National News

Pending Home Sales Soar in April to Highest Level since May 2006

April’s pending home sales add positive note, but caution still necessary Pending home sales in April hit their highest level in nine years, according to the latest analysis from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index

Boston Home Prices Remain Strong in Latest Case-Shiller

The latest Case-Shiller offered further evidence of Boston’s strong housing market Home prices in the Boston area rose 0.4 percent from February to March and 4.6 percent from March 2014, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard & Poor’s.

Top 10 Real Estate Films

Boston Agent counts down its top 10 real estate films In 1982, iconic horror moviemaker Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame) married two of American’s most deep-seeded fears: real estate and structures built on unmarked graves. In what became

FAA Awards Commercial Drone Exemptions

Federal Aviation Administration approves 400-plus commercial drone exemptions As of late May 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration had granted 434 section 333 exemption petitions, which allow for the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, and among them,

Building a Website: 7 Steps to Getting Started

Seven easy steps to building a real estate website The purpose of a good website should be to instill trust, amplify brand awareness and, ultimately, nurture prospects that will later turn into clients. Here are some “musts” for any

Freddie Mac Research: Rising Rents Do Not Increase Homeownership

New Freddie Mac research casts doubts on notion that rising rents push consumers toward homeownership It has been a common narrative in the post-boom housing market that rising rents would eventually push more consumers toward homeownership, but new research

NAR: Strong March Leads to a Weak April

NAR documents 6 percent jump in existing-home sales Market indicators have detailed a continual progression towards normalcy since early 2014, but a hiccup in April’s existing-home sales could mark yet another slow down in the pace of progress, according

Is the Weak Economic Recovery Hampering Homebuilding?

After a strong series of months, builder confidence has been a bit bumpy thus far in 2015 Builder confidence has been one of the unqualified success stories of the housing recovery, but weak economic fundamentals could hamper its progress.

5 Critical Details about New Construction in 2015

April new construction numbers excellent, but stats could be misleading On the surface, April was a fabulously positive month for new construction. Not only did housing starts jump 20.2 percent from March (the second largest jump ever recorded), but their

Healthy Living: Minorities and Millennials Want More

A study from ULI found that while most people are happy with their living arrangements, many are lacking in some fundamental amenities, like healthy food Real estate supports a wide spectrum of standards, encompassing a plethora of lifestyles and preferences

The 10 Biggest Challenges Facing Homebuilding in 2015

Significant challenges remain on the homebuilding front, according to new NAHB research “Booming” is a word that has not been associated with Boston’s housing market, but no other adjective is more appropriate for the market’s new construction sector, where spending

Will Looser Lending Standards Increase Homebuying? Not Necessarily

Looser lending standards may not be the panacea for housing’s sideways growth For years, housing professionals have been holding their breath for looser lending standards to ride in and boost the market into a new era of prosperity, but

Chief of State, Not Chief of Housing

A new study uses homeownership rate to rank the best and worst presidents for housing…but it’s a bit more complicated than that. In early May, economist Roger Thomas of ValueWalk.com released an analysis (of sorts) on homeownership rates from

Investor Interest Surges in First Quarter Flipping Report

A new report from RealtyTrac confirms investors are gaining traction in the flipping market. But is there enough inventory to go around? Single-family home flips were up in 2015’s first quarter, according to a RealtyTrac U.S. Home Flipping Report.

April’s Jobs Report: Unemployment, Construction and Wages

While unemployment continued declining in the new jobs report, slow wage growth points to an overall tighter labor market. The Labor Department released its April jobs report today and the response has been somewhat neutral, as limited gains tell

The 4 Reasons Why Housing Inventory is So Low

We keep hearing how low inventory is in today’s housing market, but why is that the case? The National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report for March was an altogether positive take on housing, with sales rising 6.1 percent

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