A lot of people in Boston are living somewhere new in September, and the street sweeping sign is the one they find late, usually the morning the car isn't where they left it. The City publishes all of it with the fine amounts attached, so I pulled this off boston.gov.

Who tows the car, and for how much

The Transportation Department handles ticketing for street sweeping, and private companies working for the Transportation Department do the towing. Those companies charge under the state's rate schedule for towing motor vehicles: $132 for the tow, $35 for each day they store your car, and a fuel surcharge you look up on the state's website. The City also runs its own tow lot on Frontage Road at its own rates, so the first step is looking up your plate to find out which one has the car.

What the ticket costs

Street Cleaning is a $40 fine with a $13 late penalty. The City's fine table carries two more street cleaning violations at $90 with a $30 late penalty. One of them is named Overnight Street Cleaning (no tow). The other is Street Cleaning in Charlestown. The posted sign is what tells you which rule you're parked under, so read it before you decide the block is safe. Either way, pay or appeal within 21 days or the late penalty is added.

When the program runs

The Daytime Street Cleaning Program runs from April 1 to November 30 in most Boston neighborhoods. Daytime sweeping continues into the winter in the North End, South End and Beacon Hill, where the program stops on December 31 and starts up again on March 1. The Nighttime Street Cleaning Program runs all year on main roads, arterials and commercial roads. If a posted sign lists no months at all, the parking restriction is in place year-round.

The fifth week, and the rain

Streets cleaned every week are also cleaned on the fifth week of the month. If your street is cleaned every other week, parking restrictions aren't enforced in the fifth week. Rain doesn't get you out of it either. The City doesn't always cancel sweeping for it, and says light rain actually helps the sweepers. Check with 311 for cancellations. On some City holidays daytime sweeping is suspended but night sweeping still runs, and some streets are swept at night on weekends.

The No-Tow email reminder

Search your street in the City's street sweeping database. Once you find it, you get the option to sign up for the No-Tow reminder service by email. If the website or the email is different from the posted street sweeping sign, obey the posted sign. If you can't find your street, try a partial spelling, and if it still isn't there, ask the City to add it.

Moving into Greater Boston this fall and trying to sort out parking? Send me the address and I'll tell you what the street looks like. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How much is a street cleaning ticket in Boston?

The Street Cleaning violation is a $40 fine with a $13 late penalty. The fine table also carries two more street cleaning violations at $90 with a $30 late penalty, one named Overnight Street Cleaning (no tow) and one for Charlestown. Pay or appeal within 21 days to avoid the late penalty.

What does it cost to get a car back after a Boston street sweeping tow?

Street sweeping tows are done by private companies working for the Transportation Department, and they charge under the state's rate schedule: $132 for the tow, $35 for each day they store the car, and a fuel surcharge. The parking ticket is separate from all of that.

When does Boston street cleaning stop for the year?

The Daytime Street Cleaning Program runs from April 1 to November 30 in most neighborhoods. In the North End, South End and Beacon Hill it continues into the winter, stopping on December 31 and starting again on March 1. Nighttime street cleaning on main and commercial roads runs all year.

The fake wire email usually looks completely normal. It comes in the same thread with the same signature, and the only thing that's changed is the account number. I bring this up with every buyer before the closing date is set, because it's a five-minute fix and it only works if you do it first.

What the numbers look like

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center logged 24,768 business email compromise complaints in 2025, with $3 billion in reported losses. The FBI's own definition explains why closings get hit: it calls BEC a scam targeting businesses or individuals working with suppliers or businesses regularly performing wire transfer payments, carried out by compromising email accounts and other forms of communication, through social engineering or computer intrusion. It also files some of these complaints under a category it labels BEC and real estate.

The two calls to set up first

The CFPB's guidance is specific. Identify two trusted individuals who can confirm the closing process and the payment instructions. The examples it gives are your realtor and the settlement agent. Ahead of closing, discuss the process and the money transfer protocols with them in person or by phone, and agree on the phone numbers you'll use. Then, before transferring anything, confirm the closing instructions, including the account name and number, with those people, either in person or on the number you previously agreed to. Never follow instructions contained in an email, and avoid using phone numbers or links that came in an email, because a scammer can closely replicate the email address, phone number and format of an exchange from your agents.

If the money already went

Contact your bank or wire transfer company immediately and ask for a wire recall. Reporting the error as soon as possible increases the likelihood of getting the money back. Then file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov. The complaint matters because the FBI's Recovery Asset Team runs what it calls the Financial Fraud Kill Chain, which moves between banks and FBI field offices to freeze the receiving account, and it often starts from complaints filed on that site.

What the freeze actually recovers

The Recovery Asset Team was established in 2018. In 2025 it initiated 3,900 incidents covering $1,163,919,846 in attempted theft and froze $679,013,183, a 58% success rate on the money it went after. The report is blunt about why speed matters. If you discover a fraudulent transfer, time is of the essence, and you should immediately contact your financial institution and request a recall of the funds along with any necessary indemnification documents.

One case from a closing table

In August 2025 the team took a complaint from people closing on a home who had received an email impersonating their legitimate attorneys. A wire for more than $449,000 went out from their bank. They reported it to their bank, and their attorneys couldn't get anywhere with the receiving bank either. The freeze request came out of the complaint filed with the FBI, and the receiving bank confirmed the full amount was still in the account and on hold.

Buying in Greater Boston this fall? Ask me for the settlement agent's number early, save it in your phone, and call it before you send a dollar. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How do I know if my closing wire instructions are real?

Confirm them by phone with two people you agreed on ahead of time, such as your agent and the settlement agent, using the number you agreed to in advance. Read back the account name and number. The CFPB says never to follow instructions contained in an email, and to avoid phone numbers or links that arrived in one.

What do I do if I already wired closing funds to a scammer?

Contact your bank or wire transfer company immediately and ask for a wire recall, then file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov. The FBI's Recovery Asset Team froze $679 million for victims in 2025, 58% of the money it chased, and it works from those complaints.

How common is wire fraud at a real estate closing?

The FBI logged 24,768 business email compromise complaints in 2025 with $3 billion in reported losses, and it files some of them under a category covering real estate. One 2025 case involved buyers who wired more than $449,000 after an email impersonating their attorneys.

Buyers send me the weekly rate number the day it comes out and ask why their lender quoted them something else. Usually neither number is wrong. The weekly average describes one specific borrower, and it may not be the person reading it.

What the number is

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.71% in the Sep 3, 2026 release, and the 15-year fixed at 6.04%. Since the methodology changed, the PMMS is no longer a poll of lenders. It is built from loan application information submitted to Freddie Mac's automated underwriting system, Loan Product Advisor.

Whose rate it is

Freddie Mac limits the selection to conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit. Freddie Mac counts a single family loan as one on a property with one to four residential units, then narrows the selection further to a single-unit property. The rest of the published criteria are just as specific: owner occupied, conventional, a 30-year or 15-year fixed rate, an origination loan-to-value between 75 and 80, an origination credit score of 740 or above, and a loan amount inside the national conforming limits. Refinances are out, since only purchase applications are collected. Jumbo loans exceed the conforming limit, so they never make it in either, and the owner occupied requirement rules out investment property and second homes.

Two limits Freddie Mac states out loud

First, the rate is measured at the application stage. Freddie Mac writes that the reported rate does not represent the rate at the time of loan origination, and that not all applications will necessarily be approved and result in originated loans. The application data, it adds, is neither a pledge by the applicant nor a commitment by the lender. Second, the survey no longer reports average discount points and origination fees for the 30-year and the 15-year, because the application system doesn't capture them. So the published rate tells you nothing about what a borrower paid up front to get it.

Where the week sits

The 30-year average was 6.66% last week and 6.50% a year ago. The 15-year was 5.98% last week and 5.60% a year ago. Week to week the number moves in hundredths of a point, which is noise if you're deciding whether to buy. Compare against a year ago and the move is visible.

What to do with it

Use the weekly average as a market thermometer. If your credit sits below 740, or you're putting less than 20% down, or you're buying a two family to live in one side of, your price will be set by your own file. Ask a lender to price your actual scenario, and ask what the rate would be with and without points, since the survey no longer answers that.

Buying in Greater Boston this fall and trying to read the rate news? Send me your timeline and I'll walk you through what actually moves your number. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

What was the mortgage rate this week?

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average at 6.71% and the 15-year fixed at 6.04% in the Sep 3, 2026 release. The 30-year was 6.66% the week before and 6.50% a year earlier.

Why is my quoted rate different from the Freddie Mac average?

The survey only counts conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans that are owner occupied on a single unit property, with 20% down and an origination credit score of 740 or above. It is also measured at the application stage, and Freddie Mac says the reported rate does not represent the rate at the time of loan origination.

Does the Freddie Mac rate include points and fees?

It no longer reports them. When the methodology moved to loan application data, Freddie Mac stopped publishing average discount points and origination fees for the 30-year and the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, because the application system does not capture them.

Every September a lot of people in Boston are living somewhere new, and the trash is what my clients text me about first. The city publishes all of it with the fine amounts attached, so I pulled this off boston.gov.

When the barrel goes out

Trash goes out after 5 p.m. the evening before your collection day, and it has to be at the curb by 6 a.m. on the day itself. Anything earlier is early set-out. The residential fine is $25 under Article 23 of the city ordinances, and the same amount applies to improper storage, which means trash that isn't in a two ply bag or a barrel with a tight lid. A barrel bigger than 32 gallons needs a grab bar on it. Overfilling a barrel or dumpster is $50. Garbage and debris on the sidewalk is $50 at a building of sixteen units or fewer and $100 above sixteen, but the city assigns that duty to the owner: if you are a property owner, you need to make sure all sidewalks next to your property are clear of garbage and debris.

The cardboard

Any cardboard that doesn't fit in the blue recycling bin has to be flattened, bundled, tied with string and placed directly next to the bin. No piece may exceed 3 feet in length, so a wardrobe box gets cut down before it goes out. Boxes can't have Styrofoam or plastic left inside, and the city asks that cardboard go in clean and dry, with no waxy coatings. A cardboard box also can't stand in for a bin, for trash or for recycling, and kitchen and grocery bags aren't trash bags.

The containers

The city supplies a 64-gallon blue recycling cart to residents of buildings with six units or fewer, with a limit of one new cart per calendar year, and you request it from Boston 311. A trash can smaller than 32 gallons can be used as a recycling bin if it has wheels, a lid and a lift bar, plus a sticker from 311. City-issued recycling barrels are for recycling only: using one for trash or yard waste could bring a code enforcement violation, and the barrel may not be collected and may be removed.

Mattresses, TVs and the rest

Furniture can go out with your normal curbside collection. Refrigerators, TVs and air conditioners have to be requested through 311, by phone or through the app. Mattresses are separate, and those get scheduled for collection on the city's mattress recycling page. The city doesn't collect construction debris, automotive parts, plumbing fixtures, fences, water heaters or fire debris at all, and asks you to find a local private hauler for those.

Moving into a new place in Boston this fall? Send me the address and I'll tell you what your street's collection looks like. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

What time can I put my trash out in Boston?

After 5 p.m. the evening before your collection day, and no later than 6 a.m. on the collection day itself. Putting it out earlier is a $25 residential fine for early set-out under Article 23 of the city ordinances.

How do I put out moving boxes in Boston?

Flatten them. Anything that doesn't fit inside the blue bin has to be bundled, tied with string and placed directly next to the bin, and no piece may exceed 3 feet in length. Very large boxes get cut into smaller pieces. Boxes can't contain Styrofoam or plastic, and a cardboard box can't be used in place of a bin.

Can I get a free recycling bin in Boston?

Yes. The city supplies a 64-gallon blue recycling cart to residents of buildings with six units or fewer, with a limit of one new cart per calendar year. You request it from Boston 311. You can also use a trash can smaller than 32 gallons as a recycling bin if it has wheels, a lid and a lift bar and a sticker from 311.

Can you put a small unit in your yard now that the state legalized them? I get asked that a lot, and the answer turns on which side of the Boston line the yard sits on. Here's what the statute says, and why the city is carved out of it.

What the state law says

The state Zoning Act, M.G.L. c. 40A, defines an accessory dwelling unit as a self contained housing unit with its own sleeping, cooking and sanitary facilities on the same lot as a principal dwelling. It has to maintain a separate entrance, either from outside or through a shared hall, sufficient to meet the state building code for safe egress. It can't be larger in gross floor area than half the gross floor area of the principal dwelling or 900 square feet, whichever is smaller.

