Having practiced in the Boston real estate market my entire professional life, I am always getting asked, by both clients and friends, “how’s the market”? Perhaps for more than for any other industry, the general population always seems very interested in real estate. Maybe it is because everyone lives somewhere, and most people’s core expense is that of their home. Some people already own, some are thinking of buying or selling, and the rest are just plain curious. The answer I’d like to give is “how much time do you have?”, as there is no authentic generic answer to this question. But then you may end up stuck talking to me for an extended period of time, which I wish on no one….
So, instead I’ve copped out to “depends” as my go to answer….
That is not only the honest answer, but the most accurate. It is an answer fueled by what the general public, and frankly most industry professionals, just do not grasp. Real estate is micro-local. It’s that simple. The market can vary dramatically from region to region, state to state, city to town, neighborhood to neighborhood, street to street, and even on the same street!