Brigantine real estate blog

Boston & Massachusetts home sales and number of properties on the market – Boston Housing Bubble

People are having a little fun over at The Housing Bubble blog. In the post, the blog’s author repeats statistics appearing in an article from the Daily News Transcript (where this newspaper is published is not really clear – Worcester?) "According to the Multiple Listing Service Property Information Network, the largest property listing service in […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/boston-massachusetts-home-sales-and.html

Our Pier-less leader loses big tax bucks – Fan Pier and Seaport District lay undeveloped

The Herald’s Scott Van Voorhis adds his own two-cents about the lack of progress in the Fan Pier / Seaport District area, and puts the blame squarely on the back of Mayor Menino. Boston homeowners are getting socked with skyrocketing tax. And Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in full campaign mode, is pointing fingers. He’s blasting […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/our-pier-less-leader-loses-big-tax.html

Boston loses 19,000 residents over four year period – but not due to high housing costs

This article doesn’t make any sense! The article begins, "Skyrocketing housing prices are driving people from San Francisco, Boston and other big cities." However, nowhere does the reporter state where this conclusion comes from – she quotes census figures showing that the big cities are losing residents, but gives no data to support her conclusion […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/boston-loses-19000-residents-over-four.html

Most awesomest website, ever

I must repeat my earlier praise of Holden Lewis’ "Mortgage Matters" column, at bankrate.com. He seems to have a very good grasp of what drives mortgage rates, and presents his information with lots of relevant data. Originally posted 2005-06-29 22:53:00.
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/most-awesomest-website-ever.html

Businesses Call Road Project “Revenue Roadblock”

More on the delayed renovation project on Cambridge Street: The idea first came up 10 years ago as a way to improve business along the edge of Beacon Hill. But now, three years after construction began, it’s still going on and patience is wearing thin. NewsCenter 5’s Pam Cross reported that the Cambridge Street improvement […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/businesses-call-road-project-revenue.html

Low Inventory Is Pushing Prices Up and Days on Market Down

Existing-homes rebounded nicely in May as more buyers navigated the headwinds of weaker affordability and limited listings in the affordable price range.
It’s very evident that supply this spring severely lags demand in many parts of the country. It’s a big reason why home prices continue to outpace incomes and reached a new peak high last month of $252,800.
Take a look at these additional eye-opening stats about how low inventory is affecting the market:

Existing inventory is 8.4 percent below last May and has now decreased year-over-year for two straight months
The median days on market was 27 days, which is the lowest since NAR began tracking in May 2011
Fifty-five percent of homes sold within a month (also a new high since May 2011)

Will these conditions linger into the summer? NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun believes they will. “Several markets this summer will continue to see homes going under contract at this remarkably fast pace of under a month,” he said.
Check out the charts below for a recap of last month’s sales activity:

from homes and style http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/narnewsline/~3/KUXzgpLd3H0/

Realtors® extend support for 200 years of home history

The National Association of Realtors®, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, is helping keep alive the history of a house whose story is a snapshot of America itself.
Since 2001, the National Association of Realtors® has sponsored the “Within These Walls” exhibition at the National Museum of American History, which chronicles the story of one home and five families whose lives intersected with American history at different crossroads. This week, NAR and the Smithsonian announced that the association will extend and expand its sponsorship, becoming exclusive sponsor of “Within these Walls” September 2018 through 2030.
You can read more about the sponsorship and exhibit in the Smithsonian’s June 13 announcement: http://americanhistory.si.edu/press/releases/within-these-walls .
“Real estate is more than just a structure, it’s a home,” said Bob Goldberg, NAR senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. “The stories of the occupants are what makes a house a home. We were particularly intrigued by this home as it provided an opportunity for NAR to share the importance of homeownership through the stories of the five families who called this structure home.”
The exhibition is built around a 250-year-old two-story house from Ipswich, Mass., which is the largest artifact in the National Museum of America History.
In the early 1960s, the Ipswich House was saved from demolition by a handful of local citizens. Smithsonian staff took the house apart piece by piece, transported it, and reassembled it inside the National Museum of American History on the National Mall.
“Within These Walls” will continue to be expanded and updated with new stories. In 2018, the museum will install a new artifact case to feature objects marking the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which was signed in April 1968 to protect the buyer or renter of a dwelling from seller or landlord discrimination. Other future enhancements to the exhibition include experiences to further engage younger visitors in piecing together exhibit stories and the ways enslaved people staked their claim to liberty as well as additional interactives throughout the exhibition.
The “Within These Walls” website shares more history and photos of the exhibit: http://amhistory.si.edu/house/home.asp .

from homes and style http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/narnewsline/~3/ojM-g46h-Q0/

Selling Lowell, via a martini bar

Neat idea. Cities looking to attract young, first-time homebuyers are finding new ways to market their appeal: By Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe It’s just past 9 p.m. at Vox Populi, a martini bar in Boston’s Back Bay. As the well-coiffed crowd swarms the bar, a young man in an unbuttoned polo shirt stands back, notices […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/selling-lowell-via-martini-bar.html

