News / Features

Housing Affordability a Tale of Two Cities in Boston

Housing affordability is a major problem, and new research has added an additional wrinkle to the crisis. Housing affordability (especially in the new home market) may be worsening nationwide, but it has nothing on the affordability squeeze facing renters

Brutal Winter Precipitates Boston Inventory Death Spiral

Blame it on the snow! February was a brutal month for Boston’s housing inventory The great inventory death spiral continued in Boston’s housing market in February, with inventory in both the single-family and condo markets boasting double-digit declines, according

New Construction in Boston Stampedes Through February

What was the deal with our local new construction marketplace last month? February proved a remarkable month for residential new construction in the Boston area, according to new numbers from Dodge Data & Analytics. For the month, residential construction in Boston totaled

3 Sobering Facts About Today’s Skittish Economy

We all know that the economy has improved in recent years, but we also know (and with similar levels of confidence) that there remain considerable hurdles for many Americans in today’s economy. Take a look through our informative graphic

Greater Boston’s Top Single-Family Housing Markets

Where, in the Greater Boston area, do single-family homes sell the most? Single-family homes were the dominate form of construction in the Greater Boston area in the post-War housing market, and many remain economic juggernauts to this day. What

The 6 Ways That Homebuyers Search For Homes

We all know the Internet is prominent, but there are interesting details to how homebuyers search for homes nowadays. It’s no mystery that the Internet is the defining conduit for real estate today, but NAR’s Home Buyer and Seller

Why Soaring Inequality is Terrible For Housing

Everyone should be concerned about rising levels of inequality – especially residential real estate professionals. The Brookings Institution just updated its data metrics on inequality in the U.S.’ largest metro areas, and the results are – to put it

5 Important Details About the Latest New Home Sales Report

Sure, new home sales were up in February, but there’s much more than meets the eye. On the surface, it looks like February was a very positive month for sales of newly built single-family homes. According to the latest

NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increase, Inventory Levels Pose Problem

NAR’s report found existing-home sales improved in February, but those gains were offset by skyrocketing home prices. Existing-home sales increased modestly in February, a report from the National Association of Realtors discovered, but shallow inventories across the country are

Lion Share of New Construction in Boston Affordable Only For Affluent Consumers

The single-family home market for new construction has trended towards affluence, and so has the rental market. The last couple months, we’ve been reporting with regularity on how our nation’s issues with inequality have manifested themselves in new construction,

RESPA-TILA: Big Changes Are Coming

For four decades, RESPA and TILA have run parallel to each other. On August 1, 2015, they’ll be consolidated, and the changes will be significant. In 1974, in an effort to stop widespread corruption in the housing industry, Congress

Negative Equity Remains Problem in Boston’s Lower Price Points

Sure, negative equity has improved overall, but what of properties on the lower-end of price spectrum? Though 9.8 percent of mortgage properties in the Boston area remain in negative equity, that pales in comparison to the 16.7 percent of properties in the metro

The Big Problem Facing Boston’s Housing Market

The key word in addressing Boston’s housing ills is “imbalance.” Call it a problem of “too much of a good thing.” It’s no mystery that Boston is in the throes of an all-out affordability crisis, one that has the

CoreLogic: Equity Returns to Boston, Beats Nation

Homeowners are benefiting from rising home prices that improve equity, but that doesn’t mean negative equity still isn’t a problem. Equity continued building in the fourth quarter of 2014, CoreLogic’s newest report concluded, showing that by year’s end, 1.2

6 Key Facts About the Homes Consumers are Buying Today

Single-family detached? Senior-related housing? New? Old? What homes do consumers want today? In the grand world of American housing, what properties are holding the most sway with homebuyers nowadays? And how do those preferences shift across generational lines? In our

Builder Confidence Hits Eight-Month Low in March

Homebuilders are feeling a little less confident this month. A key measure of builder confidence declined this month, with the Housing Market Index (HMI) dropping two points to a level of 53. Released monthly by the NAHB, the HMI tracks