Massachusetts Home Buyer Guide

From January through November 2013, the price of a condominium in Cambridge, Massachusetts increased compared to the same period in 2012, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported in December.

The median price of a condominium in Cambridge, MA rose 15.2 percent to $514,250, up from $446,250 during the same eleven months in 2012. During the month of November, the median price increased to $616,750, a 34.4 percent rise from $459,000 for a condo during November 2012.

As part of a home inspection, home buyers may choose to have a radon test administered by the home inspector. Massachusetts home buyers should understand what radon gas is, how it is tested and what can be done to mitigate high levels of radon gas. 

What is Radon?

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that results from breakdown of radium and uranium in soil and rock. Because radon is a gas, it spreads out from the ground and into homes through foundation cracks and holes. It can move into any space that allows for air flow. Fieldstone foundations are more likely to have higher levels of radon, but cement is porous, so air can easily make its way through cinderblock and poured concrete foundations as well. Even new homes that are well-sealed and houses without basements can have elevated levels of radon. Radon can also be found in building materials, such as brick, stone or concrete.

For Boston home buyers looking for a new construction luxury condo in Boston's South End, the Ink Block development presents a rare opportunity. Besides nearly 400 apartments, the development will include 83 luxury condominiums known as the Sepia Condos at Ink Block. 

Only 29 miles southeast of Boston, Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County on the South Shore of Massachusetts. Named for the picture-perfect salt marshes scattered through the town, Marshfield is known for its seashore and environmental beauty. The town's geography has created a unique environment; its salt water tidal marshes are home to many rare plant and animal species.

The town boasts five miles of public seashore, making its eight beaches popular destinations during the summer. It is also the site of several small forests and conservation areas, including the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary along the Green Harbor River and the North River Wildlife Sanctuary along Route 3A.

For the third time time, Buyers Brokers Only, LLC has earned the Angie's List Super Service Award. For 2013, the award was given to service companies that maintain superior service ratings and reviews from November 1, 2012 through October 31, 2013. Only about 5 percent of real estate companies in the Boston market rated on Angie's List received the reward.

From January through November, the price of a single-family home in Brookline, Massachusetts increased compared to the same period in 2012, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) reported recently.

The median price of a single-family home increased 9.4 percent to $1,367,250 compared to $1,250,000 during the same eleven-month period in 2012. In November 2013, the median price rose to $1,825,000, a 57.3 percent increase compared to $1,160,000 in November 2012.

A New Year's resolution is a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year.

The start of 2014 is a great opportunity for Massachusetts first-time home buyers to start making home-buying decisions that are in their best interest and resolve not to make bad home-buying choices just because other home buyers are doing it. 

Here are three resolutions for first-time home buyers in Massachusetts. 

The price of a single-family home in Marshfield, Massachusetts increased through October 2013, according to data compiled by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

From January through October 2013, the median price of a single-family home in Marshfield, MA increased 6.77 percent to $355,000 compared to $332,500 during the same ten-month period in 2012. In October 2013, the median price increased 30 percent to $390,000 from $300,000 in October 2012.

From January through October 2013, the price of a single-family home in Dunstable, Massachusetts decreased compared to the same period in 2012, according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

The median price of a single-family home in Boxborough, Massachusetts increased 15.44 percent in October 2013, but home prices declined from January through October, according to data provided by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. 

The median price in October increased to $544,000 from $471,250 in October 2012; however, bucking the statewide trend, from January through October, the median price of a single-family home in Boxborough, MA decreased 7.9 percent from $520,000 to $478,938 during the same ten-month period in 2012. 

U.S. pending home sales increased slightly in November, with monthly increases in the South and West offseting declines in the Northeast and Midwest, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reported December 30, 2013.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), as the NAR refers to it, is a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings. Nationally, pending home sales inched up 0.2 percent in November from October, but were 1.6 percent below November 2012. This data reflect contracts, but not actual real estate closings.