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Forever renters: For many in Greater Boston, the American dream of homeownership ‘no longer exists’ – The Boston Globe

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Forever renters: For many in Greater Boston, the American dream of homeownership ‘no longer exists’ – The Boston Globe


Harnois is an elementary school teacher in Boston Public Schools; together she and her husband make $175,000 a year. And their monthly rental costs are modest, considerably less than the typical household around here.

“If homes here cost $400,000, we’d be homeowners,” said Harnois, who is 32.

Such is reality now for Greater Boston’s next generation, particularly younger and middle class people.

The cost of buying a home has been steadily rising for decades, and recently it has exploded, growing far faster than incomes.

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Houses in a neighborhood in Arlington in 2023.Vincent Alban For The Boston Globe

The typical house in Greater Boston sold for $833,900 in the second quarter of 2025, more than 7.5 times the region’s median household income. Five years ago, a household needed to earn $126,519 a year to afford the median-priced single-family home in this region, according to an analysis by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Today, that figure has more than doubled, to $259,648.

The result is people who 20, 10, or even 5 years ago would have been able to purchase a home — teachers, nurses, and academics — can hardly even conceive of it.

“The door to homeownership in the Boston area has really been shut,” said Daniel McCue, a senior research associate at Harvard’s housing studies center. “There are hundreds of thousands of people here staring at these numbers saying, ‘Who can actually afford this?’ ”

The consequences are being felt by an entire generation, forced to make a choice their parents did not: Stay in Massachusetts, and rent forever, or leave, and put down roots somewhere less expensive.

“We work really hard, and we feel like we’ve done everything right,” said Harnois. “It is difficult to accept that there is no pathway for us to own a home in the neighborhood I’ve spent my whole life in.”

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Since the 1940s, when the 30-year mortgage emerged and made home buying more accessible to many workers, owning a home has been a symbol of success. To achieve the American dream was to work hard, save up, and buy a house, which would serve as both a stable home and a valuable asset that would appreciate with time. For many working class families in Massachusetts, homeownership was the ticket to the middle class.

It was exactly that path that Ben Watts hoped to follow.

Growing up, Watts’s parents did not own their home, a fact he became aware of when he visited friends’ houses as a kid. As he got older, he came to assume that he, someday, would.

“It was ingrained,” said Watts. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?”

Now his goal has collided with economic reality. Watts, who is 33, works three jobs — as a bartender and for a French spirits company — and earns nearly $90,000 a year. His rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Belmont, which he splits with his fiancé, is $2,850.

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Watts has effectively given up on owning a home. He can hardly find any listings on Zillow for less than $700,000, at least not ones that look like they wouldn’t require tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance. At that cost, Watts would be more than doubling his monthly housing payment, and likely paying at least half of his income toward a mortgage. And that’s after a six-figure down payment, cash he simply does not have.

The prevailing feeling, he said, is resentment.

“I’m being priced out because I’m working to try and make the city that I love better with great bars and restaurants,” said Watts, who grew up in Arlington. “It feels like I’m being told that there’s no place for me here anymore.”

Perhaps what is most frustrating to people like Watts: They know it wasn’t always like this.

Homes in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Home prices have been on the rise for decades. But the biggest shift in housing affordability began in the aftermath of the pandemic, as home prices rose even faster, and mortgage rates more than doubled, leaving prospective buyers to pay both sky-high total price tags and huge monthly payments.

In 2010, for example, the median home price was $360,800, but the average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.75 percent, meaning the mortgage payment on that median-priced house was only $1,816 a month, almost the same as it was in 2000. Now, with a median house price of $833,900, and a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage around 6.79 percent in the second quarter of the year, the monthly mortgage payment on that median-priced house is $5,240 a month — before homeowners insurance, property tax, and mortgage insurance, which can tack on $1,500 more each month.

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The shift is pricing a startling number of would-be homeowners out of the market. Roughly 100,000 people who made enough money to afford an entry-level home in 2021 could no longer afford that home in 2025, according to data from Boston Indicators.

