tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:17:00 +0000Buying And SellingBuying A HomeMarket TrendsSelling Your HomeBoston Housing NewsFinanceNewsMortgageNeighborhoodsThe EconomyVideoHome MaintenanceNew ConstructionJust For FunGreen HomesRemodelingHome HealthHome DesignArchitectureEnergy EfficiencyTaxesRealtorsRentalsLegalBuilding CommunityLandlordsSafe NeighborhoodsLanscapingFor SaleInvestmentGardeningInsuranceCondosCapital ImprovementsInvestment PropertyDesignForeclosureLuxuryDownsizingTechnologyStaging Your homeCity LivingCreditAffordable HousingHome SecurityBook ReviewMovingCredit ScoresRetirementAppraisal55 Plus ResidenceMortgage InsuranceMultifamily HomesShort SalesCommutingCoopsHome InspectionRefinanceVacation HomesDisaster ReliefSenior Housinghttp://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)Blogger1299125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-4042741180257442866Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:58:00 +00002013-03-23T08:58:00.474-04:00Buying And SellingSelling Your Home Depending on where you live, a patio might not be the kind of thing you think about during the cold, and maybe snowy, winter months. But a patio is what many people enjoy on a sunny warm afternoon. It just feels good to sit outside and sip some iced tea or lemonade. That's the picture your real estate agent would want to capture when listing your home for sale. Patios are appealing http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/selling-your-home-patio-appeal-may-add.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-8692926550977187327Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:20:00 +00002013-03-23T00:20:54.015-04:00Buying A Home Inventory for Jamaica Plain Homes is at the lowest in many years This is the lowest inventory in over 10 years and is translating to quick sales with multiple offers at over asking price. In short, it has quickly turned into a Sellers Market. Call me to find out what your home is worth. Jamaica Plain Inventory March 22, 2013 $2,495,0005bd/5baBoston, MA45 Parley Ave Gibson Sotheby's http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/inventory-for-jamaica-plain-homes-is-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-729487160001021793Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:58:00 +00002013-03-22T23:43:49.195-04:00Home MaintenanceHome SecurityInsurance Much of what you know about federal flood insurance may be flood insurance myth. Myth #1: Hurricanes, not floods, are the No. 1 natural disaster and cause the biggest economic losses in the United States. Hurricanes grab the headlines, but because floods happen in virtually every part of the country, they cause more losses than any other type of natural disaster. What causeshttp://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/insurance-7-flood-insurance-myths.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-1172746194537992258Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:58:00 +00002013-03-21T08:58:00.257-04:00Buying A HomeBuying And SellingRealtorsSelling Your Home Ask detailed questions about their experience and skills to help you find the right agent for your home sale. 1. How long have you been selling homes? Mastering real estate requires on-the-job experience. The more experience agents have, the more likely they’ll be able to handle any curveballs thrown during your home sale. 2. What designations do you hold? Designations like GRI (Graduate http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/selling-your-home-find-best-agent-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-2959726546818969789Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:16:00 +00002013-03-20T08:16:04.351-04:00Energy EfficiencyNew ConstructionTechnology A new smart home appliance survey recalls a plot in a machines-take-over movie, but the new technology can actually help save the planet as well as energy costs. about security issues, rather than gabby appliances telling them what to do. More than half tech-savvy consumers told CEA they wanted to be remotely alerted to security problems and smoke detectors going off when they weren't at http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/technology-beyond-smart-home-security.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-210288563379692024Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:41:00 +00002013-03-20T08:15:36.256-04:00NeighborhoodsNewsIn a stunning development, federal law enforcement officials said today they had identified the people who stole $500 million worth of masterworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. The officials also said they had tracked the paintings’ movements after they were sold, but they did not know where they are now and were appealing to the public for their help. “The FBI believes withhttp://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/local-news-fbi-says-it-has-identified.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-3866824907445399293Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:28:00 +00002013-03-18T10:28:00.983-04:00Taxes Get an “A” on your Schedule A Form: Dodge these tax deduction pitfalls to save time, money, and an IRS investigation. Trap #1: Line 6 - real estate taxes Your monthly mortgage payment often includes money for a tax escrow, from which the lender pays your local real estate taxes. The money you send the bank may be more than what the bank pays for your taxes, says Julian Block, a tax http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/taxes-6-home-deduction-traps-and-how-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-3803778373604505908Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:23:00 +00002013-03-17T12:07:42.444-04:00RetirementThere seems to be a rule that if retirees move to a communal