Browsing: Housing

Housing starts fell in July as economic uncertainty, rising construction costs, labor shortages and elevated financing expenses continued to challenge builders.

Pending home sales and housing starts are down. Meanwhile, mortgage rates hover above 6.5%.

ByDale Yurong Tuesday, August 18, 2026 1:58AM With mortgage interest rates still around 6.6%, the housing market remains sluggish.

Once again, a small transfer fee on high-value real estate transactions intended to fund affordable housing has failed to pass the Massachusetts legislature. Every year, Nantucket’s housing advocates and elected representatives have pushed for the fee. Yet every year, it fails.

In a 2026 survey by the National Association of Realtors of 2,000 people in the 50 largest American metro areas, 89% said sidewalks and places to walk were important when deciding where to live, and 82% said the same for close access to shops and parks. About two thirds of all respondents were even willing…