By Ross Blouin

The highest priced single family home listed and sold here in Somerville recently closed last week at 63 College Avenue, just two blocks out of Davis Square, by The Norton Group Real Estate, Donald Norton, Broker/Owner.

Mr. Norton listed the home last fall for $1,690,000, then it was taken off the market and recently put back on for the same amount and in one day went under agreement, at a selling price of $1,690,000.

The home was sold at full price to a young family from London, England, who will soon be moving into their newly renovated Somerville residence. The new owner, a well-known movie producer/director, is excited about moving here to Somerville and becoming involved in the community.

Donald Norton, a Real Estate Broker here in Somerville for the past 37 years, along with his wife Patricia, own The Norton Group Real Estate office in Ball Square at 699 Broadway, which has about 20 agents.

Mr. Norton was contracted to assist in marketing and listing the property and assisted in the selling of the property a year ago with the developer, James Douglas of Hall Avenue LLC. Mr. Douglas, a longtime Somerville developer and also a native of Somerville, bought the property and completely rebuilt it throughout from top to bottom; new everything, custom kitchen with three full and two half baths, and beautiful Brazilian maple floors throughout the home.

Originally, the home was built in 1901 in the Queen Anne/Colonial Revival style, which at the time was the end of the Queen Anne style of homes being built here in the area. Douglas not only sought out to totally renovate the building, but to also restore the exterior to its original design as much as possible.

Douglas has had a vast amount of experiences restoring and building reputable homes throughout Massachusetts as well as here in Somerville for many years. He personally oversaw all the work done over the past 9-10 months and made sure that high quality was maintained from beginning to end.

The home is to date the highest ever single family home listed in Somerville, priced and sold at $1,690,000. The Norton Group did extensive marketing of the home, and this is not the first time that Broker Donald Norton sold the highest listed home here in Somerville. In 1981 Norton, then a broker with a C21 office out of East Somerville, listed and sold the then highest priced single family home in Somerville on Benton Road for $102,000., thereby breaking two records over a span of 35 years in business.

The Norton Group Real Estate company’s Donald and Patricia Norton are proud to have made this accomplishment. Somerville has come a long way from the seventies and before that. The Somerville real estate market today has caught the attention of a lot of newcomers to the area; seeing what everyone else here now sees, the vibrant community of Davis Square and the future of Union Square and what has been developing as well at Assembly Square.

“The Somerville of today can be proud that it has once again become the in place to live ,” according to Norton.