After all the volatility and talk of a global crumble, all of the major U.S. stock indices posts gains last week.  It just goes to show you what a strange roller coaster ride we're all on.Last week, the market bounced its way through:The Fed's press release stating that inflation is still a concern Central banks around the world injecting gobs of cash into the global economy A French bank halting withdrawals in several funds until the "true" value of the assets can be determined Bleak outlooks from several high-profile U.S.-based lendersAnd none of those items were based on scheduled economic data releases.This week, by contrast, hosts a bevy of economic growth predictors that will hit the wires.  Continuing with today's Retail Sales report, mortgage rate shoppers will get no rest from ... 08/13/2007

Forbes magazine ranked Boston as the sixth best city for young professionals. New York City (this should not be a surprise to anyone) ranked No. 1 as the city where young professionals had the best chance to reach the corner office. New York is home to many of America's biggest and best companies, not to mention a night life second to no place on Earth. San Francisco ranked 2, ahead of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Denver respectively. Forbes compiled the list by tracking where the graduates of top universities across the country ended up 10 years after commencement; where the best business opportunities exist; which cities had the most young and unmarried people; and which cities paid young professionals the best. Alumni that rem... 08/04/2007

As you all know 360 Newbury is our favorite building in Boston!  Prices have just been adjusted to move these last three penthouse units - they are all truly amazing spaces! All 3 360 Newbury Units are penthouse duplex units. 2 of them face West and one faces East right down Newbury Street! 360 Newbury Prices: 915k (1226 sq/ft) 995k (1364 sq/ft) $1.795M (2000 sq/ft) Let us know if you are interested in any of these last three units at 360 Newbury. Remember - buy with us and get back cash at closing $11,437 - $22,437 on the above units at 360 Newbury! More Details on 360 Newbury 07/16/2007

One of my favorite Boston neighborhoods and a booming Boston Real Estate neighborhood is our very own Chinatown. The empty lots, the tangle of highways above and below ground, and the power plant may not look like much. But everyone agrees it’s prime real estate. Residents of Chinatown next door see the 20 acres – called the “Chinatown Gateway” on zoning maps – as their best chance to develop much-needed affordable housing and alleviate a severe housing crunch. But the city’s redevelopment authority has dubbed the area “South Bay” and envisions a new downtown district with upscale apartments, hotels, and offices. This struggle in Boston is the latest in a land squeeze that is changing the nature of Chinatowns across the United States. As America’s downtowns become hip again, urban real ... 07/16/2007

For any of you who may of been confused by the recent Banker and Tradesman misprint about our Boston Real Estate brokerage operations, here it is again. ANTH | JAMES is an independent Boston real estate agent located here in downtown Boston, MA. Our primary brokerage service we offer is to work with buyer’s of Boston Condos, concentrating on New Construction Boston Condos. On the Buy Side, we offer 2 levels of buyers brokerage services: 1. Full Service, where we act out our duties and services just like a traditional full service Boston Real Estate Agent. 2. (Most Popular) Split-Level Service, this is where YOU help us find you a new condo. After you research & find the property using our website or visiting open houses, you engage us to help you facilitate the rest of the transaction. ... 07/16/2007

The stalled NorthPoint project, which is already reeling from a nasty legal battle between its partners, now faces another serious blow that could lead to delays in the opening of condo high-rises. Contractors who had been working on the multibillion-dollar “city within a city” have taken out liens on the Cambridge development, saying they are owed more than $1.5 million for work they were never paid for. The liens could prevent Boston and Maine Corp., a NorthPoint landowner and lead developer, from pushing ahead with plans to open the project’s first two condo buildings, lawyers for the contractors say. Continued.. (Northpoint Condo Blog Post) 07/10/2007

