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A contemporary-style single-family home located at 153 Robbins Road in Watertown was listed for sale at $2.6 million on Tuesday, March 7 by George Mavrogiannidis of Real Estate Advisors Group.
The 4-bedroom, 6-bath home is likely the most expensive of any Watertown property sold by a realtor, says Mavrogiannidis, who checked years of listings to make the claim. The contemporary-style home is a shake-up for Watertown properties, the majority of which are more traditional-style colonials.
"If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all," Mavrogiannidis said. "It was simple and it was easy, they thought that’s what people wanted. But some buyers were turned off by this, they didn’t want something like everyone else."
Enter the Robbins Road property, which has multiple specialty, custom features to set it apart from the crowd, but that also drove up its price tag.
"When you build a house you can leave it plain, or you can add something interesting," Mavrogiannidis said. "That's where the expense comes in."
The hefty price tag is due to more than just the custom features, Mavrogiannidis said. The costs of building materials have drastically risen in the past few years, and the city of Watertown itself is becoming more desirable.
"I'm a strong believer in the city of Watertown," Mavrogiannidis said. "It always used to be a nice town with friendly people, and it’s becoming a beautiful place. That's why there's an increase [in real estate prices.] People are realizing it's the place to live."
People who want to live in Cambridge but are trying to avoid the city's higher prices move to Watertown, Mavrogiannidis said.
But Watertown residents are not all thrilled about changes to the city.
"I was joking that we could sell tickets because there was a constant stream of neighbors coming through the house," Mavrogiannidis said.
Some inquisitive visitors were not excited about the 4,718-square-foot property's modern look, preferring the more common colonial-style homes.
The home is a colonial, Mavrogiannidis insisted, but it's a modern colonial. He predicts the contemporary style will become prominent in Watertown, despite current residents' protests.
"In a year or two all houses will be like this and we’ll have to go back to colonial to do something different," Mavrogiannidis joked.
The Robbins Road listing boasts a gourmet kitchen, private outdoor patio, dedicated mudroom, and master suite complete with a fireplace.
Not everyone understands the home's unique finishings. One person commented that "t’s crazy to have a bed in the living room," Mavrogiannidis said
"I thought that it meant that we had a confusing picture on the listing," Mavrogiannidis said. "The I realized he was talking about the fireplace in the bedroom."
The house was constructed new, built to Mavrogiannidis's and his partner/builder's exact specifications.
The property previously sold for $700,000 in 2021, according to Zillow.
Click here to see the property's listing.
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