This month, Nick discusses home staging and what sellers should take into account when considering it. He gives tips for those considering staging their home and shares a success story from a recent sale.

What are some things a seller needs to consider when debating whether to have their home staged or not?

With the market shifting, sellers and their agents need to really focus on positioning their properties correctly to receive solid offers.  Part of this includes doing repairs and potentially decluttering and/or staging.  

The idea behind staging and/or decluttering is to eliminate potential distractions for buyers. It is hard for potential buyers to see themselves living in a property if all they remember is that hot pink bedroom or the

It’s clear the 2022 housing market has been defined by rising mortgage rates. With rates on the rise, it’s also become more costly to purchase a home in Boston. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR):

“Compared to one year ago, the monthly mortgage payment rose to $1,944 from $1,265, an increase of 53.7%.”

If you’re thinking of buying a home in the Boston area or have been trying to recently, that’s a big increase in a monthly mortgage payment – and it may be causing you to press pause on your plans. This jump is making homes less affordable, especially compared to the last two years when mortgage rates were at historic lows.

The good news is you can navigate today’s housing market and this rising rate environment

If you’ve been thinking of buying a home in the Boston area, you may have been watching what’s happened with mortgage rates over the past year. It’s true they’ve risen dramatically, but where will they go from here, especially as the market continues to slow?

As you think about your homeownership goals and decide if now’s the time to make your move, the best place to turn to for that information is the professionals. Here’s a summary of the latest mortgage rate forecasts from housing market experts.

Experts Project Mortgage Rates Will Stabilize

While mortgage rates continue to fluctuate due to ongoing inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty, experts project they’ll start to stabilize in the months ahead. According to the latest

One of the biggest questions people are asking right now is: what’s happening with home prices in Boston? There are headlines about ongoing price appreciation, but at the same time, some sellers are reducing the price of their homes. That can feel confusing and makes it more difficult to get a clear picture.

Part of the challenge is that it can be hard to understand what experts are saying when the words they use sound similar. Let’s break down the differences among those terms to help clarify what’s actually happening today.

• Appreciation is when home prices increase.
• Depreciation is when home prices decrease.
• Deceleration is when home prices continue to appreciate, but at a slower or more moderate pace.

Experts agree that,

As summer winds down and we look to the autumn season, Nick talks about what he expects during a historically busy time in Boston real estate. He discusses what buyers are looking for in the market now and what sellers can do to appeal to them.

What are buyers looking for right now in the market?

We’ve seen buyers shift from a scarcity mindset that forced them to be aggressive with their offers and terms to now being more patient and confident to negotiate with sellers again.

What can sellers do to best appeal to them?

Sellers face more competition and longer days on the market now vs. during the spring, so they have to be more strategic when listing their property for sale.  Sellers should work with their agents to find items around the

If you put off your Boston home search at any point over the past two years, you may want to consider picking it back up based on today’s housing market conditions. Recent data shows the supply of homes for sale is increasing, giving buyers like you additional options.

But it’s important to keep in mind that while inventory is improving, it’s still a sellers’ market. And that means you need to be prepared as you set out on your home search. Here are three tips for buying the home of your dreams today.

1. Understand How Mortgage Rates Impact Your Homebuying Power

Mortgage rates have increased significantly this year, and over the past few weeks, they’ve been fluctuating quite a bit. It’s important to stay up to date on what’s happening with

There’s no doubt about the fact that the housing market is slowing from the frenzy we saw over the past two years. But what does that mean for you if you’re thinking of selling your home in the Boston area?

While home prices are still appreciating in most markets and experts say that will continue, they’re climbing at a slower pace because rising mortgage rates are creating less buyer demand. Because of this, there are more homes on the market. And in a shift like this one, the way you price your home matters more than ever.

Why Today’s Housing Market Is Different

During the pandemic, sellers could price their homes higher because demand was so high, and supply was so low. This year, things are shifting, and that means your approach to

With half of 2022 behind us, we have already seen some very interesting changes in the Boston real estate market this year. Nick discusses these changes and how buyers and sellers can best prepare if they are looking to make a move this year.

What has surprised you most about the real estate market in Boston so far in 2022?

The biggest surprise to me is how quickly things have changed.  

At the beginning of this year, we experienced one of the busiest real estate markets I’ve ever seen.  There seemed to be a rush of buyers racing against the looming rise in interest rates.  This rush continued until around April when we suddenly started hearing concerns from buyers and seeing less activity at some listings than we initially expected.  

If you’re thinking about making a move, you probably want to know what’s going to happen to home prices for the rest of the year. While experts say price growth will moderate due to the shifting market, ongoing appreciation is expected. That means home prices won’t fall. Here’s a look at two key reasons experts forecast continued price growth: supply and demand.

While Growing, Housing Supply Is Still Low

Even though inventory is increasing this year as the market moderates, supply is still low. The graph below helps tell the story of why there still aren’t enough homes on the market today. It uses data from the Census to show the number of single-family homes that were built in this country going all the way back to the 1970s.

The blue

If you’re planning to buy a home around Boston this year, you might have heard that pre-approval is a necessary step to take before starting out on your journey. But why is that? And is it still important in today’s shifting market?

The truth is, getting a pre-approval letter from your lender is critical, and when it comes to your home search, it can be a game changer in so many ways.

To better understand why, it’s important to know what pre-approval is. Freddie Mac defines the process like this:

“A pre-approval is an indication from your lender that they are willing to lend you a certain amount of money to buy your future home. The lender you work with will provide you with a pre-approval letter, which is an official document that