“Tell me how many people can afford to buy an almost million dollar single-family home?” said Gail Latimore, executive director of the Codman Square Community Development Corporation. “Tell me how many people can afford to buy an $800,000 house and pay $5,000 a month for the mortgage? We’ve always been an expensive area, but this is unmanageable.”

What happens when so many people are priced out of homeownership all at once?

Right now, a generational wealth divide is emerging, said Albert Saiz, an associate professor of urban economics and real estate at MIT.

While 50 years ago, nearly half of young adults age 25 to 34 in Massachusetts owned a home, today barely one-third do, and a recent analysis by Boston Indicators suggests the true rate is even lower, roughly 24 percent. Those people who were able to buy in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s have seen their investments turn into a launching pad for generational wealth: Those homes, in many cases, are now million-dollar nest eggs that have double or tripled in value, particularly in Boston and its suburbs.

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“Unless we do something about housing stock — building, building, building — this is a dangerous situation for working class folks who used to depend on housing as their main way to accumulate wealth,” said Saiz.

Take Coire Jones, 38, who makes almost $50,000 doing administrative work at a real estate law firm. Jones sets aside roughly $200 a month, mostly by cutting out extraneous spending, and by choosing to rent a small room in an apartment in Somerville for just $750 a month.

This is not how he pictured things going. Jones’s family has been in Massachusetts for generations, and he loves it here. He graduated from college with a history degree in 2009, in the middle of the Great Recession, and struggled to find a job.

He’s now switched career paths and found stable income. But Jones can do the math. He knows that at his current income, he’ll never be able to afford even a tiny home of his own.

“We millennials were told that you could be whatever you wanted to be and if you went to college you’d be in the middle class,” he said. “I don’t mind renting for the rest of my life. But the foundation of the American economy is that everyone buys a house, and that equity allows you to do a lot of different things and achieve financial stability. And that no longer exists for my generation.”

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That doesn’t stop people from trying.

Every year, 200 to 250 people enroll in first-time homebuyer classes at the Chinatown-based Asian Community Development Corporation, one of countless groups that aim to teach would-be buyers the ropes of mortgages, property inspection, and other intricacies of the biggest investment most people will ever make.

In previous years, it was common for 20 to 40 people who took the class to purchase a home, said Angie Liou, the Asian CDC’s executive director. Last year, only six did.

Latimore, of the Codman Square CDC, said a lucky few are able to purchase with the help of down payment and mortgage assistance programs sponsored by the city and other public entities.

Those who aren’t able to buy are left to grapple with what it means that they may never access homeownership.

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Some, like Harnois, are willing to stick it out as renters. She is too connected to the neighborhood where she grew up and today works in to consider leaving.

And then there are people like Lillian Rotondo, an East Cambridge resident who works in biotech sales. She said she can’t quite believe the prices of the homes she sees on the market.

She has a familiar story: She and her husband, a chef who works in the Seaport, make good money — roughly $240,000 a year. But it still doesn’t feel like enough to afford a $600,000 or $700,000 place, especially because Rotondo is pregnant with their first child, which they know will be expensive in its own way.

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Lillian Rotondo, who works in biotech sales, has been searching for a home with her husband, Marc Rotondo, for the last few years. They walked with their dog, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in East Cambridge, near their apartment.
(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)


Rotondo, who is pregnant with her first child, and her husband are likely going to move out of Massachusetts in order to afford buying a home.
(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Rotondo’s parents migrated to the US from El Salvador with $20 to their name, she said. Years later, they were able to save up enough to buy a home on Long Island.

It’s important to Rotondo, who is 40, to do the same. And because they cannot afford it here, Rotondo and her husband are going to move, most likely to Rhode Island, somewhere near Providence.

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“We have worked hard our entire lives,’ she said. ”We should be able to afford a two-bedroom. So we’ll go somewhere we can.”


Andrew Brinker can be reached at andrew.brinker@globe.com. Follow him @andrewnbrinker.