Battery Wharf seems to get re-charged as construction picks up pace. I dont know whether it is me and I just recognized the recent growth but the new North End Condo development seems to be flying along now! Battery Wharf consists 104 units spread out over 7 floors.  Battery Wharf also has a hotel component (Regent) bringing hotel services to these Super Luxury Condos on the Boston Harbor waterfront.  Prices start around $1.1M and go all the way up to $5.2M+ Other Super Luxury Properties in Boston include: Residences at the InterContinental - Four Seasons Residences - Ritz Millennium - Heritage on the Garden - Atelier 505 07/10/2007

  As expected, the holiday-shortened week led to extreme volatility in mortgage rates, led by better-than-expected job growth and rising wages for workers.  In conjunction, these two data points lead to increased consumer spending and the prospect of higher spending pushes the economic slowdown likelihood lower.  That's bad news for mortgage rate shoppers because without a slowdown, mortgage rates are unlikely to make a dramatic decline like they did at this time last year.There's not much data this week except for Retail Sales on Friday.  You can bet that markets will keep a close eye on this one; it's a terrific report to gauge whether Americans are spending more dollars (as expected) or not.  The Retail Sales report will be backed up with the University of Michigan Consumer Confidenc... 07/09/2007

1900 Brownstone with Four Units-Wide Pine Floors-Exposed Brick-Vacant - Near Egleston Square Location: Roxbury, MAFour unit Brownstone on five levels near Egleston Square.Located near newly developed housing, first floor unit is a duplex unit, exposed brick in several units,wide pine floors, thermopaned windows, and yard for garden or parking. Near public transportation and downtown area. Vacant and ready for new owner to renovate. Information Contact Information Kim Ecevido 617-469-4888 Ext. 201 keopendoor@aol.com Pricing Asking Price: $412,500.00 Links Photo Slideshow OPEN DOOR REALTY Features Bedrooms: 8 Bathrooms: 5 Year Built: 1900 Lot Size: 2171 Square Footage: 2474 Agent Name: Kim Ecevido Broker: Kim Ecevido MLS #: 70595921 Attributes Appliances Range/Oven Full Refrigerator Inte... 06/28/2007

06/28/2007

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley imposed new emergency regulations to curtail “foreclosure rescuers” who have been accused of cheating consumers out of their homes, the Boston Herald reported June 1, 2007. The regulations would bar so-called “foreclosure rescuers” from making profits on homeowners struggling to afford their mortgage payments. The new regulations do not apply to non-profit groups or family members who step in to try to help people burdened with mortgages they can't pay. “'These ‘rescuers’ take a bad situation - foreclosure - and make it worse by liquidating any remaining equity in the homes,' Coakley said in a statement."Read This Article For More Information on Massachusetts Real Estate, please visit MassHomeBuyerGuide.com  06/20/2007

U.S. Mortgage applications fell 3.4 percent compared to the previous week, the Associated Press reported June 20, 2007. The data comes from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The number of applications for both purchase loans and refinance dropped."Mortgage lenders have been tightening lending criteria in recent months after a surge in defaults and foreclosures. Lenders catering to home buyers with weak, or subprime, credit, have seen a spike in loan defaults, and many have gone bankrupt or sold off their subprime businesses."Read This Article 06/20/2007

06/14/2007

REALTOR Magazine Online reported May 11, 2007 on the top 10 tax-friendliest cities in the United States. The information comes from a recent survey by the District of Columbia government that identified the metro areas that take the smallest tax bite. The survey looked at the tax burden for families in the largest city in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. The survey accounted for local income, sales, real estate, and car/personal property taxes for couples at various income levels. The survey’s rankings are based on a dual-income couple, with one school-age child and a combined gross income of $75,000 in 2005. To no one's surprise, Boston is not in the top 10. The top 10 tax-friendliest U.S. cities are as follows: Anchorage, Alaska: 4.1 percentCheyenne, Wyo.: 4.3 percentJackson... 05/26/2007

