Housing Debate Clouded by Vague Language
Perhaps if we got more granular about what we mean when we say “affordable,” we would have more success creating affordable homes and talking with each other rather than – at best – past each other.
Letter to the Editor: Eviction Sealing Bill Hurts Good Renters
It would cause landlords statewide to raise application minimums for income, credit and other screening metrics. It would ignore the clear alternative to the problem of discrimination based on past evictions.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Barriers to Building
Local officials are getting creative with efforts to prevent development of new housing within their borders. Just answer these riddles, solve this Rubik’s cube, then…
Which Comes First? A Buyer’s Dilemma
Young people have many options when it comes to homeownership – perhaps too many. Should they get married first or buy their first home? Buy a dream car or a house? Find a dream house or a dream mortgage rate?
To Get Real Housing Production, Let’s Break Out the Carrots
It’s become increasingly clear that the MBTA Communities housing law is no silver bullet. So why not make new housing a profit center for towns and suburbs, rather than a perceived drag?
Be Bolder, Think Bigger to Solve Our Region’s Housing Crisis
Even if every possible new unit is built under the MBTA Communities reforms, we’d just end up right back where we are today, without housing policy in place to support the sustainable long-term growth of this region.
What’s Next for the Spring Market?
Whether you’re a brand-new agent or a 40-year veteran, I sat down with market intelligence expert Rick Sharga to get the answers you need to cope with what’s ahead.
Letter to the Editor: Federal I-90 Grant Deserves Celebration
The recent news that Massachusetts will receive a $335 million infrastructure grant for the Allston Multimodal Project is a massive victory for the Greater Boston economy.
It’s Two Steps Forward, One Step Back in Fixing Our Biggest Problems
The last week shows progress is likely to be two steps forward and one step back given decades of neglected maintenance at the T and the NIMBY backlash to the Healey administration’s housing plans.
Three Massachusetts Women Changing the Face of Leadership
When we look back across history at women in leadership, we see two very different stories: one for white women and one for women of color. But that’s changing.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Looking Worse for Wear
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is fresh from Super Tuesday and rethinking her life choices.
Foreign Firms Make Inroads on U.S. Homebuilding
As federal and state authorities continue to clamp down on foreign investments in American businesses and real estate that could pose a risk to national security, some foreign entities are expanding into American homebuilding.
Pay Attention to Train Electrification
The dream of frequent, electrified suburban trains in Greater Boston has long seemed perennially on the horizon. Could this time be different? Indications are, yes. And housing developers should start keeping an eye on the project.
Healey’s Transportation Funding Task Force Is Set Up to Succeed
We’ve seen many blue-ribbon commissions on transportation before. But this time, everyone knows that failure to find solutions means the MBTA – and the Greater Boston economy – will be in jeopardy.
Pull Together to Fix Downtown Boston
Is Boston headed for a fiscal cliff or a fiscal hiccup thanks to falling office utilization? Two things are for sure: no one should take fears of a calamity lightly, and everyone should use this threat as an occasion to fix what’s long been broken.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Milton, Check Your Mailbox
Attorney General Andrea Campbell is paying a visit to Boston’s southern neighbor with a special delivery.
Driving the Best Bargain Now Isn’t the Best Long-Term Strategy
Conventional wisdom says that you should never leave money on the table when negotiating. But research in the field of game theory suggests this could be exactly the wrong approach.
Be Careful What You Wish For, Madam Mayor
Don’t like the Boston Planning & Development Agency? Think it’s too close to developers and business interests and should be abolished? Just amp up the fractious Boston City Council’s influence on what gets built.
A New ‘Public Bank’ Can Be a Partner for Massachusetts’ Banks and Small Business
There is a potential new partner just over the horizon for Massachusetts’ community banks, community development financial institutions, small businesses, farms and underserved communities: a Massachusetts Public Bank.
Watch Out for ‘Gotcha’ Clauses in Homebuyer Representation Contracts
Would you pay a 9 percent commission to buy a house? The scenario is a long shot, but it’s still conceivable, if you’re not careful, according to a review of buyer-broker contracts reviewed by the Consumer Federation of America.
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