Residential Real Estate
Personnel File – No. 361
Who’s on the move? From new VPs to fresh project managers, see who’s been hired, promoted and honored: It’s The Personnel File.
These Show Homes Take Different Paths
Two model homes being showcased at this week’s International Builders’ Show try to offer solutions to some of today’s biggest challenges: sustainability and the difficulty of “trading up” as your family changes.
Jan. Home Sales Showed Little Sign of Improvement
With home sales effectively flat across the state last month, January offered few signs of encouragement that the 2024 housing market will be a significant improvement over last year’s.
DOJ Seeks to Block Settlement in MLS PIN Commission Case
Federal antitrust prosecutors have asked the judge overseeing a lawsuit against Massachusetts’ main multiple-listings service to reject a proposed settlement in the case, arguing instead that buyers should be the only ones to pay their agents’ commissions.
Zillow: Home Shopping Early May Pay Off
Zillow predicts another hot spring market this year, as well-priced homes are selling quickly and overpriced homes are seeing price cuts.
Feds Roll Out Money Laundering Rules for All-Cash Home Sales
All-cash purchases of residential real estate are considered at high risk for money laundering. The rule would not require the reporting of sales to individuals.
NAR Prez in Boston: Agents Must ‘Adapt’ on Commissions
Speaking at a Lamacchia Realty conference in Boston Feb. 1, the new president of the National Association of Realtors declared that the traditional rules of agent commissions are “going to change” in the wake of a $1.78 billion lawsuit.
Personnel File – No. 360
Who’s on the move? From new VPs to fresh project managers, see who’s been hired, promoted and honored: It’s The Personnel File.
High-End Housing Markets See Softness
Some of Boston’s western suburbs and other parts of Massachusetts appear to be resisting last year’s national trend of rising luxury-home prices. And part of that could be due to the homes that were never offered for sale in the first place.
Growth in the Luxury Market Is a Positive Indicator for 2024
Luxury properties offer a barometer for the overall housing market. And rising optimism among luxury buyers could signal an overall thaw. But what do those high-end buyers want?
Massachusetts’ Top 10 Home Sales of 2023
The most expensive homes from the last year run a range: from the tops of downtown towers to the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
The $1.78B Wake-Up Call and the Path Forward
A clear mandate has emerged from the commission lawsuit verdict: Change how commissions are structured. Many in our field, committed to best practices and integrity, are already adapting. Here’s how you can, too.
With Competition Strong, Saturday Is the New Sunday for Homebuyers
Many buyers aren’t likely to wait for rates to drop before jumping back into the market. This means it’s important to get your clients in to see a property as early as they can.
Scammed If You Do, Scammed If You Don’t
I’ve decided to put my 50-plus years of writing about the housing business to work by offering my faithful readers a free online seminar on how to get rich in real estate without hardly trying.
More Homes Needed for Affordability Impact
In the Cape Cod market, and across Massachusetts, inventory and interest rates are likely to continue to be the biggest challenges encountered by both buyers and sellers.
Keller Williams Settles Commission Lawsuits for $70M
The deal in the two lawsuits, known as “Sitzer/Burnett” and “Batton 2” after their plaintiffs, also calls on Keller Williams to take several steps aimed at providing homebuyers and sellers with more transparency over the commissions paid to real estate agents.
Gibson Sotheby’s Expands Again with Acquisition
Fresh off its acquisition of a Provincetown brokerage earlier this month, Boston residential real estate brokerage Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty announced it has bought Unlimited Sotheby’s International Realty.
In Biz Address, Healey Touts Investment, Spending Restraint
Months after a coalition of regional business chambers warned Beacon Hill politicians to rein in spending, Gov. Maura Healey pitched her new state budget recommendation to members of the state’s business community on Thursday as “balanced” and “responsible.”
Realtors Say They’ll Stick With NAR Despite Storms
Massachusetts real estate leaders are standing by the beleaguered National Association of Realtors, saying its long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term turmoil now engulfing the 1.5 million-member organization.
Recycle at Home, With Your Home
Scrap tires have been recycled for years into building products like flooring, infill decking and septic system drain fields. But they’re not the only thing. From coal ash to washed-up seaweed, our homes help reduce and reuse.
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