The sad ending to West End story

I don’t think the West End was really worth saving, but here’s a story about someone getting kicked out by the BRA who worries about similar things happening in Boston, in the future, following last week’s Supreme Court decision. Sad Ending to a West End Story, By Peter Gelzinis, Boston Herald In the 1955 class […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-sad-ending-to-west-end-story.html

Howard Rudzki out and about

Howard Rudzki has turned his passion for bike riding, dogs and education into vehicles to help for good.
He started out bike riding when he was 20 for the pleasure and enjoyment that a good ride provides and has been a committed cyclist ever since. Rudzki rides every week either by himself or as part of group and annually participates in fundraising rides. For the last three years, he has ridden in America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, whose mission is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of lives for their patients and families.

 storify.com/howardrudzki

issuu.com/howardrudzkimalibulife/
Howard Rudzki has turned his passion for bike riding, dogs and education into vehicles to help for good.
He started out bike riding when he was 20 for the pleasure and enjoyment that a good ride provides and has been a committed cyclist ever since. Rudzki rides every week either by himself or as part of group and annually participates in fundraising rides. For the last three years, he has ridden in America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, whose mission is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of lives for their patients and families.

https://www.facebook.com/Howard.Rudzki.malibu/posts/694426200747536

Howard Rudzki
Rudzki has commented much in the Malibu Times and as a community activist.

Reviews & More: The Unexpected
Thanks now I am going to have to go see this.

Malibu Quarterback Braxton Pierce Set to Pass, Run in Italy

Great story on one of our home grown. Who knew there was American football over there. Cool that it allows for more opportunities.

Filed under: Historical

from homes and style https://howardrudzki.com/2017/06/20/howard-rudzki-out-and-about/

Four economics questions (three about housing)

1) Has the increase in dual-income families (with the number of working women increasing from 30% to 60% over the past sixty years) actually caused a higher cost of living? 2) Is the rental vs. buying expense comparison a valid way to measure high housing costs? 3) Do real estate agents try to convince their […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/four-economics-questions-three-about.html

YooD4 project turns to Philippe Starck for design

By Tina Cassidy, Boston Globe Panos Demeter is sitting on a white, molded-plastic chair near a fluffy fur ottoman and a rococo mirror that keeps flashing the word ”sexy" in pink neon. So when he talks about being part of the development team that is turning the South End’s former Area D-4 police station on […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/yood4-project-turns-to-philippe-starck.html

City Council President Michael Flaherty asks mayor to take Fan Pier land by eminent domain

Whoa. Guess I’m not the only one thinking about the powers of eminent domain. From the Globe: Boston City Council President Michael Flaherty said yesterday that Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s efforts to spur development of Fan Pier do not go far enough, and he again called on the city to consider seizing the South Boston […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/city-council-president-michael-flaherty.html

New construction in Boston, MA

I read about three new developments under construction in Boston. First, there is the new Greenway Place development, overlooking the Rose Kennedy Parkway. Very weak name, although I realize, of course, why they named it that. Second, a new development on Newbury Street, called, The Dubarry. Suspiciously, the artist’s drawings don’t show the big mural […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/new-construction-in-boston-ma.html

Skepticism, rear your ugly head…North End on brink of major changes

Remember the post I wrote earlier today about people getting down to the Seaport District by way of spaceship? Read on for another example. Different neighborhood, same pipe dream: For decades the green and pink Italian cookies and shimmering marzipan fruit in the window of Maria’s Pastry Shop could do little to brighten the dank […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/skepticism-rear-your-ugly-headnorth-end.html

Menino threatens Fan Pier permits

There are two large parcels of land down in the Seaport District – one area is controlled by the Pritzker family and the other by Frank McCourt, previously the owner of the Boston Red Sox, now owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers (and, therefore, an absentee landlord). The city is now threatening to take back […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/menino-threatens-fan-pier-permits.html

Freakonomics – an unbiased review from a real estate agent

As most readers are probably aware, economist Steven D. Levitt and author Stephen J. Dubner have written the bestselling book, "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything". I read the book because I recently became a member of a book club. I found the book very entertaining, although a bit weak. Each […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/freakonomics-unbiased-review-from-real.html

Changes to capital gains tax laws are behind housing price appreciation

Hello fellow economists. Here’s a question for you. How much of an effect, if any, have the changes to the tax laws in 1997 have on the increase in housing prices over the past eight years? Prior to 1997: gain up to $500,000 per couple exempt from capital gains taxes, if you are over 55 […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/changes-to-capital-gains-tax-laws-are.html

Highlights from Lawrence Yun’s #NAREE17 Housing Forecast Presentation

The economic and housing forecast panel at the annual National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) spring conference is always one of the most interesting and engaging sessions during the week.
This year’s session in Denver did not disappoint.
“A majority of consumers are still indicating that now is a good time to buy a home,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who kicked off this morning’s panel. “Unfortunately, housing supply is too low and prices keep going higher. These affordability challenges will likely remain into next year as long as inventory fails to pick up.”
Yun’s presentation, “Affordability Challenges to Homeownership, was made in front of a packed house of real estate reporters and industry professionals. Here are the highlights:
Yun’s key remarks #NAREE17:

The equity of homeowners has doubled since 2009.
Job creation in many areas is far outpacing housing starts.
Mortgage rates have fallen back to around 4 percent. This has somewhat helped preserve affordability this spring.
Home sales are running at a decade high and would be higher if there were more supply.
Homeowners’ credit profiles are healthy – minimal defaults.
There’s a mismatch in many areas between what’s for sale and what households can afford.
Affordability challenges will remain because of low housing supply.
Existing-home sales are expected to be around 5.60 million this year (up roughly 3 percent from 2016); home prices up 5.0 percent.

