Ron Rothenberg, homeowner and exclusive buyer's agent, has a love-hate relationship with hot water heaters. He's ready to break up with his conventional direct-fired water heater. This is one of the reasons why: Apres le water heater, le deluge by Ron Rothenberg (edited from 2010 post) Conventional water heaters have always bothered me. Why would
Q: What happened in Boston on Tuesday night will affect the region’s housing. A: Question 5 in Boston passed! Q: What’s that? A: It was a ballot measure that increased property tax on Boston residents by 1 percent. This money will be dedicated to affordable housing, recreation, and historic preservation projects. The expectation is that
Do you learn better by doing a project than by sitting at a desk and reading? Do you think your children are like you in that regard? If so, you may want to move to Somerville--for the schools. Say what? Somerville Schools just got the motherlode of good luck in the school department. Powderhouse Studios
The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® frequently has political initiatives that we are against. As a member, I refrain from assisting them in these actions. I notify my representative that I am a member of the association, but disagree on a particular policy. This summer, my association embarrassed me by fighting tooth and nail against mandatory
Yard signs for your summer.
It gets complicated when you want to use a condo roof to harness solar power. Who pays for it? Who gets the power? Who gets the rebate when you sell power to the grid? Newly built condos have the advantage of having the solar (PV) system as part of the initial purchase. Adding it later
Angie’s List now has a free membership for people who want to read and write reviews. You’ve heard of Angie’s List. Did it turn you off with its membership fee? Well, that fee is gone. The staff confirm that reviewers actually used the businesses. It keeps the reviews more accurate. We’ve had happy clients writing
No sooner do I publish how well our clients did in a hard seller’s market, than The Boston Globe publishes a second edition of their annual “scare the buyers” article. What they say is all true. But, who does it serve to say it the way they do? Not buyers, that’s for sure. Before you
How well do exclusive buyer’s agents do, in the face of a tough seller’s market? Here are results for the hardest seller’s market we have faced, ever! Our report card for the first half of 2016: Total amount under original asking negotiated by -$213,500 Total amount negotiated after inspections: -$19,000 Total paid over asking price
This spring, FNC published a look at the rate of price increases in cities throughout the country. Real estate is appreciating at a healthy rate, nationally. It seems that Boston MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) was too big for its britches last year and had a slowdown in growth. The headline is scary, for those who