If you've been to a RE BarCamp before then you know what they're all about and know all of the useful information you can take away from them and the great people you can meet. They're starting to gain popularity and it seems like for the next couple of months there's one taking place every week! I've been a huge supporter of RE BarCamp since the first one at Inman Connect in San Francisco this past July. For the the first event of its kind in real estate the turn out was great and the attendees even better. If you haven't been to one before you may be asking what exactly a BarCamp is? From the BarCamp website: "BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from par... 03/11/2009

Map Search all Boston, Massachusetts MLS Listings Visit Boston MLS Map Search Search all Boston, Massachusetts MLS listings by location (street or neighborhood) price, criteria and keyword phrases with the results shown on a map.  View listing information including interior and exterior pictures of the properties.  Visit Boston MA Homes and condos for sale for direct MLS access of Boston properties. RE/MAX Innovations provides the consumer with a free service that allows for a thorough and efficient map search of the Massachusetts Multiple Listing system for Massachusetts real estate.  To sign up for this service click on Massachusetts Home Search  For a direct search of all MA MLS listings, go to Massachusetts MLS.  If you want to receive a list of Massachusetts bank owned properties, ... 03/07/2009

The New Stimulus Bill enacted recently delivers first time buyers as follows... "The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.  The credit does not require repayment.  Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules:  the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser's income tax liability.  If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser". Note: There is a recapture if you sell your home within 3 years, at which the credit will be recaptured upon the sale. This only applies to folks who purchased in 2009, as the changes are effective January ... 03/06/2009

MassachusettsReal Estate For Sale & Rent The Fenway, Massachusetts   NONE SINGLE FAMILY 2 CONDO/TOWNHOUSE 56 VACANT LAND COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL MULTI-FAMILY 1 FARM/RANCH WATERFRONT/VACATION RENTAL/LEASE 7 INVESTMENT MOBILE/MANUFACTURED MODEL/NEW CONSTRUCTION TIME SHARE ADULT COMMUNITY WATERFRONT LOT CO-OP We can also provide you with a list of all real estate currently for sale in this area. 03/02/2009

Boston Back BayReal Estate For Sale & Rentals Back Bay, Massachusetts   NONE   SINGLE FAMILY 6 CONDO/TOWNHOUSE 173 VACANT LAND 1 COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL 7 MULTI-FAMILY   FARM/RANCH   WATERFRONT/VACATION   RENTAL/LEASE 46 INVESTMENT   MOBILE/MANUFACTURED   MODEL/NEW CONSTRUCTION   TIME SHARE   ADULT COMMUNITY   WATERFRONT LOT   CO-OP   We can also provide you with a list of all real estate currently for sale in this area.     Back Bay Real Estate Main streets of Back Bay. Culturally speaking, the Back Bay is known for being the home of the wealthy and the upper middle class. It is best-known for its expensive housing and shopping areas. Most stores are located on Newbury and Boylston Streets, with the ends closer to the Boston Public Garden traditionally more expensive. The Back Bay is den... 03/02/2009

MassachusettsReal Estate For Sale & Rent Allston, Massachusetts   NONE SINGLE FAMILY 3 CONDO/TOWNHOUSE 36 VACANT LAND 1 COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL 12 MULTI-FAMILY 13 FARM/RANCH WATERFRONT/VACATION RENTAL/LEASE 5 INVESTMENT MOBILE/MANUFACTURED MODEL/NEW CONSTRUCTION TIME SHARE ADULT COMMUNITY WATERFRONT LOT CO-OP We can also provide you with a list of all real estate currently for sale in this area.   Demographics Allston, while primarily a student neighborhood, is also home to Boston natives and Asian, Russian and numerous other immigrants. In the 1990s, census figures indicated that 52.6% of its population was aged 20-34 (as compared to 33% for the city of Boston as a whole), an indication of the strong student and "twenty-something" presence That presence has created tension between some l... 03/02/2009

MassachusettsReal Estate For Sale & Rent Beacon Hill, Massachusetts   NONE   SINGLE FAMILY 7 CONDO/TOWNHOUSE 75 VACANT LAND   COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL   MULTI-FAMILY 5 FARM/RANCH   WATERFRONT/VACATION   RENTAL/LEASE 7 INVESTMENT   MOBILE/MANUFACTURED   MODEL/NEW CONSTRUCTION   TIME SHARE   ADULT COMMUNITY   WATERFRONT LOT   CO-OP   We can also provide you with a list of all real estate currently for sale in this area. 03/02/2009

