Suit Against Mass. MLS Would Damage Many for Little Benefit
Massachusetts’ main multiple listings service is the target of a class action lawsuit claiming the longstanding buyer-broker commission rule is driving up home prices.
Signs Are Still Silent Salespeople
Some sellers have a good reason for not wanting one. But for most people, “For Sale” signs are a 24-hour marketing tool that shouldn’t be ignored, even as house hunts mostly start online.
Institutional Investors Are Buying Mass. Houses, but Where?
With home prices spiraling upwards and stories about the growing single-family rental industry percolating in local and national media alike, concern is rising about the impact institutional investors might be having on the housing market.
Agent Fees Are Negotiable? Yeah, Right
The agents that buyers use to visit houses and write up a contract are paid their share of the sales commission by the seller’s agent. They are paid whatever the seller’s agent offers – usually half of whatever the seller’s agent charges.
What Does the Fed’s Rate Hike Mean for the Housing Market?
In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s decision to move forward with its long-hinted-at half-percent interest rate hike, two leading real estate industry economists said they don’t expect the rocket-like rise in mortgage rates to continue much longer.
Millennials Now Dominate Buyer Pool, Report Finds
Millennials now make up the largest segment of American homebuyers, new research from the National Association of Realtors has concluded.
Pandemic’s Aftermath: More Boston Homes Sell for $100K Over Asking
Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic hit Boston, its impact on the region’s housing market is still reverberating.
State’s Racial Homeownership Gap Persists Despite Record Buying
Massachusetts’ Black households appear to have been left behind by a record jump in the nation’s homeownership rate, a new study by the National Association of Realtors has found, and the soaring price of homes is likely to blame.
Sell Now, Buy Later One Option for Homeowners
For homeowners thinking about cashing in on today’s blistering housing market, the situation has become something like a cat chasing its tail.
Report Calls for End of Commission ‘Price Setting’
Real estate commission rates are just one step below fixed, according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America. And rising home prices are handing ammunition to those who say that has to change.
Will the Housing Market Normalize Next Year? Yun Says ‘Yes’
The crazy roller-coaster ride that has been the nation’s real estate markets could come to an end next year, the chief economist of the National Association of Realtors said last week.
Some Closings Hit a Wall with AWOL Buyers
The closing is the last step in the long, sometimes difficult, almost always anxious journey in buying and selling a house. And it can be just as ripe for pitfalls as any other part of the process.
Greater Boston Monthly Rent, Mortgage Payments Hit Parity
With the rental market strengthening in Greater Boston, the median monthly rent and the monthly mortgage payment on the median newly-bought home are nearly equal, according to a National Association of Realtors analysis.
Report Shows 2021’s Buyers Looked Online Before Turning to Realtors
Many of 2021’s buyers started their homebuying process with an online search for homes for sale, according to a new report by the National Association of Realtors
NAR President Urges Members to Mask Up
NAR President Charlie Oppler has penned a letter to the group’s members urging masking and social distancing “whenever possible.”
Feds Promise Bigger Investigation into NAR Rules
Federal antitrust investigators say they’re abandoning a proposed settlement and the associated civil complaint against the National Association of Realtors. But it’s not letting the group off the hook.
National Coalition Announces Plan to Boost Black Homeownership
With divergent homeownership levels blamed for yawning racial wealth gaps both nationally and locally, a group of housing and civil rights leaders have released a proposal to create 3 million net new Black homeowners by 2030.
NAR: Underbuilding Left America Short 5.5M to 6.8M Homes
Calling the state of the nation’s housing stock “dire” and the supply-demand gap “enormous,” the report calls for “a major national commitment to build more housing of all types.”
New Survey Shows Just How Bad the “HGTV Effect” on Buyers Is
Inflated or unrealistic expectations among prospective homebuyers have long been a cause for complaint among real estate agents, and a new survey shows just how widespread it could be.
New NAR Survey Reveals Big Racial Income Gaps in Real Estate
A new survey from the National Association of Realtors finds that the median white residential Realtor makes about three times what the median Black residential Realtor does.
