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Newton City Hall
Crystal Lake |
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Newton
[ Education ] [ Services ] [ Public Tranportation ] [ Market Conditions ] [ Local Links ]
Thirteen
villages in just over 18 square miles comprise this highly desirable city which
features excellent schools, good local government and wonderful outdoor
recreation.
With beautiful tree-lined avenues and
landscaped neighborhoods, Newton earns its reputation as "The Garden City," and
each village offers its own unique character, conveniences and
allure.
Home to approximately 85,000 residents,
Newton offers splendid recreational opportunities, including golf, boating on
the Charles River and swimming at Crystal Lake, and over 650 acres of
parklands.
Excellent city services and good local
government result in consistently high state bond ratings.
Located just 7 miles west of Boston and 4
miles from Cambridge, Newton offers easy and quick access to downtown, as well
as simple com-mutes north and south of the city by all major
highways.
Education
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The Newton
public school system is nationally recognized and continues to draw families
concerned with quality education.
There are fifteen neighborhood-specific
elementary schools that serve kinder-garten through fifth grade.
Three middle schools serve grades 6
through 8. Bilingual programs in 5 languages and English as a second language
programs assist hundreds of children who collectively speak 67 foreign
languages.
Newton North and Newton South High Schools
both enjoy excellent na-tional reputations for graduating 85% of its students
directly on to higher education.
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Hearbreak Hill Boston Marathon Sculpture in
Newton |
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Services
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Public
safety is a high priority in Newton. Headquartered in Newton Centre, the police
Department's law enforcement responsibility is carried Out through its Patrol,
Traffic, and Detective Bureaus.
Nationally, Newton has the second-lowest
crime index in comparison with similar sized cities.
Numerous innovative community relations
programs seek and promote cooperation between adults and youth.
Besides headquarters in Newton Centre,
there are sixfire stations throughout the city. Newton enjoys the lowest
attainable property insurance rates due to the fire department's stellar rating
by the insurance industry.
The Parks and Recreation Department is
responsible for the care of parks, grounds and facilties, and overseeing
recreational programs for Newton residents of all ages.
Year round cultural arts programming
includes concerts, outdoor theatre performances for children, and other Arts in
the Parks special events.
Residents enjoy a rich local cultural life
including the New Repertory Community theatre, the Jackson Homestead museum of
Newton history and the Newon Symphony Orchestra.
Public Transportation
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Most of Newton is easy to navigate by public
transportation.
The villages of Waban, Newton Centre,
Chestnut Hill, Lower Falls and Newton Highlands are served by the MBTA "green
line" trolley to downtown and Boston's medical area. Express bus service to
downtown is readily available from Riverside and Newton Corner, and local buses
serve many sections of the city.
Newton Nexus is a city bus service that
offers connections to many local points of convenience including MBTA stations,
shopping malls, schools and hospitals.
The MBTA also provides commuter rail
service to Boston with stops in Auburndale, West Newton and
Newtonville.
The MBTA also provides "The Ride," for
persons with disabilities.
Market Conditions
[ Education ] [ Services ] [ Public Tranportation ] [ Market Conditions ] [ Local Links ] [ Return To Top ] Massachusetts continues its national lead in dual income families, influencing the premium placed on "move-in" and new construction properties, and Boston leads the country, as well, in setting he benchmark for the youngest first time buyers in a metropolitan area at 31 years of age. Excellent schools, close proximity to Boston and an unsurpassed assortment of recreational opportunities continue to attract families to Newton who seek and appreciate a superior quality of life that combines suburban living with urban convenience. Property values and steady appreciation reflect this demand, and home inventory varies according to neighborhood "village" and price range. As of 2/1/08, there are 129 single-family homes for sale in Newton, ranging from a low of $375,000 for an 864 square foot five-room ranch in need of substantial renovation, to a high of $5,750M for an 8,400 square foot 15-room Victorian-era, colonial revival-style home sited on 1.5 acres. While Newton enjoys a mix of condominium, single and multi-family housing inventory, its housing stock is comprised mostly of older single-family homes that range in price from under $500K for a small "starter," to substantial luxury properties that exceed $3M or more. There are few new construction single-family homes, however, when available they almost always exceed $1.5M. Most new construction offerings are town homes, which typically may offer 3-4 bedrooms starting at about $900K. As in most places, location, amenities, supply and home condition inform prices. Available properties for sale diminished significantly in 2007 from the prior year. For example, in December 2007, there were 13 properties on the market between $1M and $1.5M, compared with 21 the prior December. Even more illustrative, in December 2007 there weree four homes for sale priced between $1.5M and $2M, compared to 19 homes for sale during the same period a year earlier. Despited the barrage of bad national real estate news, Newton single-family home values have continued to increase. Last year, according to County Home Data, single-family home median prices rose slightly over the previous year, from $730,000 to $745,000 and have more than doubled overall in the past ten years since 1997. Sales activity increased by 10.3 percent from January through August 2007, over the same time period the previous year. Newton condominium sales rose six persent in that same time period over the previous year, however the medican condo price fell 8.7 percent to $450K from $493K from the prior year.
 For Home Sales Activity Click Here
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Residential Median
Price |
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Condo Median Price |
| 1989 |
$280,000 |
| 1990 |
$282,000 |
| 1991 |
$257,000 |
| 1992 |
$257,000 |
| 1993 |
$263,000 |
| 1994 |
$285,000 |
| 1995 |
$285,000 |
| 1996 |
$318,000 |
| 1997 |
$340,000 |
| 1998 |
$375,000 |
| 1999 |
$415,000 |
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| 1989 |
$212,000 |
| 1990 |
$190,000 |
| 1991 |
$180,000 |
| 1992 |
$200,000 |
| 1993 |
$190,000 |
| 1994 |
$175,000 |
| 1995 |
$184,000 |
| 1996 |
$185,000 |
| 1997 |
$205,000 |
| 1998 |
$234,000 |
| 1999 |
$268,000 |
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Local Links
[ Education ] [ Services ] [ Public Tranportation ] [ Market Conditions ] [ Local Links ] [ Return To Top ]
[ Education ] [ Services ] [ Public Tranportation ] [ Market Conditions ] [ Local Links ] [ Return To Top ]
Working With An Agent >CRS and GRI
CRS, which stands for Certified Residential Specialist, is a designation that recognizes a high level of professional accomplishments in real estate experience and education. The Residential Sales Council grants the CRS designation only to the most outstanding sales associates in the residential sales field. Besides the completion of a rigorous course of study, the candidate must be able to demonstrate 75 successful transactions or average sales of $1 million per year of experience. Only 4% of all real estate agents are awarded the CRS designation.
GRI stands for Graduate, REALTOR Institute. The REALTOR Institute offers a series of 90 hours of required and elective courses conducted by the local Board or Association of REALTORS. These courses cover all areas of real estate -- residential, investment, construction and mortgage. The GRI designation is a prerequisite of many specialized courses in the REALTOR organization.
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| Q |
What three things are necessary in order to purchase a home?
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| A |
Some cash, a dependable income and good credit. If you fall short, don't despair--homeownership may still be possible. |
 See More Real Estate Trivia > |
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- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
