Tuesday, May 22, 2012

FHA Relief

By: Isaiah Baril-Dore

Looser Restrictions

For any condo homeowners trying to sell, buy, or refinance in the last few years, they know the difficulty of trying to get a FHA (Federal Housing Administration) Loan. Due to the housing crash, tight regulations were put on these type of low interest, low down payment loans to prevent default and further issues in condos which drag down the housing market. Most people in the industry thought these restrictions were too tight (see our blog post here about FHA) and prevent perfectly reasonable people from getting a loan.

It appears the FHA might be listening with the announcement yesterday that they will be re-working FHA guidelines to make getting a mortgage a bit easier. See full article about it here from the LA Times:

Good or Bad?

The question has to be asked... is it too soon to remove these regulations? Are people forgetting about the housing crash that we are still trying to get out of? These guidelines were meant to prevent homeowners from making bad investments and going belly up, but with the first sign of a turnaround in the housing market, the FHA is ready to loosen up its guidelines. Obviously there needs to be access to mortgages that are easy to acquire for homeowners, but at what cost? We will keep you posted when the FHA makes their official announcement in the coming weeks.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section or on Twitter or Facebook.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Alley Rally

By: Isaiah Baril-Dore

Boston Shines!

On a bright Saturday morning, friends and neighbors of the Back Bay joined forces to help clean up the nieghborhood in the NABB's  annual Alley Rally event! Coordinating with Mayor Menino’s Citywide Cleanup, this year’s event will took place on Saturday April, 28th.  Premier Property Solutions came out in full force with over 10 volunteers; managers and maintenance alike took up the brooms to keep our city clean. 


Great Showing for 8:00AM Saturday Morning!

PPS making a difference
Event was a part of the City-wide "Boston Shines" initiative
Local colleges came out in force to help clean up

Volunteers of all ages helped out!


The NABB did an unbelieveable job with this event and we are excited to help out again next year. Between the coffee and donuts for breakfast and the pizza and sandwiches for lunch, they certainly kept the volunteers happy (and full!).

If you are interested in more events like this, check out the NABB here or the Boston Shines site here

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Boston Marathon Parking Regulations

By: Isaiah Baril-Dore

 Please see Parking and Traffic Regulations relative to the
Boston Marathon weekend below:
Traffic Advisory for Monday, April 16, 2012
Boston Marathon and Patriot’s Day Activities


Drivers are cautioned that vehicle traffic will be prohibited and parking will be restricted on many streets in the City of Boston on Monday, April 16, 2012 , due to the running of the Boston Marathon as well as other Patriot’s Day activities taking place in the City. The Boston Transportation Department is strongly recommending that the public use the MBTA to travel to and from Boston on this day.

TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS

A number of streets will be closed to vehicular traffic in the days leading up to the Marathon for related purposes. These restrictions are as follows.

Friday, April 13 to Tuesday, April 17
Dartmouth Street , St. James Avenue to Boylston Street

Saturday, April 14 to Tuesday, April 17
Boylston Street , Clarendon Street to Exeter Street (intermittent closings)

Saturday, April 14 to Sunday, April 15
St. James Avenue , Arlington Street to Clarendon Street (intermittent closings)

Sunday, April 15, 8 AM - 9 AM
Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street, Arlington Street, Commonwealth Avenue (inbound side), Berkeley Street, Clarendon Street, Hereford Street will be closed intermittently for the BAA5K Run

Sunday, April 15, 7:30 AM - 11 AM
Boylston Street , Dartmouth Street, Newbury Street and Exeter Street will be closed intermittently for the BAA Invitational Mile

Sunday, April 15, 9:30 AM to 7 PM
Berkeley Street , from Columbus Avenue to Newbury Street



The following streets will be closed to vehicular traffic on Monday, April 16, 2012. Streets around Copley Square will close at 6 AM , streets inside Massachusetts Avenue will close at 9:30 AM and streets outside of Massachusetts Avenue will close at 10 AM .

Beacon Street
From Chestnut Hill Avenue to the Brookline Town Line
From the Brookline Town Line to Commonwealth Avenue
Berkeley Street
From Columbus Avenue to Newbury Street
Boylston Street
From Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street
Commonwealth Avenue
From the Newton Town Line to Chestnut Hill Avenue
From Beacon Street to Gloucester Street
Chestnut Hill Avenue
From Commonwealth Avenue to the Brookline Town Line
Clarendon Street
From Commonwealth Avenue to Stuart Street
Dalton Street
From Belvidere Street to Boylston Street
Dartmouth Street
From Stuart Street to Newbury Street
From Columbus Avenue to Stuart Street (northbound)
Exeter Street
From Commonwealth Avenue to Huntington Avenue
Fairfield Street
From Boylston Street to Newbury Street
Gloucester Street
From Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
Hereford Street
From Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
Kenmore Street
From Newbury Street to Commonwealth Avenue
Kenmore Square
From Beacon Street to Commonwealth Avenue (inbound)
Newbury Street
From Fairfield Street to Massachusetts Avenue
St. James Avenue
From Arlington Street to Dartmouth Street
Stuart Street
From Dartmouth Street to Arlington Street
Trinity Place
From Saint James Avenue to Mass Turnpike On-Ramp
Providence Street
From Arlington Street to Berkeley Street
Public Alley #440
From Exeter Street to Dartmouth Street


PARKING RESTRICTIONS

No Parking will be allowed on the following streets on Monday, April 16, 2012. Drivers should also be aware that parking will be restricted on a number of these streets several days in advance of Marathon Monday to allow preparations to take place. Back Bay drivers are urged to pay close attention to posted signs.