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Kraft Group reaches deal with Foxborough on security funding for World Cup games at Gillette Stadium – The Boston Globe

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Kraft Group reaches deal with Foxborough on security funding for World Cup games at Gillette Stadium – The Boston Globe


The town’s Select Board had refused to grant the entertainment license that soccer’s governing body, FIFA, needs to stage the World Cup in Foxborough.

The statement, bearing the logos of Boston’s World Cup host committee, Kraft Sports & Entertainment, and the town, said they had reached an “understanding collectively” to “finalize the details” necessary for the town to approve an entertainment license.

The agreement said Foxborough “will not incur any cost or financial burden related to the FIFA World Cup, with Boston Soccer 2026 providing advance funding for security-related capital expenditures and the full extent of deployment that public safety officials have determined is needed to execute the event with Kraft Sports + Entertainment’s backing.”

The town had set a March 17 deadline for the local organizing committee, Boston Soccer 26, FIFA, or the Kraft Group that owns the stadium to front the funds or the Select Board would not issue the necessary entertainment license.

The nearly $8 million was supposed to be delivered as part of a federal grant that was included in last year’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Massachusetts was allocated $46 million in funding for security needs, with the money originally scheduled to be released by the Department of Homeland Security in late January.

But the money has yet to be disbursed to any of the 11 US cities that are hosting games. (The full tournament, running from mid-June to mid-July, will play in 16 cities in the US, Canada, and Mexico.)

The dispute underscored what business leaders around Greater Boston said was deeper dysfunction and looming financial troubles within the Boston organizing committee, which is now scrambling to pull off the event in less than three months.

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Boston Soccer 26 — dominated by allies of Patriots owner Robert Kraft — appears well short of the $170 million goal it said it needed to stage a World Cup that could draw 2 million visitors to Greater Boston. Exactly how short remains a mystery.

But the dispute with Foxborough pushed the local committee to make a rare public disclosure last week: that it had only $2 million in the bank, but anticipates depositing another $30 million soon.

That’s a fraction of what was envisioned by the organizers two years ago, spawning concerns about what the World Cup will actually look like at kickoff on June 13.

Meanwhile, in Foxborough over the last several weeks, a series of increasingly contentious meetings highlighted a David and Goliath dynamic between the five members of the town’s Select Board and a host committee working closely with FIFA, the global soccer organization that projects the quadrennial tournament to to generate $11 billion in revenues.

At the last meeting on March 3, two lawyers representing the host committee conveyed a proposal that, in part, guaranteed the Kraft Group would backstop all costs.

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Board members made no effort to hide their disbelief and dismay the host committee lawyers did not arrive with essentially a check for security costs that a town with a population of some 18,000 was not equipped to fund.

“I don’t really think you’re hearing us,” said Select Board chair Bill Yukna.

Select Board member Mark Elfman was more direct.

“I find it hard to believe — I’m sorry — that you don’t know after all the discussions that have gone on over the last couple of months exactly what we want,” he said.

Foxborough Police Chief Michael Grace also dismissed the proposal, calling it a “failed strategy.”

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Over the weekend, the Kraft Group issued a terse response to what it saw as the select board’s intransigence: “We are deeply disappointed that the town has seemingly reached a conclusion unilaterally without the platform of a public hearing, which is already scheduled for March 17, and would like to understand what the town requires at this stage to get to ‘yes.’ ”

Then, by Wednesday, all the parties got to “yes.”

“We look forward to moving forward together positively,” the statement concluded, “in our shared goals of providing the highest level of public safety for this historic event and delivering a global experience for our region, which will infuse the Commonwealth and Foxborough with an influx of new visitors and associated economic impact.”

The parties also singled out Massachusetts state Senator Paul Feeney, US Congressman Jake Auchincloss, Governor Maura Healey, and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll for helping to bring about the security plan.


Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.

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Boston, MA

Shay Maloney’s overtime goal lifts Boston Fleet to road victory

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Shay Maloney’s overtime goal lifts Boston Fleet to road victory


VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Shay Maloney scored 41 seconds into overtime and the Boston Fleet edged the Vancouver Goldeneyes 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Much of the game was a goalie duel, with neither side scoring until the third period.

