Opinion
Ditch the Doom and Gloom About Real Estate Commissions
Associations, brokers, agents and MLS leaders shouldn’t assume that defendants in the commission lawsuits can win on appeal – and that agent commissions will go down in the lawsuits’ wake.
What Motivates Boston Renters to Explore New Communities
New survey data will help you understand your renters and earn their trust in a way that can build long-term tenant relationships.
How to Move Mass. Transit Forward in 2024
Gov. Maura Healey’s made significant progress on her initial transportation goals. She now has a foundation to help Massachusetts build a better transportation system next year if she can keep up this drumbeat.
It’s the Housing, Stupid
The housing crisis has gone national, spreading from Boston and a few other blue cities to states and markets across the country. And along the way, it is helping poison the nation’s political mood by deferring or killing the dreams of a generation.
Boston’s Cherry-Flavored Rent Control May Cost Your Town a Teacher or Two
Research shows rent control hurts the value of all property in a city, and the way state school aid is distributed means other communities will lose some of their education funding if rent control returns.
Rampant Insurance Increases Are Stifling Housing Production
There’s a new threat to affordability that is jolting the rental apartment real estate industry, especially those in market-rate and affordable multifamily housing: insurance premiums.
Don’t Burn Your Mortgage
A couple of years ago, a Florida church celebrated making the final payment on the church’s mortgage by burning the document. But that century-old ritual comes with some huge risks.
Don’t Celebrate Fed Rate Cuts Yet
Top Federal Reserve officials’ predictions that they would have to cut interest rates three times next year sent a bolt of energy through markets last week. But no one, especially policymakers in town halls or on Beacon Hill, should think we’re about to get some kind of relief from current market conditions.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Or Else
Gov. Maura Healey’s got her hands on the big valve that controls state grants to local governments as the first big MBTA Communities zoning deadline nears.
Has the Post-COVID Economy Broken Inclusionary Zoning?
Bravo to Mayor Michelle Wu and her team for thinking boldly about ways the city can get housing development unstuck. But her preferred solution – significant tax breaks – raises questions about the viability of high affordable housing mandates.
Boston Looks to NYC to Get Construction Moving
With housing construction stalled across Boston, the Wu administration is thinking big when it comes to ways to get apartment and condominium projects moving again.
States Seek to Battle Foreign ‘Invasion’
Florida recently enacted a bill that limits some foreigners from owning property in the state – a move that shocked some. It’s one of six states that passed laws this year barring foreigners from buying homes.
Forget the Fruit Basket – Give Gifts of Culture, Curiosity and Community
What does an overflowing fruit basket, especially one ordered from a big national chain, really say about a company and its values? Especially when your community is overflowing with opportunities to expand your and your contacts’ horizons.
Housing Everyone Adds to the Greater Good
Efforts to keep people in their homes not only benefit the individuals at risk of homelessness, they also contribute to the overall well-being of our communities.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Phil Eng’s Holiday Wish List
Jingle bells, jingle bells, please no catastrophes. Oh what fun it’d be to find enough funding for the T!
FHFA’s Federal Rent Control Proposal Would Be a Disaster
In its attempt to address the dire housing crisis, the Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering a policy that would surely make it worse and reduce the use of federal housing dollars.
Artificial Intelligence Creates a New Frontier for Real Estate
Real estate professionals now have myriad new tools that can be used to assist in day-to-day business activities and help streamline work, leading to more effective agents.
Homebuying Report Raises Troubling Questions, but Offers Bad Remedies
MAPC’s latest research has uncovered astounding statistics about the role investors are playing in pushing Boston home prices up. But it falls wide of the mark in recommending rent control as a solution to the problem.
White House Acts to Boost Housing
The Biden administration is taking steps to help create more affordable houses and apartments, which could help fill the inventory gap that plagues the housing sector.
Transfer Taxes Won’t Increase Competitiveness in the Commonwealth
Instead of focusing on reforms that will boost our economy, the Healey-Driscoll administration is pursuing a policy that will further damage the state’s competitiveness: a new tax on home and building sales.
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