News / Features

Are we in a bubble? Yes, no and maybe

In Jan. 2005, Alan Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, said that it would be “financially foolhardy” to listen to “housing bubble worrywarts.” A few months later, Jude Wanniski, a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, authored

3 reasons South Boston is one of Beantown’s top markets

What is it about South Boston? Once a scruffy, working-class community with some gritty undertones – the infamous criminal James “Whitey” Bulger grew up there –South Boston has since evolved into one of Beantown’s hottest housing markets, with home sales

The 3 Greater Boston towns where prices are rising fastest

Numerous towns in Greater Boston are seeing strong real estate activity in 2016, but which areas have seen the greatest rise in home prices over the last year? And even more interestingly, which areas have defied market trends and

New rankings chart Boston’s investment property purchase activity

About one in five homes purchased last year was bought as an investment property, according to the National Association of Realtors. The average investor had a median household income of just over $95,000 and bought a single-family home within

Two Boston neighborhoods ranked among 10 greenest in U.S.

Redfin data scientists analyzed all properties sold under Redfin in 2015 to find the top 10 greenest neighborhoods across the nation. Two Greater Boston neighborhoods, Newton and Dedham, made it to the top 10. The term “going green” shouldn’t be new to

Real estate industry undergoes dramatic change in public opinion

The American public views the real estate industry more positively than at any time in the last decade, according to new research from Gallup. Based on its annual polling of public sentiment, Gallup found that 44 percent of Americans

5 reasons buyers flock to Brookline

It’s no mystery why Brookline is so popular – the Boston suburb has numerous benefits and amenities for its residents, and is one of the metro area’s top housing draws. Below, we have detailed five reasons that Brookline is such a dynamic

A year after TRID: Why some lenders still disapprove, and most borrowers don’t

When TRID came into effect in Oct. 2015, the big fear was a consumer-facing one. “TRID is going to delay loan closings,” the industry said. But it hasn’t – at least not for the majority. In Ellie Mae’s most

3 Boston suburbs among 2016’s 10 safest cities in U.S.

Three Greater Boston suburbs are among the 10 safest communities in the country, according to a ranking from SafeWise. Basing its analysis on FBI statistics of violent and property crime, along with research on local initiatives in public safety, public

Boston’s 10 most unaffordable neighborhoods in 2016

Boston may not be the least affordable housing market in the U.S., but it’s awfully close. That was the finding of a new analysis from Redfin. As of July 2016, the median price for a two-to-four-bedroom home in Beantown is $837,000;

Why FICO is facing challenges – and how the mortgage landscape could change

In use for more than 25 years and the preferred credit scoring system for 90 percent of top lenders, the FICO Score has long been the dominant metric of creditworthiness for auto lending, credit card decisioning and, of course,

Boston agents need to watch this demographic

Millions of Baby Boomers are planning move over the next several years – everyone knows this. But it could mean big things for agents working in Boston. There are three reasons most homeowners between the ages of 61 and 90 want

Boston’s 10 best suburbs to buy a house

The suburb of Boxborough is Greater Boston’s best place to buy a home, according to a new analysis from Niche. Basing its research on a myriad of factors, including home values, property taxes, homeownership rates, demographics and public education, Niche ranked

Why 1 in 5 buyers say they’d purchase a home without seeing it in person

Last year, one in five homebuyers purchased a property sight unseen. According to a new survey from Redfin, that number is holding true this year, as well. This may be a trend agents should follow. Crissy Dyer is a

The 10 Greater Boston school systems with the highest graduation rates

The Needham school system boasts the highest graduation rate in the Greater Boston area, according to numbers from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. As of 2015, the graduation rate in Needham was 97.7 percent. Even the No. 10 system, Greater Lowell Regional

HARP gets extension and FHFA announces new refinancing offering

The Home Affordable Refinance Program will not expire at the end of this year, as previously thought. The Federal Housing Finance Agency says it will continue through Sept. 2017. FHFA’s announcement comes alongside news that Fannie Mae and Freddie

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