Section 3 of the same chapter is where the change bites. No zoning ordinance or by-law may prohibit, unreasonably restrict, or require a special permit or other discretionary approval for a single accessory dwelling unit, or the rental of one, in a single family residential zoning district. The unit may still be subject to reasonable regulation, including site plan review, setbacks, bulk and height rules, septic rules where those apply, and restrictions on short term rental. What a town may not do is require that you occupy either the main house or the unit, and it may not require more than one additional parking space. Within half a mile of a commuter rail station, subway station, ferry terminal or bus station it may not require any additional parking at all. For more than one accessory unit, a special permit is still required.

Why Boston is different

Boston's ADU page answers this directly. Every municipality in Massachusetts except Boston derives its power to enact and enforce zoning through c. 40A. Boston's zoning power comes from a separate act passed in 1956. Because the state's accessory dwelling unit provision works by amending c. 40A, the change doesn't apply to Boston. The city notes it wasn't specifically excluded, but that Boston has to be specifically included for a statewide zoning change to reach it.

What Boston allows instead

Internal accessory dwelling units may be built on all owner occupied lots that contain one, two or three family homes. Detached units, and units built as external additions to the existing home, are only allowed without special zoning approval in parts of Mattapan, and only on parcels inside both the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Zoning District and the PLAN: Mattapan study area. Anywhere else in the city, those go through the Zoning Board of Appeal on a variance. That's the position on the city's ADU page. The Planning Department is separately drafting a Neighborhood Housing rezoning, beginning in Hyde Park, Roslindale and West Roxbury, that would make a detached unit easier. As of early September that draft is still out for public comment, with meetings scheduled for the middle of the month, and the Zoning Commission has not adopted it.

What it costs and how long it takes

The city publishes a rough benchmark: generally between $75,000 and $100,000 to build an internal unit, and between $250,000 and $350,000 for a detached one. Its ADU Technical Assistance Grant reimburses design and permitting costs up to a combined $7,500, paid after you have an approved building permit and have enrolled in the Boston Home Center's ADU Loan Program. The grant and the loan are two separate things, and you need to be in the loan program to collect the reimbursement. A licensed architect has to stamp the plans. Once a complete permit package is in and the plans examiner flags nothing, review runs about 5 weeks. The city also says yes, an accessory unit will raise your property tax once a new assessment happens, and that you must register the unit even if nobody is paying rent.

Wondering whether your lot could take one? Send me the address and I'll pull the zoning before you pay anyone for drawings. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

Can I build an accessory dwelling unit in Boston by right?

Only an internal one, and only on an owner occupied lot with a one, two or three family home. Detached units and additions built onto the house are allowed without special zoning approval in parts of Mattapan only. Elsewhere in the city they go to the Zoning Board of Appeal for a variance.

Why doesn't the state ADU law apply in Boston?

Because it works by amending the state Zoning Act, c. 40A, and Boston is the one municipality in Massachusetts that doesn't get its zoning power from that chapter. Boston zones under a separate act passed in 1956, and the city says a statewide zoning change has to name Boston specifically to apply there.

How big can an accessory dwelling unit be in Massachusetts?

Not larger in gross floor area than half the gross floor area of the principal dwelling, or 900 square feet, whichever is smaller. It also needs its own entrance meeting the state building code for safe egress, and a town may add its own size restrictions.

Buyers ask me when the appraisal shows up, usually after their loan officer has told them they'll see it at the closing table. That's not how the rule works, and it's worth knowing before you apply.

When the copy has to reach you

A creditor making a loan secured by a first lien on a dwelling has to provide a copy of each appraisal and other written valuation developed in connection with your application, promptly upon completion or three business days before consummation, whichever is earlier. Consummation is the moment you become contractually obligated on the loan, and state law decides when that is. Delivery counts three business days after mailing, or when there's evidence you actually received it, whichever comes first.

What counts as a valuation

More than the formal appraisal report. A valuation is any estimate of the value of a dwelling developed in connection with an application for credit. Automated valuation model reports and broker price opinions count. If several versions exist, you're owed the latest one.

The notice your lender owes you first

No later than the third business day after it receives your application, the creditor has to mail or deliver a written notice of your right to receive a copy of all written appraisals developed in connection with the application. This count starts at your application, so it's a separate deadline from the one before closing. If the notice never arrived, ask for it. Your right doesn't depend on the paper showing up.

Waiving the timing, and what the copy costs

You may waive the timing requirement and agree to receive a copy at or before consummation, except where another law forbids it, but the waiver has to be obtained at least three business days before consummation. If you waive it and the deal never closes, the creditor still has to send the copies, no later than 30 days after it determines consummation won't happen. A creditor may not charge you for providing the copy. It may require a reasonable fee to reimburse the cost of the appraisal or other written valuation itself, unless another law says otherwise.

It applies even if the loan dies

The copy requirement applies whether the credit is extended or denied, and whether the application is incomplete or withdrawn. A denied file still gets the copies.

Buying in Greater Boston this fall? When you apply, ask your lender when the appraisal is expected and when the copy will reach you. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

When does my lender have to give me the appraisal?

Promptly upon completion, or three business days before consummation of the transaction, whichever is earlier. Consummation is the moment you become contractually obligated on the loan.

Can my lender charge me for a copy of the appraisal?

No. A creditor may not charge you for providing a copy of appraisals and other written valuations. It may require a reasonable fee to reimburse the cost of the appraisal itself, which is a separate thing from the copy.

Can I waive the three business day timing?

Yes, except where another law prohibits it. You may agree to receive the copies at or before closing instead, but the waiver has to be obtained at least three business days before consummation. You still get the copies, and if the deal never closes, no later than 30 days after the lender determines it won't.

It is reasonable advice. It is also several years out of date.

The numbers first

Zillow Home Value Index, as of July 2026.

First, what this number is. ZHVI is not the median of homes that actually sold. It is Zillow's modelled estimate of what a typical home in the mid-range of the market is worth, and it pools single-family houses and condos together. "Cambridge is $1,056,000" does not mean homes there sell at that price; it means the typical Cambridge home is estimated to be worth roughly that. Individual listings vary enormously in both directions.

With that said, two things stand out.

The gap is about 12%. Not 30, not 40. If you were budgeting for Somerville because Cambridge felt out of reach, the difference may be smaller than the one you were planning around.

Over five years the two moved almost the same amount — 8.4% and 9.4%. Somerville did not outrun Cambridge, and it did not lag it. Whatever repricing people expected has largely already been absorbed into both.

Why Somerville caught up

The single clearest reason is transit.

The Green Line Extension opened to Union Square in March 2022, and the Medford branch — East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square, Medford/Tufts — in December 2022. Neighborhoods that were a bus ride from the subway became a walk from it.

Somerville already had Davis Square on the Red Line and Assembly on the Orange Line. What the extension did was fill in the middle of the city, the part that used to be described as "great, but you'll need the bus."

The buyer's takeaway is not "get in before it rises." That framing is several years late. The extension is open, running, and priced in. What you are buying now is the finished condition, not the anticipation of it.

What the price gap actually buys

Two similar numbers do not mean two similar cities.

Housing stock. Somerville is one of the densest cities in New England, and its defining building is the triple-decker — three-family houses, a great many of them now converted into condominiums. If you are buying in Somerville you are, more often than not, buying a floor of a converted house. Cambridge has a wider range: Victorians, mid-century houses, older brick condo buildings, and newer construction near Kendall and Alewife.

That matters for a practical reason. A condo in a three-unit converted house is a different ownership experience from a condo in a hundred-unit building — a smaller association, less professional management, and a roof replacement that is split three ways instead of a hundred. Neither is worse. They are different, and the difference shows up in the condo documents.

Distance to work. For anyone tied to Kendall Square, Harvard, or Longwood, the commute difference is real and worth measuring on a weekday morning rather than on a map.

Character. Cambridge is older money and institutional gravity. Somerville is younger, denser, and has changed faster in the last decade than almost anywhere else in the region. People rarely regret the price; they occasionally regret the fit.

The school question, which is usually asked wrong

Korean families almost always ask me the same thing: "If I buy this house, which school does my child go to?"

In both of these cities, that question does not have an address-based answer.

Cambridge assigns students through a district-wide controlled-choice lottery. Its own registration page is explicit: a kindergarten placement is guaranteed, but assignment to one of your three chosen schools is not. Buying a house across the street from a particular school does not entitle you to that school.

Somerville also runs a controlled-choice system — families rank preferences, and factors including siblings and proximity to the school carry weight in the lottery.

So the honest summary is: in Cambridge, your address does not decide the school; in Somerville, your address counts for something but does not decide it either.

Policies and capacity change year to year. If a school is genuinely driving your decision, call the district's enrollment office and confirm this year's rules before you write an offer. I will not tell you a house comes with a school, because in these two cities it does not.

Which one, then

Cambridge if you are institutionally anchored — a lab, a hospital, a company you expect to stay with — and you want the shortest possible commute and the widest range of housing types.

Somerville if the roughly 12% matters to your budget, you are comfortable in a converted multi-family, and you want a city that is denser and livelier at street level.

Neither, if you are buying on the assumption that one is about to outperform the other. The five-year figures do not support that story, and index history is not a forecast in any case.

For a comparison built around school districts rather than transit, Newton vs Brookline covers that pair. The Cambridge neighborhood guide has more on the area itself.

One caveat

These figures describe two cities in one month. They are not a valuation of any home you are considering, and they are not a forecast.

What I do is walk both cities with you, in Korean as well as English, and be specific about what each price actually gets you. Get in touch and we can start by narrowing it to one.

Common questions

Is Somerville much cheaper than Cambridge?

Less than most people expect. On the Zillow Home Value Index as of July 2026, Cambridge sits around $1,056,000 and Somerville around $940,000 — roughly a 12% gap, not the 30 or 40 percent people often assume. Note that ZHVI is a modelled estimate of typical home value, not a median of recorded sales, and it combines single-family homes and condos. Any individual property can sit well above or below it.

Did the Green Line Extension change Somerville's market?

The Green Line Extension opened to Union Square in March 2022 and to the Medford branch stations, including East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square and Ball Square, in December 2022. Parts of Somerville that had no rapid transit within walking distance now do. The important point for a buyer today is that this is not upcoming news — it happened years ago, and prices have had time to absorb it.

If I buy in Cambridge, is my child assigned to the nearest school?

No. Cambridge Public Schools assigns students through a district-wide controlled-choice lottery rather than by address. Its own registration page states that while a kindergarten assignment is guaranteed, the district does not guarantee assignment to one of your three chosen schools. Somerville also operates as a controlled-choice district, where families rank preferences and sibling and proximity factors carry weight in the lottery. In both cities, buying a particular house does not buy a particular school, and policies change year to year — confirm the current rules with the district before making an offer on school grounds.

Nearly everyone reads that as a $340 difference. It usually is not, and occasionally the cheaper one is the more expensive building to own.

The fee is not one thing

A condo fee is your share of what it costs to run the building. What that includes is set by the association, and it varies enormously.

One building's fee covers heat, hot water, water and sewer, master insurance, landscaping, snow, trash, and a professional management company. Another covers insurance and snow removal, and you pay every utility yourself.

So the first question is never "how much is the fee." It is "what does the fee include, and what will I be paying on top of it." Get both buildings onto the same basis before you compare a single dollar.

The part that is not spending

Here is the piece that costs people real money years later.

A well-run association splits the fee in two: operating money that pays this year's bills, and reserves set aside for the things that eventually need replacing — the roof, the boiler, the elevator, the facade, the decks. None of that is optional maintenance. It is arithmetic with a slow fuse.

An association that keeps fees low by underfunding reserves is not saving anyone money. It is deferring the bill and adding the interest of urgency to it. When the roof finally fails, the money has to come from somewhere, and the somewhere is the owners.

Which is why an unusually low fee deserves more scrutiny than a high one. Sometimes it means a small, efficient, self-managed building with genuine discipline. Sometimes it means an association that has not raised fees in a decade because nobody wanted to be the one to propose it.

Special assessments

A special assessment is a one-time charge to owners for something the reserves cannot cover. Roof replacement, facade repair, elevator modernization, structural work, a large insurance deductible after a loss.

They are not rare and they are not a sign of a bad building — sometimes they are a sign of a board finally doing its job. What matters is whether one is coming, and whether you will be the owner when it lands.

That is knowable before you buy, and it is knowable from the documents.

What to actually read

When you go under agreement you get the condo documents. Read them. This is the part of the diligence that people skim and later wish they had not.

The budget. How much goes to operations, how much to reserves. Compare the reserve contribution to the size and age of the building.

The reserve balance. A number, not a feeling. Then ask what the major components are and roughly how old they are. A twenty-five-year-old roof and a thin reserve is a special assessment with a date on it.

Two years of financials. Is the association operating at a deficit? What is the delinquency rate — how many owners are behind?

Board meeting minutes. This is the single most useful document and the one most often ignored. Pending work, contractor bids, litigation, insurance problems, and assessments that have been discussed but not yet voted all show up here first.