Haley Winn was first to strike, getting the Fleet on the board early in the final frame with her second goal of the year.

Hannah Miller responded for the Goldeneyes with 3:26 remaining, blasting a one-timer past Boston goalie Aerin Frankel from just inside the blue line. Frankel stopped 25 of the 26 shots she faced, and the Fleet won its sixth straight game.

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Kristen Campbell made 25 saves in the Vancouver net.

The win moved the Fleet back into sole possession of first place in the league standings, two points ahead of the Montreal Victoire.

Vancouver was without goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, who is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury. Kimberly Newell served as Campbell’s backup.



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Boston Police Blotter: Southie pub brawl leads to alleged stabbing

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Boston Police Blotter: Southie pub brawl leads to alleged stabbing


Two people were stabbed following an alleged bar brawl in Southie over the weekend.

According to a police report, officers arrived at Tom English’s around 10:30 p.m., Friday for a report of a fight. When they arrived on the scene, a victim told police that he was sucker punched during a fight and pointed out a person who was the “main aggressor” throughout the incident.

The suspect was pat frisked by police, but the report said they did not find any weapons. “The suspect stated that he was jumped [by the party of the victim,” the report said. “The suspect refused to cooperate any further after repeated attempts by officers to get his version of events.”

Both the suspect and victim declined EMS.

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Then about an hour later, three more victims arrived at a nearby police station to report that two of them had been stabbed in the fight at Tom English. One of the unnamed victims said that the fight started after the suspect kept moving coins he put down to play pool. The suspect, according to one of the other victims, told them to meet him outside.

All parties were kicked out by a bouncer and “a large brawl ensued,” the report said. The victims told police that that suspect brandished a knife and the victims said they “fled the scene on foot fearing for their lives.”

In the report, police noted that they saw wounds on two of the victims. EMS was called to treat them.

BPD did not confirm whether the suspect was arrested.

Fireworks call leads to firearm recovery in Mattapan

Reports of fireworks led Boston Police to recover a firearm Monday night in Mattapan.

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Officers responded to the area around Callender Street at about 10 p.m. for a call of shots fire, but a supervisor alerted them that individuals were shooting off fireworks.

When police got to the scene, they said they saw a group of people standing near a car that had several packages of fireworks. As officers approached, one man started to sprint towards Blue Hill Ave., throwing a jacket off as he ran, according to BPD.

Multiple officers responded to detain the suspect and a pat frisk of the jacket uncovered a ghost gun with 7 rounds in the magazine, police said.

Kahnari White, 24, of Mattapan was charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without an FID card, and possession of a large capacity feeding device.

While the foot pursuit and arrest of White unfolded, police said the group standing with the fireworks began to become “hostile and threatening to an officer who remained with them on scene.”

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One person allegedly continued to threaten an officer and bumped him on the chest as more officers arrived.

“Multiple de-escalation tactics were attempted, but the suspect continued to threaten officers,” Boston police said in a statement.

Eventually, officers were able to detain Sean Galvez, 40, of Quincy. Galvez was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and assault and battery on a police officer.

Both suspects are expected to be arraigned at Dorchester District Court.

Gun recovered after foot chase in Dorchester

A 22-year-old from Dorchester was arrested on gun charges after police said they approached the suspect for drinking in public Monday night.

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Officers saw a group on Draper St. drinking publicly around 8:30 p.m., and when they approached them, one individual started to walk away.

“When officers advised the male that he could not be drinking alcohol in public, he fled on foot,” Boston Police said in a statement. “A foot pursuit ensued, and officers stopped the suspect.”

Police recovered a Smith and Wesson M&P Bodyguard .380 with nine rounds in the magazine during a pat frisk and said that the serial number on the gun was defaced.

Denilson Pires was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and defacing a firearm serial number.

He is expected to be arraigned at Dorchester District Court.

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