News / Features

How inequality is distorting the US housing market

The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University (JCHS) recently released its annual State of the Nation’s Housing report for 2019. For more than 30 years now, JCHS has put out a comprehensive report on trends in the

Massachusetts home prices hit new highs in May

The median sales price for single-family homes and condos sold in May broke $400,000, with condo prices hitting a new all-time high, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.  Single-family home sales across the state were up 6.2 percent

High-end home sales decline nationwide

In March, the luxury home market saw the largest drop in sales since 2010 with an 8.3 percent year-over-year decrease in closings, according to data gathered by Realtor.com. There were just 8,343 sales in excess of $1 million across

How to avoid disasters after closing

There is a recipe for disaster involving agents, buyers and sellers that every agent aims to avoid. Chicago real estate attorney and first-time homebuyer instructor Ranj Mohip calls it “Post-Close Nightmares.” When the seller doesn’t disclose history, the buyer

Realtors meet with state legislature on housing issues

Approximately 450 members of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors convened at the Massachusetts State House in Beacon Hill earlier this month as part of an annual “lobbying day.” Members came prepared with a packed agenda for their meetings and

This week in Boston real estate: One Congress and housing costs

MA housing costs among nation’s highest compared to wages The minimum wage needed to afford the median two-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts is the third-highest in the country at $33.81 an hour according to a report from the National Low

May home sales improve as market forces stabilize

Existing-home sales finally grew in May after two months of downbeat reports, according to the latest monthly snapshot of U.S. housing activity from the National Association of Realtors. Closed sales of previously-owned homes increased by 2.5 percent over April’s

Real estate in brief: Investors, interest rates and more

Investors claim growing share of US home sales Despite still-growing prices that have exceeded their pre-recession peaks in some markets, more single-family homes around the U.S. are being purchased by investors rather than owner-occupants. According to a report from

NAR survey adds to bullish case for home sales

Optimism struck in the second quarter of 2019 with 73 percent of Americans saying they believe now is a good time to sell a home, an increase from 65 percent in the first quarter based on a consumer survey

Fed leaves interest rates unchanged, but is no longer ‘patient’

The Federal Reserve announced June 19 that it would not make changes to targets for its key interest rate, the federal funds rate, which influences what banks charge for consumer loans including mortgages. However, in line with some projections,

Housing starts tick down while building permits increase

Numbers released June 18 by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show that housing starts fell during the month of May, although building permit issues increased. Privately-owned housing starts dropped by 0.9

FHFA may act alone to overhaul Fannie and Freddie

Newly appointed mortgage finance regulator Mark Calabria has made no secret of his goal to overhaul Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-controlled corporations with enormous sway over the U.S. mortgage market. However, it remains unclear exactly what the

5 unexpected ways real estate agents can use chatbots

Back when chatbots first gained traction in 2016, most people thought they’d never engage with a virtual assistant to get the information they needed, let alone try to use one in their own business. But now it’s 2019 and

Lender sentiment turns positive as low rates spur demand

The trend toward lower mortgage rates doesn’t appear to be a short-lived phenomenon, and has already boosted loan application activity to historically high levels. As a result, lending industry executives are responding with their most optimistic outlook on the

What buyers with kids are searching for

In every decision they make, parents tend to make their children their top priority. And according to new research from Zillow, the same goes for the considerations they make when shopping for a new home More than the life

This week in Boston real estate: Rising rents, developing neighborhoods and more

Boston rent growth approaches 9 percent A report from real estate listings site Zumper found the median rent for one-bedroom apartments in Boston was up 8.7 percent as of April (to $2,500 per month) compared to the same month

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