The City of Boston is holding a special foreclosure homebuyer fair for people interested in buying REO (bank owned) property in Boston.  There will be Realtors with their listings, lenders to discuss financing, and homebuyer counselors all in one place.  The City of Boston will also be holding a seminar on site, titled "Learn how to buy a foreclosed property".  If you take the seminar, you will be qualified for special loan and grant program. It really should be a great event if you have any interest in buying a foreclosure in Boston.  Some of the highlights: REO and foreclosed listings from local Realtors (including my company) Opportunities to meet with participating lenders to learn about specialty mortgage products to help buy foreclosures Information on money available for qualifie... 02/18/2009

  Wagamama opens its third chain in the metro Boston area today at the Prudential center in Boston Ma. I am thrilled as it is one more great dining option for all of us here at the office. We used to travel to the Faneuil Hall location but parking and travel time always made us reconsider, well not anymore. It is only a few blocks away from the office and steps away from Newbury St. http://wagamama.us/locations/showlocation/662 02/16/2009

City of Boston Homebuyer Fair Saturday, February 28, 2009 Location: Lee Community Center, Dorchester Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.   BOSTON HOME CENTER HOMEBUYER FAIRSIn February the City of Boston will host the first of several Homebuyer Fairs tomatch homebuyers to REO properties listed for sale in Boston. The Boston Home Center’s Homebuyer Fair will be a great opportunity for interested buyers to meet with Realtors, Lenders and Homebuyer counselors all in one location.The Homebuyer Fair will permit attendees One Stop Access to the following:• REO listings from local realtors• Opportunity to meet with our participating lenders and learn about specialty mortgage products• Information on money available for qualified buyers purchasing REO properties• Purchase/Rehab money for qualified REO... 02/11/2009

It's the tallest building in Boston.  The tallest in New England, for that matter.  Sold in 2006 for a then-prestigious $1.3 billion, the AIA award winning structure is an icon of Boston's standing as a city to be reckoned with.  That was three years ago.  In the economic contraction that's gripped the nation, commercial real estate has been the second shoe to fall.  Bloomberg estimates that the 60 story tower (made famous during construction by 500 lb sheets of its glass skin popping loose and falling to the sidewalk below) has fallen in value by as much as $600 million. If financing cannot be arranged to forestall the foreclosure, New York's SL Green Realty Corp. will be auctioning the property as early as March 31. I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ Mortgage lender.Think o... 02/09/2009

The City of Boston is sponsoring a homebuyers fair to match buyers with short sale and foreclosed properties available for sale in Boston, Massachusetts.     Buyers will be able to:   Meet with lenders, real estate agents, and homebuying counselors Attend a Learn How To Buy A Foreclosed Property seminar Get information on bank-owned (REO) properties in Boston Find out about downpayment and closing cost assistance for qualified first time homebuyers Meet with a lender to get pre-qualified for a mortgage Learn about money available for purchase / rehab of bank-owned properties      The homebuyer fair will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 10 am to 2:00 pm at the Perkins Community Center in the Lee School, 155 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, MA.   For more information call 617-635-466... 02/04/2009

There are two major differences between homes that sell in this market and homes that don't: correct pricing and proper staging.   Neither is more important than the other, and both play key roles.  They are dance partners who must be in sync for a sale to take place (not that I know much about dancing!).  I'll give you a classic example that recently took place.  In early spring, my business partner and I met with clients who had their Back Bay condo on the market for nearly 4 months with no success when they called us for help.  The asking price had started at $695,000 and had been lowered a few times over the 4 month listing period, eventually to $649,000.  Their condo should have been able to sell at that price, so they thought.  Still no buyers emerged.    We went in to meet with t... 02/01/2009

A Dorchester, MA mortgage broker who helped home buyers who were credit risks secure subprime loans has pleaded guilty to forgery, larceny, and other criminal charges, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office reported January 13, 2009.Nicole Lyder, age 34, pled guilty to charges of forgery (6 counts), larceny of bank credit by false pretenses (5 counts), uttering a false document (6 counts), and making or publishing false or exaggerated statements (4 counts).  Following the change of plea to guilty, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine McEvoy sentenced Lyder to serve two years in the house of correction, committed, and two years in the house of correction, sentence suspended for three years and to begin from and after the committed time. Essentially, Lyder will be on probation for ... 01/20/2009

Red tailed hawks have become increasingly common around Boston and Cambridge.  It's still a thrill every time you see one.  In Cambridge real estate agents tour the new listings each Wednesday.  Twice in the last year we've seen hawks during our tour.  One was perched atop a Cambridge hospital's cupola several stories up and another day we found one high in a tree on a Belmont hill just across the street from the house we were viewing.  They are simply majestic.   The best hawk sighting - from just a few feet away - happened the other day - actually twice in two days - as a red tailed hawk chose my brother's fire escape in South Boston as a landing spot.  We're hoping he continues to be a regular visitor.  The cats hope so too - if only to dream from the safety of the kitchen table.    ... 01/19/2009

Boston Massachusetts Real Estate - Virtual Community Tour Boston, Massachusetts is a historic city of contrasts. Ancient red-brick sidewalks twist past handsome Federalist houses on the way to soaring glass towers housing state-of-the-art finance and high-tech firms. The city's sports teams are among the best loved and the most hated, locally and nationally, at one and the same time. Residents are fiercely protective of their neighborhoods and fiercely critical of the MBTA, the government and the weather. The cultural, economic, political, educational and transportation hub of New England, it is internationally recognized as one of the world's most livable cities, having served as a center for global trade, finance, research, medicine and technology for more than three centuries. One of... 01/18/2009

