Opinion
North Attleborough Landlord Liable Under ‘Unfair Practices’ Statute
Now and then, a commercial landlord engages in conduct so peculiar, that others can only shake their heads in bewilderment. Such was the case involving several properties in North Attleborough’s “Auto Road” area.
Planning Is Key for Senior Homeowners
Survey after survey has shown that seniors have a strong desire to remain in their homes until they pass. But some will eventually experience a life event that will alter their thinking.
Massachusetts’ Retail Industry Faces a Stress Test
Dark storefronts on Main Street. “Retail space for lease” signs: Sales are failing to keep up with ever increasing costs, and that’s putting more small businesses at risk.
Mass. Should Say: ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’
Significant drops in religious affiliation have left many shrinking congregations struggling to maintain large buildings and surplus land. A new bill makes it easier to help them with affordable housing.
Local Zoning Is a Confusing Mess. Beacon Hill Can Help with Definitions
Should multifamily housing mean the same thing in Weston as it does in Concord? It doesn’t, and that’s one of many areas where a little clarification by state legislators could go a long way to aiding housing production.
Boston Media Is Missing the Big Story When Covering Megaprojects
The real and much more important story right now? Why it is so hard to build in Boston, and who is to blame for so little progress on the city’s biggest proposed developments.
Import Tariffs and Force Majeure: Does Your Contract Forsee the Unforeseeable?
Recent tariff impositions raise a new question: does your contract address and allocate risk for tariff-related cost increases for things like construction materials?
What to Know About Massachusetts’ Five-Year Housing Plan
Achieving a state of housing abundance in Massachusetts will require a multifaceted approach that both accelerates new housing production and protects existing homes.
Don’t Pocket Those Listings
Do you really want to withhold your property from the widest possible audience just to give your agent a chance to bank the entire commission, or at least keep the payday in-house?
We Must Capitalize on the Potential in Allston
One of the most promising places to expand Greater Boston’s economy is in Allston. Proposals to build a rail yard there threaten this goal, and the bigger goal of proving we can deliver big infrastructure projects.
Boston’s Mayor Finally Starts to Admit There’s a Money Problem
But a line in the city budget acknowledging the impact of office and lab property values on Boston’s finances arguably downplays its severity as the mayor keeps focus on Trump, instead.
This Real Estate Agent Went FSBO
This agent – licensed in another state – sold his parent’s home in a highly sought-after area in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., for $100,000 over the asking price, but regrets his decision.
‘Unfunded Mandate’ Fallout: Is Beacon Hill Losing Its Appetite for Housing Fixes?
Maybe not so surprisingly, growing displays of open defiance by a handful of towns opposed to the MBTA Communities law are making lawmakers at the State House a bit nervous.
The Need for Housing Abundance Runs Up Against Business as Usual in Massachusetts
The message of a much-talked-about new book should sound all too familiar to Bay Staters. We’re choking off our own housing abundance with well-intentioned policies that, in the aggregate, have become an obstacle to building.
New Celtics Owner Has Lots of Reasons to Develop His Own Arena
Revenue-sharing with TD Garden’s owner, the arena’s outdated feel and a record-shattering purchase price could push William Chisholm to build on one of Boston’s many big development sites.
Two Big Ideas Could Make Chapter 40B Even Better
A Healey administration commission has floated two ways to the state’s most successful housing production law to date even more successful and extend its lifespan.
Earth Removal Dispute Can’t Bury Concord Development
Massachusetts courts seldom label local zoning boards’ denials of permits as arbitrary and capricious, but that’s exactly what happened recently in a recent state Land Court decision, Symmes Development & Permitting LLC v. Smith.
Housing Policy Ripe for Reforms
Just two reforms proposed by Gov. Maura Healey’s Unlocking Housing Production Commission could, on their own, generate thousands of new housing units. And the state Legislature wouldn’t have to lift a finger.
Drastic Changes Needed to Balance Emissions Reductions and Housing Production
The costs of meeting the state’s energy policies are showing up as a stealth tax in the form of higher housing ownership costs and higher rents. A lot of that has to do with town and city policy.
What’s Better for Buyers: Commission Percentages or Dollar Figures?
Which would you rather pay a real estate agent to help you sell your $450,000 house: a 6 percent sales commission or $27,000? They’re exactly the same amounts, of course, but one sounds a lot less.
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