The master insurance certificate. What the building's policy covers, and to what point inside your unit. This determines what your own policy needs to do.

The bylaws and rules. Rental restrictions and minimum lease terms matter enormously if letting the unit is ever part of your plan — see the three-year assignment question. Pet rules, move-in rules, and renovation approval requirements matter for daily life.

The 6(d) certificate. Under MGL chapter 183A section 6, the association must provide it within ten business days of a written request, and it states unpaid common expenses and other sums assessed against the unit, along with what the association claims has priority over a mortgage. It tells you whether the seller is current.

Why unpaid fees are not someone else's problem

Massachusetts gives condominium associations real collection power, and it is worth understanding as a buyer rather than being surprised by it.

Under chapter 183A section 6, the association's lien for common expenses takes priority over a first mortgage to the extent of six months of assessments — the regular budgeted ones, not special assessments — that would have come due in the six months immediately preceding an action to enforce the lien, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

Two practical consequences.

The association can collect, which is good for a building's stability and good for you as an owner.

Lenders care about this, which is why a building's delinquency rate and finances affect whether you can get a loan on a unit in it at all. A building with weak finances is not only unpleasant to own — it can be harder to sell, because your buyer's lender looks at the same documents.

Small buildings are different, not worse

A great deal of Greater Boston's condo stock is three-family houses converted into three units. Around Somerville and Allston in particular, this is the default, as covered in Cambridge vs Somerville.

The economics are genuinely different in a three-unit association:

• there is usually no management company, so the owners do the work
• the reserve is small because three units fund it
• a $30,000 roof is split three ways, not a hundred
• one neighbor not paying is a third of the budget, not a rounding error
• decisions require getting along with two specific people for years

Well-run small associations are excellent. Poorly run ones are painful in a way a large building rarely is. The documents matter more here, not less — and if the association keeps no formal budget or reserve at all, that is itself the finding.

Your own insurance

The master policy covers the building. It does not cover the inside of your unit the way you might assume, and where the line falls is defined in the condo documents.

Owners generally carry their own unit policy for interior finishes, contents and liability. Ask specifically about loss assessment coverage, which is the piece that responds when the association assesses owners after a covered loss. It is usually inexpensive and people usually do not know they can have it.

Before you make an offer

Five questions, and they are all fair to ask:

1. What exactly does the fee include?
2. What is in the reserve, and when were the roof, heating system and major systems last replaced?
3. Has a special assessment been discussed, voted, or is one pending?
4. What is the delinquency rate?
5. Are there rental restrictions?

If the answers are vague, that is an answer.

One caveat

Condominium documents are legal documents, and how they apply to a specific building is a question for your attorney — which in Massachusetts you will have, since attorneys are customary on both sides of a purchase. The transaction vocabulary covers where in the process this reading happens.

What I do is get these documents early and go through them with you in Korean as well as English, before the contingency deadline rather than after it. A building's finances are knowable in advance. There is no reason to find out afterward. Get in touch.

Common questions

Is a lower condo fee better?

Not by itself. The fee covers different things in different buildings — one may include heat, hot water and water and sewer while another includes almost nothing — so two numbers are not comparable until you know what each one buys. A fee can also be low because the association is not putting enough into reserves, which tends to arrive later as a special assessment for a roof or a facade. The question to ask is not whether the fee is low, but whether it is enough.

What is a 6(d) certificate?

It is the certificate a Massachusetts condominium association issues stating the amount of unpaid common expenses and other sums assessed against a unit, and the amount the association claims has priority over a mortgage. Under MGL chapter 183A section 6, the association must furnish it within ten business days of a written request, on payment of a reasonable fee. It is a standard part of selling a unit, and it is how a buyer learns whether the seller owes the association money.

Does it affect me if other owners are not paying their fees?

Yes, in two ways. The association's budget assumes everyone pays, so shortfalls become deferred maintenance or higher fees for those who do pay. And under Massachusetts law the association's lien takes priority over a first mortgage to the extent of six months of regular budgeted common expense assessments preceding an action to enforce the lien, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees. That priority is one reason lenders look closely at a building's finances and delinquency rate before approving a loan in it.

It is almost never that. Every house produces a list. What matters is reading it in the right order — and knowing what the inspector is allowed to tell you.

First: it is not a pass or fail

There is no grade at the end. An inspection produces information, and the information is there so you can decide three things: what to renegotiate, what to accept, and whether to leave.

A twenty-page list on a 1925 house in Somerville can be a better outcome than a short list on a flipped house where someone put new paint over old problems. Length is not severity.

In Massachusetts, the inspector is licensed

This is worth knowing because it is not true everywhere in the US.

Under MGL chapter 112 section 222, no person may conduct a home inspection for compensation unless licensed by the board. Licenses run two years and renew in even-numbered years. There are carve-outs for other licensed professionals acting within their own scope — architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, appraisers, and specialists such as radon, lead paint and termite inspectors doing only that work.

So you can ask for a license number, and you can check it. That is a fair question, not a rude one.

Two things the inspector is forbidden to do

This surprises nearly every buyer, and knowing it in advance prevents a frustrating conversation.

Under 266 CMR 6.06, a home inspector may not perform repairs on a dwelling their firm inspected, and may not determine the cost of repairs for items noted in their report.

So when you ask "how much will that cost?" and get "you'll need to get a quote," that is the regulation talking, not indifference. The rule exists so that nobody profits from finding problems — an inspector who could both find the defect and sell you the repair has an obvious incentive to find more of them.

The practical consequence: if a finding might change your position, get a contractor's quote during the inspection window, not after. That window is short, and a number in hand is worth far more in a renegotiation than an adjective.

Two things that protect you

Massachusetts is unusually firm here, and both are in MGL chapter 112 section 225.

Errors and omissions insurance is mandatory — a licensed inspector must carry and file proof of a policy of at least $250,000 in the aggregate.

Liability caps are prohibited. An inspector may not use a contract clause that limits the cost of damages for negligent or wrongful errors or omissions. In many states the standard inspection agreement caps liability at the inspection fee. In Massachusetts that clause is not allowed.

There is a deadline attached: any action arising from a home inspection must be commenced within two years of the completed written report. Not every missed item is negligence — inspections are visual and non-invasive by nature — but if something serious was plainly visible and went unmentioned, you are not without recourse, and the clock starts at the report.

What older Boston-area housing tends to turn up

Greater Boston's stock is old. These recur, and none of them automatically means walk away:

Heating system age. The most common large-ticket finding. A system near the end of its life is a number you can plan for, and it is a legitimate thing to raise.

Knob-and-tube wiring. Original wiring still present in parts of pre-war houses. Beyond the safety question, insurers treat it as a factor — some decline, some price it in — so if it appears in the report, call your insurance agent before the contingency deadline, not after.

Water in the basement. Extremely common and enormously variable in meaning, from a damp corner after heavy rain to a structural drainage problem. The distinction is worth pressing the inspector on while you are standing there.

Lead paint. Effectively universal in homes built before 1978, and Massachusetts has specific rules that matter if you have young children. That is a subject of its own — here.

Asbestos in old pipe and boiler insulation, aging roofs, and old underground oil tanks on properties that once heated with oil. The tank is the one to take seriously, because remediation can be expensive.

What you have to order separately

A standard inspection covers structure and systems. These generally are not included:

• Radon. EPA's action level is 4 pCi/L, and it recommends considering a fix between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Testing is inexpensive; mitigation is a known, solvable job.
• Septic. If the property is not on city sewer, Massachusetts has its own inspection requirements at transfer. Timing and exceptions apply — ask your attorney early.
• Pest and termite.
• Sewer line scoping. A camera down the line. Rarely ordered, occasionally saves someone a very large bill on an old street.
• Chimney, pool, or specialized structural review where the general inspection recommends further evaluation.

Decide which of these you want before the inspection period begins. The window does not stretch to accommodate a late decision.

How to read it, in order

1. Safety and structure first. Anything about the frame, the foundation, or an immediate hazard.
2. Water second. Roof, grading, basement, plumbing leaks. Water causes more expensive damage over time than almost anything else on the list.
3. Big-ticket systems third. Heating, electrical, roof age. These are numbers, and numbers can be negotiated.
4. Everything else last. Most of a report is maintenance — the list any house of that age generates.

Two words to watch for. "Recommend further evaluation" means the inspector saw something they are not licensed or able to judge fully, and it is a prompt to bring in a specialist, not a verdict. "At the end of its serviceable life" is not the same as broken; it is a budget line with a date on it.

Go to the inspection

If you can be there, be there. Two hours walking the house with the inspector is worth more than the report, because you can ask "is this serious?" and get a straight answer while standing in front of it. The written report is necessarily cautious and general; the conversation is specific.

Bring the questions you actually have. Nobody minds.

Then decide

The report is input for one of three moves: renegotiate, accept, or walk. In a competitive market people shorten or waive the inspection contingency to strengthen an offer — that is a real decision with real risk, and the vocabulary article sets out what each contingency does. I will tell you exactly what you are giving up; I will not make that call for you.

One caveat

This describes what Massachusetts requires of inspectors and what reports typically contain. It is not an assessment of any specific property, and legal questions about your contract belong to your attorney.

What I do is attend the inspection with you, ask the questions in English, and then go through the report with you in Korean — including the parts that sound alarming and are not, and the parts that sound minor and are not. If you are early in the process, the common first-time mistakes are worth reading first. Get in touch.

Common questions

Why won't the inspector tell me what the repairs will cost?

Because Massachusetts regulation forbids it. Under 266 CMR 6.06 a home inspector may not determine the cost of repairs for items noted in their report, and may not perform repairs on a home their own firm inspected. It is a conflict-of-interest rule, not unhelpfulness. The inspector's job is to describe the condition; pricing comes from the relevant contractor, and getting one or two quotes during the inspection window is the practical move.

What if the inspector misses something and I find it after closing?

Massachusetts requires licensed home inspectors to carry errors and omissions insurance of at least $250,000 in the aggregate, and it prohibits them from using contract clauses that cap their liability for negligent or wrongful errors or omissions. There is also a deadline: under MGL chapter 112 section 225, any action arising from a home inspection must be commenced within two years of the completed written report. Not every missed item is negligence, but the protection is real and the clock is real.

Does a home inspection include radon, septic and pests?

Generally not by default. A standard inspection covers structure and systems; radon testing, septic inspection, pest inspection and sewer line scoping are typically ordered separately, and some require a differently licensed specialist. EPA's action level for radon is 4 pCi/L, and it also recommends considering a fix between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Decide which of these you want before the inspection period starts, because the window is short.

On a settlement statement the deeds excise shows up on the seller's side, usually as a line called tax stamps. The rate behind it is $2.28 for every $500 of the price, outside Barnstable County.

The rate, and where the odd number comes from

M.G.L. c. 64D §1 levies an excise on a deed conveying real estate when the consideration, net of any lien or encumbrance left on the property, exceeds $100. The statutory rate is $2 for the first $500 and $2 for each additional $500 or fraction of it. On top of that, a 14% surcharge was imposed by St. 1969 c. 546 §23. The Department of Revenue's directive on enforcement of the deeds excise puts the combined rate at $2.28 per $500 of consideration, or fraction of it, in excess of $100. Per $1,000, that's $4.56. Registries round an odd price up to the next $500 before applying the rate.

The one county with its own rate

The statute carves out Barnstable County, where the statutory rate is $1.50 per $500 rather than $2. With the 14% surcharge that comes to $1.71 per $500, or $3.42 per $1,000, and the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds adds a county rate of $3.06 per $1,000, for a combined $6.48 per $1,000 on Cape Cod. The Department of Revenue's directive states its $2.28 figure as the rate except for Barnstable county. Everything below assumes a sale outside it.

Who pays

Under c. 64D §2 the excise is paid by the person who makes or signs the deed, or for whose benefit it's made. That's the grantor, meaning the seller, and Massachusetts closings follow the statute: the stamps come out of the seller's proceeds. The excise is self-assessed and paid by affixing adhesive stamps, which the Department of Revenue prepares and the registries of deeds sell.

On this summer's prices

The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® July 2026 report puts the statewide single-family median sale price at $715,000, up 2.9% from a year earlier, and the condominium median at $565,000, down 1.4%. Run the excise on those. $715,000 is 1,430 units of $500, and 1,430 times $2.28 is $3,260.40. The condo median is 1,130 units, and 1,130 times $2.28 is $2,576.40. Sale prices in Newton or Brookline run well above the state median, so the stamps run higher there.

What isn't stamped

The chapter doesn't apply to any instrument given to secure a debt, so a buyer's mortgage carries no stamps. It also doesn't apply to a deed to which the Commonwealth, a city or town of the Commonwealth, or the United States or any of their agencies is a party. The rate doesn't change by property type either; a condo and a three-family are stamped the same way.