Message me ([email protected]) for Yun’s presentation slides.

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Electronic Closings a “Business Imperative,” but Hurdles Remain Before They’re Widespread

Realtors® know first-hand that real estate closings are a complex process that’s often slow and confusing for their clients. Consumers want simplicity and transparency, and Realtors® say electronic closings have the potential to deliver on that demand, but widespread acceptance of so-called “e-closings” has yet to take hold.
National Association of Realtors® 2017 President-Elect Elizabeth Mendenhall convened a meeting of tech and industry leaders in Washington, D.C. with the goal of identifying and addressing some of the challenges to widespread e-closing implementation.
Among them, concerns remain about the legal ramifications of accepting electronically submitted signatures, notarization, and other elements of the transaction. But concerns over e-closings extend well beyond the closing documents consumers see at the closing table.
In a typical closing, the documents must be properly recorded and payments disbursed to the entities involved. Oftentimes the loan originator will also receive funding for a mortgage from a loan “warehouse,” and those funds may be repaid when the loan is eventually sold or securitized on the secondary mortgage market.
The result is a wide range of actors are involved in each transaction, often with their own varying technology platforms, making the transition from paper closings to e-closings fairly complex from both a communication and business standpoint.
Those challenges haven’t stopped various entities from trying, of course. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched an e-closing pilot program in 2015 and found that consumers “are generally better off on measures of understanding, efficiency, and feeling empowered” than those who moved forward with a tradition paper closing.
The idea of an e-closing isn’t new. The issue took one of its first major steps forward with passage of the “E-SIGN Act of 2000,” a federal law establishing the legal equivalency of electronic signatures in commerce. Since then, a range of federal agencies have moved to implement policies that utilize e-signatures, most notably the Federal Housing Administration in 2010.
Acceptance with e-closings within the industry however is inconsistent, and in many areas is entirely unavailable. NAR and the broader real estate industry recognize the need for this to make e-closings more available.
Mendenhall said she sees hope for e-closings on the horizon and highlighted the value e-closings offer to both consumers and agents.
“We’re already seeing e-closings take place, but we need to see more of it,” Mendenhall said. “This is a business imperative for our members.”
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Story Idea – National Homeownership Month

June is National Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate and promote the American Dream of owning a home. REALTORS® know that homeownership is the best investment an individual can make to build their personal wealth, however, owning a home is not just in the best interest of the homeowner. Homeownership provides social stability, builds communities and is a driving force for the national economy. June is a time to reiterate what REALTORS® across the country have always known, that it is in the best interest of the nation that anyone who is able and willing to assume the responsibilities of owning a home should have the opportunity to pursue that dream in a safe, responsible way.

Story Springboard:
Speak with current homeowners in your community about the value and benefits of owning a home. Find renters in your area and ask about their interest in leaving the world of leasing and purchasing a home. Finally, speak with a REALTOR® about the reasons his or her clients express for buying a home.

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Instant Reaction: May Housing Starts

The following is NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun’s reaction to this morning’s U.S. Commerce Department report on the dip in residential construction in May:
“Housing shortages look to intensify and may well turn into a housing emergency if the discrepancy between housing demand and housing supply widens further. The falling housing starts and housing permits in May are befuddling given the lack of homes for sale and the quick pace of selling a newly-constructed homes. Meanwhile, job creations of a consistent 2 million a year will push up housing demand further. One thing that moving up is the housing costs for consumers: higher home prices and higher rents.”

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Boston sampler – Progress on the South Boston Waterfront

Things are happening on the waterfront. By Steve Bailey, Boston Globe It is a mistake to think progress is not happening on the South Boston Waterfront. The latest evidence: A key site just across from the new convention center is changing hands, meaning construction could begin in less than a year on nearly 700 units […]
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from homes and style http://bostonreb.blogspot.com/2017/06/boston-sampler-progress-on-south-boston.html

Your Boston Personal Shopper

Originally posted 2016-03-23 03:33:36.

from homes and style http://www.rightupyourali.com/blog/your-boston-personal-shopper/

On the waterfront – Seaport District of Boston gets developed…slowly

Joan is less skeptical than I am that anything of any substance will ever be built down in the Seaport District. She writes: Some day, people will live, work, visit, eat, shop, and revel in the views as a matter of course. Many will have no recollection of how it looks today, or how it […]
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