MA Homeowners Enjoying Double-Digit Profits
New research from real estate data firm ATTOM Data Solutions suggests that home-sellers in Massachusetts are continuing to enjoy substantial returns.
Boston Buyer Competition Warmed Slightly as Rates Fell
Falling mortgage rates appear to have brought more buyers out in December than in November, according to a new report from brokerage and listings portal Redfin.
The Face of an Industry
David McCarthy has been selling homes for almost 30 years, but only three weeks ago he became the face of Realtors across Massachusetts at an inflection point in the housing market and housing policy on Beacon Hill.
2023 Outlook for Remodeling Cools
Higher home prices, recession fears and the near-death of the refinance market are likely to spell a significant slowdown in homeowners’ remodeling spending this year, researchers say.
Boston Fed President: ‘I Anticipate Further Rate Increases’
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston thinks interest rates will have to rise by more than half a percent this year and stay high to make sure inflation is kept under control.
Report: Wu to Seek 6 Percent Rent Cap
Wu administration officials have presented a plan to a commission of tenant activists and real estate industry figures that would see a rent cap return to the city for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Meet Massachusetts’ Most Expensive Homes of 2022
The list of Massachusetts’ most expensive single-family and condominium sales of 2022 is very nearly a list of Nantucket’s most expensive home sales of 2022, despite numerous notable transactions involving Boston’s new luxury towers and high-end historic homes last year.
Mass. Home Prices Rose Only 2 Percent in December
Massachusetts home sale prices hit another all-time high last month, but they grew at the slowest rate seen all year as the housing market continues its long cool-down.
Share of Boston-Area Sellers Offering Concessions Slid Up in Q4
The Greater Boston housing market has slowed down substantially, by all accounts, but by one marker it’s doing so much more, well, slowly than its peers.
One Pandemic-Era Tech Tool for Realtors Beat Out All Others
A new survey by the National Association of Realtors says one of the many tech upgrades real estate agents embraced during the pandemic has outstripped all others in its long-term usefulness: electronic documents.
Zillow: Backyards, Mirrored Walls Will Be Must-Have Home Features
Who’s ready for a 1970s flashback? Get ready for more buyers in search of mirrored walls, home design trend experts at Zillow said in their annual survey of what they think will be top of buyers’ wish lists in 2023, based on how buyers’ searches and sellers’ home descriptions are changing on the listings portal website.
Polar Park Construction Firm Fined $1.9M for False Minority Hiring Claims
Gilbane Building Co. and Hunt Construction Group were hit with a $1.9 million fine by outgoing Attorney General Maura Healey for allegedly lying about how many women- and minority-owned subcontractors were helping them build Worcester’s new Polar Park.
Brokers Look Beyond Acquisitions to Boost Revenue
The chilly wind blowing through the Massachusetts housing market this fall has pushed brokers to launch a range of initiatives aimed at helping their agents survive and thrive in 2023.
This Month in History: Margaret Carlson Breaks the Glass Ceiling
Margaret Carlson broke barriers throughout her life: a career-minded woman who started her own business in the 1950s, and the first woman to sit on Boston’s powerful “Vault” committee in 1977.
Greater Boston Rate Locks Slip Dramatically
While homebuying activity typically falls off dramatically in November and December, the drop-off reported by Black Knight came as mortgage rates fell 50 basis points in three weeks.
MA Home Sales Sink Down, Median Price Edges Up
The tail end of Massachusetts’ fall home sales are finally winding their way through the closing process, and the results aren’t pretty: numbers of single-family and condominium sales are down by big double-digit percentages year-over-year.
Wu Confirms Rent Control Pitch Coming Next Year
Despite the uncertain environment facing the real estate world as 2023 looms, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says she still plans to bring a rent control proposal to state legislators “their next legislative session opens up in 2023.”
Study Predicts Few Underwater Buyers if Home Values Fall
Only a small share of the thousands of pandemic-era homebuyers would be underwater on their mortgages if home values fall in 2023, a new study estimates.
Confirmations Bring Boston ZBA Near Full Strength
After months of waiting, Boston city councilors took a swift and unanimous vote Wednesday afternoon to approve eight of Mayor Michelle Wu’s nominations to the city’s powerful Zoning Board of Appeal.
NAR’s Yun Predicts Stable Home Prices in ’23
Count the top forecaster at the nation’s biggest real estate trade group among the optimists when analyzing the looming 2023 housing market.
