My fellow Realtors® have been selling the wonderful changes to Somerville and Medford that will come on the heels of the Green Line extension. Local real estate prices have risen on the expectation of increased transportation. I have been cynical about the project, expecting starts and stops. My advice has long been that if you
More data is not better data. I advise my clients to look for indications of negotiation points, like comparable sales, the seller buying another property, and neighborhood issues that are chasing the seller from their property (this is common if a building project is nearby or the taxes just went up… that kind of thing.)
Any reader of real estate data must pay attention to sleight-of-hand tricks caused by changes in topic from real estate volume (the number of sales) and real estate prices. Any buyer should stop reading whenever they see fear-mongering statements that predict that buying will become impossible if you don’t buy right now. (see blue text
When the spring market came, it came! The snows in February slowed the beginning, then, wow. Because demand remains high, we are seeing more competitive bid situations (bidding wars) than we did in 2014. We are pleased for our clients who have bought so far this year. Our report card, first half of 2015: All
This article is designed to make you crazy, buyers. Prices are up. We all know that. But, by how much? Funny, they don’t tell you anything relevant to your search. There is no chart of local information. Just a couple of paragraphs about why the housing bulls are dancing the gig. When you see an
There’s no curb appeal when there are no curbs. We have clients willing to climb Mount-They-Shoveled-It to see places for sale and clients who are sitting it out. They all want to know when spring will spring in real estate. Spring in real estate generally happens when the snow melts; that’s going to be a
When I was thirteen or fourteen, I had a button that read, “If you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit.” That works in middle school, but I grew out of it. Some of my peers didn’t. Because my clients and I sign into open houses with my email address, I
“…according to the National Association of Realtors, homeownership rates among those 35 and younger is 36%--the lowest level since 1982…” NAR is concerned that this figure is so low. Nationally, it may be unusually low. They say there are myths making this so. I think there are good reasons for it. Entry level housing is
At most social occasions, I have been getting a lot of sympathy these days. “Are you OK?” they ask, expecting tales of bankruptcy and nervous breakdown. “I hear there are ten offers on every property and everything sells for $50,000 above asking price.” The stories are true, but they are not true. Some properties are
In the most competitive Seller’s market since the late 1980s, how did we do? We are pleased for our clients who have bought in 2014. They did buy a house or condo in eastern Massachusetts without bidding wildly over asking price or throwing away their rights. Summary: No clients waived their home inspections in order