Boston Real Estate

Newton, Waltham and Brookline make the top 100

I’ve been having some fun with the CNN Best Places to Live Poll. I hope you will, too. CNN is saying three towns in our area are a good deal based on housing, financial and quality of life. Within hou...

Time to check your property taxes

With gas, food, and other prices on the rise, I’m sure many of you are looking for ways to save money. Well, a recent Wall Street Journal article offers a tip that may be worth looking into. In light ...

Is it sunlight or a train at the end of the tunnel?

OK, national economy watchers, today is your day. I found a fairly concise report on real estate economics that will give you something to chew on. Feel free to read the whole thing (six pages.) Summa...

Summer reading list

I know that this it is old-fashioned to read books. But I still do it; and I am not ashamed. For those of you who also still do it, here is my “summer reading list” of real estate books. I...

Gas prices and home buying

People's wallets are really being hurt by the high price of gasoline, which is currently more than $4 a gallon. As a result, many businesses, including realtors, are trying creative strategies to keep...

Is it wrong, or is it just marketing?

Fresh Pond asked me: Rona, ... is it allowed and/or ethical for a broker to list a house at, say, $100. Then, after it doesn't sell, drop the price to $80 and mention in the comments that parking is a...

Dirty landlord tricks?

Here's a dilemma for the apartment hunters and dwellers out there. A woman who is looking for a rental unit says she keeps running into landlords who want a ''cleaning deposit.'' One prospective landl...

Survey names named

The addresses of the properties named in the multiple offer survey are in. I was going to wait until they all closed, but decided not to delay any further. These were generated by readers. Most have v...

What's a lawyer worth?

So what's a reasonable range of fees to pay for a real estate attorney? That's what one reader, who is buying a South End condo, wanted to know. She received quotes of $950 for the sale of a condo, $4...

Naming names of homes sold in bidding wars

I pay attention to your requests. Really! Gus and others want me to talk about specific properties that have sold in competition. Once a property sells, I can tell you what it sold for and what happen...