Opinion
Columnists, guest columns, op-eds and editorials published in Banker & Tradesman and its special sections.
Guest Columns and Op-Eds
From high officials to lone operators, read a diverse cross section of perspectives on the issues facing the Massachusetts real estate and banking industries today.
Pitches for op-eds and special section guest columns should be directed to managing editor James Sanna at jsanna@thewarrengroup.com.
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.
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.
Speak Up for Zoning Reform in Boston
Boston has a housing crisis of its own making. We let unelected, vocal minorities block the new homes that would get us out of this mess.
Court Upholds Defective Foreclosure Deed
The vast majority of mortgage loans are repaid without incident, but when they go into default, peculiar twists and turns can ensue. A federal district court decision issued in January, involving a home in Framingham, offers an example.
Milton’s Vote Shows Local Officials Need Help to Make Zoning Reforms
By design, MBTA Communities was supposed to immunize local elected officials from local resistance to new housing. But that’s not happening. Here’s what we need to do next.
How Design Factors into a Swift Residential Sellout
Location may be one of the most common words to describe valuable real estate, but when embarking on a multifamily or single-family project, regardless of location, design arguably reigns supreme.
Experts’ Voices Must Be Part of Decarbonization Conversation
We are experiencing a sea change in regulations related to sustainability and decarbonization in the built environment. And technical experts like architects need to have central roles in their development.
IBA’s South End Project Maximizes Cultural Impact
A new arts center, which incorporates elements of the historic building it’s replacing, will be a hub for the Boston Latinx community’s cultural empowerment.
Measuring Affordable Housing Is Key to Building More of It
The unfortunate reality for affordable housing is we haven’t done a great job measuring it, causing questions about our success in managing it. Housing Navigator Massachusetts is changing that.
Housing Tax Credit Bill Should Be on U.S. Senate’s To-Do List
A bill making its way through Congress could spark the largest increase in resources for affordable rental housing in nearly a quarter of a century and reduce project costs.
CRE Firms Face New Reporting Requirements Under Far-Reaching Federal Law
Real estate investors and developers who use LLCs or LPs to manage ownership of a project should take note. A new anti-money laundering law comes with new rules for telling federal officials who controls these entities.
Your Feedback Is Helping Adapt Boston’s Buildings for a Sustainable Future
The engagement of A Better City and our member companies in this process was instrumental in finding a solutions-oriented approach to a critical piece of combating climate change.
Scott Van Voorhis
Commercial Interests
Columnist Scott Van Voorhis analyzes the commercial real estate market, state politics, housing and more with the perspective of a journalist with 40 years’ experience covering businesses in Massachusetts.
Stop. You’re Making It Worse
Recent hoopla about soft landings aside, the Federal Reserve’s drive to bring down prices has made immeasurably worse what was already the most expensive item in Americans’ budgets: the cost of housing.
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?
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.
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.
Lew Sichelman
The Housing Scene
Syndicated residential real estate columnist Lew Sichelman has been covering real estate for more than 50 years. He is a regular contributor to numerous shelter magazines and housing and housing-finance industry publications.
Appraisals Fail Many Sellers
The real estate community has long complained about appraisals that lagged the market, but the report from the FHFA documents that their gripes are valid: Undervaluations spiked to 15 percent in 2021.
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.
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.
Uncle Sam Offers a Boost to Fixer-Uppers
The Federal Housing Administration is poised to update the 203(k) program, which allows borrowers to purchase a house and include the cost of repairs or rehabilitation in a single mortgage.