From our President

We've been looking forward to seeing the Massachusetts MLS stats for February 2010. Single-family under-agreements are up 16% statewide since last year. Condo under-agreements are up 25-percent! In Cambridge & Somerville, we're seeing a burst of activity that confirms these statistics. Some properties have gotten as ...many as 80 visitors at the Sunday open house. The market for listings in the right location, and in the 1st-time-buyer price range, is particularly hot. This is the time to get in on the action in the Cambridge MA real estate market and the Somerville MA real estate market.

Boston, Somerville, Cambridge & other local communities are putting themselves forward as candidates for Google's plan to install super-high-speed Internet connections across the country. Google's motives aren't clear just yet, but the project could be a great boon to cities around the country. Cooperation with Google ...goes beyond getting faster internet: it gives cities in the program the chance to attract high tech businesses and grow their commercial tax base, which would allow for improved constituent services like schools and, if the numbers are right, allow for a decrease of the residential property tax rate. Low property taxes and good schools make a place very attractive and that means robust appreciation in property values. We like the sound of that a lot. Here's to Cambridge and Somerville both getting picked by Google.

Maps, maps, maps: that's the practical underpinning of location, location, location. The maps we use everyday to tell us where things are, how to plan our route and what's the best place to live help us to accomplish a lot of mundane tasks, but they can also be an avenue for fun and creative expression. Take a look at this New York Times piece featuring some brilliant creative cartography by illustrator Christoph Niemann.

Canadian neighbors: It's time for a cross-border shopping expedition! The Canadian dollar is gaining strength and it looks like a good time to scoop up U.S. real estate. This article discusses the arbitrage possibilities for Canadian investors. University towns like Cambridge, Mass. offer excellent investment opportunities: we'd be happy to tell you about them.