Arlington Street
Both sides, from Commonwealth Avenue to Stuart Street
Beacon Street
Both sides, from Arlington Street to Charles Street
Both sides, from Chestnut Hill Avenue to the Brookline Town Line
Inbound side, from the Brookline Line to Kenmore Square
Belvidere Street
North side Huntington Avenue to Dalton Street
Berkeley Street
Both sides, Columbus Avenue to Newbury Street
Blagden Street
Both sides, Huntington Avenue to Exeter Street
Boylston Street
Both sides, Arlington Street to Exeter Street
Cambridge Street
Both sides, Bowdoin Street to Tremont Street
Charles Street
Public Garden side, Boylston Street to Beacon Street
Chestnut Hill Avenue
Both sides, Commonwealth Avenue to Beacon Street
Clarendon Street
Both sides, Newbury Street to Stuart Street
Commonwealth Avenue
Inbound side, Lake Street to Chestnut Hill Avenue
Inbound side, Kenmore Square to 200 feet beyond Hereford Street
Dalton Street
Both sides, Belvidere Street to Boylston Street
Dartmouth Street
Both sides, Boylston Street to Newbury Street
Exeter Street
East side, Boylston Street to Blagden Street
West side, Alley 441 to Boylston Street
Both sides, Newbury Street to Huntington Avenue
Fairfield Street
Both sides, Commonwealth Avenue to Newbury Street
Huntington Avenue
Odd side, Blagden Street to Exeter Street
Gloucester Street
Both sides, Newbury Street to Boylston Street
Hereford Street
Both sides, Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
Kenmore Square
Inbound, Beacon Street to Commonwealth Avenue
Newbury Street
Both sides, Gloucester Street to Hereford Street
New Chardon Street
North side, Merrimac Street to Cambridge Street
Providence Street
Both sides, Arlington Street to Berkeley Street
St. James Avenue
Both sides, Arlington Street to Dartmouth Street
Stuart Street
Both sides, Dartmouth Street to Arlington Street
Tremont Street
Both sides, Cambridge Street to Stuart Street
Trinity Place
Both sides, St. James Avenue to Stuart Street


In addition, No Parking will be allowed on Sunday, April 15, 2012 , from 12:01 AM through Noon on the following streets.

Newbury Street
Both sides, from Dartmouth Street to Exeter Street
Park Street
Boston Common side, Tremont Street to Beacon Street
Tremont Street
Boston Common side, from Boylston Street to Park Street

In the interest of public safety, the Boston Police Department reserves the right to change these restrictions at any time. 

Monday, March 19, 2012

Summer Already?

By: Isaiah Baril-Dore


Hard to believe that it is still technically "winter" with these temperatures in Boston. Enjoy it folks!


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Bikes in Boston

By: Isaiah Baril-Dore

Ride Around Town

Anyone walking or driving through Boston recently will notice an large increase in the number of cyclists on the streets. Like it or not, the bikes are here to stay and will only be increasing in the coming years. This is mainly due to a drive by Boston (and the country!) to make cities safer and more accessible for bikes. Companies like Hubway, a short-term bike rental company which recently opened in Boston, are leading the charge to replace those rush hour horns with friendly bike bells.

New Routes


See this map?
Courtesy of City Of Boston. Full PDF here

That shows a small number of the current bikes routes in Boston. Expect this map to change drastically in the coming year. Take a look at the proposed trails/paths coming to Boston. Some highlights listed below:

Charles River Bike Path Harbor Extension
Charles River Upstream Extension
Boston Harbor Path
Boston Harbor Walk
Charlestown Waterfront Bikepath
East Boston Greenway
Emerald Necklace Greenway
North Bank Bridge Connector
South Bay Harbor Trail
West Roxbury Linear Park
Winthrop Greenway

Bike Friendly

Want Mayor Menino to recognize your company as a Bike Friendly Business? Check out this website and complete the simple and inexpensive solutions!

http://www.cityofboston.gov/bikes/bikebusiness.asp

Monday, March 5, 2012

A Great Cause!

Miles for Miracles

The challenge was in place: participate in a four hour spin class to benefit sick children at one of the nations finest hospitals... Were we up to it? Premier Property Solutions employees took this to heart and on Sunday, March 4th, we participated in The Miles for Miracles event hosted by Children Hospital Boston at Equinox Gym in Boston. Over the past few months, Premier has been fundraising money for this unbelievable, life-saving organization. Our two teams combined to raise over $6000 for the event, and two of our individual riders, Bill Lynch and Laura Cardoos, were in the top 10 of ALL participants. In total, the event raised an amazing $75,000 for the hospital that will go directly to patients in need.

So proud of everyone that came out and biked the Miles for Miracles!

Pictures:

Thank you Equinox Boston for Hosting
Premier Property Solutions team Fueling up!

1st Person Action

Thanks to Au Bon Pain for providing lunch! Great fuel
Laura and Kristin biking for 50 minutes.
Bill and Stacey warming up

Go Team!

 

Video: (in case you thought this was easy... this was an intense spin class!)

 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Host With The Most

Still looking for a spot to host your annual meeting....?

Look no further! Premier Property Solutions has conference rooms available for client use:

Premier Property Solutions, LLC is Boston's Premier Property Management Firm