From David Streitfeld at the NY Times: Recovery Signs in Housing Market Stir Some Hope

After a plunge lasting three years, houses have finally become cheap enough to lure buyers. That, in turn, is stabilizing prices, generating hope that the real estate market is beginning to recover.
Looking to buy Boston condo

You want proof that the recession is over? According to one little-known (perhpas I should say unknown) economic indicator, the white paint index, we’re on the way to recovery.
Economists track the price of a key ingredient in white paint, titanium dioxide. The price of titanium dioxide took a huge plunge back in January, and [...]

The National Association of Realtors is trumpeting a fourth consecutive monthly gain in their report of pending home sales. The index tracks the number of contracts signed on homes, which increased in May by just 0.1% from the previous month. Pending sales are up 6.7% from a year ago.
In the past those contracts would give [...]

Are homeowners happier than renters?
Not according to a new paper by a real-estate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “The average homeowner, however, consistently derives more pain (but no more joy) from their house and home,” writes Grace Wong Bucchianeri, an assistant professor at Wharton.
The report says that homeowners spend, on average, less [...]

Embedded video from CNN Video
View Boston real estate listings for sale and rent.

Cambridge MA condo sales in the last 6 months.
Average asking price – $591,399.00
Average selling price – $452,234.00
To view Cambridge Condos visit our web site.

I still can’t find the link to this article online but I know a bostonreb.com blog reader will help me out.
This is from the NY Post:
Bernard Madof’s niece and another relative – worried they’ll wind up behind bars – have contacted a consultant who teaches white-collar criminals how to survive in federal prison and secure [...]

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says first-time buyers accounted for half of all home sales last month, with activity concentrated in lower price ranges.
“Because entry level buyers are shopping for bargains, distressed sales accounted for 40 to 45 percent of transactions in February,” he says. “Our analysis shows that distressed homes typically are selling for [...]

A study by Stanford University economists B. Douglas Bernheim and Jonathan Meer called “How Much Value Do Real Estate Brokers Add? A Case Study.” Bottom line: We (I) don’t add a whole lot. “We find no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices, or that it significantly alters average [...]