North Andover, MA Real Estate

Single Family Home Market

From gorgeously restored Victorians to mid-century modernist masterpieces to stylish, contemporary dwellings, the single family home market in North Andover offers an appealing array of beautiful structures. Many of these homes are located on lots of an acre or more, and have paved driveways leading back from the main street. The yards frequently contain a fire pit for outdoor festivities during the summer, as well an elevated exterior deck with a guardrail. Below ground pools are not unheard of, but are infrequent. Trees usually demarcate the line of the property. The average purchase price for a home here is $300 per square foot, and houses with two stories and three bedrooms and three bathrooms are typical.

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Depending on the architectural style, the exteriors can feature brick, clapboard, glass, and in some instances, concrete or steel. Many of the houses have made an effort to relate to the surrounding landscape, and subsequently feature darker woods or tan bricks, with gray roof shingles and white tile or stone for footpaths. The windows are usually insulated with double or triple panes, and are arranged in banks to create a pleasing amount of natural light. The principal entryways typically have a glass or screen door that covers the main door, which is usually made of a solid wood plank that has a small glass pane or design embedded within it.

The interiors of these homes are studies in elegance, with gleaming hardwood floors, recessed lighting, and beautifully painted plaster walls. In older homes, the rooms are large but distinct from one another. Doorways separate the dining room from the living room from the kitchen, for example. This emphasis on having separate rooms creates the opportunity for more built-in amenities, such as bookshelves, cabinets, or other display features that would not be included in a home with a more open floor plan. Wood trim is common in this area, especially around the windows and the mirrors in the bathroom that also house vanity cabinets. Beautiful full-length dressers and storage cabinets are often included with the master bedrooms.

Kitchen islands can be small or become grand statements, with seating offered not just on one side, but on three different sides, creating an opportunity for vibrant conversation and socialization. In some homes, especially those with a relatively small footprint, the kitchen is equipped with a framework for hanging pots and pans above the working area, allowing home owners to showcase their collection of stove ware. In some homes, recessed ceiling areas present the opportunity to display elaborate murals or specially designed ceiling tiles, or simply a different paint color than the surrounding walls.

The fireplaces here often feature meticulous brick work, with bricks of different colors and shapes arranged in a kind of vertical mosaic. Wood stoves are also common in this area, especially in smaller rooms. Some fireplaces forgo brick altogether in favor of a polished granite facade with brass inlays. The presentation of the fireplace heavily depends on the year of construction; houses built after 1985 tend to favor smaller, non-brick backed fireplaces. Bay windows are a frequent occurrence in this area, and are usually reserved for either a bedroom or private study/library.

Some homes take advantage of their gabled roofs to create stunning cathedral ceilings that showcase the timber beams and feature rows of skylights that illuminate the interior during all seasons. Some of the older homes feature great rooms that are elegantly lit in this fashion. During their renovations, many of the older homes have chosen to leave certain portions of the original brick or timber exposed to allow a glimpse into history while being surrounded by contemporary comforts.

Condo/Townhouse Market

With an average purchase price of $255 per square foot, the condos and townhouses in this city offer serenity, elegance, and contemporary amenities. This is partly because duplexes and stand alone units are more common than dense developments, offering each resident the opportunity to live without too much noise or chaos. The monthly association fee, when there is one, typically ranges between $377 and $475.

The flexibility in building types means that many condos experiment with their layouts, creating grand, high ceilinged great rooms that act as private courtyards. Bedrooms, which are ringed around the light well created by the high ceiling and the array of skylights, look out over the great room, which in some properties features a fireplace that extends the entire height of the wall, creating a grand mantle and display space. These great rooms can either be carpeted or feature hardwood floors. Banks of windows, in some cases stacked vertically on top of each other, visually distinguish the structure from the outside as well as creating beautiful views from the interior.

However, other townhouses take a different approach, creating comfortable, cozy spaces. A galley kitchen, for example, is creatively expanded into a social space by knocking out half the wall and transforming it into a countertop with seating on the other side. The compact layout of the kitchen becomes a selling point. In other condos, the kitchen island is elongated and expanded until it functions as a de facto dining table in the center of the kitchen; lighting fixtures illuminate the countertop, which is within easy reach of numerous other cabinets, appliances, and other storage areas. Some islands have a sink embedded into them, while others feature a row of electrical sockets to facilitate plugging in any number of devices.

Almost every condo in this area provides access to either a balcony or deck. Some units create a floor to ceiling glass wall with a sliding glass door to allow access to the deck as well as flood the interior with natural light. Depending on the year of construction, the bathrooms may feature granite-lined mirrors and marble countertops, along with beautifully varnished wood and cabinets. A variety of tile designs, from the floors to the backsplash in the shower, create a sense of dynamic movement. Large closets are common in this area, with walk-in closets usually included as part of the master bedroom. A shower with a tub basin is also common, although some structures have one bathroom with a full-size bathtub and one bathroom with a full size standing shower.

Those condos and townhouses that are part of a larger development may also have access to common structural amenities, such as a shared community center and exercise space. The grounds within these developments typically boast several acres of landscaped terrain, with small rock gardens, paved pathways and other scenic diversions. Those properties that are located along the water sometimes have a private dock or pathway that allows residents to enjoy evening strolls or daytime festivities, especially during the seasonal months.