That is the question I have been fielding from my clients for a month now.  Don't get me wrong,  it's a great question.   But it leads many consumers into a state of "rate lock paralysis."  Many people don't want to lock a rate today out of fear that rates will be lower sometime in the near future.   There are two things I say to these types of borrowers: I remind them about all the clients who missed out in January of 2008 when rates hit 5.00% for only a short while.   I had dozens of clients who could have saved $200,  $300 and even $400 if they had refinanced down to 5.00% but they wanted to "wait for a better rate."  Well,  that better rate never came and it cost some of them $4,000+ in potential savings over the following 12 months. Just like when you invest or even belly up to a b... 01/17/2009

Lofts in Greater Boston One of the things I have come to notice about this real estate market, is that there seems to be little affect on the sale of lofts in the Greater Boston area. In a quick survey, I found 65 lofts available in Greater Boston. What is a Loft apartment? Loft apartments are apartments that are generally built into former industrial buildings. When industrial developments are developed into condominiums instead of apartments, they may be called loft condominiums. The general term warehouse-to-loft conversions may sometimes be used for development of industrial buildings into apartments and condominiums. "Loft-style" may also refer simply to developments where a street-level business occupies the first floor while apartment "lofts" are placed above the first floor. Thi... 01/16/2009

Boston, Massachusetts Foreclosure Listings - MA Bank-Owned Homes Receive Boston, MA real estate foreclosure (bank-owned) listings and short sale opportunities as they are listed.  Obtain information about properties that meet your criteria or all listings in Boston.  NEW FORECLOSURE LISTING ALERTS- BE THE FIRST TO KNOW - THE BEST DEALS SELL QUICKLY! If you are serious about buying a home or condominium at a great value, our Virtual Homes real estate agents at will contact you and provide: * A list of existing real estate foreclosure (bank-owned) and short sale listings in Boston, MA and other communities you select.  Or you can set up your own searches for properties that meet your criteria. * Email alerts on NEW foreclosure (bank-owned) and short sale listings in the Massachusetts MLS... 01/11/2009

A couple of days ago, I was on the phone with a good friend of mine that is a huge Boston Red Sox fan. Since I lived in the Ft Myers area for some time, I was able to catch the Red Sox during spring training all the time. In doing this, I would meet people from the Boston area. I was always fascinated with the Real Estate in Boston and how it compared to the other markets around the country. I was really surprised to hear how well the Boston Real Estate market was doing. What I found more surprising than anything else though was that no matter who I asked about Boston Luxury Real Estate or Boston Luxury Lofts, it always seem to come back to the same name. No matter if you were looking to buy one of the Boston Condos or if the Loft style living is more you thing, Bushari Group Real Estat... 12/18/2008

I am interested to hear what others in the mortgage industry are hearing from their clients about falling interest rates after they are already locked in.  First of all I don't think it is wise to pay closing costs when refinancing so most my current refinances are no closing cost deals.   I try to stress to my clients that when we lock a rate for them as a warehouse lender we are literally setting aside funds for them at a contracted rate.  If rates go up they of course can rest assured that we will honor the original rate lock but on the flip side I stress the importance of them honoring the rate lock if by chance rates come down.  Now,  that being said we do have the ability to renegotiate the rate if pricing improves significantly but typically not down to the lowest market rate.  F... 12/07/2008

Boston Common, also known as Midtown Massachusetts offers condos, highrises and townhomes priced in the millions. The views from Midtown are just what you would expect them to be... extraordinary. This area sells itself! CONDOs FOR SALE - MIDTOWN MA $1,400,000   11/28/2008

Beacon Hill, Boston Neighborhood Beacon Hill is one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in all of Boston offering townhomes from the $400,000s to the Millions. The area is simply gorgeous with old-victorian style brownstones, townhomes, single family residences and offices set on the back drop of downtown Boston.   11/28/2008

Boston-Back Bay  11/28/2008

Mitchell Properties LLC has recently opted to allow prospective tenants to sign 9-12 month leases with the option to sign a “lease to purchase contract” to contribute rent towards a future purchase at the new 700 Harrison condo development in Boston's South End. These new released rental units are moving fast - since last week, four units were rented after being on the market for only three days. Read more:700 Harrison Luxury Boston Rentals 11/26/2008

The Boston Metropolitan Area showed a 5.7 percent decline in home prices in September compared to September 2007, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, a monthly report that tracks U.S. home prices in 20 metropolitan areas. Only Charlotte (3.5 percent), Dallas (2.7 percent) and Denver (5.4 percent) had smaller price declines.Phoenix was the weakest market, reporting an annual decline of 31.9 percent, followed by Las Vegas, down 31.3 percent, and San Francisco, which saw a drop of 29.5 percent. Miami, Los Angeles, and San Diego did not fair much better with annual price declines of 28.4 percent, 27.6 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively. Read The S&P/Case-Shiller Press Release 11/26/2008

Many consumers,  savvy and otherwise are a little confused as to why mortgage rates are not lower than where they are.  Today you can get a 30 year fixed rate mortgage at 5.875% with no points and don't get me wrong that is a phenomenal rate historically.  But if you look at where banks are borrowing at you would expect that rate to be significantly lower.  This does have a lot to do with supply and demand and I don't mean the general public's demand for low mortgage rates.  I am referring to Wall St's appetite for mortgage backed securities.  But I will give you an easier example to consider: Let's say you are a bank.  And you can now borrow money at a true historic low rate of 1.25% which is the Fed Funds rate.  You can then turn around and lend to borrowers at 5.875% so they can buy ... 11/24/2008