Opinion
Columnists, guest columns, op-eds and editorials published in Banker & Tradesman and its special sections.
Guest Columns and Op-Eds
From high officials to lone operators, read a diverse cross section of perspectives on the issues facing the Massachusetts real estate and banking industries today.
Pitches for op-eds and special section guest columns should be directed to managing editor James Sanna at jsanna@thewarrengroup.com.
CRE Firms Face New Reporting Requirements Under Far-Reaching Federal Law
Real estate investors and developers who use LLCs or LPs to manage ownership of a project should take note. A new anti-money laundering law comes with new rules for telling federal officials who controls these entities.
Your Feedback Is Helping Adapt Boston’s Buildings for a Sustainable Future
The engagement of A Better City and our member companies in this process was instrumental in finding a solutions-oriented approach to a critical piece of combating climate change.
Growth in the Luxury Market Is a Positive Indicator for 2024
Luxury properties offer a barometer for the overall housing market. And rising optimism among luxury buyers could signal an overall thaw. But what do those high-end buyers want?
Move Over, Millennials: Gen Z Is Driving Rental Demand
As slowing multifamily construction underscores a downturn in rental markets, optimists see rental demand holding strong over the long run, and point to favorable demographics as a reason to remain optimistic. But are demographics truly favorable for rental housing?
The Seven Stages from Intention to Impact
In my work with corporate clients, especially in financial services and real estate development, I witness and guide their journey to implement meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion programs and create inclusive cultures in which everyone can feel they belong.
The $1.78B Wake-Up Call and the Path Forward
A clear mandate has emerged from the commission lawsuit verdict: Change how commissions are structured. Many in our field, committed to best practices and integrity, are already adapting. Here’s how you can, too.
With Competition Strong, Saturday Is the New Sunday for Homebuyers
Many buyers aren’t likely to wait for rates to drop before jumping back into the market. This means it’s important to get your clients in to see a property as early as they can.
More Homes Needed for Affordability Impact
In the Cape Cod market, and across Massachusetts, inventory and interest rates are likely to continue to be the biggest challenges encountered by both buyers and sellers.
Program Creates a Blank Slate for Artists
Massachusetts is home to thousands of “brownfields” – buildings and land that are blighted and hampered by chemical contamination – with many in Gateway Cities. This year marks the 24th anniversary of the launch of a highly successful investment program that’s redeveloped hundreds of these sites.
How to Prevent America’s Aging Buildings from Collapsing
Four recent catastrophic building collapses and a near miss are raising concerns about the state of America’s aging buildings and questions about who, if anyone, is checking their safety.
Perseverance Pays Off in Fitchburg for Nonprofit Developer
The new Fitchburg Arts Community demonstrates a potential playbook for successful financing of housing through public subsidies in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities.
Look Beyond Boston for CRE Opportunities
At City Realty, we have seen firsthand that there are still opportunities available in the office market and new tenants in the market to fill those well publicized vacancies. Our successful repositioning project in Quincy Center is just one example.
Editorial Cartoon
Cartoonist Peter Paul Payack lampoons and reflects on the people, trends and ideas in the Massachusetts real estate and banking industries.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Happy (?) New Year
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Sagamore Bridge, 1 Mile
The federal government just gave MassDOT $372 million to rebuild the Sagamore Bridge. But how’s the money going to get there?
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Or Else
Gov. Maura Healey’s got her hands on the big valve that controls state grants to local governments as the first big MBTA Communities zoning deadline nears.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Phil Eng’s Holiday Wish List
Jingle bells, jingle bells, please no catastrophes. Oh what fun it’d be to find enough funding for the T!
Editorials
Editorials are the opinions of this newspaper alone, and do not reflect its reporters or columnists.
Setting the Record Straight on T Funding
For years, a pernicious notion has floated around certain corners of Beacon Hill that the MBTA is a black hole that tries to suck in any and all taxpayer dollars. Now the idea is threatening to rear its head again.
Legislature Has Hands Full with Housing Bill
Gov. Maura Healey’s signature piece of housing legislation got its first hearing on Beacon Hill last week, a marathon affair that suggested that many of the main battle lines are being drawn over policy, not the bill’s fiscal impacts.
Trust Gap Muddies Mayor’s Message
Wu is essentially asking developers to trust her over the next year as she tries to achieve things previously considered pie-in-the-sky dreams. But it’s hard for some parts of the real estate community to do that.
Scott Van Voorhis
Commercial Interests
Columnist Scott Van Voorhis analyzes the commercial real estate market, state politics, housing and more with the perspective of a journalist with 40 years’ experience covering businesses in Massachusetts.
Less Development Made Newton’s Teacher Strike Worse
As Newton’s teacher strike drags on, it’s worth asking: Doesn’t Newton’s historical development skepticism play a role in the city’s current political and financial predicament?
Prison Closures Offer Great Opportunities for More Housing
Gov. Maura Healey has promised to “go big” on housing as he pushes a multibillion-dollar spending plan. But three big pieces of disused or soon-to-be-disused state property show she’s got more work to do in that regard.
Liberal Cambridge Takes a Pass on Rent Control
Is it time to put aside the old schtick about the “People’s Republic” of Cambridge? The city has been an outlier among its inner-core peers in not pursuing rent control last year. The reasons for that are rooted in history.
Is a Boston Housing Tax Break Really Just a ‘Work in Progress’?
Wu’s decision not to move forward at this time disappointed housing developers with projects stalled on the drawing boards, but industry circles aren’t losing hope just yet.
Lew Sichelman
The Housing Scene
Syndicated residential real estate columnist Lew Sichelman has been covering real estate for more than 50 years. He is a regular contributor to numerous shelter magazines and housing and housing-finance industry publications.
Scammed If You Do, Scammed If You Don’t
I’ve decided to put my 50-plus years of writing about the housing business to work by offering my faithful readers a free online seminar on how to get rich in real estate without hardly trying.
Recycle at Home, With Your Home
Scrap tires have been recycled for years into building products like flooring, infill decking and septic system drain fields. But they’re not the only thing. From coal ash to washed-up seaweed, our homes help reduce and reuse.
Uncle Sam Offers a Boost to Fixer-Uppers
The Federal Housing Administration is poised to update the 203(k) program, which allows borrowers to purchase a house and include the cost of repairs or rehabilitation in a single mortgage.
You Rarely Know All Your Agent Does
Good real estate agents go to great lengths to bring a deal to fruition. And much of what they do is behind the scenes, so you’ll never see it. And you think they don’t earn their commissions?