News / Features

Builders, buyers see upside as July new home sales slip

The latest release of new home sales numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported the number of new homes sold in July fell 1.7 percent from the previous month, marking the

This Week in Boston Real Estate: Median rents, new developments and more

Boston’s high home prices translate into similarly inflated costs for many renters, too. A new analysis from rental listing site Zumper confirms that Boston’s median one-bedroom rent as of this summer was the fourth-highest in the nation, at $2,340

Massachusetts for-sale inventory reaches lowest level since 2004

The most recent report on statewide home sales from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) revealed that the number of homes and condominium units for sale in July set a new record for the lowest number of available listings

NAR: Majority of homes sold in July were on the market for less than a month

Existing home sales slowed slightly in July to the slowest pace in more than two years and represented the fifth straight month of declines, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors. But demand stayed steady

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Homebuyer sentiment drives prices lower

More home sellers are resorting to price cuts as interest from buyers wanes nationwide. A recent report from Zillow found that starting in June, 14 percent of current home listings reduced their asking prices. While that rate has remained

Trulia Neighborhoods launches to provide crowdsourced local information

Trulia is launching a new tool to help buyers, renters and agents learn about an area with their new feature – Trulia Neighborhoods. The new tool, which is available both online and as a mobile app, is a crowdsourced

Boston’s ‘hot’ market rating slips, but pending sales rise in July

In June, Realtor.com named Boston the third-hottest housing market in the nation, based primarily on the average age of its listings. For July, however, the Boston metro area fell to 13th place in the rankings as the average listing

Real Estate In Brief: Home improvement spending, Realtors on TV and more

Homeowners appear to be spending more on maintenance and remodeling projects, reflecting an increasing preference in getting more life out of a home rather than trading up for a new one. According to a report from BuildFax, which aggregates

HUD files housing discrimination complaint against Facebook

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) filed a discrimination complaint against Facebook Aug. 17. HUD claims that the company violated the Fair Housing Act by allowing landlords and home sellers to target or exclude users from

Compass expands to Atlanta

Compass announced today that it will be expanding its nationwide brokerage to Atlanta. The company’s first area brokerage will be led by Jim Getzinger and Jere Metcalf, previously of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, along with Jason Wieloch, previously

US foreclosure rate falls to 12-year low as borrowing grows

Two reports on the state of housing finance this week show that mortgage borrowers are still faring well financially despite some recent economic headwinds. The national foreclosure rate reached its lowest point since 2006, according to a report on May

HUD looks for public comments on possible fair housing rule changes

The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced that it is looking for public comments regarding plans on “streamlining” the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, an Obama-era rule on desegregation. The rule was designed to help cities and

US housing stock ages as construction backlog grows

More Americans are becoming homeowners, particularly young adults. But the homes they are living in are generally older. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent American Community Survey showed that in 2016, the median age of all owner-occupied

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NAR secures ‘a big win’ on new tax break for agents

Updated guidance from the IRS related to federal tax cuts passed at the end of 2017 confirmed that many real estate professionals should be able to claim a substantial income deduction once they file their 2018 tax returns, in

How Boston-area demographics are changing

The nation experienced a certain shift in age distributions over the last decade. With baby boomers moving on to retirement, millennials and Gen Xers began to make up the bulk of the working population. To determine where the different

Redfin doubles down on direct buying program

Redfin’s direct home-buying program, Redfin Now, is no longer in testing phase. Redfin recently announced that it has doubled down, making direct home-buying its long-term business plan. Redfin Now buys and lists homes, making an offer to the homeowner