Brookline home is simple but not plain
The same things that attracted Doug Spalding’s family to their home a decade ago will no doubt draw buyers.
“We needed to find a home in Brookline for the schools, and we needed affordability,” Spalding said as he stood on the front porch of 62 Risley Road earlier this week on a hot, sunny day.
While the white 1940s home is no doubt more expensive than it was when the Spaldings moved in, at the current list price of $850,000, it’s among the cheapest singlefamily homes on the market in the wealthy town.
But that doesn’t mean it skimps on the necessities — the place has 2,033 square feet, a small yard, a deck, three bedrooms, an office and a partially finished basement. It also has a big, bright kitchen with newly replaced skylights that flooded the room with sun as Spalding showed it off Tuesday.
“When my wife looked at the house and the kitchen, she said, ‘This is a great house for entertaining,’ ” said Spalding, recalling when his late wife, daughter, and he first saw the place. “I think I’ve had 22 people in that kitchen at once,” he added, describing one of the parties he held there.
The inside of the home is much like the many other World War II-era houses in the area, with efficiently designed rooms on the first and second floors, curved entryways, and a wood-paneled basement family room, which Spalding uses to practice his piano and saxophone and other instruments.
While there are few frills here, it’s not all plain. The red living room with its creamy white fireplace mantle feels antique, and so does the dining room and its built-in china shelves and cabinets.
The back of the home — the living room, first-floor bathroom and office — are spacious and wheelchair accessible, making it an ideal place for someone with physical disabilities. Hardwood floors are throughout.
Also, the home is in one of the few areas of Brookline where people can still afford to buy a house.
“You’ve really got a range of people here,” said Spalding, noting that just a bit off, that’s not the case. “Tom Brady’s house is within two miles from this place. And (former Reebok CEO) Paul Fireman’s house is probably a mile and a half away. You’ve got the highs and the lows.”