If you're pricing a sale this fall, I'll put together a net sheet with the stamps and your mortgage payoff on it, so you know your number before closing. This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How much is the deed excise tax in Massachusetts?

Outside Barnstable County, $2.28 per $500 of the sale price or fraction of it, which is $4.56 per $1,000. The statutory rate under M.G.L. c. 64D §1 is $2 per $500, and a 14% surcharge from 1969 brings it to $2.28, per the Department of Revenue's directive on enforcing the excise. In Barnstable County the statute sets $1.50 per $500, and the registry there charges a combined $6.48 per $1,000. Sales of $100 or less are not taxed.

Who pays the deed stamps in Massachusetts, buyer or seller?

The seller. Under M.G.L. c. 64D §2 the excise is paid by the person who makes or signs the deed, which is the grantor, and at Massachusetts closings it appears on the seller's side of the settlement statement. The buyer's mortgage is not stamped, because instruments given to secure a debt are outside the excise.

What are the deed stamps on a $715,000 house?

Outside Barnstable County, $715,000 is 1,430 units of $500, and 1,430 times $2.28 is $3,260.40. On the July 2026 statewide median condo price of $565,000, the stamps are $2,576.40. In Barnstable County the rate is $6.48 per $1,000 instead.

Buyers in Greater Boston have been waiving the inspection to make an offer look stronger. For any first contract signed after October 15, 2025, a seller can't accept that offer, and the same rule spells out what you can still put in one.

Where the rule comes from

The Affordable Homes Act, St. 2024 c. 150 §45, added M.G.L. c. 143 §101, which directed the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to write regulations so that no seller of a residential property, or their agent, conditions acceptance of an offer on the buyer waiving, limiting or restricting the right to have the structure inspected, or accepts an offer from a buyer who has said in advance that they intend to waive it. The regulation is 760 CMR 74.00, published in the Mass. Register on June 6, 2025. It covers residential buildings of one to four units, condominium units in buildings of any size, and co-op shares. A sale at auction conducted by a licensed auctioneer is carved out of the conditioning ban, and the statute also excepts close relatives and a former spouse under a c. 208 order.

What the seller's side can't do

Under 760 CMR 74.03(5), a buyer whose offer was accepted in compliance with the rule, and who received the disclosure, may then waive, limit or forgo the inspection, provided the decision isn't influenced or required by the seller or the seller's agent. The definitions also allow two negotiated terms: the parties may agree that the buyer won't walk if the estimated aggregate cost of repairs stays under a reasonable monetary threshold, and they may agree to reasonably limit the buyer's deposit refund if the buyer does walk. Naming a repair threshold in the offer is one way to give the seller some certainty.

The exemptions in 760 CMR 74.04 cover relatives, a former spouse under a divorce judgment, foreclosures, deeds in lieu, reconveyances to release a debt, transfers to a relative for estate planning purposes, and newly constructed homes where the first written contract is signed before substantial completion and the seller offers an express written warranty of at least one year. For a broker or salesperson, failing to provide the form is an unfair or deceptive practice under M.G.L. c. 93A, and the licensing board can act on it.

If you're writing offers in Greater Boston this fall, send me the listing and we'll set the inspection terms the way the rule allows. This is general information, not legal advice. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

The form

Under 760 CMR 74.03(3), no later than the signing of the first written contract, whether that's the offer to purchase or the purchase and sale agreement, the seller's agent, or the seller if there's no agent, has to provide a separate form carrying the state's disclosure, signed by seller and buyer. The seller warrants that the agreement isn't contingent on the buyer giving up an inspection, acknowledges that the buyer may use a licensed home inspector of the buyer's choice, and agrees that if the buyer inspects, the buyer gets a reasonable period after the contract is fully signed, as agreed by both sides, to decide whether to proceed if the results aren't satisfactory. The form is on mass.gov and the seller's agent's acknowledgment is on it too.

What you can still write into an offer

This is where the strategy lives. Under 760 CMR 74.03(5), a buyer whose offer was accepted in compliance with the rule, and who received the disclosure, may then waive, limit or forgo the inspection, provided the decision isn't influenced or required by the seller or the seller's agent. And the definitions allow two negotiated terms: the parties may agree that the buyer won't walk if the estimated aggregate cost of repairs stays under a reasonable monetary threshold, and they may agree to reasonably limit the buyer's deposit refund if the buyer does walk. A repair threshold written into the offer tells a seller you're serious without breaking the rule. The exemptions in 760 CMR 74.04 cover relatives, a former spouse under a divorce judgment, foreclosures, deeds in lieu, reconveyances to release a debt, estate planning transfers to relatives, and newly constructed homes sold before substantial completion with a written warranty of at least one year. For a broker or salesperson, failing to provide the form is an unfair or deceptive practice under M.G.L. c. 93A, and the licensing board can act on it. If you're writing offers in Greater Boston this fall, send me the listing and we'll set the inspection terms the way the rule allows. This is general information, not legal advice. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

Can a seller in Massachusetts require me to waive the home inspection?

No. For first contracts signed after October 15, 2025, 760 CMR 74.00 bars a seller of a one to four unit building, a condo unit or a co-op share, or their agent, from conditioning acceptance of an offer on the buyer waiving, limiting or restricting a home inspection, and from accepting an offer that would require it. Sales at auction by a licensed auctioneer are excepted, as are sales to close relatives and to a former spouse under a c. 208 judgment.

What is the Massachusetts mandatory home inspection disclosure form?

A separate form required by 760 CMR 74.03(3), signed by buyer and seller no later than the first written contract, whether the offer or the purchase and sale agreement. The seller warrants the sale isn't contingent on the buyer giving up an inspection, acknowledges the buyer may use a licensed inspector of their choice, and agrees the buyer gets a reasonable period after signing to decide whether to proceed. For a broker or salesperson, failing to provide it is an unfair or deceptive practice under M.G.L. c. 93A.

Can I still waive the inspection to make my offer stronger?

Not as a condition the seller asks for, and not by telling the seller up front that you intend to. After the offer is accepted and the form is signed, you may choose not to inspect, as long as the decision comes from you. If repairs come in under a reasonable number you and the seller agreed on, you can also commit to staying in, and you can agree to give up part of the deposit if you back out.

Ten years, buy. One year, rent. Three years sits exactly on the line, which is why people go around in circles on it — and why the answer has to come from arithmetic rather than instinct.

The thing that makes a short hold different

A long-term buyer pays the costs of buying once and forgets about them. Over ten years they disappear into the background.

On a three-year hold you pay to get in and you pay to get out, and the second bill arrives before the first one has been absorbed. That is the whole difficulty. Everything else is detail.

There is a second problem that gets less attention. Your exit date is not yours to choose. A ten-year owner who dislikes the market simply waits. You cannot wait — your assignment ends when it ends, and you sell into whatever conditions exist that season.

What the exit actually costs

One piece is fixed by law and you can calculate it exactly today.

The Massachusetts deeds excise is two dollars per five hundred dollars of consideration under the statute, plus a 14% surtax, which works out to $2.28 per $500 — about 0.456% of the sale price. It is paid by the person making and signing the deed, meaning the seller. Barnstable County uses a different rate.

On an $800,000 sale:

$800,000 ÷ $500 = 1,600 units × $2.28 = $3,648

That number is knowable and will not surprise you.

Everything else varies, and I am deliberately not giving you a percentage for it. Broker compensation has been openly negotiable since the 2024 industry changes, and quoting a customary rate as though it were a fixed cost would mislead you in both directions. Attorney fees, title work, recording, and any lender charges likewise depend on the transaction.

So do this instead: get real quotes and put your own numbers in. An estimate built from your actual costs is worth more than any average I could print here.

The framework

Buying beats renting over the hold if:

(what you save versus renting) + (principal you pay down) + (any price change) is greater than (cost of buying) + (cost of selling) + (ownership costs rent does not have)

Four notes on using it honestly.

Principal paydown is not a cost. It comes back to you at the sale. But in the early years of a 30-year loan the payment is mostly interest, so do not overestimate how much of it there is by year three — check an amortization schedule for your actual loan rather than guessing.

Rent is entirely gone. That is the point in favor of buying, and it is a real one.

Ownership has costs renting does not: property tax, insurance, condo fees, maintenance, and anything the building assesses. Massachusetts property tax rates are set town by town and published annually, so use the actual rate for the actual town, not a regional average.

Enter zero for price change unless you have a reason not to. If the decision only works with an assumed gain, it does not work. Run it flat, then see what a decline would do to you.

Where three years is genuinely different

There is one rule that makes three years better than two, and it is worth knowing before you sign anything.

The capital gains exclusion on a primary residence turns on having owned and lived in the home for two of the five years before the sale. A three-year assignment clears that bar; a shorter one may not. The details, including how the months are counted, are in this article.

That has a consequence people miss when they decide to keep the home as a rental instead of selling. The five-year window keeps running after you move out. Hold it as a rental for too long after returning to Korea and you can age out of the exclusion you had already earned. If keeping it is on the table, work out that deadline with an accountant before you leave, not years later.

And if you do sell after you are no longer a US resident, FIRPTA withholding applies at closing. It is not a penalty and it is not the final tax, but it changes what you receive on the day and it needs planning.

Before you buy, if renting it out is part of the plan

If the property is a condominium, read the association documents for rental restrictions first. Plenty of associations cap the share of units that may be rented, impose minimum lease terms, or require board approval. Discovering this after closing has ended more than one plan. What to look for is in reading a condo fee.

What tips it each way

Buying is more likely to work when:

• rent for the space your family actually needs is high
• there is a real chance the assignment extends
• you are buying something ordinary and easy to resell — not the unusual property that took two years to sell last time
• you are not stretching to the top of what you were approved for

Renting is the better answer when:

• the return date is fixed and cannot move
• your cash reserves are thin, so a bad month at sale time becomes a real problem
• the property is unusual, or the building's finances are unclear
• you would need the sale proceeds immediately on returning

A word on how this usually goes wrong

The mistake I see is not choosing wrong. It is deciding in month one — house-hunting from Korea, buying in the first eight weeks, before anyone in the family knows which commute they can tolerate or which town they actually like.

Renting first for a year and buying in year two is a legitimate strategy and often the better one. It shortens the hold, which cuts the other way, but it also means you buy the right thing. If you are new to the process, the common first-time mistakes and the vocabulary of a Massachusetts purchase are both worth twenty minutes.

One caveat

This is a framework, not advice about your situation. Tax treatment belongs to an accountant, loan terms to a lender, and visa questions to an immigration attorney — and if you are here on a work visa, what lenders actually require is a separate and more encouraging story than most people expect.

What I do is sit down and run these numbers with you, in Korean as well as English, using your actual quotes rather than averages. Some families leave that conversation renting, and that is a good outcome too. Get in touch and we will find out which one you are.

Common questions

Is three years long enough to make buying worthwhile?

Sometimes, but it is genuinely close, and the answer depends on numbers only you have. A short hold has to recover the costs of both buying and selling, and you do not control what the market is doing on the month your assignment ends. Buying tends to work when the rent for the space you actually need is high, when there is a real chance the assignment extends, and when you buy something ordinary that resells easily. It tends to fail when the return date is fixed and immovable, when cash reserves are thin, or when the property is unusual.

What does it cost to sell a home in Massachusetts?

One part is fixed by statute. The Massachusetts deeds excise is two dollars per five hundred dollars of consideration plus a 14% surtax, which comes to $2.28 per $500, or about 0.456% of the price, and it is paid by the person making and signing the deed — the seller. Barnstable County uses a different rate. Everything else, including broker compensation, attorney fees and title work, varies and is negotiable, so get real quotes rather than assuming a percentage.

Can I keep the home and rent it out when I return to Korea?

Often yes, but three things need checking first. If it is a condo, the association documents may restrict or cap rentals, so read them before you buy rather than after. The capital gains exclusion depends on having lived in the home for two of the five years before the sale, so that window keeps running once you move out. And a seller who is no longer a US resident faces FIRPTA withholding at closing. These are accountant questions, and the time to ask them is before you buy.

I get asked about West Roxbury a lot, and the City of Boston publishes enough data to answer most of it. Everything below comes from the Planning Department's Research Division and boston.gov.

Who owns, who rents

In the Research Division's estimates as of January 1, 2025, West Roxbury has 14,588 housing units and 13,917 of them are occupied. Of those occupied homes, 9,488 are owner-occupied. That's 68.2%, the highest owner-occupied share of any neighborhood in the City's table, against 35.4% for Boston as a whole. The population estimate is 31,381.

