Spring is usually the busiest season in the Boston housing market. Many buyers wait until then to make their move, believing it’s the best time to find a home. However, that isn’t always the case when you factor in the competition you could face with other buyers at that time of year. If you’re ready to buy a home, here’s why it makes sense to move before the spring market picks up.

Spring Should Bring a Wave of Buyers to the Market

In most years, the housing market goes through predictable seasonal trends in activity. Winter is typically a quiet point in the year, while spring sees a surge of buyers begin their search. And experts project that this year will be no exception.

Right now, buyer demand is low due to a combination of normal

2023 is here and we couldn’t be more excited about the new year! There are some exciting new developments coming to completion this year which Nick discusses this month. And, he gives tips for those looking to buy in one of these new communities.

What are some of the new buildings you are excited about being completed this year?

The two buildings that I’m really excited about are Raffles Residences and Winthrop Center.  

Raffles Boston Back Bay is going to set a new bar for luxury in the Boston real estate market.  This ultra-premium, 33-story Boston condo building features 146 luxury condos on the upper floors and 147 hotel rooms on the lower floors.  Owners will enjoy the amenities and services provided by the Raffles hotel as well as

One of the first steps in your homebuying journey is getting pre-approved. To understand why it’s such an important step, you need to understand what pre-approval is and what it does for you. Business Insider explains:

“In a preapproval [sic], the lender tells you which types of loans you may be eligible to take out, how much you may be approved to borrow, and what your rate could be.”

Basically, pre-approval gives you critical information about the homebuying process that’ll help you understand your options and what you may be able to borrow.

How does it work? As part of the pre-approval process, a lender will look at your finances to determine what they’d be willing to loan you. From there, your lender will give you a pre-approval

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home soon, you probably want to know what you can expect from the housing market this year. In 2022, the market underwent a major shift as economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates reduced buyer demand, slowed the pace of home sales, and moderated home prices. But what about 2023?

An article from HousingWire offers this perspective:

“The red-hot housing market of the past 2 ½ years was characterized by sub-three percent mortgage rates, fast-paced bidding wars and record-low inventory. But more recently, market conditions have done an about-face. . . . now is the opportunity for everyone to become re-educated about what a ‘typical’ housing market looks like.”

This year, experts agree

If you’re getting ready to buy your first home in the Boston area, you’re likely focused on saving up for everything that purchase involves. One cost that’s likely top of mind is your down payment. But don't let a common misconception about how much you need to save make the process harder than it could be.

Understand 20% Isn’t Always the Typical Down Payment

Freddie Mac explains:

“. . . nearly a third of prospective homebuyers think they need a down payment of 20% or more to buy a home. This myth remains one of the largest perceived barriers to achieving homeownership.”

Unless specified by your loan type or lender, it’s typically not required to put 20% down. This means you could be closer to your homebuying dream than you

Exploring Boston's Charm: A Guide to Some of Our Most Popular Neighborhoods

Welcome to Exploring Boston's Charm: A Guide to the Different Neighborhoods. Are you looking for a place to call home in Boston? Well, look no further! This guide will help you explore the city and get familiar with its many neighborhoods. From the historic North End and chic Beacon Hill to vibrant Downtown and progressive Jamaica Plain, there is something for everyone -- each neighborhood offering unique characteristics, amenities, and housing options. Let's get exploring!

A guide to the different neighborhoods in Boston, highlighting their unique characteristics, amenities, and housing options.

Welcome to Exploring Boston's Charm – A Guide to the Different

As a real estate investor, it's important to understand the concept of a capitalization rate, also known as a "cap rate." This metric is frequently used when evaluating potential investment properties and helps determine the potential return on investment.

To calculate the cap rate, you divide the property's expected income by its purchase price.

For example:

In the Boston, MA real estate market, the average cap rate for investment properties is typically between 3-6%. However, it's important to note that cap rates can vary depending on the property's location, condition, and other factors.

A higher cap rate

We can’t believe that 2022 is coming to a close but are so thrilled about welcoming a new year! This month, Nick talks about some of his favorite things to do in Boston in the winter months and also how sellers can best prepare their homes for sale if they want to hit the spring market!

What are some of your favorite winter activities around Boston?

There are so many fun and interesting activities around Boston in the winter months. These are some of my favorites to enjoy with my family:

• Ice Skating at the Frog Pond:  Located in Boston Common, the Frog Pond is a popular spot for ice skating during the winter months. Imagine hosting a holiday party and inviting guests to enjoy the magic of ice skating in the heart of the city.

The 2022 housing market has been defined by two key things: inflation and rapidly rising mortgage rates. And in many ways, it's put the market into a reset position.

As the Federal Reserve (the Fed) made moves this year to try to lower inflation, mortgage rates more than doubled – something that’s never happened before in a calendar year. This had a cascading impact on buyer activity, the balance between supply and demand, and ultimately home prices. And as all those things changed, some buyers and sellers put their plans on hold and decided to wait until the market felt a bit more predictable.

But what does that mean for next year? What everyone really wants is more stability in the market in 2023. For that to happen we’ll need to see the

Earlier this month, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said that the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will increase by 12% nationally in 2023. This is excellent news for homebuyers in Greater Boston, as the loan limit for one-unit properties in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties will increase by more than $100,000 to a limit of $828,000.

This increase is in line with the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA), which requires the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to adjust the conforming loan limit annually to reflect the change in the average U.S. home price. According to the FHFA's seasonally adjusted data, house prices increased 12.21% between the third quarters of