It's no secret that the real estate market is heating up. So what can you do to get an edge in today's super competitive market?

With 6.8 million residents, Massachusetts was named the second-safest state by WalletHub. Here's a breakdown of the stats.

It’s finally summer! With the weather being so great, it’s time to start making a list of weekend projects to complete. While you might not be able to tackle some of the hard, long-term projects -- kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, deck additions -- you can do some easy improvements that will make your house more appealing and functional. Here are some common weekend summer projects to consider!

If you're thinking of becoming a homeowner, you've likely spent time budgeting for additional expenses - property taxes, lawn care, a big-screen TV to fill up that extra space...you get the idea. But have you factored in protection for your new home?
While you're crunching numbers, remember to include homeowners insurance. A standard policy will cover exterior and interior damage from incidents like vandalism, fire, wind and lightning. 

It’s not uncommon, as a buyer, to want to rush closing – you're steps away from owning a new home! – but there’s no such thing as a sure thing! Even if the finish line’s in sight, something can unexpectedly derail the sale during the final walk-through.

When you own a home, it seems like there is almost always something you would like to do to make it more comfortable, attractive, or eco-friendly. But, if you plan to sell your home at some point, put your time and effort into one of more of these renovations proven to pay you back because they increase the value of the property:

Preparing a home for the market can seem like a full-time job — without the paycheck. While upgrades can increase your home’s value and speed up its sale, it’s easy to spend more on home improvement than you will recoup when you sell.

Fortunately, it’s not usually necessary to invest in major projects like a full kitchen remodel to make your house attractive to buyers. Let’s take a look at some minor tweaks you can make to your home that will increase its value when it’s time to sell, without breaking the bank

Owning a home is about a lot more than just making the mortgage payments, paying the property taxes and keeping it clean and tidy. A home requires maintenance too. Trying to take it on all at once can feel downright impossible, so consider breaking down your annual upkeep tasks into seasonal projects. By breaking your projects down into smaller pieces, you will give yourself more peace of mind and more time to save for repairs.

Now that the cold, wet dreariness of winter is a distant memory, it’s time to rejoice in the sunny outdoors. But what do you do if you’ve gotten so used to spending your days cooped up inside that you’ve forgotten how to take advantage of your backyard? bring the indoors out! With a few DIY tricks, you can spend your summer indulging (comfortably and with style) in everything the outdoors has to offer.

Are you in the process of buying a home? If so, it can be hard not to get overwhelmed by all the possibilities and choices. You can lose sight of things that are important to you in lieu of shiny countertops or pretty landscaping. Here is a checklist that will help keep you on track.

You are dying to update your home, and you are very excited for the remodeling process to begin. But you aren’t naive. You have heard the horror stories about renovations, and you intend to make yours go smoothly. So you have done your homework, dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s, and you are confident your remodel will go off without a hitch! However, if one of these common mistakes is part of your strategy, you might want to think again.

A new home is one of the biggest purchases people will make in their lifetimes. Regrettably, costly mistakes can be made by anyone involved in the transaction - builders, remodeling contractors, or even the new homeowners themselves. Knowing a few of the common mistakes homeowners make can prevent future confusion and save you lots of time, headaches and most importantly, money.

When it comes to remodeling, the bigger the better is the motto most people go by. According to a recently released National Association of Home Builders survey, additions and whole-house remodels are on the rise. The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard predicts that the amount of money toward remodels will get up to $325 billion by the start of 2017.

Buying real estate is about more than just finding a place to call home. Investing in real estate has become increasingly popular over the last fifty years and has become a common investment vehicle. Although the real estate market has plenty of opportunities for making big gains, buying and owning real estate is a lot more complicated than investing in stocks and bonds. With the following points, you will learn to see real estate as an investment.