Opinion
Builders Put the Brakes on New Housing
As building costs soar, developers in Greater Boston are putting the brakes on new housing projects. And given the record high home prices and rents in the Boston area, this is the last thing we need.
Why Do So Many Lab Buildings Lack Personality?
While elements of the hospitality industry have infiltrated our office spaces, so too should such humanizing elements inform the next generation of laboratory design and development.
B&T’s Editorial Cartoon: Global Heat Wave
It’s hot everywhere around the world this week.
Don’t Let Towns Ban Gas Hook-Ups
A proposal is moving through the State House to let Cambridge and several of the wealthiest Boston suburbs ban natural gas use in new buildings. It’s the wrong idea at the wrong time and could hurt housing production where it’s needed most.
B&T’s Editorial Cartoon: The Latest Real Estate Fashion Is at Lord & Taylor
With three Boston-area Lord & Taylor locations set to be converted to lab space, scientists are about to get some makeovers.
Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Poised to Help Owners Large and Small
Federal authorities’ nearly-successful attempts to wrest a Tewksbury motel from its owner shows that the real estate industry should get behind a reform proposal on Beacon Hill.
Act Quickly to Avoid Foreclosure
Experts say that a 2008-style housing crash is unlikely to happen now, if only because lending standards are much tighter than they were prior to the Great Recession. Still, foreclosures are starting to tick upward.
Convention Center Expansion No Boon to Back Bay Hotels
The proposed $400 million expansion of the Boston’s gigantic Seaport convention hall could turn out to be one very sweet deal for a Texas tycoon and GOP mega-donor.
America: What Are We Going to Do About It?
The business community holds a lot of political power that we can use to respond to our employees, investors and communities’ worries about this country’s pressing political problems.
CFPB Not Helping Lending Disparity Fixes
What is the mortgage industry to make of a new analysis that shows more Black and Latino homebuyers received loans in 2020 than ever before, but racial disparities in who gets financed persist? Unfortunately, the CFPB isn’t helping.
Title Theft Company Lies to Consumers
Calculating people are always looking for ways to separate the rest of us from our money. Such, it appears, is the case with Home Title Lock, an outfit that promises to “protect” you from home title theft.
DOJ-NAR Lawsuits Open Up a Can of Worms for Agents, MLS Services
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Department of Justice wants to force buyers to pay their own commissions. How would the real estate industry change?
Akamai Wants Our HQ to Be Part of the Climate Solution. The Legislature Can Help
It’s going to take robust statewide policy to ensure that every building owner and operator can take advantage of this opportunity and help the state meet its climate targets.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: A Truck Full of Garbage Pulls Up in Boston
Racist, homophobic, neo-Nazi advocates showed up in Boston over the Independence Day weekend.
Our Legislators Are Off in La-La Land
Beacon Hill is sitting on a mountain of federal cash. And House and Senate leaders are inexplicably giving the brush-off to calls to devote much of it to affordable housing production even as prices and rents are skyrocketing.
Banker & Tradesman Editorial Cartoon: Going Back Half a Century
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is wielding sledgehammers instead of gavels.
When Choosing Business Location, Consider Property Management
“Location, location, location” is not the only element in the commercial real estate equation, particularly as more businesses engage in work that can be conducted nearly anywhere.
This Crisis Shows the Value of a Strong MBTA
Finger-pointing and debating who is time blame is tempting but won’t move the MBTA out of its state of crisis fast enough.
Homebuyers Spend $14K on Houses Post-Purchase
You’ve paid an ungodly amount for your house. You’ve also paid more than you can believe in closing costs. But if you are like the typical homebuyer, your spending isn’t over.
Time for Legislature to Step Up
Massachusetts is arriving at a moment of truth for the MBTA: Will the political establishment shake off its torpor and take bold, aggressive steps to ensure its success in the face of a neglectful governor?
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