Real Estate Search Blog

Boston real estate is hoppin’! There comes a time in life when an abrupt change can turn life completely around, in a good way. When looking to settle down and purchase real estate, most people do not stay within the limits of the town they grew up. Relocating to a different city can be an exciting, life-changing move.

The city of Boston has been opening its arms to newcomers since the first immigrant arrived at the Port of Boston long ago. Things have changed a great deal since then (though Boston has retained its soft spot for cobble-stoned streets and brownstones).

Here are a few highlights of exciting things that happened in Boston over the past year:

Boston residents and others were invited to skate on the ice at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. First Skate at Fenway Park was arranged in preparation for the NHL’s Winter Classic Game on January 1st.

The 2nd annual Boston Greenfest took over Boston last summer with music, art, seminars, workshops, and activities.

What would a major city be without a Restaurant Week? Boston area residents enjoyed the delicious cookery of over 200 restaurants.

Though not quite up there with Paris or New York, Boston Fashion Week has grown over the years to become a press-magnet and party-fest. All the better for its guests!

Renee Zelwegger and James Franco won the annual Harvard Hasty Pudding Award.

(Not a killer bee attack) Surrogates Filmed in Boston, along with many more movies:

• The Women, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening and Eva Mendes: September 12.
• My Best Friend’s Girl, starring Dane Cook and Kate Hudson: September 19.
• Bride Wars, starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway: January 9, 2009.
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop, starring Kevin James: January 16, 2009.
• The Pink Panther 2, starring Steve Martin and Andy Garcia: February 6, 2009.
• The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden: March 20, 2009.
• Real Men Cry, starring Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke: June 2009.
• Ashecliffe, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Martin Scorsese: October 2, 2009.
• The Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis: November 20, 2009.
• The Company Men, starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones.

If you’re preparing to or already in the process of selling a home, here’s a way to squeeze more cash out of your property. Massachusetts has alloted over $6 million dollars to help you get money back for your old appliances. The Massachusetts Appliance Rebates program is scheduled to begin in March 2010.

Eligible products include

• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Clothes washers
• Dishwashers

For more information, contact the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.

Prudential Prime Properties is a Boston real estate firm that has years of real estate market experience to fine-tune its home-selling strategies. If you are hoping to sell real estate in Boston, list your property with Prudential Prime Properties.

There is an extremely helpful Boston Globe article offering loan-securing tips for new and seasoned home buyers. Buying Boston real estate and Massachusetts real estate in general is not as hard as many think it is.

• First-time buyers have plenty of options when it comes to securing a loan. The homebuyer tax credit is a good example that even extends to repeat buyers. Conventional loans for relatively smaller mortgages, which can be secured for as low as 3% down, are another example.
• Veterans, surviving spouses, and active duty members can secure a loan for 0% down.
• Massresources.org offers 30 and 40 year mortgages for 3% down. There are income requirements but they are not nearly as strict as Section 8 housing restrictions.
• Bostonhomecenter.com is a great resource for people looking for similar programs catered to Boston real estate.
• Contact your town or city offices to find out if there are additional programs available for your use.

For more great resources on Boston real estate, visit Prudential Prime Properties on the web.

A proposed ban on texting while driving in Boston could make buying real estate in Boston even more appealing for families looking to plant roots in a safe city. The ban on texting while driving passed through the House on February 4th, and will head to the Senate.

Described as “one of the toughest laws on texting in the nation,” the ban would punish first and second-time offenders with fines, and drivers who cause an accident while texting could be faced with prison time (under reckless driving laws) and a fine. It would also require drivers to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone, and would ban junior operators from using their cell phones in any way while driving.

The new ban makes Boston an even more appealing city for individuals and families interested in relocating to a safer city. In some Boston neighborhoods, it’s possible to do without a car because of Boston’s convenient transportation options such as “the T” (the subway), buses, designated bike paths, and of course, sidewalks. Pedestrians should feel even safer after the ban on texting while driving is put into place.

For more information on Boston real estate, please visit Prudential Prime Properties on the web. Prudential Prime Properties is your source for only the most knowledgeable and professional real estate agents in the Boston area.

Buyers, and tentative buyers, of foreclosed properties in several Boston neighborhoods may be eligible for low-interest loans or grants up to $50,000 for purchase or renovation costs. See this Boston Herald article on the $13.6 million dollar grant recently awarded to Boston by the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

For in-depth information about real estate in Boston and its surrounding neighborhoods, visit Prudential Prime Properties on the web. Once there, you can search Back Bay Boston Homes for Sale, Beacon Hill Realty, North End Boston Condos for Sale & Boston Rentals.

You know you need to remodel your bathroom, but you have no idea where to start. Home improvement magazines can sometimes overwhelm with dozens of expensive accessories. Where do you go for help?

A bathroom on www.remodelingmyspace.com

Remodelingmyspace.com is an excellent home improvement resource full of photos and videos of real-life home improvement projects created by ordinary people. Start with the photo galleries for ideas, then use the videos and how-to articles to help you begin the project.

If you’re computer-savvy, make sure to check out Google Sketch-Up, a FREE program designed to help you create 3D models. Imagine creating a 3D model of the new addition you plan to build onto your home!