The bedroom count

The same report breaks the housing stock down by bedrooms. Of all 14,588 units in West Roxbury, 7,282, or 49.9%, have three or more bedrooms, where the citywide share is 32.4%. Studios and one-bedrooms are 2,601 units, 17.8% of that same total, against 33.5% citywide. If you're shopping for a house with more bedrooms than a typical Boston condo, this is one of the few parts of the city where that stock is common.

What the City says about it

Boston.gov keeps the description short. West Roxbury is in the southwest corner of the City, known for its civic activism and youth programs, with a suburban vibe, tree-lined streets and single-family homes. Centre Street is the main business district, with restaurants, banks and shops. Millennium Park, once a landfill, now has 100 acres of trails, ball fields and picnic areas.

What the tax bill looks like

Boston taxes residential property at a single citywide rate, so a West Roxbury house is taxed at the same $12.40 per thousand dollars of assessed value as a Back Bay condo for fiscal year 2026. The rate for a fiscal year appears on the third quarter bill, issued in late December, and the first two quarterly bills are estimates based on the prior year. Owners who live in the property as their principal residence can apply for the residential exemption, which saved qualified homeowners up to $4,353.74 in fiscal year 2026. Under a recent home rule petition, a deed recorded at the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds and occupied as a principal residence between January 1 and June 30, 2026 may qualify for fiscal year 2027, and the application deadline is April 1, 2027.

Want the numbers for a specific address? Send it over. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

What percentage of West Roxbury homes are owner-occupied?

In the City of Boston Planning Department's estimates as of January 1, 2025, 9,488 of West Roxbury's 13,917 occupied housing units are owner-occupied, which is 68.2%, the highest share of any Boston neighborhood in the report. Citywide the share is 35.4%.

How big is West Roxbury?

The City estimates the population at 31,381 as of January 1, 2025, with 14,588 housing units. Of all 14,588, 7,282 units, or 49.9%, have three or more bedrooms, against 32.4% citywide.

What is the property tax rate in West Roxbury?

Boston applies one citywide residential rate, $12.40 per thousand dollars of assessed value for fiscal year 2026. Owners who live in the property as their principal residence can apply for the residential exemption, which saved qualified homeowners up to $4,353.74 in fiscal year 2026. The fiscal year 2027 application deadline is April 1, 2027.

September 1 moves a lot of households in Boston, and the parking paperwork is the part that gets forgotten until a ticket shows up on the windshield. Two things need attention in the first week at a new address: the resident parking permit, and the street cleaning signs on your block.

The permit is free, and it has a window

There is no charge for a Boston resident parking permit. For online requests, the City asks you to apply within 10 days of your move in date, and if you apply online, once the request is approved the permit arrives in about 10 business days. If you don't want to wait, applying in person at City Hall with all the required documentation gets the permit issued that same day.

What the City checks

• A valid Massachusetts registration showing the car registered and principally garaged in your name at your current Boston address.
• Proof of residency. If you use a bill, it has to be current, postmarked or dated within the last 30 days, and carry the same name that appears on the car registration.
• A clean parking ticket record. You need to pay all of your overdue parking tickets before applying for or renewing a permit.
• No visitor permits. The City puts it plainly: there are none in Boston, and visiting family or friends will need to find off-street parking if your neighborhood requires resident parking permits.

The street cleaning calendar

The Daytime Street Cleaning Program runs from April 1 to November 30 in most Boston neighborhoods, so a September move lands in the middle of it. Daytime sweeping continues into the winter in the North End, the South End and Beacon Hill, where the program stops on December 31 and starts up again on March 1, and a Nighttime Street Cleaning Program runs all year on main roads, arterials and commercial roads. The signs on your street tell you the day and the hours, and there's a No Tow reminder you can sign up for by email.

What it costs to get this wrong

A street cleaning ticket is $40, though the same violation in Charlestown is $90, and overnight street cleaning carries a $90 fine. On the same schedule, the violation called Resident Permit Only is $60 and the one called No Valid Resident Parking Permit/Sticker is $100. A tow costs a lot more. For police ordered or involuntary towing from private property, the maximum rate a private company can charge is $132 for the tow, set forth in 220 CMR 272.00, the DPU rates for the towing of motor vehicles, plus storage at $35 per 24 hour period under G.L. c. 159B, § 6B, and a fuel surcharge on top of that. If you're renting for a year while you shop for a place to buy, get the permit in your first week and put your street's sweeping day in your phone. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How much does a Boston resident parking permit cost?

There is no charge for Resident Parking permits. For online requests the City asks you to apply within 10 days of your move in date, and posts about 10 business days to deliver an approved permit. In person at City Hall, with all the required documentation, it is issued the same day.

What do I need to bring for a Boston resident parking permit?

A valid Massachusetts registration showing the car registered and principally garaged in your name at your current Boston address, plus proof of residency. A bill used as proof must be current, postmarked or dated within the last 30 days, and carry the same name as the registration. You also need to pay all of your overdue parking tickets before applying for or renewing a permit.

When does street cleaning run in Boston?

The Daytime Street Cleaning Program runs from April 1 to November 30 in most neighborhoods. It continues into winter in the North End, South End and Beacon Hill, where it stops on December 31 and starts up again on March 1. A street cleaning ticket is $40, and $90 in Charlestown.

The honest answer is that there is no fixed answer. Four years can come out ahead of renting and it can come out behind. Anyone who answers without your numbers is guessing.

What is clear is what moves the result. These are the items I actually work through in a consultation, in order.

The holding period is often not four years

The calculation starts with how long you will hold the property, and this is the assumption that breaks most often.

An undergraduate four years becomes six or seven when graduate school follows. It becomes two when a transfer or a change of plan arrives in year two. Real estate rewards longer holds, so buying on a four-year assumption and selling in year two flips the result almost every time.

So I ask this first: what happens if the plan changes in year two? Sell, rent it out, or hand it to another family member — the answer changes which property you should be looking at in the first place.

Costs land at both ends

Renting costs money once, on the way in. Buying costs money twice — going in and coming out.

Going in: closing costs, inspection, appraisal, recording. Coming out: brokerage commission, the state deeds excise, and closing costs again. The shorter the hold, the larger that round trip looms in the total.

People ask whether appreciation covers it. It has to exceed that round trip before there is any gain at all. When that point arrives is, practically speaking, the whole decision.

The monthly number is not just the mortgage

This is where buyers arriving from another market are most often surprised.

• Property tax, assessed annually, at a rate that differs by city.
• Condo fees, which in downtown Boston buildings are frequently substantial.
• Homeowner's insurance, plus separate flood insurance near the water.
• Repairs. This is a city of old buildings. What was the landlord's problem as a tenant becomes yours as an owner.

Compare a mortgage payment to rent without these and buying will look better than it is.

Whose name is on the deed changes the tax

This is the part international families miss most often.

A student on an F-1 visa can legally own property. Qualifying for a mortgage in their own name, with little US income or credit, is the hard part — so parents often buy in theirs. That choice carries a provision worth knowing before, not after.

Under FIRPTA, when a foreign person disposes of US real property, the buyer must withhold 15% of the total amount realized and remit it to the IRS. It is a prepayment rather than the final tax, settled through a return — but it means a meaningful share of the sale proceeds is tied up at the moment of sale. Exceptions exist, including certain residences the buyer intends to occupy.

Where the student actually lived there, the federal home-sale gain exclusion comes into view instead: 24 months of ownership and 24 months of use as a main home within the five years before sale. Four years of real residence satisfies the use test on its face — but whose name is on the deed, and that person's tax status, decide whether it applies.

This is a CPA's and an attorney's question, not mine. What I can do is make sure you know the provision exists before you choose, and tell you which structures a lender will actually finance.

How the decision gets made

Four things have to be settled before the arithmetic means anything.

1. A minimum holding period — not the plan, but the span you could hold through the worst case
2. The name on the deed — student or parent, and what that choice does to financing and tax
3. Source of funds — if money is coming from abroad, documentation starts before you are under contract, not during
4. The exit if plans change — sale or rental

Settle those and the rest is arithmetic. I will run it on your actual figures, and when renting is the better answer I will say so. A calculation run by someone with a reason to sell is a different thing from a calculation.

If financing without US credit or the September 1st rental cycle is the more pressing question, I have written about buying without a long US credit history and Boston's September 1st rush separately. If you want the numbers run, start here.

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm your own situation with a CPA and an attorney.

Common questions

For a four-year degree in Boston, is buying better than renting?

There is no fixed answer. What decides it is how long the property is actually held, the transaction costs on the way in and again on the way out, condo fees and property tax, what the same money would rent, and the chance that plans change midway. Four years can come out ahead and it can come out behind, so the question has to be run on the family's own numbers rather than on a rule of thumb.

If the parents are non-resident and sell the US property, how is it taxed?

Under FIRPTA, when a foreign person disposes of a U.S. real property interest the buyer must deduct and withhold 15% of the total amount realized and remit it to the IRS. That is a prepayment rather than the final tax, settled through a return, and exceptions exist including certain residences the buyer intends to occupy. The specifics belong with a CPA.

Can the capital gains exclusion apply to a home a student lived in?

The federal home-sale exclusion applies where the seller owned the home for 24 months and used it as a main residence for 24 months within the five years before the sale, excluding up to $250,000 of gain for a single filer and $500,000 for joint filers. Four years of actual residence satisfies the use test on its face, but whose name is on the deed and that person's tax status change the outcome, so it needs a CPA's review.

If you're listing around Greater Boston this fall, check your dates before you set a price. The federal exclusion on the sale of a main home turns on how long you owned the place and how long you lived in it.

The two amounts

If you have a capital gain from the sale of your main home, you may qualify to exclude up to $250,000 of that gain from your income, or up to $500,000 of that gain if you file a joint return with your spouse. The gain is the amount you realized, which is the selling price less your selling expenses, minus your basis, which is roughly what you paid plus the improvements you made.

The ownership and residence tests

To claim the exclusion you must have owned the home for at least 24 months out of the last 5 years leading up to the date of the sale, and used it as your residence for at least 24 months of that same period. The residence months can fall anywhere in the window and do not have to be a single block of time. For a married couple filing jointly, the $500,000 limit applies when both spouses meet the residence and look back requirements and one or both meet the ownership requirement. If only one spouse would qualify alone, the joint return falls back to what that spouse could exclude as a single filer.

The look back rule

Generally, you aren't eligible for the exclusion if you excluded the gain from the sale of another home during the two year period before this sale, and Publication 523 carries the exceptions. Sellers who moved once already, took the exclusion, and are now selling a second property should check the closing date on the earlier sale before assuming anything.

Improvements raise your basis

Improvements that add to the value of your home, prolong its useful life, or adapt it to new uses get added to basis, which reduces the gain. Repairs and routine maintenance that don't add value or prolong life do not, though repair-type work counts when it's part of an extensive remodeling job. An added bathroom, a new roof, a heating system, a deck or a driveway all count, so it's worth pulling those receipts before you list. One more thing if the place was ever a rental: depreciation allowed or allowable for periods after May 6, 1997 can't be excluded, and time it wasn't your main home after 2008 can carve into the exclusion.

Report it even when it's excluded

If you receive an informational income reporting document such as a Form 1099-S, you must report the sale of the home even if the gain from the sale is excludable. Ask your closing attorney whether you'll get one. Selling around Greater Boston this fall and unsure whether your months add up? Send me the date you closed on the place and the date you moved in, and we'll lay it against the calendar before the listing goes live. This is general information and not tax advice, so run the result past a tax professional. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How much gain can I exclude when I sell my home?

Up to $250,000 of gain on the sale of a main home, or up to $500,000 if you file a joint return with your spouse, per the IRS guidance on the sale of your home. The exclusion covers the gain itself, the sale price minus your basis.

How long do I have to live in a house before selling to avoid capital gains?

You must have owned the home for at least 24 months out of the last 5 years leading up to the date of sale, and used it as your residence for at least 24 months of that same period. The residence months do not have to be consecutive, and they do not have to be the same months as the ownership months.

Do I have to report the sale if the gain is excluded?

Yes, if you receive an informational income reporting document such as a Form 1099-S, you must report the sale of the home even if the gain is excludable. Generally you are also not eligible for the exclusion if you excluded gain on another home sold in the two year period before this sale, though Publication 523 lists exceptions.

Boston turns over a lot of leases at the start of September, which means a lot of deposits are sitting with former landlords right now. Massachusetts puts a hard deadline on that money, and the deadline started the day the tenancy ended.

