Richard Vetstein
Massachusetts Real Estate Law Blog
- Why Massachusetts Landlord-Tenant Legal Reform Is Needed Now May 10, 2012I just settled a very troubling landlord-tenant case which demonstrates everything which is wrong and unfair with Massachusetts landlord-tenant and eviction law from the landlord perspective. This horror story is played out every Thursday in the summary process sessions of District and Housing Courts across the state. The laws which favor tenants so dramatic […]
- REBA Sues To Stop Illegal “Witness-Only” Residential Closings May 2, 2012Bar Assn. Lawsuit Targets Kentucky Based Settlement Service Company Employing Local Contract Attorneys As first reported today by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the bar association for Massachusetts real estate attorneys (REBA) has filed a lawsuit against National Loan Closers, Inc., a Kentucky closing services company, and a Holyoke attorney for allegedly co […]
- Court Considers Protections Of New Massachusetts Homestead Protection Act, And Questions Still Remain May 1, 2012First Reported Case Considering Scope Of New Massachusetts Homestead Law Advice To Homeowners: Get Your Homestead Declaration Recorded ASAP One of the benefits of the new Homestead Protection Act signed into law last year is that homeowners can use homestead protections against many more creditors. Under the old homestead law, debts which arose prior to [... […]
- Massachusetts High Court To Weigh In On Important Realtor MLS Disclosure Case April 26, 2012Realtor Held Liable For Erroneous MLS Information The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has agreed to hear the case of DeWolfe v. Hingham Centre Ltd. which will consider two very important issues for the real estate community, especially agents. The first issue is the scope of a real estate agent’s duty to disclose and independently verify […]
- Back-Up Offers & Bidding Wars: Should Agents Or Sellers Be Concerned With Legal Liability? April 26, 2012Are There Liability Concerns For Accepting Back Up Offers? My colleague Rona Fischman at the Boston.com Real Estate Now Blog had an intriguing question on the legalities surrounding accepting back-up offers. This question is especially timely with the rise of bidding wars in the Greater Boston real estate market. Rona asks: I have been told […]
- Move It Or Lose It! Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Tell Banks To Speed Up Short Sale Decisions April 18, 2012Lenders Given 30 Days For Short Sale Decisions Well, someone in government has been listening to the chorus of complaints about lenders taking too long to make short sale decisions. In a *rare* move of federal government housing competence, the Federal Housing Finance Agency has instructed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to impose new guidelines […]
- Massachusetts Appeals Court Drops The Eviction Hammer On Post-Foreclosure Squatters April 10, 2012Common Eviction Defenses Ruled Unavailable To Squatters Who Lived Rent/Mortgage Free For 3 Years In a April 10, 2012 ruling, the Massachusetts Appeals Court just made it easier for foreclosing banks to evict squatters of foreclosed properties. This is one of the few pro-bank Massachusetts decisions coming out of the foreclosure crisis, and should help […]
Boston.com
- Getting around in Boston and near Boston May 18, 2012Things are changing fast for residents near the city of Boston. It seems like parking has gotten harder and parking tickets are getting more numerous. More and more of my clients are going car-free or reducing to a single car... […]
- Coaxing sellers off the fence May 18, 2012How things have changed. Real estate brokers who spent years trying to drum up scarce buyers are now having to sweet talk reluctant sellers into listing their homes. The buyers are definitely out there again this spring, both here in... […]
- Time for meaningful legal reform May 17, 2012Attorney Richard D. Vetstein brings you the second part of his discussion. Are you ready to take action to support these pending bills? The vast majority of the laws protecting tenants were passed in the 1970’s when rental housing was... […]
- Sure beats condo living May 17, 2012That's how Jonathan in Millbury feels about his decision to buy in Central Massachusetts. After all, he works as a project management consultant in Kendall Square and could have easily settled for a condo in the Boston area. But instead,... […]
- The time has come for landlord-tenant legal reform May 16, 2012Today Attorney Richard D. Vetstein begins a two-part discussion of the state of law regulating residential rental properties and what he thinks of them. For landlords, navigating Massachusetts landlord-tenant law is like walking barefoot through a IED-filled field in Afghanistan.... […]
- Deluded buyers to blame? May 16, 2012That's the latest theory on what caused the housing bubble - and it makes a certain sense. A new Boston Fed paper takes aim at the profusion of studies and documentaries that try to pin the blame for the housing... […]
- Typical home buying timeline in the Boston area May 15, 2012Bill Kuhlman, CRS, who is the broker/owner of Kuhlman Residential gets down to basics. How long does it take to buy a house in the Boston area? I’m often asked how long the process of buying a home takes. The... […]
- Bargain towns below $100,000 May 15, 2012There are actually a few towns in Massachusetts where you can now buy a home for less than six figures. In a state where the median price remains a lofty $267,500, this handful of communities stands out. The question is... […]
- Buyers parading through your apartment May 14, 2012It’s that time of year, renters. I am hearing from my clients that their landlords are pressuring them into signing up for another year’s lease. I am also hearing from people who are suddenly thinking of buying because their landlord... […]
- Bargain towns under $200,000 May 14, 2012Yes, even in high-priced Massachusetts, you can buy a house now for under $200,000. In many parts of the country where housing has long been more affordable, this would hardly be worth the notice. After all, the median price nationally... […]
