News / Features

Boston Just Got More Affordable

Home prices went up in 2014, and for some metros, affordability did too. For most homebuyers, especially those entering the market for the very first time, affordability is chief among concerns leading up to a purchase. In an analysis of

3 Graphs That Show How Inequality is Impacting Housing

Until the economy improves, housing will never fully recover – and the stats are not encouraging. Quite a bit of our reporting, in recent weeks, has focused on inequality and income disparity, and for good reason – a housing

Boston New Construction Begins 2015 in Strong Way

The new year is always a precarious time for the new construction marketplace. Residential construction spending in the Boston area was just above $300 million in January, a whopping 48 percent increase from Jan. 2014, according to new numbers from Dodge Data

Americans Stuck Worrying, Not Buying

A new survey from The Pew Charitable Trusts provided insights into why Americans are hesitant to enter the housing market. Set to the backdrop of 2007’s financial tempest, 2014 was comparably a good year for many American families. However,

Massachusetts Home Prices Post Moderate Increases in CoreLogic Price Index

The latest price index from CoreLogic covered home prices through January. Home prices in the state of Massachusetts rose 5.8 percent year-over-year in January, according to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic; when distressed sales were excluded, that increase jumped to

New Construction Wavers in January, But Long-Term Trends Highly Positive

January may have seemed like a disappointing month of construction, but a deeper look at the trends reveals much to smile about. Overall construction spending in January was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $971.4 billion, according to the

These are Boston’s 10 Hottest Residential Real Estate Markets

Amidst Boston’s multifaceted housing market, what markets are showing the most strength? We recently reported that Boston’s real estate market remains a heavily nuanced terrain, with inventory, sales and prices all heading in conflicting directions. Regional trends, though, tend

Pending Home Sales Hit Highest Mark in 18 Months

Pending home sales shot up in January, suggesting positive numbers down the road. Pending home sales hit their highest level in 18 months in January, according to the latest analysis from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home

What Qualifying Income Does Your Clients Need to Buy in Boston?

In the end, buying a home all comes down to dollars and cents, and Boston’s qualifying incomes differ in interesting ways with the rest of the U.S. To qualify for a mortgage on a 5 percent down payment, Boston homebuyers can

CMO-less Century 21 Releases 2015 Strategy

Century has been without a CMO for months, but the company is still moving forward with an eventful 2015 strategy. It has been five months since Century 21’s Chief Marketing Officer Bev Thorne parted ways with the company, and

What Do Single Men, Single Women and Married Couples Value in a Home?

When it comes to a home’s features, does one’s gender/relationship status impact how they prioritize the features? Walk-in closets, new kitchen appliances, nine-foot ceilings, single-level living – all are distinctive features to a home, and research from NAR suggests

Another Sign That First-Time Buyers are Missing in Action

First-time homebuyers are a scarce bunch, these days. Just when it seemed that the news on first-time homebuyers could not get any more distressing, here comes a new report from RealtyTrac to pour salt on the wounds. In short,

3 Important Trends in New Construction Housing

It’s a whole new world out there for new construction, as stunning stat after stunning stat drives home. The Census Bureau’s latest report on new single-family home sales is out, and its findings, at least on the surface, were

Zillow Wins the Battle – Move is Ready for the War

A California judge granted Zillow’s temporary restraining order to keep ListHub data flowing to Trulia. But will they win the case?   The verdict is in – at least for now – and until March 12, a California judge ruled

Huge Share of Millennials Return Home After Moving Out

The past few months, we’ve reported on the many thorny issues facing Millennials – that their wages in many industries have plummeted in recent years; that their savings rate is negative; that they have pushed roommate rates up to

Boston Posts Solid Price Growth in New Case-Shiller

Boston continued to follow the pack in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Home prices in the Boston metro area put up mixed numbers in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, falling 0.2 percent from November to December but rising 3.8 percent from Dec. 2013. It

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