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11/02/2026

If you are selling property in Massachusetts for more than one million dollars, there is new paperwork in your future.

Andy explained the change plainly. The Department of Revenue, an executive agency here in Massachusetts, has said this is now the law, and it is part of the current administration's push to generate more revenue for the Commonwealth. It has already taken effect.

The short version:

Sales above one million dollars in gross sale price now require additional forms and additional reporting
Closing attorneys are the ones who have to handle it, which means they are effectively acting as tax collectors
The Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts, known as REBA, had very little input despite being a strong lobby
Closing attorneys got some notice, but the real impact lands within the next couple of months

The takeaway is simple. Ask early which reporting applies to your closing, because the forms are manageable and the timing is not.

11/02/2026

Eighteen years in law, and Arielle's path started somewhere unexpected.

She began in estate planning, working with wills and trusts. That space connects directly to real estate because estate work carries a lot of ancillary real estate transactions. So she moved her practice into residential real estate conveyancing, kept estate planning close, and added business planning on top.

That means she helps people with:

Residential real estate conveyancing
Estate planning
Business planning
Forming LLCs for real estate investors

Her joke about starting in kindergarten got a laugh, but the real story is better. She followed the work, and the work led her to where she is now.

Watch the full conversation for the rest of her take on building a practice around what clients actually need.

10/13/2026

Boston's about to get hit with a major nor'easter. Before it does — walk around your house.Check that your gutters are cleaned out, your downspouts are clear, and the extensions are actually pushing water away from the foundation.You'd be surprised how many gutter systems just come down the side of the house and dump water right beside the foundation. That's how it works its way into your basement.For about $10 you can grab an extension at Home Depot, Lowe's, any hardware store. Five minutes of work. Could potentially save you thousands.Stay dry this weekend. 🌧️📞 617-965-3300 | www.nca1.net
Newton Centre Associates

10/13/2026

Those "We Buy Houses For Cash" ads keep showing up in my feed, so let's do the math they never show you.They're not buying your house to live in it. They're buying it to flip it — which means they have to buy low. And "no fees" almost never means no fees. It means the fees are baked into a lower offer you never see itemized.A commission isn't a cost you're paying. It's someone in your corner negotiating against people who do this for a living.If you've gotten one of those mailers, read it twice. Then call someone who works for you.📞 617-965-3300 | www.nca1.net
Serving Newton & Greater Boston.Hashtags:

09/28/2026

One question I get more than almost any other: what does the closing attorney actually do?

The honest answer is that it's twofold — it depends entirely on who we're representing. The role for a seller is not the role for a buyer.

And there's one rule that should be common knowledge, but isn't: the same attorney cannot represent both the seller and the buyer.

That single constraint shapes the whole transaction. It means every deal needs clear representation on each side, and it means buyers and sellers should know exactly whose interests their attorney is protecting before anything is signed.

If you're heading into a closing, ask the question early: who does my attorney work for in this deal?

— Spurr Team | Keller Williams

09/28/2026

Almost every Massachusetts buyer I speak with uses "offer" and "contract" interchangeably. They are not the same document — and the difference matters.

Here's the framework:

The OFFER TO PURCHASE is the shorter document. It carries the key terms only: price, dates, and the contingencies — inspection, mortgage, home sale.

The PURCHASE & SALE AGREEMENT (P&S) is the detailed one. Typically 8 to 12 pages.

The sequence is what trips people up. Once the P&S is signed, it takes over — it becomes the contract, and the offer is superseded.

Worth noting: this two-step structure is regional. Connecticut and Rhode Island go straight to a single document, with different contingencies built in. Massachusetts uses the two-document system.

Know which stage you're in before you sign.

— Andy Schwartz, Real Estate Attorney
Spurr Team | Keller Williams

09/28/2026

Few things keep landlords up at night more than an infestation — and bedbugs sit right at the top of that list.

They're extremely difficult to eliminate and very costly if not handled properly. And they travel easily: even the cleanest, most responsible tenant can unknowingly bring them home.

Three things landlords get wrong:

1️⃣ Using over-the-counter pesticides. Don't. That is the first rule.
2️⃣ Ignoring the obvious spots — between mattresses, bed frames, floor cracks, and along baseboards. They like it where it's warm.
3️⃣ Trying to recover costs. Unless a tenant is a repeat offender, recovering costs is very difficult — and in my view, placing blame is even harder. Nobody intentionally brings bedbugs home.

The right way to handle it: hire a professional pest control company with real bed bug treatment experience, ask for a 3–6 month guarantee, and expect the unit to be vacant for up to 2 hours until the treatment dries.

— Attorney William Mullen III
Spurr Team | Keller Williams

09/26/2026

Someone impersonated a seller, sold a vacant lot, and the new buyer started cutting down trees and pouring concrete — before the real owner even knew.
This is deed fraud, and it's getting more common. Here's the one thing you can do about it today:
In Massachusetts, registries are organized by county — you can find links to each one through the Secretary of State, or go straight to your county registry (here in Middlesex, that's Middlesex South, headquartered in Cambridge). Sign up to be alerted if a transaction on your property is recorded.
Important: this is after the fact. It won't stop a fake deed from being recorded. But it means you find out immediately — instead of after someone starts building on your land.
Most counties across the country have some version of this notification service. Search your county + "property alerts" and sign up this week.
Own a vacant lot or a second property? Do it today. What county are you in? 👇
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09/26/2026

Rent control sounds like the easy fix for a housing shortage. After 30 years in Metro Boston real estate, I think it makes it worse.
The core problem is supply. Zoning restrictions choke off the 6-, 10-, and 20-unit buildings small developers used to build — they don't have the deep pockets to fight today's rules the way big corporations do, so they've gone away.
We watched this play out: when rent control was repealed in Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge in 1994, big developers came back and supply grew.
The MBTA Communities Act and the new ADU rules are steps in the right direction. That's just my two cents — but what do I know, I'm just a real estate broker who's watched this play out for three decades.
Where do you land on ADUs? Tell me in the comments 👇
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09/26/2026

Condos as an investment property? I usually tell people to stay away — and here's the honest reason.
HOA fees quietly eat into your ROI, you can't pass most of those fees on to a tenant, and you're at the mercy of the condo association (and whoever moves in next door).
But there IS a case where a condo makes sense: you're a busy professional, you travel a lot, you're not handy, or you're brand new to being a landlord. Roofs, leaks, boilers, snow removal, landscaping — all handled. You're not getting a 6 AM call about the snow plow.
So condos aren't always the best wealth-building tool — but they can be the right first step.
Thinking about your first rental? Comment "CONDO" and I'll share what to check before you buy.
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Address

50 Union Street # 200
Newton, MA
02459

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

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+16179653300

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