Paying high rent and making student loan payments can make saving for a home seem nearly impossible.  For some, it may well be. However, for most it’s a matter of buckling down and setting aside money rather than spend it. The biggest obstacle for most young homebuyers to overcome is the down payment. Here, we give you the run down on what it is, how to prepare for it, and where to find the extra cash.

Good morning and happy Wednesday!

Here’s a summary of recent transactions and personnel news within Greater Boston’s real estate community.

1.    Chevron Partners has acquired the historic Sears Crescent building in Boston’s Government Center neighborhood from Copley Investments for $23.8 million. The 50,300-square-foot brick-and-beam building is fully leased to 14 tenants and is the third acquisition for Chevron Partners in Boston since [...]

Have you ever wondered what towns in the U.S. are currently booming? A new list from realtor.com® unveils the top 10 hot spots. These towns are demonstrating some of strongest growth in jobs, household formation, and housing starts across the country. Every market on the list has experienced between one and five times the average job growth of the top 100 counties in the country.

From Boston’s Financial District to the suburbs, housing prices in Massachusetts have been rising everywhere. Jamaica Plain was known to be an affordable area but the housing market in the neighborhood has experienced a significant increase in prices over the past few decades.

The stunning properties in Beacon Hill have always been the centre of attraction for the housing the housing market in Boston. Recently, a 136 year old townhouse located at 9 Lime St. in Beacon Hill has become available for sale at an asking price of $5,499,000.

Homes with certain traits command higher prices and take less time to sell. We?re not talking about replacing vinyl siding with redwood siding; we?re talking about maintenance and beautifying tasks you?d like to live with anyway.

Among other things, the way your house looks from the street ? attractively landscaped and well maintained ? can add thousands to its value and cut the time it takes to sell. It is not about putting the house on the market, but rather marketing your house. What can you do to increase your selling appeal? Some spit and polish goes a long way, and so does a dose of color. Here are some points to help your home put its best face forward.

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Millennials will soon become the largest group looking to buy and sell their homes, and are set to become the real estate industry?s most influential demographic. To keep your real estate business thriving over the next two decades, you will need to attract both Millennial customers and agents. Here are a few characteristics to keep in mind.

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Westbrook Partners has arrangements to construct a 17 story, 250 suite hotel in Chinatown, and will be filing its proposal to the city officials.

The hotel project would be 181 ft. high at 79 Essex St., a 8,095 sq. ft. corner space at the cross-section of Essex and Oxford boulevards that right now is home to a warehouse and office building.

Beacon Hill is a prominent attraction for tourists visiting Boston. The Greek Revival architecture, Cobblestone Streets, Boston Commons and the Public Garden are all located within a walking distance and nobody wants to miss out on these attractions. But a complete tour of the Beacon Hill area could easily take up a whole day.

To avoid that, here’s a guide of all the major destinations you need to see and this is totally doable in two hours.

Suffolk Construction (the biggest general contracting firm in Massachusetts) is preparing for a $22 million expansion of its headquarters in Roxbury to accommodate its projected growth by 10% in headcount.

A 38,000 sq. ft. expansion is proposed at 79 Allerton St, a location adjacent to the companies current headquarters.

Here are some proposals from 6 developers who are competing to redevelop the Winthrop Sq. area(a humungous garage in the Financial District).

Proposal No. 1: Accordia Partners: Proposed a 725-ft, 57-story tower spreading over 768,600 ft. The tower would incorporate 188 apartment units, a hotel with 280 rooms, a black box theatre with 175 seats, an observatory deck on the 56th floor, a restaurant on the 57th floor with stunning views of Boston, 5,300 sq. ft. of street level dining space and 2,638 sq. ft. of retail space with a underground parking structure. The proposed development would include 34,000 sq. ft. of community and civic space.

This classic home is located in a wonderful Sharon neighborhood. The first floor includes a living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room with another fireplace and an eat-in kitchen connected to a closed porch.