Good information helps buyers make informed decisions. Widely available information levels the playing field, so that all buyers have access to the vast majority of properties for sale. Recent lawsuits against Multiple Listing Systems and large real estate companies threaten to harm potential home buyers by expecting them to pay for their representation as well
I’ve gotten some messages from former clients who follow business news. There are some big-deal lawsuits flying around regarding the Multiple Listing Service and buyer agent compensation. The outcome of recent lawsuits is likely to increase seller awareness of the part of the commission that is paid to the buyer’s agent who brings an informed
My neighbor’s tree overhangs my yard. It drops leaves every fall. Can I make my neighbor rake them? It is best for the environment that no one rakes the leaves. But, if someone is raking them, it’s you. My neighbor’s tree is making my yard too shady. Who is responsible for cutting it back? If
The Boston Globe article about the transfer fee, last week, was pretty confusing. I think the R--®s like it that way. I wrote about similar transfer fee proposals just three weeks ago. Since then, I gave testimony to a committee at the State House in support of a transfer fee. Last week, a transfer fee
Above the pay-wall spot in the online Boston Globe, reporter Andrew Bricker summarizes the local market. In short, the number of sales is down. Demand in the month of September was much lower than last September. The reason, says experts, is high interest rates. For us at 4 Buyers Real Estate, the news of lowering
According to Andrew Yun, the economic advisor for the National Association of Realtors, there has been a shift in buying patterns in recent years. The largest number of property buyers are Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). This is not typical. What is more “normal” would be that young adults are the largest group of buyers. This
This summer, I have been out front on efforts that aid affordable housing in metro Boston. I was approached to work on an op-ed with colleague Brian Sullivan that was published at the end of August in the Boston Business Journal. It was about a proposed transfer fee in Massachusetts. A quick timeline on affordable housing: The
It is not clear to me whether sellers are getting more money for their old houses with wall insulation. I doubt that they are. Buyers who value sustainability lean towards new construction, which will be much better than even the best retrofit of an old house. But, insulation is not that expensive because of MassSave programs that
When should you start to plan buying a house? The answer is that you can plan long ahead, and it can only help you when the right time comes. I coach my clients to buy a home that will serve them — given their best guesses about the future – for the next seven to
In August, I went to the wedding of an exclusive buyer’s broker from Long Island, NY. A good time was had by all. There are some things that made this wedding different from the typical wedding that I would attend. Well, actually, the wedding looked like most weddings. People all dressed up, some vows, some