WALT'S REAL ESTATE WINDOW

Let's turn to 19th century tycoon John Jacob Astor for some words of wisdom. "Buy on the fringe and wait. Buy land near a growing city! Buy real estate when other people want to sell. Hold what you buy!"

He said this while buying up parcels on some island in New York. It's great advice because it worked then and would work now. Let's find that island.

CLOSING KING

A condo in Newport at 111 Harrison Ave. is crowned King this week, coming in at $5.2 million after 153 days on the market. Beautiful place with an awesome view.

A manufactured home in Pawtucket on Manton was the most affordable closing of the week. The newly appointed Duke sold for $56,000 for 1,000 square feet of space.

159 closed during the week. There are just under 2,000 actives and far more than half are single families and condos.

PROVIDENCE TOPS ZILLOW'S HOTTEST RENTAL MARKET

Zillow calls it the list of the "hottest" rental marketsbut it's hot for landlords, not renters.

A few of the numbers that stand out are a vacancy rate of just 5.1%, well below the national forecast of 7.3%. And with the average monthly rent in the city now $2,154, renters need to make about $86,000 to afford it. Unlike other locations, local landlords are also said to be offering fewer concessions like waived application fees.

3-D HOMES GAIN A BIG NAME BACKER

Is this the future or will we look back at 3-D homes the way we now giggle about things like flying car predictions?

3D-printed home buyers struggle to obtain financing but Wells Fargo is teaming up with the home printer company, Icon. The big bank will now write mortgages for these structures. Icon has built over 250 3D homes.

TECH HELPS AGING HOMEOWNERS

Baby boomers own about half of our real estate, leading to tech that's helping them in their homes.

Motion activated lighting, smart locks, voice assitance and a variety of sensors are all in the mix to improve safety without sacrificing comfort. With many of these homeowners choosing to age in place, technology is expected to play an even bigger role.

WALT'S BEST MILLION DOLLAR BUY

8 Rushton in Cranston tops my list this week. It's on the water with a pool and has great appeal inside and out for $990,000.

There are 81 listings in the $980,000 and $1.2 million range. 4 closed and 7 went under contract during the week.

WALT'S BEST MEDIAN PRICED HOME

I also like 61 Rose Hill Drive in Cranston--a cape now listed for $499,000. A lot of updates in this one that comes in at $344 a square foot for 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a garage.

There are now 90 active condos and single families priced between $480,000 to $530,000. 28 are new listings, and during the week 36 went under contract while 12 closed.

SPOTLIGHT ON CRANSTON

Cranston combines great neighborhoods, convenient access to Providence, a wide variety of restaurants and shopping, and an impressive mix of housing options -- from classic colonials and capes to newer construction and condominium communities.

Whether you prefer the walkability and energy of Garden City or the quieter suburban feel in Western Cranston and other areas, the city offers a lifestyle that appeals to a wide range of buyers.

There are 108 actives. That includes a nice mix of 79 single families, 14 condos and 9 mutlis. Not every city offers a good choice of all three.

The median sales price for single families is $456,000. That's down from 2025's $460,000 median.

The median Days on Market is 28, up from last year and nearly double from 2023. But 28 is still very much a seller's market.

So far this year, we've covered Cranston, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton, East Greenwich, Narragansett, Coventry, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Warwick, Cranston, Providence, Pawtucket, Barrington, Bristol, Warren, East Providence and Providence.

QUIZ TIME

Let's go readers. One more week with this one before I give away the answer.

What New England city claims to be the location of the first Dunkin Donuts?

Send me the answer and then pick your charity.

Thank you for reading the 56th edition of Walt's Real Estate Window. Text me at 401-339-0090 if you're ready to buy or sell and as always your comments and questions are welcome. Have a tremendous week!