Talking to Yourself is OK; Just be Nice   Everyone talks to themselves, whether out-loud, or in their mind.  What kind of things are you saying to yourself?  Your self talk will influence your self esteem and self confidence.  You should be encouraging yourself; there are enough negative people in the world who try to put you down.  Your defense is your self-confidence; keep it strong.   Self Talk and your Self Esteem   Thinking negative thoughts makes you unhappy; self-talk leads to your mood.  It's bad enough to listen to others negative attitudes; you don't need it from your own inner-voice.    Telling yourself "I suck" or "I'm a failure" will lead to low self esteem and no confidence; you may even become depressed and then tell yourself more negative things.    Bill Bartmann suggest... 02/21/2009

The City of Boston is holding a special foreclosure homebuyer fair for people interested in buying REO (bank owned) property in Boston.  There will be Realtors with their listings, lenders to discuss financing, and homebuyer counselors all in one place.  The City of Boston will also be holding a seminar on site, titled "Learn how to buy a foreclosed property".  If you take the seminar, you will be qualified for special loan and grant program. It really should be a great event if you have any interest in buying a foreclosure in Boston.  Some of the highlights: REO and foreclosed listings from local Realtors (including my company) Opportunities to meet with participating lenders to learn about specialty mortgage products to help buy foreclosures Information on money available for qualifie... 02/18/2009

  Wagamama opens its third chain in the metro Boston area today at the Prudential center in Boston Ma. I am thrilled as it is one more great dining option for all of us here at the office. We used to travel to the Faneuil Hall location but parking and travel time always made us reconsider, well not anymore. It is only a few blocks away from the office and steps away from Newbury St. http://wagamama.us/locations/showlocation/662 02/16/2009

City of Boston Homebuyer Fair Saturday, February 28, 2009 Location: Lee Community Center, Dorchester Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.   BOSTON HOME CENTER HOMEBUYER FAIRSIn February the City of Boston will host the first of several Homebuyer Fairs tomatch homebuyers to REO properties listed for sale in Boston. The Boston Home Center’s Homebuyer Fair will be a great opportunity for interested buyers to meet with Realtors, Lenders and Homebuyer counselors all in one location.The Homebuyer Fair will permit attendees One Stop Access to the following:• REO listings from local realtors• Opportunity to meet with our participating lenders and learn about specialty mortgage products• Information on money available for qualified buyers purchasing REO properties• Purchase/Rehab money for qualified REO... 02/11/2009

It's the tallest building in Boston.  The tallest in New England, for that matter.  Sold in 2006 for a then-prestigious $1.3 billion, the AIA award winning structure is an icon of Boston's standing as a city to be reckoned with.  That was three years ago.  In the economic contraction that's gripped the nation, commercial real estate has been the second shoe to fall.  Bloomberg estimates that the 60 story tower (made famous during construction by 500 lb sheets of its glass skin popping loose and falling to the sidewalk below) has fallen in value by as much as $600 million. If financing cannot be arranged to forestall the foreclosure, New York's SL Green Realty Corp. will be auctioning the property as early as March 31. I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ Mortgage lender.Think o... 02/09/2009

The City of Boston is sponsoring a homebuyers fair to match buyers with short sale and foreclosed properties available for sale in Boston, Massachusetts.     Buyers will be able to:   Meet with lenders, real estate agents, and homebuying counselors Attend a Learn How To Buy A Foreclosed Property seminar Get information on bank-owned (REO) properties in Boston Find out about downpayment and closing cost assistance for qualified first time homebuyers Meet with a lender to get pre-qualified for a mortgage Learn about money available for purchase / rehab of bank-owned properties      The homebuyer fair will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 10 am to 2:00 pm at the Perkins Community Center in the Lee School, 155 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, MA.   For more information call 617-635-466... 02/04/2009

