More Americans Confident About Home Ownership Americans are more confident about the stability of home prices than they were at the beginning of 2010, according to Fannie Mae's latest national housing survey, conducted between October 2010 and December 2010.. And when it comes to home ownership, younger Americans are particularly optimistic, the survey finds. Nearly 80 percent of all … [Read more...]

2011 Rebound: Affordability High, Investors Back Plenty of signs point to the housing market finally bottoming out and moving into rebound mode this year, experts say in a recent article in The Wall Street Journal. Investors, who were burned when the housing bubble burst in 2006, are back on the market, betting on a rebound, and snagging up houses and condos in all-cash deals. What’s more, … [Read more...]

Massachusetts Home Sales Up for Second Straight Month in January 2/22/2011 Median prices continue to come down to more affordable levels WALTHAM, Mass. – February 22, 2011 – The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that January single-family home sales were up for the second month in-a-row compared to the same time last year as median prices continued to moderate for … [Read more...]

Changes to Homestead Act Take Effect in March 3/2/2011 The “Declaration of Estate of Homestead,” a bill containing a series of important amendments to the Homestead Act (Mass. General Laws, Ch. 188), was signed into law in December 2010 and goes into effect on March 16, 2011. Upon filing a Declaration of Homestead, a legal document filed at the registry of deeds upon sale of a primary … [Read more...]

30-Year Rates Back Below 5% Mortgage rates were on the decline this week, a welcome sign for potential home buyers or those looking to refinance. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 4.95 percent this week, down from 5 percent the week prior, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market survey. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 5.05 percent. The 15-year, fixed-rate … [Read more...]