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Boston, MA Real Estate News

By Danny Thornton, WordPress Guru
(R & D Art)
A couple of days ago, I was on the phone with a good friend of mine that is a huge Boston Red Sox fan. Since I lived in the Ft Myers area for some time, I was able to catch the Red Sox during spring training all the time. In doing this, I would meet people from the Boston area. I was always fascinated with the Real Estate in Boston and how it compared to the other markets around the country. I was really surprised to hear how well the Boston Real Estate market was doing. What I found more surprising than anything else though was that no matter who I asked about Boston Luxury Real Estate or Boston Luxury Lofts, it always seem to come back to the same name. No matter if you were looking to buy one of the Boston Condos or if the Loft style living is more you thing, Bushari Group Real Estat...
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By Justin Perry
(Mortgage Banker)
I am interested to hear what others in the mortgage industry are hearing from their clients about falling interest rates after they are already locked in.  First of all I don't think it is wise to pay closing costs when refinancing so most my current refinances are no closing cost deals.   I try to stress to my clients that when we lock a rate for them as a warehouse lender we are literally setting aside funds for them at a contracted rate.  If rates go up they of course can rest assured that we will honor the original rate lock but on the flip side I stress the importance of them honoring the rate lock if by chance rates come down.  Now,  that being said we do have the ability to renegotiate the rate if pricing improves significantly but typically not down to the lowest market rate.  F...
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Boston Common, also known as Midtown Massachusetts offers condos, highrises and townhomes priced in the millions. The views from Midtown are just what you would expect them to be... extraordinary. This area sells itself! CONDOs FOR SALE - MIDTOWN MA $1,400,000  
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By John Ford
(Ford Realty)
Beacon Hill, Boston Neighborhood Beacon Hill is one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in all of Boston offering townhomes from the $400,000s to the Millions. The area is simply gorgeous with old-victorian style brownstones, townhomes, single family residences and offices set on the back drop of downtown Boston.  
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Mitchell Properties LLC has recently opted to allow prospective tenants to sign 9-12 month leases with the option to sign a “lease to purchase contract” to contribute rent towards a future purchase at the new 700 Harrison condo development in Boston's South End. These new released rental units are moving fast - since last week, four units were rented after being on the market for only three days. Read more:700 Harrison Luxury Boston Rentals
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By Richard Rosa, Exclusive Buyer Agent
(Buyers Brokers Only, LLC)
The Boston Metropolitan Area showed a 5.7 percent decline in home prices in September compared to September 2007, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, a monthly report that tracks U.S. home prices in 20 metropolitan areas. Only Charlotte (3.5 percent), Dallas (2.7 percent) and Denver (5.4 percent) had smaller price declines.Phoenix was the weakest market, reporting an annual decline of 31.9 percent, followed by Las Vegas, down 31.3 percent, and San Francisco, which saw a drop of 29.5 percent. Miami, Los Angeles, and San Diego did not fair much better with annual price declines of 28.4 percent, 27.6 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively. Read The S&P/Case-Shiller Press Release
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By Justin Perry
(Mortgage Banker)
Many consumers,  savvy and otherwise are a little confused as to why mortgage rates are not lower than where they are.  Today you can get a 30 year fixed rate mortgage at 5.875% with no points and don't get me wrong that is a phenomenal rate historically.  But if you look at where banks are borrowing at you would expect that rate to be significantly lower.  This does have a lot to do with supply and demand and I don't mean the general public's demand for low mortgage rates.  I am referring to Wall St's appetite for mortgage backed securities.  But I will give you an easier example to consider: Let's say you are a bank.  And you can now borrow money at a true historic low rate of 1.25% which is the Fed Funds rate.  You can then turn around and lend to borrowers at 5.875% so they can buy ...
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
When Berkeley Investments Inc., local Boston restaurateur Barbara Lynch, and Mayor Thomas Menino broke ground at the mixed-use FP3 condo development on Friday, April 20, 2007, the project was heralded as the new luxury baseline in the Fort Point Channel. More than a year and a half later, the development is now a reality, but the 92 residential loft-style condos are not moving off the market. Read more: FP3 Boston Condo Sales.
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By Richard Rosa, Exclusive Buyer Agent
(Buyers Brokers Only, LLC)
What, declining prices and low interest rates are not good enough reasons to buy a home? Need another reason to break up with the landlord and buy your own place? Boston Area rents increased 4.2 percent over the past year, The Boston Globe reported October 29, 2008. It was the largest increase in rents in seven years. "Average monthly rent in the metropolitan area increased to $1,659 in the third quarter, from $1,592 a year earlier, according to a report from Reis Inc., a New York research firm that tracks rents for apartments in buildings with at least 40 units. Boston's increase exceeded the national rise of 3.5 percent, Reis said." The report blames foreclosures with putting more people in the rental market and increasing demand. Ginnie Mae has a buy v. rent calculator to help consum...
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
On the southeast corner of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue (above Best Buy), the 360 Newbury development greets Boston's Back Bay residents with a sleek concierge-served lobby off of a Newbury Street entrance, and condos boast downtown skyline views, and high-end finishes and fixtures.  We've put together a look at 2008 Boston 360 Newbury condo sales statistics.  There's less turnover in the 54 loft-style unit building than one would think.
