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Homeowner diaries: cellulose insulation of exterior walls

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

By |2023-09-26T07:44:16-04:00September 27th, 2023|Categories: Happy Home Ownership, Problems and repair, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |

Landlords, Tenants, and Rent Stabilization

This summer, there were two community listening sessions in Somerville. The goal was to gather opinions about the city’s potential rent stabilization legislation. How could it be done? How could it be done fairly? How would it affect landlords, tenants, and business interests? There will be another session on September 12. How much rent? Let’s

By |2023-08-29T08:24:30-04:00August 30th, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|

How to read the MLS and other real estate listing sites

It’s spring in real estate, so it is time for a quick primer on how to read the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and alternate real estate listing sites. What does UAG mean? What does RAC mean? Most of our clients “web around” to sites like Zillow and Realtor.com to look at images of properties for

By |2023-04-11T07:06:00-04:00April 12th, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|

Is 2023 a good time to buy a home?

Is 2023 a good time to buy? Here’s some advice from exclusive buyer’s agents! Whether the risks of the current market outweigh the benefits depends on your situation. An exclusive buyer’s agent is in the best position to give you buyer-centered advice, as opposed to what will help sellers. Like our company, exclusive buyer’s agents

By |2023-01-03T14:33:27-05:00January 11th, 2023|Categories: Uncategorized|

Home is where the winter holidays become personal

December is full of holidays. People from cultures throughout the northern hemisphere developed customs to celebrate the point where days are the shortest and then begin to lengthen. That’s when the coldest part of the winter months still lies ahead, but the light is returning. Some cultures call solstice “midwinter” since light is returning. This

By |2023-12-10T16:11:43-05:00December 21st, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|

What are those things on the roof?

What are those things on that roof and why are they there? Those little spikes on the roof are there to break up sheets of ice and snow that will be falling off the roof this season. If the ice comes down in one solid sheet, it is heavy and can damage property and hurt

By |2022-12-01T09:53:40-05:00December 7th, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|

Don’t Believe the Real Estate Hype Article, Spring 2022

In February, the Boston Globe published a hyperbolic article about the housing market and how it favored sellers. This is not news. This is advertising that justifies the continuation of seller-centered market practices.  I answered it on this blog. Sometimes I am terribly naïve. I thought that was the annual “scare the buyers” article. But,

By |2022-06-03T12:20:56-04:00May 18th, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|

Ending 2021: Blessed be!

As of 10:38 yesterday morning, the days are getting longer here in eastern Massachusetts. With the coming of the light, we reflect on 2021, and what lies ahead. 2021: Looking back Health in 2021: Pandemic year number two carried the same uncertainties for us as it did for everyone else. All of our staff, except

By |2021-12-19T11:20:57-05:00December 22nd, 2021|Categories: Uncategorized|

Why does the ceiling look like that?

A house hunter asked me, ….I wanted to ask your opinion... about something I saw recently. So if you saw a building with a basement ceiling like this, what would you think? So, I answered: Basements used to all have to have plaster ceilings, for fire prevention. That regulation was abandoned as different fire safety

By |2021-02-21T07:40:57-05:00March 3rd, 2021|Categories: Uncategorized|