Home Prices

Mortgage Rate Spread Offers Good News for Buyers Nationwide. Mortgage rates have been able to decline further than treasury yields because the mortgage spread, or difference between 10-year treasury yields and mortgage rates, has decreased to its lowest point in more than three years— according to a recent report from Redfin.  As of August 22, the margin was two point twenty six percentage points, down from two point sixty eight a year earlier and roughly two point five at the beginning of the summer. Putting Fed policy aside means mortgage lenders are lowering rates, which is good news for homebuyers […]

Breaking Down Recession Chances by State MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent According to Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody’s Analytics, many states are more vulnerable to or have already entered an economic downturn. “Based on my assessment of various data, states making up nearly a third of U.S. GDP are either in or at high risk of recession,” Zandi posted to X on Sunday. “Another third are just holding steady, and the remaining third are growing.” One of the most prominent economists to warn about the present situation and future direction of the American economy is Zandi. He said earlier this […]

Are Homebuyers Gaining an Edge in the Market? Redfin showed that the median home-sale price dropped in fourteen of the fifty most populated U.S. metro regions. Oakland, California experienced the largest fall, down six point eight percent year-over-year, followed by two Florida metros and two Texas metros: Houston (negative two point eight percent), Austin (negative two point nine percent), West Palm Beach (negative point nine percent), and Jacksonville (negative three point one percent). Due to the slow housing market caused by high housing expenses and economic uncertainty, prices are declining in a number of metro areas. In every major metro, […]

Where Have Boomers Amassed the Most Home Equity?  A new analysis from Realtor.com highlights the U.S. metro areas where baby boomers, defined as those born between 1946 and 1964, hold the greatest amount of housing wealth. Florida dominates the list, with five of the top ten metros, but other areas, from coastal California to New England, also rank high.  The rankings reflect a mix of factors: the number of homeowners aged 65 and older, the overall value of homes in each metro, and the share of that value held by retirees. The result is a snapshot of where older Americans […]

Massachusetts cities where homes fly off the market. Homes in certain Massachusetts cities spend less time on the market than almost anywhere else in the nation, according to a new study from WalletHub. The finance company used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources to rank 300 American cities based on real estate metrics like home value and vacancy rate. For lowest median days spent on the market, three Massachusetts cities placed in the top five.  Lynn took second place, behind Manchester, New Hampshire. Homes in the Boston suburb typically entered pending just ten […]

Senate Committee Approves Bipartisan Housing Bill to Aid Veteran Homebuyers. As part of the ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan legislative package aimed at increasing the nation’s housing supply, improving housing affordability, and reducing homelessness, among other priorities, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, announced that the Committee had approved two of his bills to assist more veterans in becoming homeowners. The bipartisan VA Home Loan Awareness Act, which he proposed with Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and the Veterans Affairs Loan Informed Disclosure (VALID) Act, which he introduced […]

Massachusetts home to the best school systems in America. From close-knit communities to safety to beautiful outdoor spaces, Massachusetts offers families a wonderful environment to raise kids. But a new study from WalletHub reveals that Massachusetts is also home to the best school systems in the United States. Using metrics like performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials, the finance company ranked the 50 states and Washington, D.C., to determine the top-performing school systems in America. Massachusetts came out on top, ranking first for quality and second for safety. The Bay State ranked best in the nation for both […]

Non-compliant MBTA communities given more time to add multi-family zoning. Fifteen Massachusetts communities failed to meet the compliance deadline for the MBTA Communities Act. In response, Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a legal advisory announcing that the state will postpone any litigation against these non-compliant communities until January 1, 2026. Although legal action has been delayed, communities that missed the July 14 deadline lost eligibility for certain state grant funding opportunities.  The MTA Communities Act mandated that municipalities served by commuter rail stations must have at least one “reasonably sized district where multifamily housing can be built.” In June, a […]

Where Is Homebuyer Affordability Improving? New data from Redfin reveals that homebuyers need to earn $112,131 per year to afford a $447,035 median-priced U.S. home … with little having changed (positive point five percent) year-over-year. But in eleven of the fifty most populous U.S. metropolitan areas, the income needed to afford a home has declined. In Oakland, California, homebuyers need to earn $244,073 to afford the typical home. While that’s high compared to most places, it’s down four point six percent year-over-year—the largest decline among the fifty most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. Oakland was followed by West Palm Beach, Florida […]

These Suburban ZIP Codes Led Homebuying Demand in Early 2025 According to Realtor.com’s annual Hottest ZIP Codes Report, Beverly, MA (01915), is at the top of the list of suburban ZIP codes in the Northeast and Midwest in 2025. A compelling combination of lifestyle appeal, relative affordability, and close proximity to local economic hubs is drawing attention to these top-performing markets. “In a year when affordability challenges and limited inventory continue to weigh on buyers, the ZIP codes rising to the top of our list stand out for offering both strong value and livability,” said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at […]