Designed by HNTB, the Lenny Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, over the Charles River, in Boston is an unusual structure.  The 185 ft. width of this bridge makes it the widest of its kind in the world.  The two bridge cable-stayed project is priced at $100 million.  The service load and dynamic forces are complicated by the asymmetric, and unusual cable stay geometry.  This bridge will be the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world at ten lanes wide.  It is replacing the upper and lower decks of I-93.  With twin spires that echo the Bunker Hill Monument this bridge will be a landmark for Boston. My husband had the honor or working on this wonderful structure, and our family will always think of him when we pass over the Lenny Zakim Bridge in Boston MA 05/12/2007

We had the pleasure of stopping in to visit the Meads of Commonwealth condos this evening. We've seen a lot of Boston condos, but the Meads really are second to none. The thirteen unique Meads of Commonwealth units are currently spread across three buildings at 413, 415, and 419 Commonwealth Avenue, range in size from 1,827 to 5,711 square feet, and in price from $1.875 million to $6.2 million. Some of the striking features of the Back Bay Meads Condos are: Stunning ceiling heights in the majority of the units - some units have 12 foot ceiling heights, with the lowest being in the eight to nine foot range The sheer expanse of the units - you could literally get lost in some of these units, they just flow from room to room, and amenity to amenity Excellent craftsmanship across the board ... 05/03/2007

The Boston Red Sox are home against the infamous Bronx Bombers and this is sure to be a great weeekend in baseball. As most baseball or sports fans know it just doesn't get any better than watching your favorite team go head to head against their archrivals.The Red Sox and Yankees rivalry goes back to when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees and that is where Red Sox fans have known all too well for an 86 year stretch, "The Curse of the Bambino".  Since the sale in 1920 the Red Sox went from 1918 until 2004 without winning a World Series.The NY Yankees have been extremely successful and are recognized as the greatest baseball franchise in baseball history. They have won 26 World Series starting in 1923 and thus the  rivalry was born. In 2007 the Red Sox hope to get back on the wi... 04/21/2007

Forbes reported April 16, 2007 on the top 25 cleanest cities in the world. The figures for the cleanest cities came from studies of 300 cities by Mercer Human Resources Consulting, identifying overall quality of living. "The cleanest cities are largely located in countries noted for their democracy and their industrialization. The only Asian cities represented are in Japan. There are no top-25 clean cities in South or Central America, Africa and Australia. The U.S. has five of the top 25; Canada, a strong five, with the top spot its city of Calgary; Europe has 11 of the top 25; and Japan has three." Boston tied for tenth with Montreal, Canada; Bern, Switzerland; Vancouver, Canada and Lexington, KY. View a slide show of the cleanest cities in the world.Read The Article 04/20/2007

The Boston Globe reported April 14, 2007 that Downtown Boston condo prices rose 7 percent in the first quarter."Prices for condominiums in the city jumped 7 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2006, to a median $489,800, according to preliminary market figures compiled by Otis & Ahearn, a Boston real estate brokerage and marketing firm. In contrast, prices for single-family homes in Massachusetts fell 5.7 percent in the same period, according to Global Insight, a Waltham economic and consulting firm. "The downtown condo market 'is cooking,' said Kevin Ahearn, Otis & Ahearn's president. 'There's very aggressive buying' in all price ranges, he said."Ahearn predicted that when the final condo sales figures are in, downtown sales may surpass the first-q... 04/20/2007

Are you serious about building your net worth?  How about having a positive monthly cash flow? Owning a property with huge growth potential? Here is an opportunity to purchase a fully leased 4 unit apartment building within walking distance to beaches and MBTA commuter line in Beverly's Dane Street Beach neighborhood.All the informatiion can be found by simply clicking >>>> http://listing.loopnet.com/15047289 to see all the details on this high performance Prime AAA property.Easy to show by appointment by simply giving me a call to set up a private showing. The building and apartments are in mint condition, plenty of parking for tenants and one of the finest investment opportunities  on the North Shore. 04/18/2007