An April Fool’s Joke Says a Lot About Our Housing Struggles
As Wellesley residents fight to stop a local parking lot from being developed into badly needed housing, more than a few people see another sad display of NIMBY nuttiness.
Massachusetts Is Pricing Out Its Own Residents
Despite its strengths, people are leaving Massachusetts, driven out by the high cost of housing and taxes. State and local leaders must do their part to address this.
Homebuyers Tripped Up by Taxes, Insurance
Sixty-eight percent of all homeowners saw their mortgage payment rise over the past two years because of higher taxes and insurance
Designing Affordable Housing Projects That Pencil
Affordable housing projects are becoming difficult to deliver. Each city rule may be well-intentioned, but together they push projects beyond what the economics will support.
Three Credit Card Bills on Beacon Hill Could Hurt Consumers, Small Biz
Large national retailers are lobbying the state Legislature to fundamentally alter credit card payments, with large impacts on consumers and small businesses.
New Data Shows Mass. Is Driving Its Residents Out
Massachusetts is starting to see a growing number of people head for the exits, from young professionals and families just starting out to wealthy couples nearing retirement.
Did Mortgages with Locked-in Low Rates Lead to Rising House Prices?
A recent study backs up the conventional wisdom that rising mortgage rates locked existing homeowners into their current homes, and reveals important new details.
Closing Delays Are Common
Once a sales contract is signed, it takes more than four weeks, on average, for the deal to finally close. But a lot can go wrong during that time period – and often does. Here’s what new agents should know.
An Affordable Home in the Hand Is Worth Preserving
While we are investing billions of vital dollars in affordable housing production we must also ensure we are not allowing existing affordable units to be lost.
Starter Home Question Could Catalyze Construction
Two recent zoning reforms may not fix the housing shortage in Massachusetts. But a potential game-changer is on the horizon in the form of an initiative petition.
Title Searches Won’t Always Protect Your Homebuyer from Environmental Hazards
In Massachusetts, the burden rests with the buyer, not seller, to ferret out environmental conditions and assess liability.
Hidden Referral Fees Could Be Costly
Because buying a referral cuts deeply into agents’ earnings those who pay them are far less likely to bargain over their commissions with consumers, a new report argues.
These Profit Holes Can Sink Your Business
Most Realtors and investors focus primarily on profits. What typically gets put on the back burner is how expenses and what they’re choosing not to do can cost them way more.
The Most Interesting Maps of Massachusetts You’ve Ever Seen
A new project from a Suffolk University team shows just how little residential land in Massachusetts is legally primed for multifamily development: just 4 percent.
Rent Control Will Slash Property Values. Boston Will Be Hit Hardest
Talk about playing with fire: Some of the most affluent and politically progressive cities and towns in Massachusetts are the staunchest supporters of a draconian, statewide rent control proposal.
Your Marketing Is Likely Turning Off Buyer and Seller Clients. Do This, Instead
The big question agents facing agents today is: How do you stand out in an immense sea of sameness?
Is Town Meeting Really the Best Body to Vote on a Development’s Zoning?
Town meeting votes are so risky for developers, it locks Massachusetts out of large-scale housing production. What if we could fix that while keeping democratic accountability?
Indie Coffee Shops Are Meant to Counter Corporate Behemoths. Why Do They Both Look the Same?
Patrons want more than a good espresso. They want to immerse themselves in a “scene” that matches their lifestyle and aspirations, and store owners have been happy to oblige.
Creative, Mid-Sized Developers Endangered By Boston’s CRE Slump
The 2022 Boston development bust and the tough permitting environment gave a big edge to national developers. That’s weighing on the mind of Jim Grossman, once one of the local industry’s rising stars.
Inclusionary Zoning Deserves a Serious Debate, Not a False Choice
A Cambridge lawsuit has sparked important conversation on inclusionary zoning – but one that should be grounded in evidence and experience in Massachusetts.
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