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Eleven Takeaways From the 2022 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
November 28, 2022
This is an NAR contributing article by Vice President of Demographics and Behavioral Insights, Jessica Lautz. Picking up the 2022 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers can be a daunting task. There are 142 pages of content, and many charts span the 41-year history of the data set. This post helps you wade through some of the more striking changes. Here are a couple of things to note as you… -
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The Economic Development Bill is Back
November 11, 2022
Though the two-year formal legislative session ended in August without finality on several significant housing pieces, the Legislature continued its work during informal sessions to reach a compromise on the much-awaited economic development bill. And we continued our advocacy. Earlier this week, the Legislature passed an updated compromise bill (H.5374) containing several important housing elements MAR supports: Funding – the bill contains just under $450 million in funding for housing… -
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Notes From the Legal Hotline: November 2022
November 2, 2022
Q: If a transaction falls apart and there is a dispute over the release of escrow funds, can the seller place the property back on the market and go under contract with a new buyer? A: Maybe. It is a best practice to fully resolve any outstanding issues with the failed transaction prior to placing the property back on market and proceeding with a subsequent purchaser. Unfortunately, not all situations… -
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November is Designation Awareness Month
November 1, 2022
Designation Awareness Month was established in 1994 to encourage members to start or complete an officially endorsed designation or certification through NAR or one of its Institutes, Societies, and Councils. During this month, NAR has discounts for many of the online courses offered through REALTOR® University School of Professional Development & Continuing Education. Get Involved Each year in November, NAR provides Designation Awareness Month logos to share with your local… -
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Updates to the MassForms™ Library
October 13, 2022
At its September meeting, the MAR Forms Content Advisory Committee made several important updates to the MassForms™ Library: Prospective Tenant Application (#400) The Committee elected to rename this form from “Prospective Tenant Information Form” to “Prospective Tenant Application” so that the name more accurately depicts the nature of the form. The Committee also removed all references to “spouse” as well as asking the specific date of birth and social security… -
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Notes From the Legal Hotline: October 2022
October 3, 2022
Q: Can a brokerage operate as a designated agency on a per-transaction basis? A: No, because of the way agency relationships in real estate transactions work, the type of agency a brokerage practices must be consistent for all transactions. A brokerage may elect to transition from traditional agency to designated agency, or vice versa, as an office policy, but the type of agency practiced at any given time must be… -
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Convention Safety: 5 Things You Must Add to Your Safety Checklist
September 6, 2022
This is an NAR contributing article. Real estate agents have several opportunities to attend conventions throughout the year. We often talk about safety while working, however, protecting yourself while attending conventions, while in hotels and touring new cities, is just as important. Please review the following tips and make them… -
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Notes From the Legal Hotline: September 2022
September 1, 2022
Q: The financing contingency date in the contract has passed and the buyer has not informed us of whether they received a commitment – is the deal dead? A: Not necessarily. The passing of any contingency date without an extension or notification of withdrawal by the buyer simply means that… -
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Housing Production Law Becoming Reality
August 10, 2022
In December, we provided an update on the draft guidelines for the MBTA Communities program created by last session’s economic development bill. The program requires that certain municipalities that benefit most from Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority service have at least one district of a reasonable size where multifamily housing can… -
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End of Session Legal Update
August 8, 2022
And just like that, with the stroke of midnight on July 31st another successful two-year legislative session came to a peaceful close … or something like that. So, what really happened is: time stopped (officially) and the Legislature continued long into the night and following day. They reached landmark compromises…