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
If you or a client of yours needs to purchase and move into a condo almost immediately, our list of move-in ready luxury Boston condo developments narrows down the choices for you. The typical one to three month real estate transaction life cycle is sometimes too lengthy for Buyers who need to move in quickly, situations like this can be specifically addressed by new construction condo developments that have been completed (a certificate of occupancy has been issued), and there are available units in the building still owned by the developer.
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
Downtown Boston offers close to 50 different condo developments with in-house concierge services, a trait found in high-end luxury buildings. We're bringing you a comprehensive list of Boston condos for sale with concierge services (alphabetical order): 210 South Street (Leather District) 285 Columbus Lofts (Back Bay) 360 Newbury (Back Bay) 44 Prince Street (North End) 45 Province (Midtown) 75 Clarendon Street (South End) Albert A. Pope Building (Back Bay) Atelier 505 (South End) Battery Wharf (Waterfront) Boston W Hotel & Condos (Midtown) Broadluxe (Financial District) Burroughs Wharf (Waterfront) Channel Center (Seaport District) Charles River Park (West End) Constellation Wharf (Charlestown ) Court Square Press (South Boston) D4 Police Station (South End) Dockside Place Condominiums ...
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By Fred Light, Real Estate Video Tours for MA and NH
(| Nashua Video Tours)
The Rose Kennedy Greenway | Boston, Massachusetts Stretching from the Zakim Bridge to Chinatown in the heart of downtown Boston, The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a 14 acre park complete with fountains, greenery, trees and sculptures rejoins the city with the historic Boston Harbor waterfront and Boston's newest neighborhood, The Seaport District. Anyone lucky enough to become a resident along the Greenway, whether it be in the North End, Chinatown, Financial District or waterfront or the nearby Seaport district, is sure to enjoy themselves and the beauty of Boston even more, due to these incredible aesthetic and engineering improvements. Other condo buildings, either new construction or recent conversions, have recently opened their doors in time to take full advantage of the area...
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
After opening to the public in late 2007, the Philippe Starck designed redevelopment of Boston's D4 Police Station in the heart of the South End can now boast of having a resale condo in the 25-unit boutique luxury development. Fitted with all of the upgrades and amenities, unit 11 was listed for sale several days ago.  The 798 square foot one-bedroom one-bathroom condo with a small outdoor terrace and a tandem garage parking space is listed at $729,000 ($914 per square foot).  Condo fees are approximately $651 per month. For more information about unit 11, see First Resale at D4 Condos For more information about the development itself, see Boston D4 Condos
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
Our recent look at the movement in the South End condo market of downtown Boston demonstrates that the sheer number of condos being sold has absolutely decreased over the past year, however, other pertinent data points paint a unique picture. Perhaps most notably, it's a picture of the survival of the fittest, in that the condos that are being listed for sale are commanding excellent sales to original list price ratios, staying on the market for a shorter amount of time, and overall, there is a smaller amount of inventory.  Get an in depth look at our most recent featured article on Boston South End condo statistics, including a 5 year historically analysis along with corresponding charts.
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By Fred Doleac, Real Estate in a Virtual World
(Fred Doleac - Bean Group)
Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts once a stagnant pool of water behind the public garden, is now one of the most exclusive areas of Boston. A stroll down Newbury St. will take you from high fashion to hip ice cream parlors, and a walk back up Commonwealth Ave. will let you take in some of the most elegant townhouses in the city. With its rows of historic homes and a vibrant commercial district to boot, Back Bay is an elegant and exciting place to live. Visit Virtual Homes virtual community website at http://www.backbaymahomes.com/ for real estate information. To view communities in Massachusetts visit MA Real Estate and to search the Massachusetts MLS visit MA MLS and view properties through a map based search.  In other states, visit http://www.virtualhomes.com. Visit NH real estate comm...
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By Boston Condo Guy
(Boston Condo Guy)
The City of Boston has an Assessing Department that is responsible for accurately determining the value of all real and personal property located within the City for the purpose of taxation. The City takes the assessed value of a condo and applies a residential tax rate to it to determine gross tax bills. The City of Boston publishes a residential tax rate table to help guide you in estimating your taxes based on your assessed home value. For 2008, for every $1,000 of assessed value in your condo, you are taxed $10.99. For more information, visit the Boston Condo Blog to learn how to estimate Boston property taxes for a $515,000 condo.
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By Robert Nichols, MungoList.com
(MungoList.com)
Since launching SharpBuyers.com in August 2007 I have been trying to juggle being a fulltime traditional broker wile trying to build a successful discount brokerage. While a broker can manage both methods simultaneously, I have decided it makes no sense to continue to do so. I am going %100 discount on the listing side and buyers side. Originally I had planned on working with my base clients as a traditional broker while focusing my marketing efforts on advertising discount techniques to attract new customers.  To truly grow my business I decided to inform everyone of the new services that I would be offering through SharpBuyers.com and Mungo List. Most Realtors may feel that I am selling out, but the reality is the discount approach allows me to successfully service more clients in a m...
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By Mark Madden, The Madden Team
(Century 21 Commonwealth)
In an effort to be knowledgebale of our current market, I weekly pull the market statistics in Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Brighton and Allston. Below are the market statistics in Brighton, Massachusetts for Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. I will be posting Brighton, MA market statistics weekly on Wednesdays. As you can see there has been depreciation year-to-date in all the housing categories, but it is not as bad as the media would have you believe. The sharpest decline has been in multi-familes, which has dropped 6% since 2007. However, the multi-families are still selling at about the same pace as last year which can not be said for single families and condominiums. Inventory is down in all three housing categories with the largest decline being...
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