The world’s most expensive house
According to London’s Daily Telegraph this Paris chateau has become the world’s most expensive house, selling for about $300 million.
Read Paris chateau sold for Pds 200 million for fuller details, but here are some of the features:
– 50,000 sf of living space
– indoor and outdoor pools
– cinema, squash court, two ballrooms and a nightclub
– a meditation room under the moat
– a maze
I wasn’t sure this was the house for me until I saw that it has two ballrooms. That was the clincher for me. Had there been only one I would probably not have been interested. (more…)
Marblehead condo sales: best since 2008
Next week Marblehead condo sales for 2015 should reach 50, a number last seen in 2008. Sales, however, remain well down from the heady days of 2002-05 when they averaged over 70 each year.
My full review of the year will appear early in January.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read Who will actually sell my house?
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
New Listings in time for Christmas
Holy bat-panic – 6 days to Christmas and nothing to put under the tree? Quick, check out these new listings and make an offer on one next week! (more…)
Where retirees want to live: Boston?
The National Association of Realtors has released a report listing the 10 markets which are expected to see the most retiree buying activity in 2016. And where do retirees want to live? Boston.
The NAR expects people aged 65 to 74 to make up the third largest home-buying segment in 2016 and says that “unlike first-time buyers overwhelmed by options, they know what they want: new construction and the ability to customize their home to get what they want.”
Then the NAR looked for “senior-friendly” markets based upon the median household income for 65-74 year old head of housholds.
The number 1 pick? Boston, where according to the NAR the median household income for 65-74 year old head of households is $56,000 and the maximum affordable home price is $236,000.
$236,000 for new construction in Boston? Really? What is this, 1960? The NAR report identified one property in “Boston”. Actually, it is in West Roxbury, a condo of 845 sf in a 1963 building.
New construction? Boston? Um, I wonder who else is on the list.
Read Here’s where retirees will want to live in 2016 to find out.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read How should I choose the broker to sell my house?
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
8 Predictors of Housing Prices
The National Association of Realtors has published a report looking at different factors as predictors of housing prices.
The study looks at 8 factors:
– gas prices
– proximity to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods
– proximity to sports facilities
– legalization of marijuana
– effect of temperature change
– nearness to casinos
– closeness to highways
– whether there are trees on the street
Click here to read the report and find out how these factors affect housing prices.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read Which broker will actually sell my home?
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
Marblehead’s Unknown Oceanfront Properties update
A while back I published Marblehead’s Unknown Oceanfront Properties, referring to houses on or oceanside of Atlantic Avenue between Preston Beach and Beach Street.
In that article I pointed out that: “there are a lot of small streets that lead to the water and have 1 or 2 or maybe 3 or 4 houses sitting directly on the ocean at the end. And for the most part these houses sit on the rocky Atlantic coast and are high enough that flooding is not a concern, while many of them face South, have great views of Ram Island and down the coastline, and are well protected from the nor’easters that can impact more exposed areas.”
This section of Marblehead is seeing price appreciation as evidenced by the number of properties with Assessed Values over $2 million. That number was 29 in 2014, 32 in 2015 and has now jumped to 44 in the recently released assessments for 2016.
How much longer will this area be a secret I wonder?
There are two Open Houses today of oceanfront property in this stretch of town:
11 Crown Way from 12:00-2:00
and 2-4 Coolidge Road from 12:00-1:30
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read Which broker will actually sell my house?
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
The weather is mild, interest rates are low – visit these Open Houses
Twelve days until Christmas. Buy one of these, wrap it and put it under the tree: (more…)
First-time home buyers at near 30 year low
According to a recent National Association of Realtors (NAR) report, the share of first–time buyers declined for the third consecutive year and remained at its lowest point in nearly three decades,
The share of first-time buyers declined to 32% from 33% a year ago and remains well below the historical average of 40%.
According to the NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun: : “there are several reasons why there should be more first–time buyers reaching the market, including persistently low mortgage rates, healthy job prospects for those college–educated, and the fact that renting is becoming more unaffordable in many areas.”
Mr. Yun continues: “Unfortunately, there are just as many high hurdles slowing first–time buyers down. Increasing rents and home prices are impeding their ability to save for a down payment, there’s scarce inventory for new and existing–homes in their price range, and it’s still too difficult for some to get a mortgage.”
“First–time buyers reported that debt (all forms) delayed saving for a down payment for a median of three years, and among the 25 percent who said saving was the most difficult task, a majority (58 percent) said student loans delayed saving,” he said. “With a median amount of student loan debt for all buyers at $25,000, it’s likely some younger households with even higher levels of debt can’t save for an adequate down payment or have decided to delay buying until their debt is at more comfortable levels.” (more…)
Who is the Typical Home Buyer and Seller?
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has released its report on the profile of the typical home buyer and seller nationally. The infographics below show the highlights of the report:
Why Boston is better than San Francisco
While Boston.com’s Why Boston is better than San Francisco for software engineers refers to software engineers, it helps to explain the influx of such people into the Boston area: “Boston is a really interesting market. Some markets have a lot of great companies, but not enough talent or vice versus. Boston has a vibrant community of both.”
Earlier this year the job site Glassdoor wrote: “It’s clear Boston is home to a very vibrant job market right now with many thriving industries, spanning education, healthcare, tech, and more. Job seekers should know that Boston is a great city to find a variety of jobs and new opportunities.”
The influx of people is, of course, a major factor in driving up both rents and home prices. (more…)
The Miracle of Christmas in Marblehead
Read The Miracle of Christmas about the 35th annual Old North Festival Chorus concerts this weekend, offered as part of the Marblehead Christmas Walk . The concerts take place at Old North Church, 35 Washington Street. (more…)
Sales and home prices rise in Essex County
In the first 11 months of 2015 sales and prices of both SFHs and Condos in Essex County and Massachusetts have increased at generally similar rates:
The sales increase for condos seems to be the one out of sync between Essex County and the State as a whole so I have looked at the breakdown by County, showing that sales were flat in the two largest Counties:
MLS, Oliver Reports
Overall, these numbers confirm the reports all year of a market that has returned to the normal condition of gently rising prices. (more…)
Lynn, Lynn, city of……. revitalization
Gov. Charlie Baker traveled to Lynn to announce the Lynn Economic Advancement and Development Team, according to this Baker sees Lynn revitalization article in the Marblehead Reporter.
A new working group will facilitate the revitalization of the city of Lynn, using expedited permitting and coordinating development of sites with cross-jurisdictional issues, the Baker administration announced.
Baker said the collaboration would be a “great opportunity” to “do some great things” in Lynn.
Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan said she would like a hotel on the waterfront, cleanup of polluted sites, including a former drycleaner, and better marketing of available land near the water. (more…)
A new look at seasonality in house prices
I have written many times about the seasonality in median selling prices by quarter in Massachusetts. Because sales take place around 2 months after an offer is accepted, sales are a lagging indicator. In this report I look at the median list price of offers that have been accepted each month to gauge more current information about what is selling.
First, let’s look at the median sales price for the year in Marblehead. Note that the highest price has been achieved most frequently in Q3, followed by Q4,Q2 and Q1.
The chart below shows the median list price of houses with accepted offers monthly for the last two years. I think it shows how prices of houses that are selling in Marblehead have increased from last year.
Finally, through today the median price of homes sold in Q4 is $540,700, so it looks certain that 2015 will be another year when the highest median price occurs in Q3. (more…)
Open Houses
There are only a few Open Houses today, but if you are interested in any of them and can go you will likely find less competition than usual. And houses are still selling briskly. (more…)
Recent Comments