environment, it must consist only of other retirees. But some are challenging that notion by choosing intergenerational cohousing, living side by side with people of all ages, including singles, childless couples, and families with children. Residents of cohousing make major decisions collectively, but these are not communes. Group http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/retirement-all-retiree-housing-isnt-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-9076003620872632022Sat, 16 Mar 2013 14:06:00 +00002013-03-16T10:06:31.791-04:00MortgageMortgage InsuranceTaxes Deducting PMI premiums can save you hundreds of dollars. Here’s what you need to know to get the deduction. Do You Qualify for the Deduction? Just because you have PMI premiums doesn’t mean you can deduct them. Here’s what qualifies you: You got your loan in 2007 or later. Your mortgage is for your primary residence or a second home that’s not a rental property. Your adjusted gross http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/taxes-how-to-get-your-pmi-deduction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-6725327248810579948Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:36:00 +00002013-03-15T09:36:55.921-04:00Buying A HomeBuying And SellingHome Inspection 1. Decide what you can do yourself TV remodeling shows make home improvement work look like a snap. In the real world, attempting a difficult remodeling job that you don’t know how to do will take longer than you think and can lead to less-than-professional results that won’t increase the value of your fixer-upper house.  Do you really have the skills to do it? Some tasks, like strippinghttp://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/buying-home-how-to-assess-real-cost-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-7627369920823089049Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:09:00 +00002013-03-14T10:09:28.741-04:00Gardening Let’s just agree there’s an app for everything, and gardening is no exception. I tried out a number of apps for the iPhone (though some of these have Android versions) and picked a few that will help your garden grow.1. Food Gardening Guide (free for iPhone, iPad, Android): Mother Earth News has produced this delightful and comprehensive guide on how to grow http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/gardening-5-great-gardening-apps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-801970394764254415Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:58:00 +00002013-03-13T08:58:00.405-04:00Taxes Which tax benefits do home owners miss? Will you get audited if you take the home office deduction? Find out the answers to these questions and more before Tax Day. There are a lot of home ownership tax benefits — if you don’t forget to take them. To make sure you get your due, HouseLogic asked tax expert Abe Schneier, a senior technical manager with the American Institute of http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/taxes-your-top-home-ownership-tax.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-7973049645173393046Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:13:00 +00002013-03-12T06:13:10.118-04:00CreditFinanceMortgageThe Economy The number of mortgage applications for the week ending March 6, 2013  increased 14.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced today. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 15 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 15 percent from the previous week to http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/mortgage-finance-mortgage-applications.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-2238897177352753434Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:58:00 +00002013-03-11T08:58:00.067-04:00Buying A HomeBuying And Selling Insanely low mortgage interest rates—and the knowledge that they’ll eventually go up again—make a lot of people feel like it’s time to buy a house right now. And maybe it is … if you go about it the right way. Buying a home is a major purchase (to put it mildly), and there are plenty of ways to trip up. But don’t worry—we’ve got your primer right here. 1. Don’t … buy a house if http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/buying-home-7-top-home-buying-mistakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-2438536017030603991Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:58:00 +00002013-03-10T08:58:00.661-04:00Buying A HomeBuying And SellingMarket TrendsSelling Your HomeThe Economy Nearly all twelve Federal Reserve districts reported modest to moderate growth in economic activity in the Fed's latest February Beige Book. Residential real estate markets posted the strongest results, with impressive growth throughout nearly all the districts as home prices rose amid falling inventories across the country, the report said. The Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/market-trends-real-estate-markets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-4195662368848410095Sat, 09 Mar 2013 13:58:00 +00002013-03-09T08:58:00.119-05:00Buying A HomeBuying And SellingMarket TrendsSelling Your HomeThe EconomyAfter years of wild swings, the U.S. housing market is slowly returning to normal. The latest forecast from Fiserv (FISV) Case-Shiller predicts home prices will increase by an average of 3.3% annually over the five years ending September, 2017. "2012 was the first year since 1997 that the housing market has resembled something [close to] normal," said David Stiff, Fiserv's chief economist. "http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/market-trends-home-prices-finally.