The Boston Globe real estate reporters throw data at their readers without enough explanation. That’s where I come in. Larry Edelman packed a lot into his recent article, “Where Mass. home prices are hot – and not.” Here is the translation for buyers in Spring 2023. These data sets are year over year – last
Our clients are considerate people. They often say things like, “I don’t want you to spend a lot of time doing a market study, just tell me if you think the condo is worth what they are asking.” That's nice, but: We can’t give a professional opinion without doing the math! It is that simple.
Where are all the sellers? The big issue in Boston area real estate is inventory. There are not enough houses for sale. We have a stalemate about inventory here. These are the factors: Empty-nesters are staying longer in their houses. This is a demographic and cultural shift. They are holding on to their houses, partly
I believe in real estate karma. Even in 2021, I am seeing good things happen for our clients. This year, sellers have the upper hand in negotiations, big time. This is the worst seller-favoring market I have ever seen. Even so, our clients are getting the right house for them. Many seller’s agents are acting
Derek Thompson, in The Atlantic, summarized what is happening in the American real estate economy. Here’s a summary, some notes on how it is affecting eastern Massachusetts in particular, and how 4 Buyers Real Estate is responding to it. The scarcity of housing for sale. Falling rents. Thompson: “… in America’s big metros, home prices
What should you look for as an indication that the seller’s market is on the decline? How can you watch for a turn in uneven supply and demand balance in favor of buyers? As exclusive buyer’s agents, we’ve seen this before. But, because we are a small company who work with a small number of
The Boston Globe published an article about the possibility of a slow-down in local real estate. “... houses are taking longer to sell, and when they do, they’re more likely to sell below listing price than they did a year ago. Also, the number of homes on the market, particularly condominiums, is up. The market
How does a seller’s market end? A seller-favoring market exists when there is more demand for housing than supply. Since about 2012 or 2013, buyers found fewer properties for sale than they did during the recession (when foreclosures added to the number of houses and condos for sale.) Limited supply created the seller-favoring market we’ve
We’ve been in a seller’s market – where there is more demand than supply – since spring of 2012. It takes a while to get perspective on a market that is changing. To figure out when price inflation began to pick up again, I looked back on my blogs. I found this one, from February
Some houses only sell in seller’s markets. That is when buyers are willing to do their deepest compromises. Buyers who are considering entering the market need to know that we are still in a seller’s market. When buyers get desperate, they look at seriously location-impaired houses. I am talking really impaired! Stuff like a house