National News

Multifamily Dominates New Construction in Boston

In the last 10 years, the market share for multifamily construction has grown by an extraordinary amount In April, the most recent month for which we have data, multifamily construction soared 35.5 percent across the country from March. That was

TILA-RESPA: Industry Leaders Urge Congress For More Time

A letter from industry leaders to Congress is urging lawmakers for a safety net against the Aug. 1 TRID deadline In less than two months, enforcement of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures (TRID) regulation, which aims

41% of Americans Think Housing Crisis is Still Happening

Latest housing survey from MacArthur Foundation finds many Americans skeptical of housing and the wider economy What a difference a year makes – or, in the case of the MacArthur Foundation’s “How Housing Matters” survey,  what a difference a

Down Payments are Down, but are Home Sales Up?

Down payment trends may hint at first time homebuyer confidence The average down payment for single-family homes, condos and townhomes was down to 14.8 percent of the purchase price for Q1 2015, the lowest number since Q1 2012, according

7 Important Things about Housing in the Government’s New Jobs Report

Latest jobs report features interesting implications for housing May was a positive month for the U.S. labor market, with the economy adding 280,000 jobs and the unemployment rate holding steady at 5.5 percent, according to the latest analysis from

Hispanics will be Key Driver of Housing’s Future

The Hispanic demographic struggles to recover from housing crash, but could become a big shaker in future markets Between now and 2020, roughly four out of every 10 new households in the U.S. will be headed by someone of

Hidden Truth Behind 2015’s Soaring New Home Sales

Last month’s new home sales appear hugely positive, but is there a hidden truth behind the numbers? On the surface, it would appear to be a wholly positive development for housing – sales of newly built single-family homes, according to

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