-by summer vacation spot, so there is some pretty snazzy old architecture there. The Flying Cloud, the fastest clipper ship ever built, was launched from the foot of Eutaw Street (where my home was).
In 1994 we bought an architect-built 1878 duplex (one side), 3 stories, 3K square feet, deep lot, for $54K. It'd been converted into a 3-family in the 1920s and was structurally sound but needed upgrading in kitchens, baths, and lots of cosmetic work, but it had all its original plasterwork (12' ceilings), red oak floors, sweeping staircase with walnut rail, several marble fireplaces in mint condition, and a HUGE basement with 9' ceilings, for $54K. Each apartment rents for $800. We had it refinanced in '97, at which time I sold my half-interest to my ex for a $34K profit, and she refinanced the place (she's got some, um, bad spending habits) in '98 for $185K. Taxes were about $500/year. There are some really gorgeous new parks over there now, too. So basically you can buy a triplex and live in it for free
Eastie isn't for everybody. It's blue-collar - kinda like Southie, except Italian and Central American. It is no Brookline (and thank God for that). I never had a problem with airport noise - if you live in the flight path, you get soundproofing (including triple-glazed windows) for FREE. If you're interested, you might give Carl Paleologos a call. He's the prime mover in the historic/restoration crowd and a major developer of property there, and can probably tell you about houses you might be interested in.
posted on September 1, 2000 11:47:41 AM new
Terri, I'm Katie... haven't been around much this summer and there is something badly wrong with my mindspring mail. I've been missing end of auction replies and all sorts of weird stuff, and I haven't had any emails from you.
Terri