Thirty days, and only four deductions

Under M.G.L. c.186 §15B(4), the lessor has thirty days after the termination of occupancy under a tenancy-at-will, or after the end of the tenancy as specified in a valid written lease agreement, to return the security deposit or any balance of it. The statute names what can come out of it and nothing else qualifies:

• Unpaid rent or water charges that have not been validly withheld or deducted pursuant to any general or special law.
• An increase in real estate taxes the tenant is obligated to pay under a tax escalation clause that conforms to the requirements of c.186 §15C.
• A reasonable amount necessary to repair damage caused to the unit by the tenant, reasonable wear and tear excluded.

The sworn list

A landlord can't just put a number in a letter and keep it. §15B(4)(iii) requires an itemized list of damages, sworn to by the lessor or the lessor's agent under pains and penalties of perjury, together with written evidence such as estimates, bills, invoices or receipts. That list is due to the tenant within the same thirty days after termination of the occupancy.

Interest at five percent, with two conditions

A security deposit the lessor has held for a period of one year or longer from the commencement of the term earns interest under §15B(3)(b) at the rate of 5% per year, or other such lesser amount of interest as has been received from the bank where the deposit has been held, payable to the tenant at the end of each year of the tenancy, with all accrued interest due within thirty days if the tenancy ends before the anniversary date. Rent paid in advance for the last month of the tenancy earns interest at the same rate under §15B(2)(a) with no one-year threshold, beginning with the first day of the tenancy, though interest doesn't accrue for the last month for which rent was paid in advance. If you paid first, last and a deposit, two of those three amounts earn interest.

What happens when a landlord misses it

§15B(6) sets out what a landlord loses by getting this wrong. A lessor forfeits the right to retain any portion of the deposit by failing to deposit the funds in an account as required by §15B(3), by failing to furnish the itemized list within thirty days after termination of the occupancy, by using in a signed lease a provision that conflicts with the section and then attempting to enforce it or to obtain a waiver, by failing to transfer the deposit to a successor in interest, or by failing to return the deposit or balance within thirty days after termination of the tenancy. §15B(7) reaches only three of those five. If the lessor fails to comply with clauses (a), (d) or (e) of §15B(6), meaning the account, the transfer to a successor, or the thirty day return, the tenant shall be awarded three times the deposit or balance to which the tenant is entitled, plus interest at 5% from the date when payment became due, together with court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. A late itemized list under clause (b) or a conflicting lease clause under clause (c) forfeits the deposit but does not trigger the treble award. If you're renting in Greater Boston and thinking about buying in a year or two, that money is worth chasing. Send me the lease and I'll read it with you. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How long does a Massachusetts landlord have to return a security deposit?

M.G.L. c.186 §15B(4) requires the lessor to return the security deposit, or any balance of it, within thirty days after the termination of occupancy under a tenancy-at-will or the end of the tenancy as specified in a valid written lease. An itemized list of damages supporting a deduction is due in the same thirty days.

What can a Massachusetts landlord deduct from a security deposit?

Only unpaid rent or water charges that were not validly withheld or deducted pursuant to law, an increase in real estate taxes the tenant is obligated to pay under a tax escalation clause conforming to c.186 §15C, and a reasonable amount necessary to repair damage the tenant caused beyond reasonable wear and tear. Damage deductions require an itemized list sworn under pains and penalties of perjury with written evidence.

Does a Massachusetts security deposit earn interest?

Yes, if the lessor holds it for a year or longer from the commencement of the term. Under §15B(3)(b) it earns interest at 5% per year, or such lesser amount of interest as has been received from the bank where the deposit has been held, payable to the tenant at the end of each year of the tenancy, with accrued interest due within thirty days if the tenancy ends before the anniversary date. Rent paid in advance for the last month earns interest on the same terms from the first day of the tenancy.

Usually you can. And that is not my opinion — it is written into the rules the market runs on.

What the rule actually says

Most American mortgages are sold on after closing, frequently to Fannie Mae. So Fannie Mae's standards are, in practice, the market's standards.

Its Selling Guide states that it purchases mortgages made to non-US citizens who are lawful permanent or non-permanent residents, under the same terms available to US citizens.

"Visa holders pay a higher rate" and "visa holders need a bigger down payment" have no basis in that standard. H-1B, L-1, E-2 — with income, credit, and documentation in place, you are looking at the same products a citizen sees.

It is also worth saying plainly that owning property in the US requires neither citizenship nor a green card. Financing is the part that needs planning; ownership itself does not turn on status.

So why do people get declined?

Three reasons, and only one of them is about status.

1. Lenders add their own rules on top

Fannie Mae's standard is a floor. Individual banks layer overlays on it — internal rules by visa category, or simply not handling these files at all.

So one lender's decline is not the market's answer. This is the single most useful thing to know here. Talk to two or three, and look for lenders who work with immigrant borrowers regularly.

2. Documentation has expired or is incomplete

Fannie Mae deliberately does not dictate which documents prove lawful presence, leaving lenders to judge each case. But the requirement is firm: what you submit must be valid and unexpired.

Commonly accepted: a valid Social Security number or ITIN, plus one of an Employment Authorization Document, work visa, passport with entry stamps, or passport with I-551 stamps.

Applying in the middle of a renewal, when your paperwork is in limbo, is where files stall. Sequencing your renewal and your application so they do not overlap genuinely helps.

3. Thin US income and credit history

This is a file problem, not a status problem. For recent arrivals the real wall is not the visa — it is having no American record yet. That ground is covered in buying without US credit.

By status

Green card holders — effectively identical to citizens. There is no reason for terms to differ on status grounds.

Work visas (H-1B, L-1, E-2, O-1) — classified as non-permanent residents, and the rule above applies directly. Employment and income history do the work; the visa needs to be valid, not long.

F-1 students — the hardest case, usually because there is little or no US income. Common routes are a co-borrower, a substantially larger down payment, or a cash purchase. If the study period is long, run the rent-versus-buy math before anything else.

Buying from abroad without US residency — a separate product category, foreign national lending, with larger down payments and higher rates. Note also that FIRPTA withholding applies when you sell, so bring an accountant into the decision before you buy, not after.

Where ITIN loans fit

An ITIN is a taxpayer identification number for people who file US taxes without a Social Security number, and mortgage products aimed at ITIN holders do exist.

They are a different kind of product, though. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not buy them; lenders hold them or sell them into other channels. Which means:

• larger down payment requirements
• rates above conforming loans
• few lenders offering them, so less to compare

They are a legitimate path. But before concluding it is your only one, weigh it against waiting. If a Social Security number or a US credit file is a year or two away, the difference compounds over the life of the loan into real money.

What to actually do

1. Talk to two or three lenders before you tour. Terms differ enough that one answer is not the answer.
2. Find lenders experienced with immigrant borrowers. The same file gets different treatment from someone who has seen it before.
3. Assemble documents early: unexpired status documentation, pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, and English evidence of any assets held in Korea.
4. If declined, ask why specifically. You will get an item, not "because of the visa" — and that item tells you what to fix.

One caveat

This describes general standards; it is not a determination about your file. Final terms come from a lender, tax questions from an accountant, and immigration questions from an immigration attorney.

What I do is run this process with you in Korean as well as English, connect you with lenders who know these situations, and read the paperwork with you before you sign. A good number of people who arrived assuming they were disqualified turned out not to be. Get in touch and we will start by mapping where you actually stand.

Common questions

Can I get a mortgage on a work visa?

Generally yes. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide states that it purchases mortgages made to non-US citizens who are lawful permanent or non-permanent residents under the same terms available to US citizens. That is the baseline the market follows, though individual lenders may add their own overlays, so answers vary between lenders. The common requirement is that your status documentation is valid and unexpired.

My visa expires soon. Does that disqualify me?

Fannie Mae does not prescribe exactly which documents a lender must obtain, leaving lenders to determine status from the circumstances of the individual case; the requirement is that the documentation is valid and unexpired. How much remaining time a particular lender wants to see varies, so one decline is not the market's answer. Talk to two or three.

How is an ITIN loan different from a regular mortgage?

ITIN loans are not purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Lenders hold them or sell them elsewhere, which is why they typically require a larger down payment and carry a higher rate than a conforming loan. They are a legitimate path, but terms vary widely between lenders, so compare several and weigh the cost against waiting until other options open.

The numbers say they are less alike than that suggests.

Start with the figures

Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026:

First, what this number is. ZHVI is not the median price of homes that sold. It is Zillow's modelled estimate of what a typical mid-tier home in the area is worth, and it blends single-family homes with condominiums. It does not mean Newton houses sell at $1.54M; it means the typical Newton home is valued around there. Any individual listing can sit well off that figure.

With that established, the striking number is not the price gap. It is the five-year gap: over the same period Newton moved more than 28% while Brookline was essentially flat.

What explains it

The two towns sell different things.

Newton's housing stock is overwhelmingly single-family. Brookline's eastern half is dominated by large brick condominium buildings from the 1920s and 30s. Single-family homes and condos have not moved at the same pace nationally over the past five years, and the index gap between these two towns substantially reflects that difference in mix.

So this gap is not evidence that Newton is the better investment. A past index tells you what kind of housing a place has, not what will appreciate next. The same applies to Brookline's −5.5% over the last year: it says the condo segment has been passing through a soft stretch, not that the town has lost its appeal.

What actually decides it

In practice, four things settle this conversation, and none of them is the index.

1. Whether a condo can get you the school district

This is Brookline's real structural advantage. School assignment follows residency in the town, not property type, so a condo puts you in the same district. That is why Brookline stays reachable for families who cannot buy a single-family home there. Getting a comparable school outcome in Newton usually means buying a house — and that difference is much of the price gap in the table above.

Assignment within the district still depends on the address and the town's current policy, and policies change. If the school district is why you are making the offer, confirm the current rule for that exact address first.

2. Whether you want to live without a car

Eastern Brookline — Coolidge Corner, Washington Square — sits on the Green Line with groceries, pharmacies, and medical care within walking distance. Plenty of households there manage on one car or none. For families arriving from Seoul who are not eager to drive, this is the difference they feel most in the first year.

Newton varies by village. Newton Centre and Newtonville are walkable; Waban and Auburndale effectively require driving. This is why searching "Newton" as one market gives you a misleading answer — narrow to villages.

3. How much space you actually need

The same money buys considerably more in Newton: a yard, a bedroom each for two children, a room for grandparents visiting from Korea. Brookline's older condos have generous rooms and high ceilings but less total floor area.

That is a question about how your family lives, not a preference, and walking both usually settles it quickly.

4. How long you are staying

The transaction costs of entering and leaving a premium market are not recovered over a short stay. For a three-year corporate assignment, both towns deserve caution. For a family staying from elementary school through graduation, the figures in that table matter very little by the end.

And a third option

Plenty of families tour both and conclude the numbers do not work. The usual next stop is Waltham (around $831,000) or Watertown — schools to be researched by address, but noticeably more space for the money and, for anyone working along Route 128, often a shorter commute.

Honestly: I have watched families stretch into a school district and be worse off for it. A house you can carry comfortably tends to serve a child better than an address you cannot.

In short

• Newton runs about 31% higher, and much of that is "house versus condo" rather than like for like.
• The five-year gap (28.3% vs 0.4%) is a story about housing mix, not a forecast.
• Brookline's decisive advantage is that a condo reaches the school district.
• Newton has to be judged by village; judging it as one town produces the wrong answer.

The Newton guide and Brookline guide go deeper on each. If you want the two compared against your actual budget, commute, and children's ages, get in touch and we will run the numbers together.

Common questions

Which is more expensive, Newton or Brookline?

As of July 2026, Zillow's Home Value Index puts Newton around $1,540,000 and Brookline around $1,176,000 — Newton roughly 31% higher. That index is a modelled typical home value rather than a median of recorded sales, and it blends single-family homes with condominiums. Since the two towns have very different housing stock, much of that gap reflects what you are buying rather than what the same thing costs.

Can a condo get me into Brookline schools, or do I need a house?

A condo qualifies. School assignment follows residency in the town, not property type, which is why Brookline is reachable for families who could not afford a single-family home there. Assignment within the district depends on your specific address and the town's current policy, and those policies change, so confirm the current rule for that exact address before making an offer on that basis.

Newton grew far more over five years. Does that mean it is the better investment?

No, and reading it that way is a mistake. From July 2021 to July 2026 Zillow's index moved about 28.3% in Newton and about 0.4% in Brookline, but that gap largely reflects a difference in housing mix rather than a forecast. Single-family-heavy and condo-heavy markets did not move together over that period. Past index movement describes what kind of housing a town has, not what will appreciate next.

Ask. These terms are not difficult — they are only unfamiliar. Here they are in the order the transaction hands them to you.

Stage 1 — Before you tour

Pre-qualification

You tell a lender your income and assets, and they tell you roughly what you might borrow. Nothing is verified. Useful as orientation, not as leverage.

Pre-approval

The lender reviews pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, and your credit, then states a figure in writing. In Greater Boston an offer without one attached generally does not get serious consideration. Get it before you start touring in earnest.

