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Inside the burned Dorchester house that sold for $776k
In three days, it went under agreement for the full asking price.
In November of 2024 a fire erupted at a two-family home in South Dorchester. No one was hurt, and the fire department put out the fire before it spread to neighboring houses, but it rendered the house at 5 Weyanoke St. uninhabitable.
It took the owner a long time to settle with the insurance company. In the meantime, the house stood empty, formally condemned by the City of Boston. Fire-scarred, missing pieces of the porch and roof, with boarded up windows and blocked-off doors, the house was the definition of the word “wreck.”
Finally, the insurance issues were settled and the house was put on the market, with an asking price of $776,000. In three days, it went under agreement for the full asking price.
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“This is an indication of the overheated state of the Boston real estate market,” said Ellen Zumbado, a sales agent for Marsh Properties, Inc. “As prices in Back Bay, the South End, Beacon Hill, and the Seaport District have risen astronomically, areas that were once affordable have also seen prices rise. Any available property is desirable, even if it looks terrible.”
She believes that the house will probably be torn down and replaced with a new structure. In fact, the listing sheet information begins with the words, “Contractors, developers, and builders. Opportunity knocks!”
Anthony Bruno of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty is the listing agent for the property. He believes that it is salvageable.
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“Most of the fire damage is in the front part of the property,” he said. “If someone wants to bring it back, I think it can be done.
Because it is condemned by the city, interested parties had to sign an Assumption of the Risk/Hold Harmless Agreement before seeing it. “It is required by the city, but you can walk around inside without being in danger,” Bruno said.
During the time that the house has stood empty, it has not suffered vandalism. Built in 1910, it retains many original elements, including fireplace mantels, hardwood flooring, millwork, radiators, and newel posts. It has eight bedrooms in two units that occupy 3,953 square feet of living space. The house also has two off-street parking spaces and is located two blocks from the Ashmont T station.
This house may not have any curb appeal, but it’s “a wonderful opportunity for someone,” Bruno said.
“Lots of people have expressed interest. It has not sold yet; it is under agreement with a closing in May,” he added.
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