This week, Lou Barnes sees more of the same. Not worse, not better.
I’ll be happy with not worse, my friends.
Will the “global economy” be enough to keep the US out of more trouble? I don’t know.
Lousy numbers escape recession dunce cap
Commentary: Global economy gives us a jolt
By Lou Barnes, Inman News
After six weeks [...]

You can’t win for trying, some days.
A tenant wants to have a service dog in a building that otherwise forbids pets.
A pit bull terrier.
The landlord is nervous. About allowing the dog. And, about being sued for discrimination, should he say no.
I thought it was an interesting story.
Pit bull service dog unwelcome
Inman News
Q: A [...]

Shopping for a loan? You should be able to find one, fairly easily. FHA loans have made a comback.
According to one mortgage broker:
“If you put down 5 percent, you’ll need a credit score of at least 660 [to qualify for a FNMA or FHMLC loan]. But if you go with an FHA loan, [...]

Boston Business Journal is reporting that the Mandarin Oriental hotel is now scheduled to open in October, three months later than originally planned.
No word, though, on whether condo closings will also be delayed.

The following information is from the local MLS database, as of May 31, 2008, compared to (May 24, 2008) (and June 2, 2007 – where available).
Total # of condos for sale in the city of Boston: 2,542 (2,537) (2,643)
Average # of days on market: 121 (120) (112)
Number of condos sold (closed) over past 30 days: [...]

Regarding South Boston real estate sales, the following appeared in this week’s Banker & Tradesman:
During the first four months of this year, 25 condos were sold, compared to 29 for the same period in 2007, according to The Warren Group, parent company of Banker & Tradesman. During the same months in 2005 and 2006, there [...]

Scene outside the London Underground, a couple of hours ago.

Okay, I’m not passing judgment, but for how long was it legal to drink on the subway, anyway?
Good news, we have two days to totally enjoy ourselves!

This week’s Boston Real Estate Condo Market Reports are now available.
The market reports provide readers with detailed information on the state of the Boston real estate market.
The reports include data on inventory, recent sales, and price per square foot of condos for sale and recently closed.
In addition to a summary report of sales across the [...]

MLSPIN is the local Multiple Listing Service in Greater Boston.
It is really good. The technology is top of the line (regardless of the service problems they’ve been having …).
Some people love to complain about MLSs because, in many states, the sites are run by the local Realtor board, meaning by an affiliate of the [...]

Data released shows that segments of the real estate market are seeing big changes:
In April 2007 homes for sale under $500,000 accounted for 40 percent of all sales and homes priced from $500,000 to $1 million accounted for 45 percent of all sales. That shifted in April 2008, with homes under $500,000 accounting for 64 [...]