There are two major differences between homes that sell in this market and homes that don't: correct pricing and proper staging.   Neither is more important than the other, and both play key roles.  They are dance partners who must be in sync for a sale to take place (not that I know much about dancing!).  I'll give you a classic example that recently took place.  In early spring, my business partner and I met with clients who had their Back Bay condo on the market for nearly 4 months with no success when they called us for help.  The asking price had started at $695,000 and had been lowered a few times over the 4 month listing period, eventually to $649,000.  Their condo should have been able to sell at that price, so they thought.  Still no buyers emerged.    We went in to meet with t... 02/01/2009

A Dorchester, MA mortgage broker who helped home buyers who were credit risks secure subprime loans has pleaded guilty to forgery, larceny, and other criminal charges, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office reported January 13, 2009.Nicole Lyder, age 34, pled guilty to charges of forgery (6 counts), larceny of bank credit by false pretenses (5 counts), uttering a false document (6 counts), and making or publishing false or exaggerated statements (4 counts).  Following the change of plea to guilty, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine McEvoy sentenced Lyder to serve two years in the house of correction, committed, and two years in the house of correction, sentence suspended for three years and to begin from and after the committed time. Essentially, Lyder will be on probation for ... 01/20/2009

Red tailed hawks have become increasingly common around Boston and Cambridge.  It's still a thrill every time you see one.  In Cambridge real estate agents tour the new listings each Wednesday.  Twice in the last year we've seen hawks during our tour.  One was perched atop a Cambridge hospital's cupola several stories up and another day we found one high in a tree on a Belmont hill just across the street from the house we were viewing.  They are simply majestic.   The best hawk sighting - from just a few feet away - happened the other day - actually twice in two days - as a red tailed hawk chose my brother's fire escape in South Boston as a landing spot.  We're hoping he continues to be a regular visitor.  The cats hope so too - if only to dream from the safety of the kitchen table.    ... 01/19/2009

Boston Massachusetts Real Estate - Virtual Community Tour Boston, Massachusetts is a historic city of contrasts. Ancient red-brick sidewalks twist past handsome Federalist houses on the way to soaring glass towers housing state-of-the-art finance and high-tech firms. The city's sports teams are among the best loved and the most hated, locally and nationally, at one and the same time. Residents are fiercely protective of their neighborhoods and fiercely critical of the MBTA, the government and the weather. The cultural, economic, political, educational and transportation hub of New England, it is internationally recognized as one of the world's most livable cities, having served as a center for global trade, finance, research, medicine and technology for more than three centuries. One of... 01/18/2009

That is the question I have been fielding from my clients for a month now.  Don't get me wrong,  it's a great question.   But it leads many consumers into a state of "rate lock paralysis."  Many people don't want to lock a rate today out of fear that rates will be lower sometime in the near future.   There are two things I say to these types of borrowers: I remind them about all the clients who missed out in January of 2008 when rates hit 5.00% for only a short while.   I had dozens of clients who could have saved $200,  $300 and even $400 if they had refinanced down to 5.00% but they wanted to "wait for a better rate."  Well,  that better rate never came and it cost some of them $4,000+ in potential savings over the following 12 months. Just like when you invest or even belly up to a b... 01/17/2009

Lofts in Greater Boston One of the things I have come to notice about this real estate market, is that there seems to be little affect on the sale of lofts in the Greater Boston area. In a quick survey, I found 65 lofts available in Greater Boston. What is a Loft apartment? Loft apartments are apartments that are generally built into former industrial buildings. When industrial developments are developed into condominiums instead of apartments, they may be called loft condominiums. The general term warehouse-to-loft conversions may sometimes be used for development of industrial buildings into apartments and condominiums. "Loft-style" may also refer simply to developments where a street-level business occupies the first floor while apartment "lofts" are placed above the first floor. Thi... 01/16/2009

Boston, Massachusetts Foreclosure Listings - MA Bank-Owned Homes Receive Boston, MA real estate foreclosure (bank-owned) listings and short sale opportunities as they are listed.  Obtain information about properties that meet your criteria or all listings in Boston.  NEW FORECLOSURE LISTING ALERTS- BE THE FIRST TO KNOW - THE BEST DEALS SELL QUICKLY! If you are serious about buying a home or condominium at a great value, our Virtual Homes real estate agents at will contact you and provide: * A list of existing real estate foreclosure (bank-owned) and short sale listings in Boston, MA and other communities you select.  Or you can set up your own searches for properties that meet your criteria. * Email alerts on NEW foreclosure (bank-owned) and short sale listings in the Massachusetts MLS... 01/11/2009