76 Business Street /// Hyde Park
LIST PRICE: $279,000
BEDROOMS: 3
BATHS: 1
LIVING AREA: 1,092 square feet
MORTGAGE: $1,637 per month
RICH'S VERDICT: ''This place needed too much structural work. The floors had a very noticeable sag.''

10 O'Donnell Terrace /// Dorchester
LIST PRICE: $329,000
BEDROOMS: 3
BATHS: 1
LIVING AREA: 1,263 square feet
MORTGAGE: $1,930 per month
RICH'S VERDICT: He learned of this house just before leaving for a two-week vacation. ''When I returned, it was still there but was gone a few days later.''

42 Hemman Street /// Roslindale
LIST PRICE: $329,900
BEDROOMS: 3
BATHS: 1.5
LIVING AREA: 1,149 square feet
MORTGAGE: $1,936 per month
RICH'S VERDICT: ''The area of house hunting which is causing me the most trouble is the rate at which these houses go off the market.'' Four to five days after Rich learned about this listing, he expressed interest, but it was already under agreement.

55 McBride Street /// Jamaica Plain
LIST PRICE: $339,000
BEDROOMS: 3
BATHS: 1
LIVING AREA: 1,254 square feet
MORTGAGE: $1,989 per month
RICH'S VERDICT: ''I thought cheap for JP, but just about the max I think I can afford. The house, however, will need a total rehab. It would need at least $50,000 invested just to move in, and then probably another $50,000 on top of that.''