If you’re planning on selling your home or are looking at homes for sale in Boston or the surrounding area, talk to the experts at Prudential Prime Properties. They are a full service Boston real estate agency specializing in Downtown real estate in Boston and relocation to Boston, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, South Boston, South End, Leather District, Seaport, Waterfront, Charlestown, Watertown, Cambridge and Greater Boston homes for sale.

When shopping for homes you should keep in mind the future value of your home, whether you plan on one day selling it for your retirement or leaving it to your loved ones. Whether your plan is to purchase a home as an investment or to make it your family’s first home, there are several things to research before you buy. You can find the answers to the questions below on the Internet and by visiting the neighborhood and dropping in on its local businesses.

What is the state of the neighborhood?

• Basic needs for future buyers include a low crime rate, parks and recreation facilities, transportation routes (bus stops or train stations), and nearby shopping areas.
• Neighboring homes should be well-maintained.

Visit the schools!

• You can look at public schools on the Internet, but you’ll never know the actual school environment until you visit the school itself.

Are people moving in or moving out?

• Do a Google search for the street you’d like to buy on to see if any of the nearby homes are for sale.

How’s business?

• Aside from checking out the local businesses, you can also visit the town hall or city hall to find out future developments in or around your neighborhood. Developments can increase or decrease surrounding property value and taxes.

Before doing any of the research above, make sure you like what you see in your future neighborhood. Will you enjoy spending time in the area, taking walks with your kids, visiting the local restaurants or cafes? Or area you simply focusing on the best bang for your buck, and not taking the local area into consideration?

For help on browsing Boston real estate, consider the real estate agents at Prudential Prime Properties. Prudential Prime Properties has years of experience helping people find homes in Boston. The firm has years of experience helping residential, commercial, and rental clients find properties. For additional insight on buying real estate in Boston, refer to the Categories list on the right column of this blog.

If your investment instincts are tickled by Boston MA real estate’s falling prices, there are some things you should do before you even begin talking to a real estate agent. Knowledge is power. To be well-informed about investing in Boston real estate is to be prepared for any surprises that might occur along the way. The following tips are provided by The National Real Estate Investors Association.

1. Buy your own home first. This is the best practice in the real estate investment process. You could eventually use your first home as an investment and rental unit for when you purchase an “upgrade” property later on down the line.
2. Read up. The original tip here is “go back to school,” but there are plenty of free resources out there that offer more flexibility. Browse the latest books, build an RSS feed of real estate blogs, take an online course, join a local investment group. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by talking to other people, so joining a group may be the most helpful option. You can learn from others’ stories of success (and failure.)
3. Learn your investment market. Again, joining local groups may be your best bet here. Even if you have lived in the Boston area your entire life, you may be unaware of the habits of renters and students. By talking to others with more experience, you’ll learn what to expect when investing in real estate in Boston.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal explores the growing trend of parents buying property in college towns for their son or daughter to live in while attending school. In today’s real estate market, a mortgage for a single-family home in Boston can be cheaper than the cost to rent an apartment or to live in a dorm. The Boston Globe even noted that housing prices continue to fall while “renters feel no relief” – rents remain the same or increase. At public and private universities nationwide, room and board has increased 5% since last year, averaging $7404 per school year for public universities and $8595 for private. With many families struggling to pay rising college fees, a change in housing options can provide huge relief on monthly expenses.

A search through Boston real estate listings pulls up a three-bedroom, one bath condominium on Grant Street in Boston. Close to the UMass Boston campus, this listing would be ideal for a student and a few roommates. A monthly mortgage payment could cost under $2000. To compare the benefit of owning a home to renting an apartment, parents could use Google Maps’ rental search feature to browse apartments listed around UMass Boston. It can cost anywhere between $1500 and $1800 for a 2-bedroom rental, or between $750 and $900 to rent one of the bedrooms. By purchasing a condominium, parents could rent out the two other rooms and cover part of the mortgage each month. The cost to house their son or daughter would be less than the area’s average monthly rent. The parents would be saving money in the short term. Thinking more long-term, a college town has a recession-proof demand for apartment rentals. After graduation, the family could continue renting out the property to college students or to a family.

Buying property in Boston offers relief for families struggling to keep their student in college. The short-term advantages are just as valuable as the long-term benefits.

In Boston, a renter’s average payment is about $1700 per month. Year after year, rents have gone up while housing values fall. Sometimes, making the transition from renter to homeowner makes the best financial sense – especially now that the real estate market is a buyer’s market. Cambridge MA real estate can offer a simple way to go from renter to homeowner.

In this buyer’s market, now is the perfect time to make that transition. The city of Cambridge is an excellent place for a young professional in Boston to transition from renter to buyer without sacrificing any facet of his or her city lifestyle. Cambridge is home to some of Boston’s most cherished restaurants serving an array of world cuisines, from Indian to East African. The city’s intellectual pulse is reflected in the rotating independent films shown at its famous theaters. Some of the best shopping in Boston can be found in the small, eclectic shops around Harvard Square, and of course there’s always the CambridgeSide Galleria. The close-knit community of Cambridge celebrates is diverse cultural roots through annual performances and parades such as its African street carnival and its own world’s fair.

Take advantage of the buyer’s market and browse some of the condo and home listings in Cambridge real estate.