John Morrison - Boston area real estate - Everything you need to know about buying in Massachusetts

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced that eligible borrowers who intend to purchase an FHA-insured home may elect to 'monetize' the first-time homebuyer tax credit and apply those funds toward their down payment or closing costs. Previously, buyers could only re...

There are resources available to home owners who are falling behind in mortgage payments. A major program has been launched to help people in this situation, or those whose home value has fallen below the amount they have financed. Visit "Making Home Affordable" to find out if you qualify to eith...

The image you are looking at is the Hancock Building in downtown Boston. It was sold today at a foreclosure auction. What would you bid for this landmark? In 2006, this commercial investment was worth around $1.2 billion to a group of investors who purchased it, hoping for a solid CAP rate and i...

The stimulus package recently signed into law by President Obama, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, contains some modifications to the tax credit for first-time home buyers that was created last July. Here are the new details that will help folks that buy in 2009: * The credit ...

President Obama announced a plan today designed to help millions of homeowners around the country. While final details and rules & regulations will not be announced for two weeks, we learned some details today. The plan is scheduled to begin March 4. Some homeowners will be able to refinance thei...

Many common mistakes that buyers of real estate make can usually be avoided. Here are a few mistakes many buyers make, and some ways to avoid them. #1. Buying before selling. It sounds simple, but the lure of that new house can have an overwhelming effect on your finances. Sell the home you curre...

Kathleen M. Howley wrote an interesting article recently. Check it out on Bloomberg.com. Howley's thesis, built in large part upon interviews with Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz and co-creator of the widely used S&P/Case Shiller real estate price index Robert Shiller, submits that specu...

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, together with several State Senators and Represenatives, has filed two pieces of legislation aimed at reducing foreclosures and negating some of the negative effects of abandoned properties as a result of foreclosures. What is Ms. Coakley’s hope? Acc...

For an interesting read and one broker’s opinion about home buyers this year, head over to REALTYTIMES®. Author Mark Nash, a real estate practitioner in the Chicago area, has done a concise job summarizing what is in and out for home buyers. According to his bio on the site, Nash has been doing h...

The National Association of Realtors® reported today that their forward-looking statistic, “Pending Home Sales Index“, based on contracts signed on previously owned homes, is down nationwide. With the economy going down the drain, huge job losses in many sectors, and consumer confidence very low,...