Buyer agency agreement

A written agreement stating that your agent represents you, what their compensation is, and who pays it. Since the 2024 industry changes, signing one before touring is standard. It has a number in it — read it before you sign.

Stage 2 — The offer

Offer to Purchase

Massachusetts does this in two steps, and this is the first. A relatively short document setting price, timing, deposit, and conditions. Once the other side signs, it binds. It is not a trial balloon.

Deposit (earnest money)

Money committed to show you are serious — typically a smaller amount with the offer and more at the P&S. It does not go to the seller's pocket; it is held in escrow.

Contingencies

Conditions that let you exit if something specific fails. Three carry most of the weight:

• Inspection — renegotiate or walk if the findings are bad
• Financing — walk if the loan is ultimately declined
• Appraisal — adjust if the valuation comes in under the contract price

In a competitive market buyers shorten or waive these to strengthen an offer. That is assuming real risk, and it should be a decision you make knowingly. I will not make it for you; I will tell you exactly what can happen when each one is gone.

Stage 3 — Contract and inspection

Home inspection

A professional examines structure, roof, heating, electrical, and plumbing. Not required by law, but you should have one. In Greater Boston's older stock, the recurring findings are heating system age, knob-and-tube wiring, water in basements, and lead paint.

An inspection is not pass or fail. It is the information you use to decide what to renegotiate, what to accept, and when to leave.

Purchase and Sale agreement (P&S)

The fuller contract, usually signed one to two weeks after the offer. Attorneys on both sides are customary in Massachusetts, and the terms get refined here. This is the step that surprises buyers from other states.

Escrow

In Massachusetts the word covers two unrelated things:

1. Deposit escrow — a neutral party holding your money between contract and closing
2. Escrow account — the lender's post-closing account that collects part of your monthly payment to pay property taxes and insurance when due

Same word, different meanings. When it comes up in conversation, asking which one is meant is normal — native speakers ask too.

Stage 4 — Loan and paperwork

Loan Estimate

A standard form the lender must give you within three business days of your application: rate, monthly payment, and closing costs itemized. Putting two or three lenders' Loan Estimates side by side is how rate shopping is actually done.

Appraisal

The lender's appraiser decides whether the house supports the price. Lenders will not lend above the appraised value, so a low appraisal means covering the gap in cash or renegotiating.

Title and title insurance

Title is the question of whether ownership is clean. An attorney traces the recorded history for unpaid taxes, liens, or inheritance disputes. Title insurance covers you if something surfaces anyway.

Closing Disclosure

The final itemized statement, due at least three business days before closing — including the exact amount you must bring. Compare it against your Loan Estimate and question anything that moved. That three-day window exists precisely so you can.

Stage 5 — Closing

Closing

Signing, funding, keys. In Massachusetts it typically happens at an attorney's office or the registry.

Final walk-through

A last look at the property just before closing: agreed repairs done, included items still present, nothing damaged during the move-out. Do not skip it.

Smoke and carbon monoxide certificate

Massachusetts requires a fire-department-issued alarm certificate to sell a home. It is the seller's obligation, but it does delay closings in practice.

Deed and the Registry of Deeds

The deed transfers ownership, and recording it at the county Registry of Deeds makes the transfer public and final.

If you are buying a condo

Condo fee

The monthly common charge. What it covers differs by building, so comparing the number alone is misleading.

Special assessment

A one-off charge to owners when major work — roof, facade — exceeds the association's reserves. An unusually low condo fee is not automatically good news. It can mean an association that is underfunding reserves, which arrives later as an assessment.

Condo documents

The association's finances, rules, and meeting minutes. Reading them is part of diligence, and it is where pending assessments and litigation history surface.

Not knowing is fine

You do not have to memorize any of this — that is what an agent is for. I work through this process in Korean as well as English, and I read the contract with you, line by line, before you sign. Nobody should be signing something they did not understand.

If you are starting without US credit, this article covers that ground; the mistakes first-time buyers make covers the rest. Questions are welcome — get in touch.

Common questions

What is the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval?

A pre-qualification is a lender's rough estimate based on income and assets you describe, with nothing verified. A pre-approval is a written figure issued after the lender has actually reviewed your income documents, assets, and credit. In Greater Boston, offers without a pre-approval attached are usually not taken seriously.

What does escrow mean in Massachusetts?

Two different things. First, deposit money held by a neutral party — typically the listing broker or an attorney — between contract and closing. Second, the account your lender may keep after closing, where part of your monthly payment is set aside to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance when they fall due. Which one is meant depends on context, so it is worth asking.

Why does Massachusetts use both an Offer to Purchase and a P&S?

Massachusetts settles price and key terms first in a relatively short Offer to Purchase, then moves to a much fuller Purchase and Sale agreement usually one to two weeks later. The inspection happens in between, and attorneys on both sides refine the terms. Buyers from other states are often surprised to sign a contract twice.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and NOAA puts its peak at September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. For homeowners and fall buyers around Boston, that date matters because flood damage is not covered by most homeowners policies, and the separate policy that covers it takes 30 days to start.

FEMA's numbers

• Ninety-nine percent of U.S. counties have experienced a flood since 1998.
• FEMA puts just one inch of water at roughly $25,000 of damage to your property.
• FloodSmart.gov, the National Flood Insurance Program's own site, reports 29% of flood insurance claims come from outside high-risk flood areas.
• Most homeowners and renters insurance policies do not cover flood damage; flood policies are sold separately, through the same agents who write home and renters policies.

The 30-day clock, and the exception that helps buyers

A standalone flood policy generally goes into effect 30 days after the date of purchase. Wait until a storm is on the map and the policy won't be in force for it. The exception runs in a buyer's favor: there is no waiting period when you buy flood insurance while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage. Closing this fall means the policy can be effective the day you take the keys, so ask your insurance agent and your lender to confirm the start date.

What I'd actually do this week

Look the address up on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov, whether you own or you're shopping. If the map puts the property in a Special Flood Hazard Area, federal law makes a federally backed mortgage lender require flood insurance for the term of the loan; outside those zones it is optional, and FloodSmart.gov still reports 29% of claims from outside the high-risk areas. Then ask the agent who writes your homeowners policy what a flood policy would run for your building and contents. If you're under agreement, ask your lender about starting it with the loan. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

Does homeowners insurance cover flood damage in Massachusetts?

Most homeowners and renters insurance policies do not cover flood damage, per FEMA. Flood coverage is a separate policy, typically through the National Flood Insurance Program, and it is usually written by the same agents who write home and renters policies.

How long does flood insurance take to go into effect?

A standalone policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase. There's no waiting period when the policy is bought while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage, so buyers can be covered from closing day.

Do I need flood insurance if I'm not in a high-risk flood zone?

It is worth pricing. FloodSmart.gov reports 29% of flood insurance claims come from outside high-risk flood areas, and FEMA notes 99 percent of U.S. counties have flooded since 1998. Check your address at msc.fema.gov.

A Declaration of Homestead costs $35 to record, and it takes the equity protected in your home up to $1,000,000. Most owners I talk to have never checked whether there is one on file for their house.

Two layers of protection

Under M.G.L. c.188, an estate of homestead protects a home that serves as your principal residence from attachment, seizure and execution on judgment for many debts. The automatic layer needs nothing from you: it protects $125,000 from the day you own and occupy the home, as long as no declaration has been recorded. The declared layer requires a recorded Declaration of Homestead and raises the exemption to $1,000,000 for the home.

What it does not stop

The statute is explicit about the exceptions. A homestead doesn't stand against sales for federal, state and local taxes, assessments, claims and liens. It doesn't stand against a mortgage on the home, or against liens recorded before the homestead was created. Court orders for spousal or child support go through it, and so do executions on judgments based on fraud, duress, undue influence or lack of capacity.

How the filing works

The declaration must be in writing, signed and acknowledged under penalty of perjury by each owner to be benefited, and it must state that each person named occupies or intends to occupy the home as their principal residence. The Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes the form as a free download, and the county or district Registry of Deeds records it for a $35 fee. Co-owners who hold as tenants in common divide the exemption between them, owners who are older or disabled have their own rules under the chapter, and there are separate forms for homes held in trust.

How to check whether you already have one

Some homeowners already have a declaration on record from their closing without remembering it. Search your name on your county or district Registry of Deeds website and look for a Declaration of Homestead recorded at or after your closing date. If it is not there, filing one is straightforward: the state form runs two pages and the fee is $35. If you are buying this year, ask your closing attorney to record one for you. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How much does a Massachusetts Declaration of Homestead cost to file?

The county or district Registry of Deeds records it for $35, and the form itself is a free download from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website. Each owner to be benefited signs, and the declaration must state the home is their principal residence.

Do I have homestead protection if I never filed anything?

Yes. M.G.L. c.188 gives an owner who occupies the home as a principal residence an automatic homestead exemption of $125,000, as long as no declaration has been recorded. Recording a Declaration of Homestead raises the exemption to $1,000,000 for the home.

What does a Massachusetts homestead not protect against?

Sales for federal, state and local taxes, assessments, claims and liens; mortgages on the home; liens recorded before the homestead was created; court orders for spousal or child support; and executions on judgments based on fraud, duress, undue influence or lack of capacity.

Buyers getting ready for a fall purchase usually ask me about rates. The paperwork deadlines get less attention, and they are the part a buyer can actually control. Two federal disclosure rules and one credit-scoring convention put three clocks on the mortgage process, and each one exists to give you time before you sign anything.

What a preapproval actually checks

The CFPB is careful here: lenders use the two words differently, and the label alone does not tell you much about a lender's process. What the CFPB does say is that some lenders offer a prequalification letter based on unverified information that you report, and will only issue a preapproval letter based on verified information. So the useful question is not which word is on the letter, it is what the lender actually verified. When a listing draws several offers, that is the answer worth having in hand.

Clock one: the Loan Estimate

Apply with a lender and they must provide a Loan Estimate within three business days of receiving your application. It is a standardized three-page form covering the rate, projected payments and closing costs. Because every lender uses the same form, you can hold two of them side by side and see where the numbers differ, so it is worth asking for more than one.

Clock two: the 45-day shopping window

The CFPB notes that within a 45-day window, multiple credit checks from mortgage lenders are recorded on your credit report as a single inquiry, counted from the first credit check. So three lenders inside 45 days show up on the report the same as one. Gather the estimates while the window is open.

Clock three: the Closing Disclosure

The Closing Disclosure is a five-page form with the final loan terms, projected monthly payments and closing costs, and the lender is required to give it to you at least three business days before you close. Read it against your Loan Estimate and ask about any number that changed. Buying around Greater Boston this fall and want a second set of eyes on the paperwork order? Send the Loan Estimate over and I will read it with you. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How fast does a lender have to send a Loan Estimate?

Within three business days of receiving your application, per the CFPB. All lenders are required to use the same standard three-page Loan Estimate form, so estimates from different lenders can be held side by side.

Does shopping multiple mortgage lenders hurt my credit score?

The CFPB notes that within a 45-day window, multiple credit checks from mortgage lenders are recorded on your credit report as a single inquiry, so gathering several quotes inside the window is treated as one shopping event.

What is the difference between prequalified and preapproved?

Per the CFPB, lenders use the two terms differently, and some lenders offer a prequalification letter based on unverified information you report while issuing a preapproval letter only on verified information. The CFPB's advice is not to read too much into the word, so ask the lender what they verified.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency released its House Price Index for the second quarter of 2026 on August 25. It's the federal government's own read on home prices, and Boston came in well ahead of the country.

The numbers

• Boston, MA metropolitan division: up 4.58% from the second quarter of 2025 to the second quarter of 2026, and up 1.40% from the first quarter.
• Cambridge-Newton-Framingham division: up 3.38% for the year.
• Worcester: up 2.97% for the year.
• Massachusetts statewide: up 3.64%, ranked 16th among the states.
• New England: up 3.78%, the third-fastest of the nine census divisions.
• United States: up 2.1% for the year and 0.3% for the quarter, with prices rising in 46 states and the District of Columbia.

What the index measures

The headline FHFA HPI is a purchase-only, seasonally adjusted repeat-sales index. It compares sale prices of the same homes over time, using mortgages purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That design filters out changes in the mix of homes sold, which is why it moves differently from a median sale price.

What it leaves out

Cash purchases and jumbo loans above the conforming limit aren't in the purchase-only index, and a metro division is an average across many towns. The report lists Boston and Cambridge-Newton-Framingham as separate divisions, and this quarter they came in noticeably apart. The number that matters for a specific property comes from recent comparable sales on the same street or in the same building.

How I use it

I check this against the MAR report every month. FHFA tells me which way prices are moving, and the MAR median and days on market tell me what buyers are paying right now. For an actual house I still pull comps. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How much did Boston home prices rise in the year to June 2026?

