by James Sanna | Aug 15, 2023
A $1.5 million cut to a state grant program for first-time homebuyer counseling might seem small, but the nonprofit community developers who use the funds say it could gut their work trying to give aspiring homebuyers of color a shot in the ever-more-expensive Massachusetts housing market.
by Lew Sichelman | Aug 6, 2023
Homebuyers who focus solely on the cost of their mortgage’s interest and principal are doing themselves a disservice. There are other recurring costs that should be factored into the decision.
by James Sanna | Aug 3, 2023
With Baby Boomers outbidding Millennials and Generation X in many home sales, economists at the National Association of Realtors say real estate agents should start thinking differently about what their clients need from them.
by James Sanna | Jul 2, 2023
A new analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data shows too many Black and Latino first-time homebuyers are still using expensive FHA loans when much cheaper local options exist, a major housing advocacy group says.
by James Sanna | Apr 24, 2023
An analysis of Census Bureau data shows that 45 percent of Millennials in Greater Boston now own homes, but separate studies released in recent days suggest that the remaining 55 percent of area Millennials face a steeper path to ownership than their peers.
by State House News Service | Dec 15, 2022
The number of people between the ages of 20 and 64 in Massachusetts is projected to fall by 120,000 people by 2030, a worrying trend that a leading business group says requires aggressive countermeasures.
by James Sanna | Oct 25, 2022
Two moves announced by Federal Housing Finance Agency officials Monday could give a boost to first-time buyers, minority buyers and others with less resources who’ve been unceremoniously shoved out of the housing market by rising prices and interest rates this year.
by Banker & Tradesman | Oct 18, 2022
In a move it said would boost lower-income Americans’ ability to buy homes, Freddie Mac said it would start including a review of a prospective homebuyer’s bank account as part of its review of whether or not to purchase a loan from a lender.
by Banker & Tradesman | Aug 3, 2022
It’s not just ability to pay that helps knock less-well-off buyers out of the housing market as prices and mortgage interest rates climb through the roof.
by The Associated Press | Jul 26, 2022
Millennials who move far from childhood homes are a distinct minority among others who reached adulthood in the 21st century, according to a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau and Harvard University researchers released Monday.
by Diane McLaughlin | Jul 17, 2022
Massachusetts’ South Coast will not see MBTA commuter rail service until the end of next year, but the train is already making waves in the region’s housing market.
by James Sanna | Jun 26, 2022
With many buyers pushed out of the market or further afield from their jobs in recent months, sellers are losing some of their clout, real estate agents and brokers say.
by James Sanna | Jun 23, 2022
The income needed to buy the median home in every major Massachusetts metro is significantly greater than the median income, a new study found.
by Banker & Tradesman | Jun 1, 2022
After briefly rallying in the face of rising interest rates earlier this spring, the number of prospective homebuyers seeking home loans dwindled over the course of May.
by The Associated Press | May 25, 2022
The U.S. housing market is slowing as would-be buyers struggle with rising borrowing costs and a persistent shortage of properties for sale.
by Banker & Tradesman | Apr 27, 2022
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appeared at the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance’s office in Dorchester yesterday to tout her proposal to spend $60 million in federal COVID aid on affordable home ownership programs.
by Lew Sichelman | Apr 3, 2022
The Build Back Better legislative package championed by President Joe Biden contains billions for down payment assistance. But rookie buyers don’t have to wait for Congress to act – if it ever does.
by Scott Van Voorhis | Mar 27, 2022
As we head into the spring market, predictions that 2022 would see home prices continue on their record tear, posting another year of double-digit increases, no longer looks like a sure bet.
by James Sanna | Feb 28, 2022
Massachusetts’ Black households appear to have been left behind by a record jump in the nation’s homeownership rate, a new study by the National Association of Realtors has found, and the soaring price of homes is likely to blame.
by James Sanna | Feb 8, 2022
A record low 25 percent of respondents in Fannie Mae’s latest monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index survey said it was a good time to buy a home.