Residential Real Estate
Following increases in June and July, residential real estate markets in New England saw moderate year-over-year increases in home sales in August as well. Much of the recent activity is said to be related to the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Its scheduled December 1 expiration date has led to an increase in pending [...]

From today’s Wall Street Journal:
Sales of those homes may depress prices further. By contrast, metro areas with relativley low foreclosure and mortgage-delinquency rates include Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seatle, Raleigh, N.C., and Portland, Ore., making them less vulnerable.
According to the article Boston has 6.7 months supply of inventory. Click on the link below for [...]

Is the Obama administration’s anti-foreclosure plan just a way to keep some home values at their old bubble peaks?
This article suggests that’s precisely what’s happening.
The $75 billion Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) is supposed to work by “modifying” terms of original loans to struggling mortgage payers. But a congressional oversight panel has apparently found that [...]

Last night I attended the movies. Having settled in with popcorn in hand, the previews started.- and as happens at least twice a year, maybe more, there was the trailer for another movie made in Boston. “Shutter Island”.
As always , I pay close attention to see what sections of Boston I may recognize in [...]

Yesterday, I participated in a tour of the W Boston Residence. I viewed all the condos on the 20th floor. My initial reaction was that I was impressed with the 180-degree panoramic views of the G unit. I was also pleased with the various floor plans and the wide range of asking prices.
*Pied-a-terre on [...]

Foreclosure good news: They were down in September in Massachusetts compared to a year ago.
Foreclosure bad news: Petition filings were way up in Massachusetts compared to a year ago.
File under: I give up. I need a drink.

3rd Quarter sales based on avg price per sq ft.
Back Bay — $742.85% down -14.74%
Beacon Hill — $709.84 up +1.11%
Charlestown -$435.94 down -3.81%
Fenway — $495.67 down -5.29%
Leather District — $373.08 down -20.45%
View Boston condos for sale

Click on the links below to view Boston condo 3rd Q results
Back Bay Condo results 3rd Q
Beacon Hill condo 3rd Q
Charlestown condo 3rd Q
Boston condos citywide 3rd Q
Fenway Condos 3rd Q
Leather District 3rd Q
Midtown Boston condo 3rd Q
North End Boston condo 3rd Q
South Boston condo 3rd Q
South End Boston condo report 3rd Q
Waterfront [...]

One could argue there are good signs in this latest downtown condo report for the third quarter, especially if you were expecting the numbers to be a lot worse.
But, really, the data still looks more than a little depressing: overall sales and prices are down — and it’s worse for high-end, full-service downtown condos.
These certainly [...]

Reality TV’s tempestuous screwlyweds, the Gosselins, who are in the process of unloading each other, are struggling to sell their first home, a 5-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath property in Elizabethtown, Pa.
The house, which has been on the market since early this year, has had its original asking price of $325,000 drop to $299,000. The Gosselins paid [...]