Opinion
Three Overlooked Levers We Can Pull to Build More Housing
Palatable updates to building codes will unlock tens of thousands of new housing units by enabling more housing in the same volumes.
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.
Change to Condo Conversion Law Doubles Number of Protected Rental Homes
The requirement to compensate tenants displaced by a condo conversion creates a softer landing for households facing the challenges of an unexpected move.
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.
Massport Deserves Our Praise and Increased Support
Greater Boston’s economy is still struggling to regain its footing across many post-pandemic indicators but one success story is quietly driving the recovery: Massport.
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?
ADUs Are Not a Panacea for Massachusetts’ Housing Crisis
ADUs do hold some promise. But they can’t be built at the scale and affordability levels needed, nor in the right places, to be a load-bearing part of our strategy.
A Commitment to Relationships Will Set You Apart in Property Management
What makes for a good client relationship? At the heart is trust and likability. To get there, you need the right people, and you need to retain them.
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.
Massachusetts’ Newest Eviction Law Will Scare Away New Housing
Massachusetts’ housing shortage and soaring rents are being exacerbated by the commonwealth’s extreme eviction-sealing law, by scaring away new housing.
Soured Relationship Leads to Defamation Lawsuit Against Architect
The Massachusetts Appeals Court declined to hold an architect liable for advising its municipal clients to avoid working with a particular construction company.
A ‘Win-Win-Win’ is Possible in Wellesley and Beyond
Shaping a plan for 180 apartments on a Wellesley community college campus illustrates just how complicated carrying out the State Land for Homes program will be.
School Conversion Proves Concept in the North End
We took a nondescript midcentury office building and designed a new home for the Boston public school that had educated Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
Historic Church Transformed into Mixed-Income Housing
The Blessed Sacrament Church’s transformation from historic asset into vibrant housing community shows the promise and complexity of adaptive reuse.
Your Listing Isn’t Selling? Here’s What to Do
In almost every case, the cause is due to at least one of five key factors and you have to understand them all to pinpoint problems.
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?
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