What is Radon and why should you care? According to the EPA: Radon is a naturally-occurring, invisible and odorless radioactive gas. One in 15 American homes contains high levels of radon. Radon gas is not isolated to certain geographical areas or home types. Radon problems have been detected in homes in every county of the U.S.
Residential exemptions make a big difference to property taxes in Massachusetts. While doing a comparative market analysis for a client, I noticed that half the condos were paying almost twice as much in taxes than other condos that were pretty much the same size and location. The difference wasn’t that some were renovated, thus worth
A joke: Economists have forecast ten out of the last three recessions. Real estate recessions happen when something big affects the economy in general. Because it takes longer to buy and sell real estate than to shift assets in a stock or bond portfolio, real estate recessions take hold more slowly than general economic recessions.
When house hunters calculate their monthly costs, some overlook the cost of heating and electricity. However, it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of your future costs. Current usage cost: Electric and gas companies in Massachusetts will provide the current cost at a specific residence. Some listing agents will provide it. It is a
What’s their pitch? Redfin is selling a new service for buyers in the Boston area. We are exclusive buyer's agents, and it hasn’t affected us a bit. Why? Because their pitch is aimed at people who don’t know what they don’t know. Our clients are smart enough to know that they should NOT be managing
Recently, my car insurance nearly doubled. No, I didn’t have an accident or get a ticket. I was up for annual renewal, and the algorithm at the company changed. My heads-up insurance agent noticed the change and moved me to another company. With the change, this year’s car insurance will be about $150 less than
From a buyer’s perspective, the Somerville Condo Ordinance changes are a win. For renters, it is a major victory. I discussed these changes in last week’s blog post. The ink wasn’t dry on the Ordinance when the backlash began. Owners in Somerville received calls and letters urging them to sell now, before the new ordinance
Two-family house Condos for sale Everyone knows what condo conversion is, right? It’s when an owner changes a multi-unit building from a one-owner property to condominiums deeded by multiple owners. Typically, this would be taking an apartment building and selling off each unit, separately, as condos. In Somerville -- the land
It is not obvious what stays and what goes, when someone sells a house. This is a big enough problem that Realtor.com sent one of their reporters out to find stories about it. The reporter was looking for spiteful sellers who took fixtures. They thought I might know, and interviewed me. In the fifty-or-so years
Private mortgage insurance (PMI) is an additional fee that borrowers who don’t have a 20 percent down payment must pay. It insures the lender, not the borrower. The lender’s costs to foreclose and resell the property could be more than the amount the borrower put down, initially, unless the lender has 20 percent up front.