Apartment Market

Investors looking to buy an apartment in this town should be aware that it’s a fairly competitive area; most units are snapped up within a week of being placed on the market. Luckily, there are numerous apartments available for lease, thanks in part to several new projects that have added stock to the market. The average purchase price for an apartment in North Andover is $180 per square foot, while the average rent is $1.70 per square foot per month.

The apartments in this city vary from adapted single family homes to repurposed industrial buildings from the turn of the 20th century. Therefore, tenants can expect a variety of different exterior typologies, from clapboard with visible storm shutters next to a grassy lawn to multi-story brick factories overlooking the river. Those properties that are located in a traditionally residential neighborhood also tend to have front stoops or a rear balcony or patio, while the apartments in redeveloped factories often share a large central courtyard or rooftop deck.

The variance in the interiors is equally pronounced. The apartments that are adapted from single family homes typically occupy one level, and feature a concentration of wood trim and unornamented ceilings. The bathrooms are traditionally covered in tile, while the kitchens feature hardwood floors. The kitchens also tend to be as compact as possible; islands are occasionally employed, but in most cases the kitchens are either in a galley configuration or use a section of the counter as a social gathering space. Ample closet spaces are frequent in apartments in the residential areas.

The repurposed factory apartments, on the other hand, typically have high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and visible timber beams. These apartments have large windows that are spaced regularly along one side, and an open floor plan that, depending on the size of the apartment, makes no separate partition for a bedroom, although the bathroom is always enclosed. In larger apartments, the bedrooms will traditionally be arrayed at either end of the large central space. The high ceilings inject new energy into the kitchen designs, which often feature several rows of cabinets and creative lighting fixtures that hang from the timber beams. Sometimes, a rack will be installed in the kitchen from which pots and pans can be hung; in other instances, a loft space will hover over the kitchen. Varying degrees of transparency, in the form of glass partitions and creative punch outs in walls, can demarcate one apartment from another.

Other apartments are housed in more traditional complexes, which feature a central pool and garden area around which the apartments are arranged. These apartments traditionally feature hardwood floors, plaster walls and ceilings, as well as a private balcony or deck accessible from sliding glass doors. Fireplaces in these complexes favor a narrow rectangular presentation; they are ignited by an electrical switch, and no wood is fed directly into them. The wall above the fireplace is usually reserved for display of either a big screen television or other object d'arte. The large complexes also tend to have clubhouses, fitness centers, and communal gathering rooms that are capable of hosting several hundred people at one time. The complexes also usually provide a lifeguard during the operating hours of the pool.

Notable City Features

In November 2017, the city received a $2.7 million MassWorks Program Infrastructure grant, a portion of which will be used to create approximately 192 new units of housing near the 125 Corridor. The development will also feature 43,000 square feet of new retail space on 14 acres of land that was formerly an agricultural property. The 192 units will be divided into one and two bedroom units, contained in a total of four buildings. Because the site has several different topographical elements, including height changes and existing wetlands, sidewalks will be included in the scheme, which encourage pedestrian traffic between the residential and commercial portions of the property. The sidewalks will be an entirely new feature in this part of town, and are expected to create a vibrant street dynamic that is currently absent.

The residential units themselves will be styled to reflect the retail portion of the complex. The four principal buildings will have varying roof heights and feature gables to create cathedral ceilings and light wells inside of the units. Banks of windows will also be employed to flood the interiors with light and create a visual connection to the environment.

The town is also currently updating its master plan by actively soliciting commentary and feedback from community members. The plan is centered around seven elements, which include land use, economic development, housing, open space and recreation, transportation, historic and natural resources, and public facilities and services. The town is attempting to welcome new growth while simultaneously preserving the character and flavor of the urbanity that preceded it. This will likely involve a focus on redevelopment, which would alter or expand current zoning in the downtown section to remake certain properties so that they serve more people effectively. In tandem with the developments along the 125 Corridor, the city is likely to see a slate of new projects, both commercial and residential, once the new master plan is approved.

This shift toward redevelopment would help preserve existing residential properties. As noted earlier, this city tends to have a number of single family homes located on large lots, providing ample acreage to homeowners. By increasing development on existing dense lots downtown, the single family homes would not necessarily have to decrease the size of their parcels. Additionally, a provision within the proposed new master plan would focus on retaining open space via a “Transfer of Development Rights” program. This program would “protect open space and transfer density to other more appropriate sites around town.” Also, the establishment of a watershed and lake oversight committee has been proposed.

One of the likeliest sites for redevelopment is Osgood Landing, which was formerly occupied by Lucent Technologies. A 400,000 square foot facility is now vacant on this site. The site has also been suggested as a place to attract other large businesses, such as Amazon. Depending on the outcome of the updated Master Plan, this area may become ideal for a massive new development that would make use of the existing infrastructure while adding new residential and commercial spaces. Due to the layout of the site, any new residential additions would likely be housed in towers or other vertically inclined structures that make the most of smaller footprints.

North Andover Condo Developments

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