Author name: Boston REIA

Rent Escrow Orders Upheld by Supreme Judicial Court Huge Victory for Landlords and Property Managers Today, in Davis v. Comerford, Justice Scott Kafker of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued the first appellate decision confirming that Housing Court and District Court judges have the legal authority to issue rent escrow orders in favor of landlords […]

Opportunity Zones Show Potential for Small Businesses, Neighborhoods Opportunity Zones Show Potential for Small Businesses, Neighborhoods by Steve Chabot As the ranking member of the House Committee on Small Business, I hear time and time again from small business owners who become entrepreneurs to achieve the American Dream. However, their continued success can create ripples

Rents Grow & Vacancy Rates Shrink in Manufactured-Home Communities Scotsman Guide A new study says that as the demand for workforce housing is growing, so too is the demand for renting in manufactured-home communities (MHC).  Citing a recent study from Marcus & Millichap, the Scotsman Guide is reporting that this trend is being fueled by

Watch Your Kid! Homeowner Not Responsible for Backyard Zip Line Accident Appeals Court Rules That Law Places Responsibility On Parents From hotel quality pools, to monster play-sets, to the ubiquitous trampoline and fun houses, backyard activities are all the rage these days. But what happens when a guest or young one is injured in your

Housing America’s Older Adults We have posted a lot about the growing segment of retiring baby-boomers and where/how they’re going to live.  A new report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) says “housing inequality is becoming increasingly evident among older Americans as the number of older households climbs to unprecedented levels” and with

“Coming Soon” …another class action lawsuit against the real estate industry? An award-winning real estate law attorney recently offered a definition of “Agency” in the Word of the Day series he writes for real estate agents: http://bit.ly/AgencyRETalk   (share via social media) Given his audience, no surprise his description asserted that there are times the homebuyer

Did Someone Get Killed in that Property You’re About to Buy? When you’re researching a property, have you ever wondered, “did someone ever die or get killed here???”  An eerie online site called DiedInHouse.com will, for a small fee, generate a report using millions of records to determine if a death occurred at any valid

Seven Questions for Contractors Seven Questions for Contractors By Pete Youngs How long have you been in business in this area? This is important because you want them to be established. In many cases, you may run into a company that is new and you will have trouble getting older references and such. If they

FLASHBACK: Bidding wars plunge in Boston, #BiddingWarBacklash next? Despite 24 years of experience, the first eight months of 2019 have been the worst ever for the Real Estate Cafe, the first online / offline, cybercafe for real estate when we opened in 1995. Now, two headlines this week make us glad that we’ve encouraged buyers

Demand for Vacation Homes Sees Increase We have had several posts about owning vacation homes – whether to rent them out, use them as a 2nd home or both.  With that in mind, a new report from the National Association of Realtors says that increased financial wealth and low mortgage rates have boosted the demand