News / Features
New Freddie Mac research casts doubts on notion that rising rents push consumers toward homeownership It has been a common narrative in the post-boom housing market that rising rents would eventually push more consumers toward homeownership, but new research
RealtyTrac foreclosure report showed increased activity In a market still reeling from an onslaught of foreclosures dating back early a half-decade, any news of foreclosures that approaches negative is likely to put the industry on edge, which is why RealtyTrac’s
After rough series of months for Boston housing market, things may be improving Help may finally be on the way for Boston’s housing inventory ills, which have driven median prices to record highs and affordability to record lows. According
NAR documents 6 percent jump in existing-home sales Market indicators have detailed a continual progression towards normalcy since early 2014, but a hiccup in April’s existing-home sales could mark yet another slow down in the pace of progress, according
After a strong series of months, builder confidence has been a bit bumpy thus far in 2015 Builder confidence has been one of the unqualified success stories of the housing recovery, but weak economic fundamentals could hamper its progress.
April new construction numbers excellent, but stats could be misleading On the surface, April was a fabulously positive month for new construction. Not only did housing starts jump 20.2 percent from March (the second largest jump ever recorded), but their
Making tax collection More of a Pain He must have had a lot of time on his hands: on Jan. 28, 2015, Timothy Andrew Norris, a 27-year-old Wichita Falls resident, decided to take his frustration out on the tax
A study from ULI found that while most people are happy with their living arrangements, many are lacking in some fundamental amenities, like healthy food Real estate supports a wide spectrum of standards, encompassing a plethora of lifestyles and preferences
Significant challenges remain on the homebuilding front, according to new NAHB research “Booming” is a word that has not been associated with Boston’s housing market, but no other adjective is more appropriate for the market’s new construction sector, where spending
Looser lending standards may not be the panacea for housing’s sideways growth For years, housing professionals have been holding their breath for looser lending standards to ride in and boost the market into a new era of prosperity, but
STOP: GET OUT OF THE FORECLOSURE AND LISTEN Robert Van Winkle, formerly the rapper known as “Vanilla Ice,” who now renovates homes for “The Vanilla Ice Project” on DIY Network, faces charges of burglary and grand theft of a
Despite an influx of investors to the market, cash sales continue to dwindle throughout the nation. It is a new market for traditional buyers, despite a recent report of surging investor activity, as once again cash sales fell in
Where in Boston are housing costs the highest? Boston has the nation’s third most expensive rental market, according to a new study by Zumper, a new tech firm that studies housing trends in the rental sphere. With an average
A new report from CoreLogic shows foreclosures are falling across the nation, mostly The nation’s foreclosure inventory is in decline, falling 25.7 percent year-over-year in March, which represents a continued effort to regain the market normalcy enjoyed in pre-crisis
A new study uses homeownership rate to rank the best and worst presidents for housing…but it’s a bit more complicated than that. In early May, economist Roger Thomas of ValueWalk.com released an analysis (of sorts) on homeownership rates from
Home Buying 101: Don’t Sleep with Your Realtor We’ve all been advised not to “mix business and pleasure,” and Houston-born rapper Slim Thug can attest to the value in that advice. In a New York Times article the rapper
