The questions I hear most

From accepted offer to closing usually runs 30 to 60 days. The biggest variables are your mortgage approval and the inspection. I walk you through every date that matters.

Yes. Since August 2024, a written agreement is required before an agent tours homes with you. It sets out what I do for you and how I am paid, the fee is negotiable, and we go through it line by line first.

It is negotiated. A seller may agree to pay some or all of it, or you may pay it, and offers of compensation are no longer posted in the MLS. We agree on my fee in writing before we start, and I ask about seller compensation on every home you like.

Often less than people expect. Some loan programs allow 3 to 3.5 percent down, and MassHousing offers loans and down payment help for first-time buyers who meet its income limits. A lender can tell you exactly what you qualify for, and I can introduce you to local ones.

Yes. Sellers here expect a pre-approval letter with any offer, and it tells you your real budget before you fall for a house.

You schedule a home inspection, usually within the first week or so. Then you sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement, apply for your mortgage in earnest, and move toward closing. I keep the calendar and make sure no deadline slips.

Usually a small deposit with your offer and more when you sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement, often bringing the total to about 5 percent of the price. It is held in escrow and goes toward your purchase at closing.

Plan on roughly 2 to 5 percent of the price on top of your down payment, depending on your loan. Typical items include lender fees, title insurance, attorney fees and prepaid taxes and insurance. I go through the real numbers with you and your lender before you make an offer.

Yes, and on the older homes common here I treat it as essential. Your offer can be contingent on it, which gives you a window to renegotiate or walk away if it finds something serious.

You sign an Offer to Purchase first, which locks in the price and key dates and is binding once both sides sign. The Purchase and Sale Agreement follows, usually a couple of weeks later, with the full terms. We read each one closely.

Closings in Massachusetts are handled by attorneys. The lender’s attorney usually runs the closing, and many buyers and most sellers hire their own attorney to review the Purchase and Sale Agreement. I can recommend local real estate attorneys.

Massachusetts requires every agent to explain, in writing, who they represent. It is not a contract. It makes clear whose side I am on before we talk about any specific home.

If a home has a septic system, the seller generally needs a passing state Title 5 inspection done within 2 years before the sale, or 3 years if the system has been pumped every year. If weather prevents it, the inspection can happen up to 6 months after closing with written notice to the buyer. A failed system has to be repaired or upgraded.

For homes built before 1978, you receive a state lead paint notice and have at least 10 days to get a lead inspection if you want one. If a child under 6 will live in the home, the new owner must delead it or bring it under interim control within 90 days of taking title. The state offers a tax credit of up to $1,500 per unit deleaded.

Before closing, the seller needs a certificate from the local fire department showing the home has approved smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I help sellers book the inspection early so it never holds up the date.

Massachusetts automatically protects $125,000 of equity in your primary home from certain creditors. Filing a declaration of homestead with the registry of deeds raises that to $500,000, for a $35 fee. Many buyers file right after closing; ask your attorney.

Massachusetts does not require sellers to fill out a general disclosure form, but they cannot misrepresent the property when asked, and agents must disclose known material defects. Ask direct questions in writing and rely on your own inspections.

Talk to me before you fix anything. Some updates pay for themselves and many do not. I will walk the house with you and tell you which is which.

From recent sales on your street and the homes most like yours, adjusted for condition and season. Town-wide averages hide too much in an area this varied.

Plan for the commission you agree with your listing agent, the Massachusetts deed excise tax of $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price (about $3,420 on a $750,000 sale), your attorney, and the smoke detector certificate and any Title 5 inspection. I give you an estimated net sheet before you list.

Often not. If you owned the home and lived in it for at least 2 of the last 5 years, federal law lets you exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Check your situation with a tax advisor.

Yes, and it is common. We can line up the two closings, make your purchase contingent on your sale, or negotiate a short stay after closing so you only move once. The right choice depends on the market and your finances.

It depends on price, season and condition. A home that is priced right and shows well usually draws its strongest interest early. I will show you how similar homes nearby did.

Ask for the master deed, bylaws, budget, recent meeting minutes and the reserve balance, and whether any special assessments are planned. Low reserves or a big repair on the horizon can cost more than the monthly fee suggests.

A statement from the condo association, provided at closing in Massachusetts, confirming the seller is paid up on common charges. It protects you from inheriting the seller’s unpaid fees.

The association’s master policy covers the building. You need your own condo (HO-6) policy for your unit’s interior, your belongings and liability, and your lender will want to see both.

It depends on how you want to live. Newburyport has a walkable downtown and the water, Newbury and West Newbury have farmland and open space, Amesbury has mill-town character, Merrimac is quiet, and Salisbury has the beach. I am happy to drive you through them in an afternoon.

Newburyport and Amesbury have their own districts. Newbury and Salisbury are part of Triton Regional, and Merrimac and West Newbury are part of Pentucket Regional. For ratings and test results, see each school’s state profile.

The commuter rail runs from Newburyport Station to North Station in Boston, and I-95 and I-495 are close to every town in the area.

If the home is in a FEMA high-risk flood zone and you have a federally backed mortgage, your lender will require it. That is common on Plum Island, near Salisbury Beach and along the tidal rivers. Get a quote before you make an offer, because premiums vary widely.

It is a barrier island, and parts of the beachfront have lost sand quickly over the past decade, while the road onto the island can flood in storms. Before you offer, look at the flood zone, the elevation certificate, insurance quotes and the home’s storm history. A home set back from the beach carries different risks from an oceanfront one.

Usually, with some planning. Newburyport has a demolition delay ordinance: tearing down a building 75 years or older can trigger a review by the Historical Commission and a delay of up to 18 months. Check with the city before planning a demolition or major exterior changes.

Each town sets its own rate every year, so the same price can carry quite different tax bills from one town to the next. I pull the actual tax bill for every home we look at, and each town’s assessor publishes the current rate.