What’s Driving the Market

Bar graph demonstrating the benefits of a rate buy-down program Right now, a lot of buyers are waiting for rates to drop. A lot of sellers are waiting for buyers to show up. And everyone's waiting on each other. But what if the rate on the screen didn't have to be the rate you actually pay? I sat in on an inhouse lender presentation on rate buy-downs this week, and it reframed how I think about negotiating in this market. It's one of the most useful tools nobody seems to be t

Celebrating National Rhode Island Day with iconic symbols of the Ocean State: Newport mansions, coffee milk, clam cakes & chowder, and the RI Red, alongside a tribute to Roger Williams. Happy National Rhode Island Day! Here's a fun bit of history: Rhode Island exists because someone left Massachusetts. Roger Williams was pushed out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his beliefs and founded Providence in 1636. Nearly 400 years later, Massachusetts people are still making the

Over the last few weeks, I've explored Plymouth County, where prices climbed 6.5%, and Norfolk County, where the median rose while commuter towns like Stoughton and Canton cooled off. Today, I’m excited to head south to Bristol County. This area is the most affordable of the three and, in many ways, the most interesting. Here's the short version: more homes sold in Bristol County this summer than last, and prices barely moved. That combination tells us a lot about where this

Dr. Marci Rossell discusses the impact of long-term rates on mortgages in this September 2026 edition of Economic Insights. On September 18, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter point, its first increase since 2023. If your first thought was "well, there goes my mortgage rate," I want to slow that down a bit. The relationship between the Fed and your mortgage is not what most people think. The Fed Doesn't Set Mortgage Rates The Fed controls short-term rates.

Entrance to the lush and scenic Cedar Hill Golf Course, surrounded by vibrant flowers and tall trees under a clear blue sky. Last week I wrote about Plymouth County, where prices jumped 6.5% and the market ran hotter than anywhere else in Greater Boston. Norfolk County's August numbers from Redfin tell a more interesting story, especially if you live in one of the South Shore towns I work in every day. At the county level, everything looks strong. But look town by town and yo

Downtown Plymouth For years, the story went something like this: you wanted to live closer to Boston, but you ended up on the South Shore because that's what the budget allowed. The latest numbers say that story is out of date. In August, Plymouth County was one of the hottest housing markets in Greater Boston. By one key measure, it was the hottest. The Numbers That Caught My Eye Redfin's August 2026 report compared four Greater Boston counties: Plymouth, Norfolk, Middlesex,

A mesmerizing evening in Providence as the WaterFire I was working on a luxury condo deal in downtown Providence recently when a word came across my desk that I hadn't thought hard about since real estate school. Leasehold. I knew what it meant. Every licensed agent does — it's on the exam. Fee simple, leasehold, life estate, the whole list. You memorize them, you pass, and then for most of us they sit in a drawer for years because almost everything we sell on the South Shore

A captivating full moon illuminates the night sky above Gillette Stadium, with banners celebrating the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victories proudly displayed below. There's a specific kind of energy this week, isn't there? Backpacks by the door. Kids lined up at the bus stop looking equal parts excited and horrified. Football kicking off next week. Labor Day cookouts on the calendar. Summer's not quite over, but everyone can feel the shift settling in: that "okay, back

Solar-powered security camera mounted on a pole If you've driven through Hingham, Norwell, Weymouth, Cohasset, Marshfield, Pembroke, Plymouth, Rockland, or Abington lately, you may have spotted a new solar-powered camera perched on a pole near an intersection. Chances are it's a Flock camera — Flock Safety's automated license plate reader system that's quietly spread across dozens of South Shore locations and, in just the last few weeks, become one of the most contentious top

First Annual JGPR Golf Tournament Commemorative Coin Last Thursday, I had the privilege of spending the day on the course at Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland for the first-ever charity golf tournament hosted by John Guilfoil Public Relations (JGPR) out of Canton, benefiting the Hundred Club of Massachusetts. 98.5 The Sports Hub got in on it too, running a celebrity foursome auction with Hardy, former Red Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen, Wahlburgers' Paul Wahlberg, and national

Scenic view of Plymouth Harbor with the iconic Plymouth Rock portico, surrounded by calm blue waters and boats on a sunny day. Things are looking up on the South Shore, and the numbers back it up, both the national numbers and the ones straight out of our sales meeting this week. Let's start with the bigger picture. The National Association of REALTORS® just released their July report, and a few things stood out. The Housing Affordability Index climbed to 103.3, up from 98.3

A messy kitchen sink with unwashed dishes and utensils piled up on the right side, surrounded by sponges, gloves, and cleaning supplies. If you've ever watched a showing feedback report roll in and thought, "but I love that room," you're not alone. Here's the thing about selling a home: the features you built a life around aren't always the ones that help a buyer picture their life there. That gap is usually where deals slow down. I pulled together eight of the most common cu

Charming two-story Craftsman-style home with a welcoming front porch, nestled in a lush, tree-lined neighborhood. Here's a stat worth sitting with: 96% of residential land in Massachusetts currently allows single-family homes by right. Only 38% allows duplexes the same way. That gap is the whole story behind a proposal moving through the State Senate right now, one that could quietly reshape what's buildable on residential lots across the Commonwealth, including right here on

A charming colonial-style home is surrounded by a vibrant spring garden Have you felt it yet? That shift in energy out there? Earlier this month I started noticing something. Open houses that felt more like block parties. Buyers who'd been quiet all winter suddenly asking sharp, ready-to-move questions. A general sense that after a long, sluggish stretch, Massachusetts real estate finally woke up. Turns out I wasn't imagining it. What the Data Is Telling Us According to the M

New Housing Law Officially Signed into Action: A Milestone for Homeownership Rights A few weeks ago I wrote about the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act while it was still sitting on the President's desk, waiting to be signed. Here's the update: it's law now. No veto, no last-minute reversal — it went into effect automatically once the signing window passed. If you read that first post, you already know the broad strokes: biggest housing bill in decades, huge bipartisan vote, a

A charming, small cottage with a vibrant yellow door, surrounded by lush greenery and colorful flowers, nestled under the shade of tall trees. Welcome back from the long weekend. If your inbox looks anything like mine this morning, it's a lot to wade through, so let's start with something useful instead of another "hope you had a great 4th." Here's a question worth five minutes of your time: do you know exactly how your town's assessor calculated your home's living square foo

In a city that can't agree on much, Congress just passed the largest housing affordability bill in decades, and they did it with overwhelming bipartisan support. The 21st Century Road to Housing Act passed 358-32 in the House, with the Senate approving it shortly before with similarly lopsided margins. That's not a close vote. That's a statement. It hasn't been signed yet. There's some Washington drama around that. But the bipartisan support is so strong that even if it faces

Commemorating the Legacy of Alan Greenspan: The Federal Reserve Chairman's Impact on Modern Economic Policy. Alan Greenspan passed away this morning at the age of 100. And while economists and market watchers are pausing to reflect on his legacy, I found myself thinking about it from a different angle than most. Before I was a real estate agent, I sat across the table from the people who made that system run. A Career That Spanned an Era Greenspan served five terms as Fed cha

Golf course pond and fountain on a sunny early summer day in Massachusetts Are you wondering whether now is a smart time to buy, or whether your home will still sell for what it's worth if you list this summer? The latest numbers from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® paint a pretty clear picture, and when you look at what's happening nationally too, that picture gets even clearer. The numbers at a glance, May 2026: Closed sales were down 6.7% for single-family homes

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