John Morrison - Boston area real estate - Everything you need to know about buying in Massachusetts

You know who you are. You know you need to read this, because your posts will be around forever (theoretically), and you don't want people thinking you are a numbskull, do you? I have only written one post before now that is not related to real estate, but I'm fed up. This is not comprehensive, b...

The following numbers come from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR). Surprise surprise, prices are down as are the number of units sold. It is interesting to note that condo prices statewide dropped a very small amount on average. The towns north of Boston were hit a little harder, w...

Politics are politics. Mud slinging, name calling, attack ads, character questioning, etc. is all happening right now. This is typical in our country, and we're all used to it by now. No matter what your view is or who you intend on voting for (the important thing is to vote!), we have serious is...

The folks at Buyer’s Resource in Ohio wrote about home energy efficiency and mentioned a great resource that is available online. It’s called the The Home Energy Saver. If you are concerned about the environment, or just interested in saving money each month, you should utilize this free tool. On...

An interesting article appeared in the March 2008 issue of “REALTOR” magazine. This publication is put out by the National Association of Realtors®, and you can find this article online as well. It involves a review of one of the many house hunting shows on TV. On the show, the family’s agents, w...

I recently heard about an unfortunate situation on Boston’s north shore, in Manchester. You can find more about it at the site of WCVB-tv. Here’s what happened: some unfortunate homeowners purchased a house that was most likely built on an old landfill. They tried to sell their house and potentia...

What do you do with all the junk mail you get? Or, for that matter, any mail? Shred anything with personal information on it and keep it along with all discarded paper, and drop it at one of the many bins all over Massachusetts to be recycled. Even better, change every bill you have to electronic...

Literally. Here in the north shore town of Beverly, MA, a multimillion dollar mansion burned to the ground Thursday night into Friday morning. Thankfully the owners were away and no one was hurt. Why did this house burn completely? Not because of a lack of response from fire crews. The house was ...

Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware! While this rule usually applies to buying a home in Massachusetts, it also can apply to applying for and obtaining a loan on your home purchase. Boston Business Journal recently reported on a temporary cease-and-desist order taken by the Massachusetts Division of Ban...

I wrote recently about the troubles that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are facing currently. Increased foreclosures and uncertain finances are dogging these two GSEs. Jonathan R. Laing reported in Barron's that both companies may well be on their way to becoming extinct, at least in their current fo...