Massachusetts RealEstateRama

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren today sent a letter raising concerns that the recent draft of the revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (UUPA) makes it too difficult for consumers to recover billions of dollars in unclaimed property. She called on the drafting committee to make several changes to the UUPA to better protect consumers.

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development is the designated allocating agency for the new federal affordable housing program – the National Housing Trust Fund, or HTF. At the federal level, the HTF will be administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In accordance with HUD directives to the state allocating agencies, DHCD has prepared a draft plan describing its method for distributing the first-year allocation of HTF from HUD.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today revealed a new 32-inch solar-powered E Ink® screen on City Hall Plaza. The sign uses ePaper technology and will provide visitors to City Hall Plaza with information on local events and help residents and visitors locate nearby landmarks. Through a partnership between the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM), E Ink and Global Display Solutions (GDS), the prototype sign is the first of its kind in the nation.

2017 Real Estate and Personal Property Tax bills are being mailed on Thursday, June 30. These are three part bills with stubs for Quarter 1 due August 1st, and Quarter 2 due November 1st , plus a receipt for your records.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR) and its 22,000 members formally oppose several sections of Senate Bill S.2372, An Act to promote energy diversity. As drafted, the bill would be extremely harmful to the Massachusetts housing market and would disproportionately hurt low- and moderate-income homeowners. The Massachusetts Senate is scheduled to vote on S.2372 this Thursday.

A Weston property owner and his son have been sued after allegedly altering and filling large areas of protected wetlands, and keeping farm animals in close proximity to brooks that flow into a public water supply, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today

Mayor Martin J. Walsh joined representatives from Boston's utility companies and other city officials to present local design and development firm Urbanica with a green building award and a $10,000 prize for the company's successful creation of Boston's best performing energy positive homes. The three-bedroom townhomes at the corner of Highland and Marcella Streets in Roxbury produce more energy than they consume in a year, and they are certified as LEED Platinum, the US Green Building Council's highest marker for sustainable design

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the City of Boston's Home Center has been awarded a $158,475 grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Division of Bank. The grant is part of $1.3 million in statewide grants that will fund first-time homeownership counseling programs and foreclosure prevention education centers throughout the Commonwealth

Over 400 Massachusetts Realtor® -members traveled to the State House on Tuesday to participate in the 31st annual “Realtor® Day on Beacon Hill.” The Realtors® discussed key issues that impact consumers, housing and the economy. The 2016 keynote address was provided by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR) reported today that the state saw the highest level of pending home sales in the month of May since 2004, with homes under agreement increasing 18.4 percent over last year. Prices also rose incrementally over last year. The strong market was reflected in a high Realtor® Market Confidence Index

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) praised final Senate passage of his amendments to the Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (SAFE PIPES) Act that would help address lost and unaccounted for natural gas from aging, leaky pipelines. But a third Senator Markey-authored provision to ensure transparency related to oil spills was stripped from the final legislation because of ardent opposition by the American Petroleum Institute (API).

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony today, The Neighborhood Developers (TND) officially opened their newest building, One Beach, in Revere. Joining The Neighborhood Developers at today’s ceremony was Mayor of Revere Brian Arrigo and Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Chrystal Kornegay, as well as numerous funders and business partners who helped to make this development possible, including Bank of America, the TD Charitable Foundation, the Charles H. Farnsworth Trust, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassHousing, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the North Suburban Consortium

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open One Beach, a new affordable housing building in Revere, developed by The Neighborhood Developers. The four-story building includes 39 affordable rental apartments, with a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments.

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito announced the opening of the sixth annual round of MassWorks Infrastructure Program, with online applications available on June 3. The competitive grant program invests in projects in local communities that can leverage private funding and open up areas to further residential, commercial, or industrial development

Residents living at the 64-unit Anderson Park Apartments in Boston will see extensive property renovations and the extension of affordability for at least 20 years as a result of $24.4 million in MassHousing financing