Real Estate Bubble Debate

Analyzing March housing data before official release

Calendar of Bubble Events in Boston
Tuesday, April 25
MAR releases March 2006 housing stats

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors will release their “official” housing stats for March 2006 on Tuesday April 25. If there is interest, we can begin our own “unofficial” calculations now using housing data from a number of sources including the MLS and registry of deeds. If you have a question you'd like us to try to answer, please post it to the comments section below, email it to [email protected], or leave a message on our reader line: 617-876-2117. Space is limited for the next bubble hour, so please email us if you would like to participate online or in person. Transcripts from the last two bubble hours are available by request.

Housing price seasonality in Massachusetts

Some pictures are worth a thousand words, others are worth tens of thousands in savings (or more than $100,000 in some communities in Greater Boston.)

Click on the graph above for a closer look at seasonal variation in median sales prices for single family homes across Massachusetts before making "The Big Move" this Spring, or you could be making a "Big Mistake."

Note, this graph helps explain why median sales prices in Massachusetts are down 9.5 percent from their peak last summer.  Inflation-adjusted prices are down even further.  Will median housing prices rebound this summer?  That depends, in part, on offers made by overeager buyers in coming weeks.  Peak sales prices in June reflect offers typically made in April and May.  What's our advice?  Make sure you're making the "Right Move," and don't mistake a marketing push for a market opportunity.  Asking prices will soften after the 4th of July, when it's likely we'll see a record number of listings get the "Big reMove," and savings opportunities increase for the balance of the year.