-
Five Questions With: Ron Phipps
January 28, 2020
Lessons From the Leadership Chair This issue’s “Five Questions With” features Ron Phipps, ABR, CRS, ePro, GRI, GREEN. Ron is a Broker licensed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He first became a REALTOR® in 1978 and has significant experience in Association Leadership. The managing broker for Phipps Realty, Ron works… -
Notes From the MAR Legal Hotline
January 28, 2020
Q. I’m selling a “Smart Home” and my seller isn’t sure which devices need to stay with the property. Are smart devices considered fixtures? A. It depends. The analysis for determining whether a smart device is a fixture or personal property is not unique. A fixture is typically defined as an… -
President’s Message: ‘I’m Asking’
January 28, 2020
2020 is destined to be a GREAT year for the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, and we look forward to you being an active part of it! In 2018, we began a quest to create an Association that was member-centric, transparent, and focused on providing outstanding service to our 25,000+ REALTOR®… -
Get to Know Commercial Real Estate in 2020
January 28, 2020
With housing inventory continuing to fall behind the demand, I’ve spoken to many residential REALTORS® who are anxious to learn about the ins and outs of venturing into commercial real estate. Similar to residential real estate, different areas of the Commonwealth have different commercial real estate practices. Both the Boston… -
MAR Secures Short-Term Rental Law Registration Clarification
January 23, 2020
Recently MAR received reports that the Department of Revenue issued guidance stating that rentals for more than 31 days would need to be registered with the Department as short-term rentals. MAR successfully argued before the Department, that the new short-term rental law does not apply to any rental of 32-days… -
Why You Need A Content Calendar in 2020 – And My Favorite One!
January 10, 2020
Do you have ideas for your next social media posts written in your notebook, somewhere on your phone, on the back of a receipt, and your hand? We’ve all been there! Ideas come to you at the most inconvenient times. But if you don’t capture them – you’ll lose them!… -
Airbnb Begets the Massachusetts Short-Term Rental Tax
January 10, 2020
Little more than a decade has passed since two roommates named Brian and Joe in San Francisco came up with the idea of making their apartment a bed and breakfast by renting out an air mattress in their living room. From this humble beginning was born the behemoth Airbnb. Before… -
From the ‘Bridge’ to REALTOR® Leadership
January 10, 2020
If Kurt Thompson had access to the realtor.com app or any number of review sites back in 1997 when he started as a small real estate investor, there’s a good chance he might not be a REALTOR® today. While that might be hard to imagine if you know Kurt personally,… -
How to Write a Shareable Blog Post
January 9, 2020
2020 is here and you’re probably feeling charged up and ready to tackle the new year ahead. Maybe you took the time to create new year resolutions. If you did, and one of your goals is to increase your social media presence, you’ve come to the right place! You all… -
What is my responsibility as a homeowner for snow removal?
December 30, 2019
All Massachusetts property owners have a duty to use “reasonable care” for the protection of visitors and are legally responsible for the removal of snow and ice from their property. This duty extends to Landlords, who are responsible for snow removal at their rental properties. The sanitary code requires property…