News / Features

Year-end reports show growth in condo inventory

Two reports on the Boston condo market’s end-of-year performance show more units coming onto the market across the city’s hottest neighborhoods. However, this has continued to put a damper on sales prices as well as closed sales as sellers

What agents and their clients should know about moving scams

Agents have a responsibility to do right by their clients in every way possible, but in the complex, lengthy process of buying and selling a home, not everything may be within an agent’s full control. Criminals and con artists

Home listing growth accelerates to near 4-year high

At a key moment for the U.S. housing market, Redfin found more evidence that homebuyers are entering 2019 in perhaps the strongest position in years. The number of homes for sale in the nation’s largest markets grew 4.8 percent

How has Boston’s population changed since 2010?

Meeting Boston’s ambitious goals for new housing development in the next several years presents significant challenges for the city. Part of that difficult task involves understanding exactly what future Boston residents will need in terms of available housing stock.

Real Estate in Brief: Opportunity Zone delays, single-family rents and more

New federal tax breaks available to real estate investors and developers under the Opportunity Zone program have already attracted billions of dollars from funds set up to utilize them. But the program’s complex, unfamiliar rules has also generated questions,

City Council considers new taxes on some Boston real estate sales

Boston is the latest city to consider transfer taxes as a way to fund affordable housing development, although the proposal is already on shaky ground. The Boston Globe reported Jan. 14 that City Council would take up a bill

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Pending home sales grow in December despite Wall Street turbulence

Pending home sales throughout Massachusetts grew in December, but the sudden volatility seen in U.S. and international stocks near the end of 2018 may have had a negative effect on buyer and seller behaviors, according to a poll from

This Week in Boston Real Estate: Mass. Pike project and developer politics

What could be the biggest infrastructure project undertaken in Boston since the infamous Big Dig is a step closer to breaking ground. The Boston Globe reported Jan. 10 that Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials released the final plan for

Real Estate in Brief: Shutdown studies, interest rate insights and more

The partial shutdown of the federal government is entering its 20th day, and reports of its myriad ripple effects continue to surface. The latest bit of insight from the real estate industry is a Jan. 7 survey by the

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Gary Keller returning to Keller Williams as CEO

In an email sent to associates late in the evening Jan. 8, Keller Williams Realty, Inc. announced co-founder Gary W. Keller would return to his role as CEO after having left that same post in 1995 and serving on

Century 21 CEO will step down in March

Century 21 CEO and president Nick Bailey announced this week that he will be leaving the company. The company’s chief growth officer, Michael Miedler, will be tapped for the role of chief executive and president. The transition to new leadership

Real Estate in Brief: Buyer confidence, nonstop flights and more

Economic news was decidedly mixed near the end of 2018, and that trend looks to continue for the housing market. Fannie Mae’s December Home Purchase Sentiment Index, released Jan. 7, adds to that feeling. According to surveys compiled for

Home tech in the spotlight at CES 2019

The long-running consumer tech trade show CES returns to Las Vegas once again this year, hosting some 180,000 people who come to see the latest technology of all kinds. While the four days of CES feature more than 4,500

Cover story: Housing & the economy

The start of a new calendar year is welcomed with parties, well-wishing and an eye toward new beginnings. But in the business and finance world, most people rang in 2019 fixated on endings. The business cycle, the bull market,

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How Opportunity Zones could spur housing growth

More than a year after being signed into law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act remains among the most well-known and hotly debated achievements of President Donald Trump’s administration. As the first tax filing season under the new law

The national view: An interview with NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun

When it comes to getting a clear view of the intersection of real estate and the economy, Lawrence Yun is perfectly suited to the task. The chief economist of the National Association of Realtors recently talked with us to