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Why this winter could be a sneaky-good season for Mass. homebuyers
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
It may be chilly outside this week, but at least it's not buckets of snow for us this time.
To the news:
Hope for the housing market: Real estate experts are feeling optimistic about the 2025 market. Why? In 2024, the housing shortage persisted, but there was an increase in the number of homes put up for sale, which experts expect will continue this year. And for buyers, there could be benefits to keeping up the hunt this winter, too.
- The forecast: Sarah Gustafson, president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, told WBUR's Dan Guzman that while winter can be slow in the New England real estate market, she thinks it will be a good time for buyers this year. “ I think that the first quarter of 2025 is perhaps going to be stronger than it has been in previous years,” she said, citing the steady increase in people putting homes on the market this past fall.
- Advice for buyers: Be active this winter because there may not be as many people in the market, meaning prices could soften. “The winter market, in my opinion, has always been a great time to buy or sell," Gustafson said. "Generally everyone that's selling that time of year has a reason to be selling and everyone that’s out looking to buy is looking to buy that time of year as well.”
- What about those mortgage rates? They're still high and likely not come down much. The Federal Reserve said last month that it expects to lower interest rates by only another half percentage point of the course of 2025 – less than previously expected.
One and done: The New England Patriots fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo yesterday after a tough 4-13 season. Team owner Robert Kraft said it was "one of the hardest decisions" he's ever made. "Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped," Kraft said in a statement.
- What's next: Now, the franchise will — again — search for a new coach, less than a year after parting ways with longtime coach Bill Belichick. One possible candidate is Mike Vrabel, a former Pats linebacker who most recently coached the Tennessee Titans to three playoff appearances in six years. (Vrabel interviewed with the New York Jets for their coaching vacancy last week, but there are signs he's interested in a return to New England.)
- FYI: With yesterday's win over the Buffalo Bills' backups, the Patriots also cost themselves the No. 1 draft pick this spring. Now, they're slated to draft fourth overall.
Learning from history: A group of police officers from the city of Boston, State Police and a few local colleges are in a Holocaust Legacy Foundation training today on how to fight hate crimes. Jody Kipnis, the foundation president and CEO, told Dan the training is meant to teach law enforcement about how it acted during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. "We're hoping that if we equip law enforcement with ethical tools, it'll enhance their ethical decision making," Kipnis said.
- The backdrop: Antisemitic hate crimes reached an eight-year high in Massachusetts in 2023, according to new state data. There were 119 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023 — a 70% increase from the year prior. That accounted for a fifth of all reported statewide hate crimes. It also marked the third straight year in which Jews or Jewish organizations were targeted more than the year prior.
Greening up the cranberry: Massachusetts wants to reduce the environmental impact of its official state fruit. WBUR's John Bender reports the state is investing in fixes to make cranberry bogs both more climate resilient.
- How? The state is helping cranberry farmers rebuild bogs, plant different cranberry species and install new irrigation systems to be more efficient with water usage. (Cranberry farming requires a lot of water and more frequent droughts are making that tricky.) State Agriculture Commissioner Ashley Randle told John that "it's not only about improving the efficiencies for the growers, it's about sustaining our environment and being able to grow a crop in a more efficient way with less environmental impacts."
P.S.— A quick reminder that changes to our broadcast schedule start today. Morning Edition is extending to 10 a.m., followed by the BBC, and then On Point at 11 a.m. You can also catch a third hour of Here & Now at 3 p.m.
