For the fifth month in a row in July, home sales declined nationally, including here in the Bay State, as home prices continued to rise.

July single-family home and condo sales continued to plummet last month as the market continued to cool.

The pace of housing starts for both single-family and multifamily residences was down on a month over month basis, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported. 

WalletHub compared all 50 states across five metrics covering affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life and safety.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell for the eighth straight month in August, as the key measure of builder confidence indicated a pessimistic outlook. 

Worcester had one of the highest rates of homebuyer competition in July

The Boston Planning & Development Agency approved the projects at its August meeting.

The Boston Planning & Development Agency has adopted a new policy requiring developers to disclose diversity, equity and inclusion plans for large projects when filing.

The brokerage’s new “communities” will provide its agents with specialized training, technology, coaching and referral opportunities. 

Homebuyers may catch a break this month as rates have come down nearly a point from the recent high on fears of a recession.

Sellers using Zillow may request and view an offer directly from Opendoor and compare it to an open-market sale with a real estate agent. 

Boston’s average monthly rent is $4,878, a 17.4% increase from the previous year.

The national rental vacancy rate dropped to 5.6% in the second quarter of the year while the homeowner vacancy rate remained at 0.8%.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.99% as of Aug. 4: down 0.8% from last week. The news marks the first time since April that mortgage rates have dipped below 5%.

Are your neighbors the worst? Whatever it is that grinds your gears, you can bet it comes in on this list of the top neighbor frustrations.

Boston was the only U.S. city recognized in the 2020 awards cycle.