Opinion
Equity Contracts Aren’t So Hot
There comes a time in practically every homeowner’s life when they consider using the equity they’ve built up in their house for one purpose or another.
Three Big Ideas for Fixing Boston’s Housing Production Problem
The decline in housing production in Boston, a city already beset with some of the nation’s highest prices and rents, has gone from bad to worse to simply catastrophic.
Massachusetts’ Growing Ranks of Older Homeless Straining the Safety Net
Here in one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest nation on Earth, a quiet crisis is unfolding as more and more older adults are losing their homes.
The Fair Share Amendment Will Help Mass. Keep I-90 Project on Track
This is a real setback for this once-in-a-generation opportunity. But it’s far from the final chapter – and we still have hundreds of millions of dollars to work with.
The Property Insurance Conundrum
Recent storms highlight just how few Americans go without homeowners’ insurance – 1 in 7 – and how nearly everyone does without flood insurance.
A ‘Business as Usual’ Attitude is Holding Massachusetts Back
While Massachusetts prepares to debate a small fraction of proposed housing reforms, states across the country are already implementing many of those same ideas.
Policy, Plus Action, Equals More Housing, More Quickly
At CHAPA’s new Housing Policy Action Center, we want to help support ideas through implementation, and make sure reforms are backed with on-the-ground experience and solid coalitions.
40-Year Listing Firm Run Out of Business
Remember the company that was offering homeowners a few thousand dollars in exchange for the right to list their homes any time in the next 40 years?
No Crying in Mass. About This Part of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
As things stand now, some of the wealthiest homeowners in the most expensive Boston suburbs are in line for a big fat tax break.
Massachusetts’ Clean Energy Plans Face a Reckoning
The wheels are coming off our current plans to transition to a clean energy future. It’s time for a debate on how we balance the speed of transition with making Massachusetts affordable.
With Ordinance, Boston Targets Climate Change
For a planet with over 8 billion people, BERDO cannot provide meaningful climate change mitigation by itself, but one has to start somewhere.
Why So Many Luxury Rentals? It’s Boston’s High-Cost Environment
Our region’s sustained demand is fueled by affluent renters, a reasonably robust economy and limited inventory, with even fewer new developments on the horizon.
Let’s Give Assisted Living Legal Clarity in Massachusetts
It’s vital Massachusetts builds more assisted living residences to help aging Bay Staters, but the legal framework around them has become ambiguous – and that’s hurting development.
Wellesley Project Was Reinvented to Gain Support
Plans for a 90-unit 40B complex gave way to a 35-unit condominium development after developers’ discussions with neighbors and town officials.
It’s Not All Bad for Buyers
Now might not be the best time to buy a house. But if you are a member of the must-buy group, fear not: the inventory of houses for sale hasn’t been this large since 2019.
Healey’s Executive Order on PLAs Is Good Governing and Good Business
For public entities large and small, from towns to major state divisions, PLAs provide the predictability, safety and equity to large-scale construction projects.
Taming Accelerating Housing Costs
Producing multifamily housing in the commonwealth continues to be a challenge. One of the obstacles to building the new housing we so desperately need has been a sharp increase in the cost of construction.
Sale Price Growth Slows Nationwide, While MA Continues to Climb
Just call it a tale of two real estate markets. Nationally, home prices have begun to level off and even decline in some markets – but here in Massachusetts, we continue to set new records, both statewide and in the perpetually overheated Greater Boston market.
Level the Playing Field: Gateway Cities Need Permitting Reforms
Massachusetts’ 26 Gateway Cities are home to more than a quarter of our state’s population and represent some of our most promising opportunities for economic revitalization, yet they consistently struggle to compete with suburban and greenfield locations when it comes to attracting projects that could help transform their economies.
Low-Fee Brokers Look Increasingly Appealing
Selling your house doesn’t need to cost as much as most agents charge. How does 1 percent of the selling price grab you? Or a flat fee of around $500?
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