The landmark decision reached by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Real Estate Bar Association (REBA) v. National Estate Information Services (NREIS), 459 Mass. 512 (2011), affirmed not only the mandatory presence of but the substantial participation and involvement of a Massachusetts attorney in real estate closing proceedings.…
The threat of a foreclosure is scary. Whether you have lived in your home for many years, or just a few months, having to leave due to falling behind on payments is something that no one wants to have to do. However, if you receive a foreclosure notice, it is…
Buying a new home can be an incredibly exciting and simultaneously stressful situation. It is not difficult to imagine the potential hassles that can arise when the property that you saved up for years to purchase, and continue to work hard to afford, begins to show signs of problems that…
Easthampton Proposes Building Size Limit To Exclude Big Box Retailers In a move calculated to enhance the business climate for small to medium-size businesses, the City Council of Easthampton, Massachusetts is considering an ordinance to ban big-box retailers all over the city. Only the industrially zoned area would be excluded from…
Boston Property Values Skyrocket Owners of commercial and residential properties all over the Boston area are facing higher property tax assessments. This goes along with the good news – bad news phenomenon of the relentlessly rising value of Boston real estate. In fact, the collective value of Boston residential and commercial…
U.S. Congress Set To Extend Relief For Mortgage Holders More than 30 percent of federal income tax filers in Massachusetts claim the mortgage interest deduction. Many of these mortgage holders in Massachusetts could potentially benefit from the proposed Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014. Congress is expected to enact this extension of an…
Massachusetts Snow Removal Statutes In July 2010, a series of state statutes went into effect that are particularly relevant this winter, with the National Weather Service predicting one Polar Vortex after another to come whirling through the state. Massachusetts General Laws ch. 85, §§ 5, 6, and 7 assign shoveling duties for sidewalks, driveways,…
The Cycle of Homelessness and Addiction Nothing is sadder than the sight of homeless men and women sleeping in private doorways or public parks even in the nicest neighborhoods. One solution that appears to be gaining ground is the construction of sober living facilities, designed to break the cycle of homelessness…
Towns Assess Impact Fees on Developers to Fund Infrastructure If you are buying a home in a new development, your purchase price may reflect fees paid by the developer to fund the paving of the street in front of your house, and other municipal services. The developer may be able…
Massachusetts Real Estate Market Cooling Down The Massachusetts housing market, particularly in the Boston area, has finally started to cool down after a blazing hot summer that saw relentlessly rising home prices. Although the fall and winter are traditionally slow for real estate sales, this year is seeing an unseasonable reduction in home…