Industry’s $30M Anti-Rent Control Campaign Won’t Be Enough
Ads and harsh warnings won’t be enough to convince voters to turn away from rent control. Industry and sympathetic politicians will need to show voters a better world, first.
Late with Payments? Call Your Lender Now
The typical indicators of homeowner financial stress – mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure filings – are rising across the land.
Five Real Estate Turkeys for 2025
It’s that time of year again, when we recognize the dumb ideas, political cowardice and dodo development plans that add a little extra spice to life in Massachusetts.
Credit Scores Help Insurance Premiums, Not Just Mortgage Rates
The key to obtaining a lower mortgage rate is a good credit score. But new research has also found a direct link between credit scores and insurance premiums.
Voters Face a Choice: Build Our Future, or Blow It Up?
Voters are boiling over with frustration as costs escalate in almost every segment of their lives. Will they go for rent control, or new construction as the solution to housing costs?
Many Homebuilders Are Overextended
Signs suggest many large homebuilders, and even their smaller brethren, have gotten too far out over their skis.
What Comes Next After MBTA Communities?
We all agree Massachusetts needs more housing. To get there, do we need a shinier, more tempting carrot, a bigger stick or something in between?
Real Estate Agents Balk at Negotiating Fees
Homebuyers looking to pay their agents directly have found little success, according to a new consumer group study. That’s not what was supposed to happen.
Few Changes in Real Estate Agent Fees
The supposedly “earthshaking” legal settlement that was supposed to drive down real estate commissions wasn’t so tumultuous after all.
Why Is America a Nation of ‘No’?
America has become NIMBY Nation, and Massachusetts, where even plans for a two-bit apartment building will draw warnings of environmental doom, is its spiritual heartland.
An Untimely Death Changes Everything
What happens when the person buying your house dies before the closing date? Or when your tenant passes away mid-lease?
It’s Round Two in the Boston Real Estate Tax Battle
The latest idea from a city pol to head off spending cuts: pile more taxes on the backs of apartment owners. But even a mayoral ally worries it’s a bad idea.
Debate Over Healey Housing Numbers Misses the Mark
Instead of arguing over how many homes we’re building, we should measure success by how much we can bring down home-sale prices and rents.
How to Save on Selling Expenses
If you think it costs a bundle to buy a house – what with a down payment and all – wait till you learn what it costs to sell one: more than $67,000, on average.
Court Case Could Help End Shady Tax Foreclosure Practices
For years, cities and towns across the nation seized homes and properties for back taxes and then sold them off for hundreds of thousands of dollars, pocketing the gains.
Don’t Dismiss Lowball Offers
You’ve finally gotten an offer on your house. But it’s ridiculously low – tens of thousands under your asking price. So, what do you do?
The Home-Price Crisis Came for Western Mass., and It Isn’t Leaving
A steady stream of remote workers fled Boston for rural New England during the pandemic. It’s helped the Pioneer Valley become one of the nation’s hottest housing markets.
How Homeowners and Buyers Can Weather the Government Shutdown
Experts are weighing in on how the standoff over health insurance subsidies affects renters and homeowners.
Healey’s Housing Production Stats Don’t Always Add Up
Gov. Maura Healey claims we’re already almost halfway to hitting our 2035 housing goal. Is it real progress, or just happy talk from a governor facing reelection?
When Should Buyers Demand Repairs, or Seek Credits?
There comes a time in most house sales when the buyer and seller have to decide who will pay for any necessary repairs. As with all real estate matters, it depends.
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