Zillow: 40 Percent Of Boston Area Homes Unaffordable For Typical Buyers
A new study by real estate portal Zillow suggests that more than 40 percent of Boston-area homes may be unaffordable for median-income buyers.
SJC Ruling Could Impact New Construction In Flood Zones
Just when you thought it was safe to build near the water, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court has issued a new ruling that could curtail new construction in many coastal towns around the state.
Making It In Boston
After two decades spent conquering the suburban market, Mydelski and O’Koniewski are convinced they have what it takes to crack the city, opening their 13th office this spring on Newbury Street. They spoke to Banker & Tradesman about their brokerage philosophy, their partnership, and the opportunities they see in the current market.
SJC Decision On Foreclosure Proceedings Brings Some Relief
In the years since the housing crash and the subsequent wave of foreclosures that rocked the Bay State’s housing market, both legislators and judges have treated the state’s foreclosure laws as if they were written on an Etch A Sketch. This week, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court has laid down another decision which may finally bring some clarity both to homeowners fighting keep their homes, and to banks and lenders afraid of putting a foot wrong when it comes to completing a foreclosure.
Wave Of Cash Buyers Ebbs
The wave of cash buyers buoying the market has begun to ebb, a fresh look at data from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reveals.
Zillow: Greater Boston Residents Slightly More Nervous About Housing Than Average
A new measure of resident’s confidence in the housing market launched by real estate portal Zillow shows the inhabitants of Greater Boston are slightly less confident about the market and slightly less likely to want to purchase in the next year than the U.S. average.
Residential Inventory Lowest In A Decade
If you’re looking for a Realtor these days, you may want to head for a post office – they’ll be in there slapping up wanted posters, because it seems like sellers have gone on the lam.
Betting On Real Estate
Lots of agents come into real estate from other professions, but maybe not so many straight from the casino table. But that’s the case for Alex Santiago, a former professional poker player.
Court Ruling Is A Win For The Box Turtle
A new decision from the state’s Supreme Judicial Court has given a big boost to efforts by the states’ Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to protect endangered species within the Bay State – green-lighting the agency’s power to designate hundreds of thousands of acres of land as undevelopable without guaranteeing compensation for owners.
Investigating The Great Divide
Jim Campen became interested in the economic impact of community banking way back in the 1970s, when he first began doing research on small business lending. For more than 20 years, he’s been the lead author of a series of reports for the Massachusetts Community and Banking Council that monitor the state of lending to low-income minority borrowers and the communities in which they live.
Residential Agents Buzzing Over Drones
Look! Up, up in the air! Is it a bird? A plane? Or the future of real estate photography? Unmanned aerial drones may have first made the news for their military applications. But now the technology is rapidly becoming adapted to consumer uses – and many eager drone pilots are turning to real estate first to apply their skills.
Legislation Seeks Clean Slate For Homeowners
After several years and rounds of revisions, a new bill set to pass the Massachusetts legislature could wipe the slate clean for thousands of properties with a toxic foreclosure haunting their title.
Big Banks Dipping A Toe Into Non-QM Waters?
It was just over three weeks ago that mortgage bankers flipped open their calendars to see the day had finally arrived, and QM was the law of the land.
With Changing Rates, Mortgage Assumption Could Be Appealing
For almost half a decade following the housing crash in 2008, interest rates seemed to be playing the world’s longest running game of limbo, with every week bringing a new mark in the “how low could you go?†stakes.
With Some Headwinds, Outlook Good This Year
After many years of strain and struggle, real estate agents looked to the market with renewed hope at the start of last year – and for many, those hopes were wildly exceeded, as the Bay State’s housing market turned in its strongest performance in eight years. Now, brokers and agents alike are hoping to move from strength to strength in 2014.
Report: Greater Boston Needs To Build 435K Housing Units Before 2040
The greater Boston area will need to build an additional 435,000 units of housing by 2040 to accommodate younger workers and keep growing, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
Lenders: Improving Economy, Increasing Inventory On The Way
As the mortgage market prepares for 2014, a wary air is settling over market participants, with some sensing opportunity, while most see reasons to worry.
Virtual Realtors Becoming A Reality
Few and far between are the real estate agents who could walk into their brokerage’s weekly sales meeting and be mistaken for their female colleague – while wearing a bright orange men’s blazer and khaki slacks.
Worries Surface Around New Appraisal Review Process
A new appraisal review process being launched by Fannie Mae has appraisers worried they could end up blacklisted, potentially sending their business crashing to a halt.
Using Information To Make The Right Choice
Tina Bacci gave up an academic career when she was bitten by the real estate bug. She’s now devoting her research skills to her role as a principal of data-driven real estate consultancy RESIS, which helped devise the recent marketing plan for Boston high rise 45 Province.
