Open Houses weekend February 15-16

Here are this weekend’s Open Houses:


Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
(more…)

Why do people buy New Homes?

Many buyers today flock to newly built homes for several reasons:
1. They simply want NEW. New everything. This can include homes designed for today’s needs and demands, often with finishes, mechanicals, amenities, etc that don’t exist in most existing homes.
2. They don’t wish to undergo a renovation either due to lack of will, or know-how. Most know a renovation is rarely quick, cheap or easy. While an unrenovated home may be far ‘cheaper’, often after a renovation (including the cost of living somewhere while the renovation occurs) the final cost ends up being similar.
3. When you buy brand new, you can finance the entire purchase: property AND renovation (as no renovation is needed). This means you need less cash after closing and may allow you to put down more cash when buying, thereby bringing down monthly expenses/mortgage cost.
4. Every home needs repairs and maintenance over time. Brand new homes too, but often their systems being brand new mean fewer big-ticket repairs/maintenance costs.
5. New homes are built according to new building CODES…. often they are more energy efficient AND resilient. New codes often address the weaknesses of past building codes.
6. Many buyers have shifted their preference to a more modern aesthetic. No, most new buildings are not minimalist, but buyers today often like taller ceilings, bigger windows, open kitchens, bigger bathrooms, etc, the kind of things developers are installing into new homes. This can exist in a sleek all glass box, or a more traditional, even historic-appearing facade.
7. In a FOMO world, brand new can deliver instant gratification. And use. Time Is The Last Luxury.
8. Often hiring a big-name designer of an ultra-luxe building to do one home would be prohibitively expensive: this economy of scale can have real value to those seeking ultra-luxe design.

Andrew Oliver, M.B.E.,M.B.A.

REALTOR®

m 617.834.8205

www.OliverReportsMA.com

““If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReportsMA.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”

“Thank you for the wonderful, wonderful job you do for the community (explanation of property tax process and calculation) – it is so helpful and so clearly explained.”

Licensed in Massachusetts with Stuart St.James
Licensed in Florida with Compass

www.OliverReportsFL.com</p

Open Houses Superbowl weekend

Here are this weekend’s Open Houses:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, week ending February 7

The latest New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, February 5

The latest New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

Open Houses weekend February 1/2

Here are this weekend’s Open Houses:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, mid-week January 29

Still few New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

Open Houses weekend January 25/26

Here are this weekend’s Open Houses (an updated list for Sunday will be posted tomorrow at 8 a.m.*):

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, week ending January 24

Still Bone-chilling cold = still few New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, mid-week January 22

Bone-chilling cold plus snow = few New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

Open Houses Sunday January 19

Here are today’s Open Houses:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
(more…)

Open Houses weekend January 18/19

Here are this weekend’s Open Houses (an updated list for Sunday will be posted tomorrow at 8 a.m.*):

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, week ending January 17

The latest New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

New Listings, Inventory, mid-week January 15

The latest New Listings:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings

The formatting has changed and gives you more options to search.

Here are the latest Inventory numbers:

(more…)

Marblehead’s 2025 Property Tax Explained

Marblehead’s property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024- June 30, 2025) has been set at $9.05, slightly up from $8.96 in FY 2024.

The formula for calculating the property tax is: take the $ amount of the previous year’s Tax Levy, add 2.5% for Proposition 2 1/2, and also add any New Growth (such as new construction or a condo conversion). This figure is the new tax levy. To this figure is added debt service – the Principal and Interest payable on the town’s debt – to produce the total Tax Levy.

The tax rate is then calculated by dividing the Tax Levy by the Assessed Value of property – and, crucially, that calculation is based upon prices as of January 1, 2024, using date from sales in calendar year 2023.  What that means is that 2024 sales are used for the calculation of the tax rate in FY2026 – not FY2025.

Here are the numbers for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025, remembering that FY 2025 runs from July 2024 to June 2025:

The Tax Levy calculation
The dollar amount raised by the property tax will increase year by year. That is because of the formula: last year’s number plus 2.5% plus new growth. In the table above you can see how the FY 2024 tax levy of $71,416,980 becomes the base for FY 2025. Add $1,785,425 for Prop 2.5% and $324,437 for new growth and the new figure is $73,526,842. To this number is added the debt service of $10,913,654 – to give a total amount to be raised of $84,440,496.

The Tax Rate (more…)