Industry News
Mass. Home Prices Kept Rising in March
Year-to-date, there have been 3,482 condo sales, a 6.2 percent decrease from the first three months of 2023 with a median sale price of $520,000, an 8.3 percent increase on the same basis.
Lab Vacancy Rate Nears 14 Percent
As more life science conversions and new developments were completed without tenants, Greater Boston’s lab vacancy rate rose to 13.7 percent in the first quarter.
Powell: Elevated Inflation Will Likely Delay Rate Cuts
“If higher inflation does persist,” he said, “we can maintain the current level of [interest rates] for as long as needed.”
In Milton Dispute, Campbell Will Work with the Town, but ‘the State Trumps’
Even as she takes Milton to court for flouting the MBTA Communities zoning law, Attorney General Andrea Campbell would like to tamp down murmurings that a rebellion is on its way.
City Councilors Raise Questions About Wu Tax Shift Plan
During a four-hour hearing Tuesday, most councilors didn’t take an explicit up or down stance, but voiced concerns about the long-term impact on real estate development or on small businesses.
Harvard Files New 1M SF Allston Development Plan
Harvard University and its development partner Tishman Speyer are set to begin the public review of their next major real estate project in Allston, the second phase of the school’s Enterprise Research Campus.
M&T Keeps Cutting Exposure to CRE Lending
In its first earnings call after a major credit ratings agency downgraded its out look for the lender, M&T Bank announced progress in reducing its book of commercial real estate loans.
Top Fed Official Opens Door to Keeping Rates High for Longer
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson suggested Tuesday that the central bank’s key rate may have to remain at its peak for a while to bring down persistently elevated inflation.
Eng Reflects on ‘Whirlwind’ First Year at MBTA
When he was announced last spring as the new general manager for the much-assailed transit agency, Phil Eng declared that it was “time for a new way of doing business at the MBTA.”
A Groundbreaking Lab Plan for North Shore Quarry
At an abandoned quarry in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Cell Signaling Technology plans to tap into the underground terrain for a geothermal heating and cooling system for its proposed 250,000-square-foot development.
Boston Looks to ‘Skyline’ for Help
Changes designed to attract more developers and commercial tenants to downtown Boston and avoid a looming fiscal chasm tied to declining office occupancy are moving closer to the finish line.
Building Community Wealth Through Patient Capital
Roxbury-based BlueHub Capital’s Karen Kelleher is seeing no let-up in demand for the lender’s services as an intermediary piecing together financing packages for real estate projects in low-income communities.
Municipalities Will Not Lead on Housing
As passions around the MBTA Communities law rise, it’s time to take a fact-based look at the law, put it in context with what other states are doing and plan accordingly.
Worried About Your Commission? Learn to Show Your Value
Buyer’s agent compensation offers seem set to disappear from your local multiple listings service by this summer. And the effects will be wide-ranging.
Competitive Workplaces Don’t Work for Gender Equality
Firms where employees battle against each other for rank, bonuses and promotions are common in law and finance. But while, on its face, they are gender-neutral, they actually worsen gender inequality.
Will Boston Multifamily Hit Its Own ‘Wall of Maturities’?
The nation’s multifamily owners are facing a financial crunch as they try to refinance construction and other loans. But Boston is likely to see a lot less distress than Sunbelt cities, experts say.
Downtown Boston Needs More than New Zoning to Bounce Back
Can downtown Boston escape the so-called urban doom loop? Probably. But it’s going to take a lot more than new “skyline” zoning for taller towers to bring it back.
Hot Property: Boston Scientific Innovation Center
A renovation designed by architects Margulies Perruzzi created a 20,000-square-foot training center including interactive learning spaces for doctors and Boston Scientific Corp. employees in Marlborough.
Door Opens to Flip a House for Yourself, Not Profit
High mortgage rates, soaring house prices and rising construction costs have driven many flippers out of the market. And with their exit comes a great opportunity for people eager to buy a fixer-upper of their own.
In Speech, Wu Defends Downtown Strategies, Tax Rate Plan
Speaking to the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s annual meeting Thursday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said her plans to increase troubled office towers’ share of the city’s tax burden were vital to “avoid making our housing crisis worse.”
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