11 Hearthstone Drive

Chris had just passed his half-birthday when we signed the purchase and sale agreement for our first house: 11 Hearthstone Drive, Burlington. We moved in just after Christmas. Four bedrooms, described by the realtor as a garrison colonial, four years old, nice yard, just outside (to the north of) Boston’s Route 128 circumferential highway.

The purchase price was $32,000; we got a $24,000 25-year mortgage from the Cambridge Savings Bank with an interest rate of 8.5%. The original owners, John and Ligita Longo, advanced us $4,800 on a second mortgage at 8%.¹ They judged us creditworthy, I presume, mainly because I now had steady employment at a good salary, with every expectation of graduating next June.

We installed the bark-mulched border around the front lawn. Also the little white utility shed to the left of the house, behind the tree. We stayed here two and a half years and added Cyndi to our team, before buying Timbaloo and returning to the Cambridge Ward.

¹They were being nice to us: second mortgages normally come at higher rates than first, but they weren’t financial pros, any more than we were.

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