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Buying Beyond the Down Payment: Closing Costs and Other Expenses When Buying a Home Many buyers diligently save for their down payment.  The expenses of purchasing a home extend far beyond the down payment. In today’s market, prices are soaring and continuing to climb.  Accumulating a down payment is a significant challenge for most buyers.  Then, there are the closing costs and other cost to save for. Navigating the […]
Buying Assumable Mortgages – A Quick Overview With interest rates at the highest levels in the last ten plus years, many Buyers are being priced out of the market and are unable to afford to purchase.  Less than two years ago when rates were substantially lower, those same buyers were able to afford to buy. In the early 1980s when my wife’s […]
Buying Why You Need a Buyers Agent in 2024 Change.  Evolution.  It happens in all industries.  One the last major changes for Real Estate was the internet.  Prior to listings being readily available to all, Buyers had to speak with an Agent as only Agents had access to what was available for sale and could easily search for homes for Buyers.  Agents were the […]
Buying Everyone Is Talking About Interest Rates, We Should Also Be Talking About Homeowners Insurance Interest rates have been in the news lately and rightly so…rates have moved from 3.5% to around 8% in the last 18 months.  The impact on buyers has been substantial.  Buyers have needed to increase their budgets, purchase a lesser home, or delay their purchase. The other big one that we (meaning Realtors) need to […]
Buying Mortgage Rates Have Doubled. What Does This Mean? Rates have doubled.  I have had both Sellers and Buyers concerned about the recent increase in interest rates.  Buyers are concern because the recent increase of almost 300 basis points (or 3 percentage points) has added hundreds of dollars to the average monthly payment and can kick them into a lower price range or out […]
Buying I’M NOT AN ECONOMIST….BUT I DON’T SEE A HOUSING BUBBLE Home prices have been on a tear the last 18+ months and even with the increase in interest rates over the last six months – almost two whole percentage points – from 3.5% to 5.5% has yet to take steam out of home price appreciation. First, we need to place some definition around the term […]
Buying Getting Your Offer Accepted   What can a Buyer do in a heated real estate market where multiple offers are common?  How can you make your offer standout?  Price is always paramount.  If you make an offer above what the comparable sales support, you are entering into the realm of an emotional purchase.  What if you can’t or won’t […]
Real Estate What Doesn’t Impact List Price? Some factors have no impact on price, and as I wrote about last month, some Factors the Seller Controls, while other factors, such as price the Seller does not control.  While the Seller sets the price with a Realtor guiding them, the market ultimately determines the price of a home.  There are several items that […]
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Real Estate What Factors Does a Seller Control? What leads to a successful sale for a Seller?  In short, working with the factors the Seller can control and working those factors to the Seller’s advantage:  Condition, Marketing, Pricing, and Ease of Showing are the main factors that the Seller controls. Condition – The more attractive your place – the greater the chance of […]
Buying Lesser Known Massachusetts Residential Tax Credits While Energy rebates are well known and tax credits for Solar are also well known, the tax credits for Lead Paint Removal and for Septic Repair or Replacement are not as well known. Lead Paint Removal – Bottom line, lead paint is dangerous, especially to children.   Much of our housing stock was built prior to […]
Real Estate INDICATIONS THAT YOUR HOME IS OVERPRICED There are typically five prices for a home.  The price you want to get.  The price you list at.  The price at which you get showings.  The price at which you get offers.  And, the final sales price.  My goal as a Realtor is to set expectations from the start so that the difference between […]
Buying WHAT IS IN A CONDO FEE To start….buying a condominium can be a great way to get more square footage compared to a single family home, although in the Greater Boston housing market, condominiums can be just as expensive as a single family home and have equivalent square footage. Condominiums are appealing for those who want maintenance-free living.  In the end, […]
Buying SHOULD YOU WAIVE THE HOME INSPECTION? The market around Metro West Boston is starting to heat up again in certain price segments.  And, bidding wars are starting to emerge again in those certain price segments.  And, Buyers are starting to drop some contingencies when making offers.  So, should a Buyer waive the Home Inspection?  The sort answer is NO.  Unless the […]
Buying WHAT EXACTLY IS A CHEF’S KITCHEN? Often you see listings that describe the Kitchen as being a Gourmet Kitchen or as being a Chef’s Kitchen.  What exactly does this mean?  Real Estate Agents have a knack for using descriptive wording.  Too often, these words are used to describe a Kitchen that is perfectly nice, updated, and looks great – but falls […]
Buying WHY YOU SHOULD USE A BUYER’S AGENT Today we tend to do everything on the internet. The internet is an excellent source of information and a great starting point. It can’t replace the knowledge of a skilled professional.  After reading a few articles, you might be lead to believe you can buy a house by yourself using the internet or some other […]
Real Estate COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO UPDATE THAT PINK TILED BATH Need to sell your home? Have one of those Bathrooms that is off putting to Buyers?  You know, the 1950s Bathroom tiled in Pink, Baby Blue, Yellow or any other combination of 1950s or 1960s colors.  Better yet, 1970s Avocado Green.  While some Buyers like the retro look, they like a new retro look, not […]
Buying WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LOT THE HOUSE IS ON Most Buyers have heard the saying, “location, location, location.”  Every Buyer has budget limitations.  Depending on where you want to live, and your budget, you will likely need to make compromises – size of house, proximity to amenities and work, neighborhood location versus busy road, and more. You also need to have a good piece […]
Real Estate THE PRE-SALE INSPECTION? BAD IDEA or GOOD IDEA? Most Agents have a strong view on whether a Seller should conduct a pre-sale home inspection.  Most would advise a Seller against conducting a pre-sale home inspection.  My opinion is that the pre-sale inspection is a prudent course of action.  It does have two costs for the Seller.  The actual cost of the Inspection itself […]
Real Estate WHAT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN DURING A LISTING APPOINTMENT The Listing Appointment is an interview of sorts – for the Seller to understand what a particular Real Estate Agent has to offer and the firm that the Agent is associated with has to offer as well.  The Agent is also interviewing the Seller to understand the Seller’s objectives. I normally follow a two-step process.  […]
Real Estate Why Get a Permit? Let’s first tackle the reasons why some homeowners do not obtain permits. Three main reasons come to mind. First, the homeowner is not aware that a permit needs to be pulled. This assumes the homeowner is performing the work themselves.  Second, the Contractor performing the work does not pull the permit and the homeowner is unaware it is required. Third, […]

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