News / Features

Realogy sues Compass over alleged illegal business practices

On the same day, Compass settled a lawsuit against one titan of the real estate industry while finding itself at the center of a new, explosive complaint from another competitor. In a summons filed in the Supreme Court of

For-sale inventory trends lower as homebuyers hold out for deals

Just when many housing markets were seeing some relief in their scant inventory of for-sale housing, there are now fresh signs afoot that supply levels may return to a trend of tightening. A new report on the housing market from

State looks to bolster homeownership programs using GE site sale proceeds

General Electric, an institution of corporate America and one of the biggest employers in Massachusetts, has lately found itself in dire straits. In February, the company cancelled plans to expand its corporate campus in Boston as part of a

Homeowners and appraisers agree more on value

July marked the second consecutive month of tightening margins between owners’ estimates of home values and the professional opinions of appraisers, according to Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index. Appraised values were only 0.71 percent lower nationwide than

Most consumers would wait 3 months before cutting the price on their home

Home prices across the U.S. have been rising faster than inflation and average wages for several consecutive years, although in some cases, that trend is beginning to slow or even reverse. That may be due to homeowners getting more

Late mortgage payments and foreclosures become historically rare

  Loan delinquency rates hit their lowest level in 20 years this past April, according to a new report from real estate data firm CoreLogic, showing that American homeowners continue to thrive about a decade after the housing market’s

Midyear job gains encouraging, particularly for construction

While casual observers might have been expecting dismal numbers in the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labors Statistics following expectedly soft figures in May’s report, Friday’s jobs report was actually pretty encouraging. The total nonfarm job count

How a big fee hike turned into a break for vets

This Fourth of July, the mortgage industry has good news for veterans in high-cost real estate markets. Thanks to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, recently signed into law by President Donald Trump, veterans who secure loans through

Despite urgent housing and transit needs, state misses budget deadline

Massachusetts is once again operating without an official budget as key housing and transit improvement bills await the governor’s signature. The state’s 2020 fiscal year began July 1, and for the ninth year in a row, Massachusetts’ ongoing funding

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Zillow home value estimate adds new AI capabilities

Zillow’s trademark “Zestimate” feature, which lets homeowners and prospective buyers see the estimated value of almost any residence, has been upgraded to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities that the company says will improve accuracy. According to a

This week in Boston real estate: Local sales, development trends and more

Boston metro home sales surge In line with Massachusetts’ strong sales performance in May, the Greater Boston Association of Realtors reported record-breaking figures of its own. According to GBAR, 1,316 single-family homes sold last month, an 8 percent gain

These are the top issues impacting real estate in 2019

The Counselors of Real Estate, an international organization for commercial real estate professionals, ranked what its membership body recently voted on as the current and emerging issues it expects to have the most significant impact on real estate.  Topping

Real estate in brief: Executive orders, home values and more

Trump prioritizes affordable housing with executive order President Trump signed an executive order June 25 to propose “eliminating regulatory barriers to affordable housing.” Secretary Ben Carson of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will chair a new

May pending sales report adds to positive summer housing forecasts

Less than a week after the National Association of Realtors reported stronger than expected existing-home sales for the month of May, there’s more good news for the U.S. housing market. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index for May came in

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

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