Massachusetts Home Buyer Guide

The number of Massachusetts foreclosure petitions – the first step in the Bay State foreclosure process – declined 86 percent in May compared to May 2012, leaving little doubt that the Massachusetts foreclosure crisis is history. 

The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported June 20, 2013 that there were only 248 foreclosure starts, the first time the number of foreclosure petitions fell below 250 since The Warren Group started collecting foreclosure data in 2006.  

While the media and the real estate industry earlier this week trumpeted the fact that single-family home sales reached the highest level since 2006 in May 2013 the more important number for Massachusetts home buyers is the jump in the median price of homes compared to May 2012.

After reports last year about how affordable homes were historically speaking, the Massachusetts real estate market heated up. Now that home prices have increased and mortgage interest rates have begun to rise recently home buyers, especially first-time home buyers, are feeling squeezed in a market still lacking sufficient inventory.  

The number of advertised auction notices in Massachusetts plunged 75 percent in April, as well as other types of foreclosure activity, The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported June 5, 2013.

There were 348 auction announcements in April, down more than 75 percent from 1,403 in April 2012. Auction notices through the first four months of the year are down 74 percent to 1,450 from 5,577 during the same period in 2012. It appears that the chance to buy a foreclosure is about over for most Massachusetts home buyers. Investors will pounce on anything halfway decent, and properties that need substantial work are not usually a good fit for first-time home buyers. 

A recent Boston Real Estate Now blog post on the competitiveness of the real estate market in the Greater Boston Area indicated that "roughly 15 percent" of Greater Boston home buyers "waived the inspection contingency" in their offer to purchase.

While the median price of a single-family home increased 10.5 percent statewide in April 2013 Walpole, Massachusetts saw its median price for a single-family home decline 20.4 percent, according to data from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR).

The median price of a single-family home in Walpole, MA stood at $410,000 in April 2013, down from $515,000 in April 2012. During the first four months of 2013, the median price of a single-family home declined 14.4 percent, from $450,000 in 2012 to $385,000. 

The fact that rents in the Greater Boston Area are expensive isn't news, but the rate at which rents are rising might be a bit of a surprise for those individuals comtemplating entering the real estate market as first-time home buyers. 

Rents in the Boston Area increased 5.5 percent in May 2013, increasing faster than all other metro areas tracked except Miami, according to a report release by real estate Web site Trulia. Miami rents increased 6.4 percent in May.

NEWS ALERT: The Massachusetts Association of Realtors pending sales numbers were not accurate. The post is below. We will update this post or write a new post as soon as the numbers are corrected.  Please see what Banker & Tradesman wrote.

MA Governor Deval Patrick is asking local banks to participate in an initiative that would provide 10,000 mortgages over the next five years to Massachusetts first-time home buyers, several media outlets reported June 10, 2013. 

Called the Massachusetts Housing Ownership Compact, the plan is for local banks to provide mortgages loans for home buyers with household incomes that fall below the median income in their geographical areas, Boston.com reported. 

The median price of a single-family home in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts increased 14.2 percent in April compared to April 2012 while sales increased nearly 44 percent, according to data compiled by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. 

The median price of a single-family house in Shrewsbury increased from $300,000 in April 2012 to $342,500 in April 2013. Through the first four months of 2013, median price rose 9.7 percent, from $300,000 in 2012 to $329,000. 

The median price of a single-family home in Haverhill, Massachusetts increased 32.7 percent in April, climbing from $209,900 in April 2012 to $278,500, according to data provided by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. 

Through the first four months of the year, the median price of a single-family home in Haverhill increased 25.6 percent. The median price increased from $215,000 during the first four months of 2012 to $270,000 for the same period in 2013. The lack of real estate inventory played a role in the home price increase. In April, inventory declined 17.9 percent compared to April 2012; however, new listings did increase 5.7 percent.

A home inspection is serious business. 

As much as some sellers and real estate agents want to play down the home inspection, it is one of the most important steps of buying a home. Aside from the obvious reasons of wanting to know about major defects, a home inspection is a time to learn. A good home inspector will thoroughly answer home buyers' questions and educate home buyers, especially first-time home buyers, about maintaining a home in general and specifically their soon-to-be home.

With the above in mind, it is important that Massachusetts home buyers understand what a home inspector will check and what the limitations are for a home inspection.

As expected, the median price for single-family homes in Massachusetts increased in April; however, the big story for home buyers is the increase in new homes for sale across the state. 

New single-family home listings added to the market in April 2013 increased 12.7 percent compared to the same time last year (9,350 new listings in April 2013 cpmpared to 8,294 listings in April 2012). There was a 44 percent increase in new homes for sale from the 6,468 listings added to the market in March 2013. April saw the biggest increase in new home listings since April 2010, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported May 29, 2013.