Barbara Corcoran outlined 8 characteristcis that indicate that a city is on a real estate rebound. 1. Job growth 2. Growing population 3. Location with good weather 4. Lots of first time home buyers 5. No overbuilding of condos or office space 6. Vital downtown where people can live without a car 7. Well educated [...]

Just when you thought it was safe…. Here’s a Zillow executive worrying about what happens after the market improves and thousands of sellers who have been patiently waiting to move up, move out or just move suddenly put their homes on the market all at once and crush a fledgling recovery. Maybe you thought there [...]

From the Financial Times: Home Depot chief warns on US housing Growing optimism over the US housing market may be premature, a leading retailer warned on Tuesday. “We are concerned about the accelerating rates of foreclosures, particularly in the western part of the country,” [Frank Blake, chief executive of Home Depot] said, noting that one [...]

What can you get in Massachusetts for between $100,000 and $200,000? The number of single-family homes priced between $100,000 and $200,000 has climbed 20 percent. Roughly 1,660 homes in that price range traded from January through March, up from about 1,380 a year earlier. Foreclosures have put downward pressure on prices, so that has probably [...]

The following is from The New York Times. A story about one man’s real estate melt down. If there was anybody who should have avoided the mortgage catastrophe, it was I. As an economics reporter for The New York Times, I have been the paper’s chief eyes and ears on the Federal Reserve for the [...]

A Boston Real Estate Blog reader asked about the sales price per sq. ft. in Beacon Hill this year compared to last year. May ’07 – May ’08 – Avg sales price per sq ft. $746.00 May ’08 – May ’09 – Avg sales price per sq ft. $718.00 View Beacon Hill Condos for sale.

The credit crisis is still making lenders ridiculously cautious. Check out this story by Kevin Chiu on the HousingPredictor.com website. A Realtor in Auburn, Ala., said that in early May he had a client buying a $135,000 condo. The client had a 780 FICO score and was ready to put 20% down but couldn’t get [...]

Lord knows that the USA is in trouble, now that we’re forced to make this sad announcement: Trump Magazine has folded. But…but how can this be Donald’s so rich! The inVocus media blog got confirmation from Niche Media that the magazine has “ceased.” That sounds so final! Trump Magazine was launched in late 2007 as [...]

5th Place – 413-415 Commonwealth Ave. – Price $1,825,000.00 Days on the market – 876 4th Place – 150 Dorchester Ave. #403 – $469,000 Days on the market – 923 3rd Place – 5140 Washington St #39 – $149,000 Days on the market – 963 2nd Place – 48 Commonwealth Ave. – $3,595,000 Days on [...]

From The Wall Street Journal: Delinquencies have shot up in recent months among prime borrowers who had sound credit as white collar job losses mounted. Financing for jumbo loans, which are too large for government backing, have become harder to get. And with home values falling across all types of housing markets, refinancing is now [...]