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-2929424121895454180Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:58:00 +00002013-03-08T08:58:00.567-05:00Boston Housing NewsCity LivingDesignMarket TrendsNeighborhoodsNew ConstructionA Boston development team has won the right to build a towering $360 million hotel, residential, and retail complex on state-owned property in the city’s Back Bay, adding to a surge of ambitious building proposals in the area. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation on Monday selected Samuels & Associates and Weiner Ventures to construct a 400-foot-high complex — about 32 stories — http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-development-32-story-complex.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-3633813482155186502Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:48:00 +00002013-03-07T08:48:34.776-05:00ArchitectureBoston Housing NewsBuying A HomeCity LivingCondosNeighborhoodsNew Construction Developer Steve Samuels has won the right to build a towering $360 million hotel, residential and retail complex at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street, adding to rapid redevelopment of the area, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation on Monday formally selected Samuels and his partner, Weiner Ventures, to http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/neighborhood-news-major-complex-planned.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-7063995896867829796Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:25:00 +00002013-03-06T08:25:45.949-05:00Boston Housing NewsBuying A HomeBuying And SellingNeighborhoodsNew ConstructionThe Economy Susan Mai’s Beacon Hill apartment is a postage stamp of a place. The kitchen isn’t much bigger than the bathroom, and entertaining friends is a bit like playing Frisbee in a phone booth. But for all its drawbacks, Mai says she couldn’t be happier. She walks to work at a local publisher, eats out five times a week, and thinks of Boston Common as an ideal front yard. “It hasn’t crossed my http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/boston-housing-boom-boston-humming-as.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-6943787294374708874Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:34:00 +00002013-03-05T12:45:53.575-05:00Buying A HomeBuying And SellingFor SaleRare development opportunity in Brookline. http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/for-sale-new-to-market-in-brookline.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-1990114669039538450Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:58:00 +00002013-03-05T08:58:00.074-05:00Buying And SellingMarket TrendsRealtorsSelling Your Home THE REAL ESTATE market may be in the doldrums, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to sell your home. Sellers just need to be savvy and not fall prey to common mistakes. Here are five missteps home sellers should avoid: 1. Asking Too Much The single biggest mistake folks make is setting their asking price too high. In today's down market homeowners need to price conservatively or they http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/selling-your-home-top-5-mistakes-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-8791955025151255337Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:58:00 +00002013-03-04T08:58:00.462-05:00Boston Housing NewsBuying And SellingMarket TrendsNewsJohn and Melissa Smith are eager to sell their three-bedroom home in Waltham and buy something larger now that they have two children. But the starter home the Smiths purchased seven years ago — near the market’s peak — won’t command a high enough price to make a move feasible. Ashley Krause and her partner, Kerri Scott, are interested in moving from Krause’s family condo in Roslindale to a http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/buying-home-boston-housing-shortage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-6844297704689842809Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:47:00 +00002013-03-03T08:51:35.671-05:00DesignHome Design Emerald may be this year’s color of the year and hot hue, but which colors should you avoid? Color research tells us some colors to avoid. Colors that can be considered, as some researchers note, “eye irritants” and can even cause headaches or mess with your vision. According to color research, the worst offending color: Yellow as a “pure bright lemon.” “More light is http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/decorating-worst-colors-to-use-in-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-9193755685309313959Sat, 02 Mar 2013 13:17:00 +00002013-03-03T08:50:39.948-05:00Buying And SellingMarket TrendsSelling Your Home Many homeowners are waiting until the Spring ‘buying season’ to list their homes for sale. Here are five reasons why that might not make sense this year: 1.) Demand Is High Homes are selling at a pace not seen since 2007. The most recent Existing Home Sales Report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) showed that annual sales in 2012 increased 9.2% http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/selling-your-home-5-reason-you-should.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5313891189747572770.post-255552183476464767Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:58:00 +00002013-03-01T18:05:57.638-05:00CreditCredit ScoresFinanceMortgage Are you ready and eager to buy your first home, but not sure if you'll qualify for those historically low mortgage interest rates that are splashed across every real estate section? Well, you are right to be excited, since rates really are extremely low by historical standards. In fact, the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was just 3.57 percent as of February 5, 2012 - http://talkingabouthome.blogspot.com/2013/03/mortgage-finance-four-easy-ways-to-get.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Roberta Stone)0