From today’s Herald: The area’s vacancy rate stood at 6.3 percent last quarter, up from 6.1 percent a year ago and up from 5.8 percent in 2007, according to Reis Inc., a New York real-estate research firm. The Reis survey also showed that monthly rental prices dipped to an average $1,613, down 2.8 percent compared [...]

It’s a tenants market. Boston-area landlords are dealing with a glut of vacant apartments: Boston apartments presently avail – 1,044 Last year at this time – 535 Back Bay number of avail apartments – 142 Same time last year – 49 Beacon Hill number of avail apartments – 63 Same time last year – 12 [...]

Renters have it so good right now! Not only do they have bragging rights about not jumping on the homebuyer bandwagon potentially losing a ton of money, but now they have rentals galore to choose from. Reuters.com reports that in the second quarter, the national vacancy rate for apartments hit a 22-year high of 7.5%. [...]

Are you a landlord? Do you maybe own an investment property, or a summer place that you rent to others, or perhaps you could not sell your last house so you are renting it instead? Well, you’re really going to hate this one: Recipients of real estate rental income that make payments of $600 or [...]

With residential sales getting tougher to close, an increasing number of Boston brokers who once worked exclusively in sales are now taking on transactions that in the past they never would have touched: rentals. In the last few months, I have noticed an increase in MLS rental listings from Boston brokers. I also noticed a [...]

Business Week ranked the top cities where apartment rents have fallen Rank: 10 Rent drop: -2.8% Q4 2008 rent change: -2.4% Q4 2007 rent change: 0.5% Effective rent: $1,634.20 From Business Week: The Boston area, home of Harvard University, MIT, and Boston University as well as some of the nation’s finest hospitals, is seeing damage [...]