By 4.58% for the Boston metropolitan division, according to FHFA's second-quarter 2026 House Price Index released August 25, 2026. The quarterly change was 1.40%.

How does Massachusetts compare with the rest of the country?

Massachusetts rose 3.64% over the year, ranked 16th among the states. The U.S. index rose 2.1%, and the New England division rose 3.78%.

Is the FHFA House Price Index the same as a median sale price?

No. It's a repeat-sales index built on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, so it tracks the same homes over time and excludes cash and jumbo purchases. Medians come from all closed sales in a period.

Labor Day is September 7 in 2026. The City of Boston and the MBTA have both posted what changes that day, and a couple of those changes will catch you if you have showings over the long weekend.

City services

City offices, Boston Public Library branches and the city's community centers (BCYF) are closed. Parking meters are free with no time limit. Daytime street cleaning is canceled, but overnight street cleaning stays on its normal schedule, so posted overnight sweeping signs still apply.

Trash and recycling

Trash and recycling pickups are delayed in some neighborhoods during the holiday week. Not every street shifts, so look your address up in the Trash Day app before you put the bins out.

MBTA

Subway, bus and The RIDE run a Sunday schedule. Commuter Rail runs a weekend schedule. The Harbor Loop ferry has no service, and the other ferries run a weekend schedule or a Sunday schedule depending on the route, so check yours on the MBTA holidays page before you head to the dock.

If you're touring or listing that weekend

In my experience the week after Labor Day is when fall listings and open houses pick back up around Boston. If you're touring that weekend, check the parking rules on the block and the train schedule before you go. If you're listing, City Hall is closed that day, so anything you need from the city waits until the next business day. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

Is trash pickup delayed in Boston on Labor Day 2026?

The City of Boston says trash and recycling pickups are delayed in some neighborhoods during the holiday week. Check your address in the Trash Day app.

Are Boston parking meters free on Labor Day?

Yes. On City of Boston holidays, including Labor Day, parking meters are free with no time limit. Daytime street cleaning is canceled, but overnight street cleaning runs as normal.

What schedule does the MBTA run on Labor Day 2026?

Subway, bus and The RIDE run a Sunday schedule. Commuter Rail runs a weekend schedule, and the Harbor Loop ferry does not run.

Most of what I show around Boston went up before 1978, so this paperwork lands on a big share of my deals. Here's the buyer's side of it, from the disclosure to the tax credit.

Before the purchase and sale agreement

Under M.G.L. c.111 §197A, anyone selling residential premises must, before the purchase and sale agreement is signed, give the buyer the state's Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification and related materials, along with any letter of interim control or letter of full compliance issued for the property. The seller and any real estate agent involved must also disclose what they know about lead paint, plaster or other accessible materials in the home, and the buyer certifies in writing that the notification was received. The federal rule adds the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home and a Lead Warning Statement attached to the contract.

The 10-day inspection window

The EPA disclosure rule requires sellers of pre-1978 housing to provide homebuyers a 10-day period to conduct a paint inspection or risk assessment. Massachusetts law says the same: if the buyer chooses to have a lead inspection, the seller must allow ten days, or longer if both parties agree, through a lead inspection contingency in the purchase and sale agreement or otherwise. Both sides can agree in writing to a different period or to waive it, so read what the offer says.

After closing: the 90-day duty

A child under six in the home changes the obligation. If there are dangerous levels of lead, the owner has to abate or contain it (M.G.L. c.111 §197), and a new owner gets ninety days from taking title. Owners may use interim control on the way to full compliance; a letter of interim control expires after one year, may be renewed once, and it can't run longer than two years total.

The state tax credit

The state gives some of the money back. Full deleading earns a credit of up to $3,000 per dwelling unit (the cost or $3,000, whichever is less). Interim control earns up to $1,000 per unit, calculated as half the cost or $1,000, whichever is less, and it counts toward the $3,000 per-unit maximum if you later reach full compliance (M.G.L. c.62 §6(e)). Credit you can't use carries forward up to seven tax years. Confirm the details with a tax professional.

How I handle it with buyers

I put the lead notification in front of buyers before the offer, not at the P&S, and I write the inspection contingency so the ten days actually fit around the home inspection. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

How long does a buyer have to do a lead inspection in Massachusetts?

Ten days, or longer if both parties agree, under M.G.L. c.111 §197A and the federal EPA disclosure rule for pre-1978 housing. It's usually written into the purchase and sale agreement as a contingency.

Does a Massachusetts seller have to delead before selling?

No. The duty falls on the owner when a child under six lives in the home. A new owner has 90 days from taking title to delead or bring the property under interim control, per M.G.L. c.111 §197.

Is there a tax credit for deleading in Massachusetts?

Yes. M.G.L. c.62 §6(e) allows up to $3,000 per dwelling unit for full deleading and up to $1,000 per unit for interim control (half the cost or $1,000, whichever is less), with unused credit carried forward up to seven years.

Spring gets the headlines, but September brings the second listing wave of the year in Massachusetts. According to the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® monthly indicators, single-family new listings rose from 3,862 in August 2025 to 5,476 in September 2025, a 42% jump. Inventory peaked the same month at 9,202, the highest of the year.

Where prices are now

The July 2026 statewide single-family median sale price was $715,000, up 2.9% from July 2025. Closed sales were up 8.2% year over year and inventory was down 6.8%. Demand held through the summer while the number of homes for sale stayed tight. Town-level medians in Newton, Brookline or Lexington differ substantially from the statewide figure, and those are the numbers to price against.

If you are buying this fall

• Get pre-approved before Labor Day, so you can move on a September listing without delay.
• Last September, sellers received 98.1% of original asking price on average. Offers below asking were not unusual in the fall market.
• Average days on market last September was 40. Listings past that point usually had negotiating room.

If you are selling this fall

• List in the first half of September, before the full wave lands. Inventory peaked at 9,202 last September, the highest month of the year.
• Price to recent closings on your street, not to spring results.
• By December 2025, new listings had dropped to 1,580 statewide. The buyers active then were fewer but serious.
• Photograph the home in September light.

What I tell clients

Fall buyers in Greater Boston get more choice and, in the 2025 data, more room to negotiate than spring buyers. The statewide median is context; your street's closings are the pricing anchor. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

Is fall a good time to buy a house in the Boston area?

September brings the second-largest wave of new listings of the year (up 42% from August in 2025 per MAR). In 2025 data, sellers received about 98.1% of asking and homes averaged 40 days on market, which gave buyers more choice and more negotiating room than in spring.

When should I list my house in Massachusetts in the fall?

The first half of September. Inventory peaked in September (9,202 in September 2025) and new listings fell sharply by December (1,580 statewide in December 2025).

What is the median home price in Massachusetts in 2026?

The July 2026 statewide single-family median sale price was $715,000, up 2.9% from a year earlier (Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®). Town-level medians differ.

September 1 is the day about 70% of Boston's leases turn over, by the City of Boston's own estimate. Allston, Brighton, Fenway and Mission Hill see the heaviest traffic, and the City published its 2026 move-in plan on August 28. Three things to do this week if you are moving in.

The security deposit paperwork

If you paid a security deposit, Massachusetts General Laws chapter 186, section 15B requires the landlord to give you a statement of condition within 10 days after the tenancy begins. You have 15 days to add any damage they missed and return it. This single form is what your deposit refund is measured against next year, so photograph every room and both meters before the first box comes in.

The moving truck permit

A one-day City of Boston permit reserves two non-metered parking spaces from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $69, signs included. Metered spaces cost an additional $40. Online applications are accepted 15 days to 8 weeks before the move, and in-person applications at least 3 days before. For a September 1 move, both windows have closed; for a mid-September move, apply online now.

The City's 2026 move-in rules

• After-hours permits are suspended August 28 through September 1 in Allston-Brighton, Fenway, Mission Hill and designated areas of Roxbury.
• Mattresses and box springs are no longer collected curbside and need a 311 pickup appointment (buildings with seven or more units go through their property manager). Household furniture can be left curbside on the scheduled pickup day, never blocking the sidewalk, and TVs, air conditioners and refrigerators need a special pickup through 311. The City's stated reason is preventing rodents.

What I'd do first

The truck is the visible problem. The deposit paperwork is where first-year tenants in Boston actually keep or lose money, and ten minutes of photos on day one settles it. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

When does the landlord have to give me the statement of condition in Massachusetts?

Within 10 days after the tenancy begins, or when the security deposit is received, whichever is later (M.G.L. c.186 §15B). You then have 15 days to return it with any additions.

How much is a Boston moving truck permit?

$69 for two non-metered spaces for one day, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Metered spaces add $40. Apply online 15 days to 8 weeks ahead, or in person at least 3 days ahead.

What is Allston Christmas?

The nickname for the September 1 turnover in Allston and Brighton, when discarded furniture piles up on sidewalks. The City asks residents to schedule pickups through 311 instead.

Massachusetts has a state-backed mortgage for first-time buyers. Here's what it requires, a second state program that's often confused with it, and the paperwork that trips people up.

ONE Mortgage (Massachusetts Housing Partnership)

The ONE Mortgage requires a 3% down payment for a condo, single-family or two-family home, with no private mortgage insurance. You qualify as a first-time buyer if you haven't owned a home at any point in the last three years. The minimum credit score is 640 for a single-family or condo and 660 for a two-family. Household income must be under the program's limit, which varies by community and household size, and a homebuyer education class must be completed before purchase. Details and the current limits are on mhp.net.

MassHousing down payment assistance

MassHousing offers down payment assistance of up to $30,000 to income-eligible first-time buyers purchasing a primary residence. It's delivered as a second mortgage through a MassHousing-approved lender and pairs with a MassHousing first mortgage, not the ONE Mortgage. The deferred option is interest-free with no payments until the property is sold, refinanced or the first mortgage is paid off; the other options are amortizing loans with lower caps. The amount and option depend on the lender.

The FICO rate-shopping window

On the newest FICO score versions, all mortgage inquiries within a 45-day span are treated as a single inquiry. Older versions use a shorter window, and the lender chooses which version it pulls. Shopping several lenders inside one short stretch protects the score.

Pre-qualification versus pre-approval

Per the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a pre-qualification letter may be based on information you provided without verification, while a pre-approval is generally based on verified information. Lenders use the terms differently, and neither is a guaranteed loan offer. Ask the lender what was verified before you attach the letter to an offer.

Where I start with first-time buyers

I check the town's income limit first, then the class, then the lender. If the first one clears, the 3% program is real money. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

What is the minimum down payment for a first-time buyer in Massachusetts?

The MHP ONE Mortgage requires 3% down for a condo, single-family or two-family home, with no PMI. Income limits by town and a homebuyer class apply.

Who counts as a first-time home buyer in Massachusetts?

For the ONE Mortgage, anyone who has not owned a home at any point in the last three years.

How much down payment assistance does MassHousing offer?

Up to $30,000 for income-eligible first-time buyers, as a second loan paired with a MassHousing mortgage. The amount depends on the option chosen.

Massachusetts heating season begins September 15 and runs through May 31. Under 105 CMR 410.180, the State Sanitary Code, the owner of a rental unit must provide heat in every habitable room and every room with a toilet, shower or bathtub: at least 68°F between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., and at least 64°F between 11:01 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. This applies to apartments in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton and the rest of the state.

Where the temperature is measured

The regulation is specific: the reading is taken five feet above the floor and five feet from an exterior wall. A draft by the window is not a violation on its own. The center of the room is what counts. A basic thermometer placed there and photographed with the date and time visible is the evidence that settles most disputes.

If your heat is not working

• Photograph the thermostat or a thermometer with the date and time visible.
• Notify the landlord in writing. A text or email creates a record; a phone call does not.
• If there is no reply by the next morning, call Boston 311 and ask for Inspectional Services, which enforces the Sanitary Code.
• Keep every message and photo until the issue is closed.

For owners and landlords

September is when heating contractors' calendars fill. Booking the boiler or furnace service in late August, replacing filters, bleeding radiators once, and checking each unit's thermostat against a real thermometer avoids the first-cold-night call.

What I tell tenants

Heat disputes get resolved fastest when there is one dated photo and one written message. Tenants who document on day one rarely need a second call. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.

Common questions

What is the minimum temperature a landlord must provide in Massachusetts?

68°F between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., and 64°F between 11:01 p.m. and 6:59 a.m., from September 15 through May 31 (105 CMR 410.180).

When does heating season start in Massachusetts?

September 15. It runs through May 31.

Who do I call in Boston if my landlord will not fix the heat?

Boston 311 connects you to Inspectional Services, which enforces the State Sanitary Code. Document the temperature and notify the landlord in writing first.