Boston Real Estate Now

Space starved in Greater Boston?

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:48:05 GMT

If you want to live inside 128, you are likely to have to settle for less space. The question is whether you can do it and not feel space starved, especially if you have moved from another part of the...

Gated cities in our future?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:23:12 GMT

Downtown Boston has become a playground for the rich, dominated by luxury condo towers with multimillion-dollar units. The median price for a luxury condo in neighborhoods like the Back Bay, South End and Beacon Hill hit $1.4 million during the...

Greater Boston's home building slump

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:20:44 GMT

Housing starts are on the upswing across the country, with a fresh batch of good news due out Tuesday from the feds. But here in Massachusetts, construction of new, single-family homes has fallen to anemic levels not seen in decades,...

Half a million for parking?

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:09:39 GMT

Heck, if you own a multimillion-dollar Back Bay mansion, what's another half a million or more for a pair of extra parking spaces? Well actually $560,000 for a pair of weed fringed spaces behind 298 Commonwealth Ave. Check out this...

Should Brittany give up on her condo hunt?

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:00:05 GMT

A nurse at a Boston hospital, Brittany wants to buy a condo but can't find a decent unit worth putting money down on. At this point, she's all but resigned herself to renting for another year. "If you like a...

"Tipping point" for housing market?

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:22:35 GMT

OK, when Realtors start talking about the market reaching a "tipping point," it can only be bad news for buyers worried about soaring prices. It means things are starting to get a little crazy. As we head into summer, sales...

Buyers face fierce summer competition

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:03:31 GMT

Boston is now one of the most competitive home sales markets in the country, moving up to No. 5, Redfin reports this morning. That's up from No. 7 in April and suggests this summer will be long, hot and busy...

Summer slowdown? Don't bet on it!

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:45:15 GMT

A reader and prospective home buyer, Katherine is wondering whether the real estate market will slow down now that summer is here. In particular, she's worried that all the good homes were snapped before Memorial Day and new listings may...

How much higher can rents go?

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:28:15 GMT

Boston-area rents rose more than 5 percent in May, more than double the national pace. It's enough to make Greater Boston the fifth least affordable rental market in the country, behind only the likes of New York, Miami, San Francisco...

Will rising rates spur panic buying?

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:13:10 GMT

There's speculation galore now about how steadily rising interest rates could cool the housing market. But before the chill sets in, sales could very well go into overdrive as buyers seek to lock in rock-bottom rates before they are gone....

Selling is now the easy part

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:03:08 GMT

Oh my, how things have changed! A couple years ago, sellers were ready to do just about anything to move their home, with some desperate enough to pitch in on closing costs or throw in a free Hawaiian vacation. But...

Stuck with a high down payment?

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:13:06 GMT

If you are struggling to come up with tens of thousands of dollars down in order to buy a house, you are not alone. Down-payment requirements are easing across the country, but they are still hefty here in Massachusetts. When...

Should sellers toss personal appeals?

Fri, 31 May 2013 13:55:45 GMT

If you are selling a home in this tight market, get ready to be hit up with a personal appeal from a buyer, complete with photos of smiling children and adorable pets. What to do? Well, actually, it's easy: Head...

Ready to pay more?

Thu, 30 May 2013 15:33:44 GMT

Behind every bubble is a panicky rush to buy a suddenly scarce and coveted product before prices go up again. Get yours now and get it fast before someone else grabs it. It was true for tulips in 17th century...

Runaway prices?

Wed, 29 May 2013 12:29:04 GMT

As prices head skyward, sellers are finally getting off the fence. New listings jumped 12.7 percent in April, with a total of 9,350 homes hitting the market in April, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors reports. It was the biggest surge...

Towns with the most resilient home values

Tue, 28 May 2013 12:02:24 GMT

Roughly 16 percent of homeowners across Greater Boston are still mired down in negative equity, Zillow reports. To translate, they owe more on their home than it is worth in the current market.But if you are out house hunting, this...

Trapped in your house?

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:24:21 GMT

The good news is the number of Greater Boston homeowners owing more than what their castles are worth has dropped below 16 percent. The bad news? Another 18 percent of Boston-area homeowners may be out of the red, but still...

Immigrants: Key to the next housing boom?

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

If immigration reform actually makes it through Congress, it could unleash a wave of home buying.How much? More than $500 billion in new home sales, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals estimates. And that's not counting another $180...

Vacation home hotspots for (Greater) Bostonians

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:24:51 GMT

Ever wonder where your neighbors are headed on vacation? If you live in Greater Boston, it's a good bet they aren't headed very far. Trulia today is releasing its list of the top vacation home destinations for each major metro...

Selling house your retirement plan?

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:13:16 GMT

If you plan to cash in on your house to pay for retirement, you have lots of company. Nearly half of Americans 50-70 found say they are relying on the sale of their homes in order to come up with...

House or condo?

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:18:40 GMT

I guess I am just a boring, single-family home type of guy. But I am shaking my head over a pair of $3 million-plus sales in Cambridge, one a condo in Harvard Square, the other an historic home just off...

Applying for a mortgage? Watch your words!

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:31:00 GMT

Sure, the amiable loan officer at your friendly local bank may seem eager to please. But beware. If you are too chatty, you could every easily wind up seeing your mortgage application suddenly vanish into the circular file. Just take...

Housing too hot?

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:43:03 GMT

Stop the hand wringing. We are absolutely, positively not headed into a new real estate bubble, Trulia's chief economist Jed Kolko insists. "Even with a year of strong price gains, home prices still look undervalued by 7% relative to fundamentals,"...

The return of panic buying?

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:08:13 GMT

Homes that couldn't sell last spring are now getting scooped up. While the number of homes for sale has fallen to all time lows as sellers sit on the fence, buyers are snapping up whatever homes are out there, dogs...

Only perfect buyers need apply

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:55:52 GMT

Basically, if you have stellar credit and a big chunk of cash, banks are ready to do business with you. Maybe they will even roll out the red carpet. But if you are a little less than perfect, landing a...