From the category archives:

Massachusetts Property Values

Debunking The July 2010 Housing Report: 5 Reasons Why Massachusetts Home Sales Will Continue To Rise

August 27, 2010

A National Association of Realtor’s report released Wednesday indicated that home purchases fell 27% in July, a drop that jolted the real estate industry, according to the Wall Street Journal, and sent shock waves through the broader economy. As a result, a number of economists provided dire warnings of a continued down slide in real [...]

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Why The Bachelor & Bachelorette Need A Real Estate Agent

August 4, 2010

A Special Guest Post By Gabrielle Daniels Brennan, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Sudbury, MA. Similar to the obsession over Massachusetts real estate and addiction to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is our addiction to The Bachelor / The Bachelorette TV series. Many of us really didn’t want to admit that we were glued to the [...]

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McMansions Out Of Favor: New Homes Reportedly Getting Smaller

June 14, 2010

The Wall Street Journal Blog has a very interesting article on the recent demise of McMansions: America’s love affair with McMansions continues to wane: The size of new single-family homes completed last year fell 3.2% to 2,438 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders trade group, which analyzed Census data. It’s the [...]

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Real Estate Fear Factor: Dealing With Stigmatized Property

June 8, 2010

The well maintained 4 bedroom Colonial in a North Shore suburb with a great backyard looked nice enough thought “Debbie,” the buyer. However, she was dismayed to learn from neighbors after closing on the property, that the prior owner had committed suicide in the house. The real estate agent never advised her of this, and [...]

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When Good Fences Make Upset Neighbors: Adverse Possession Law In Massachusetts

June 2, 2010

Robert Frost once said “good fences make good neighbors.” When that fence encroaches over a neighbor’s property line, that neighbor can turn from good to upset very quickly. When boundary or encroachments disputes arise, a little known legal doctrine often comes into play: adverse possession. Adverse possession is a legal doctrine in Massachusetts under which [...]

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The 2 Major Snags That Can Derail Your Mortgage Loan: Significant Home Repairs And A Low Appraisal

May 19, 2010

The mortgage lending underwriting environment has changed dramatically in the last several years. At the peak of the bubble, mortgage professionals joked that you needed only to be able to fog a mirror to get a loan. These days, even borrowers with good incomes and good credit scores can get turned down. Much of the [...]

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Federal Aid And Tax Extension To May 11 Available To Massachusetts Homeowners Affected By Flooding

April 1, 2010

President Obama and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Monday night declared a “major disaster” exists in Massachusetts due to rainstorms and flooding that began earlier this month and continues. The 7 affected Massachusetts counties are Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester counties. Federal funds to homeowners in those counties affected by [...]

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Early Impact Of First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Appears Strong

May 2, 2010

The deadline for getting under contract for the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit was last Friday, and some preliminary statistics are already coming out demonstrating how popular the program was. The Boston Herald reports that almost 30,000 Massachusetts buyers have taken advantage of the credit already, and that doesn’t include the most recent weeks [...]

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Recent Flooding Impacts Spring Sales Season And Raises Thorny Disclosure And Inspection Issues

April 9, 2010

While folks here in Massachusetts are finally drying out from the Big Flood of 2010, it’s clear that it has negatively impacted the spring real estate market, and will have repercussions for years ahead for buyers and sellers of affected properties. Impact On The Market As recently reported in the Boston Globe, realtors around the [...]

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Green Energy Trends: Geothermal Technology Becoming More Popular In Massachusetts

January 3, 2010

I’m pleased to welcome guest blogger, Leslie Mann, a Realtor with Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty who specializes in the Dover-Sherborn area of Massachusetts. Leslie is here to talk about geothermal technology, which is growing in popularity in Massachusetts. Geothermal technology is a great way to heat and cool your home. It costs far less to [...]

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Massachusetts Real Estate Law Year In Review: Top Posts Of 2009 And Predictions For 2010

December 28, 2009

In the spirit of the New Year, let’s look back at the top legal issues of the past year and peer into the crystal ball for a glimpse at 2010. Top 5 Posts For 2009 #1. The Catch-22 Impact of New Fannie Mae Condominium Regulations. In January, Fannie Mae was the first government agency to [...]

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Massachusetts Property Values: An Appraiser’s Outlook And Predictions On Future Massachusetts Property Values

July 31, 2009

I’m pleased to have Donald J. Griffin, MAI, SRA, an experienced appraiser with Don Griffin Appraisals, Inc., who is here to guest blog about a topic very much on the mind of Massachusetts homeowners, buyers and sellers: Massachusetts property values. What Happened? The Last Three Years The Massachusetts real estate market was artificially stimulated by [...]

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Time’s A Runnin’ Out On The First Time Homebuyer $8,000 Credit

September 8, 2009

Now that time is running out on the First Time Home Buyer Credit–what I call the Realtor Cash For Clunkers program — I came across this comically shameless video produced by one of America’s largest real estate brokerage companies. Fast Tube by Casper But seriously folks, the credit seems like a good idea, but filled [...]

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