A recent report by the social media site Stacker appears to confirm what anyone who’s tried to buy a house in Greater Boston over the last year or so already knows: There’s so little stock, and prices are so high, that many folks are looking beyond the Bay State’s borders for their dream house.

With mortgage rates high, and hybrid work and work-from-home an option that’s undeniably on the table, potential buyers are expanding their searches “outside costly urban cores,” Stacker’s analysts noted.

Stacker’s analysts said they “examined data from Realtor.com’s Cross-Market Demand Report to see where people in Boston are looking to buy homes,” adding that the “view share is based on page views of active listings during the first quarter of 2024 on Realtor.com. It does not include international viewers.”

Here, then, are the top 10 most-viewed communities, according to Stacker, with additional analysis from Niche:

10. Lebanon, N.H., 2.6% of views: Lebanon, which is just about two hours from Boston, was ranked the second-best place to live in Grafton County, according to Niche. It scored an A-grade overall on Niche’s report card.

9. Miami, Fla., 2.7% of views: The South Florida art deco mecca finished 34th among the nation’s top retirement destinations, according to Niche. It scored a B-Plus overall on Niche’s report card. But caveat emptor: Housing scored a D-Plus, and it nabbed a C-Minus for crime and safety, according to Niche.

8. Springfield, Mass., 3.3% of views: Springfield finished 205th overall nationwide among the best cities for young professionals, according to Niche. It scored a C-Plus overall on Niche’s report card, nabbing a D-Plus for crime and safety.

7. New Haven, Conn., 3.3% of views: The Elm City was ranked the 57th best place nationwide for young professionals, scoring a B on Niche’s report card. Caveat emptor: The city got a D-Plus for housing and C-Minuses for schools and safety, according to Niche.

6. Manchester, N.H., 4 % of views: Manchester was ranked the 106th best place nationwide for young professionals, according to Niche. It got a B-Minus on Niche’s report card, scoring C’s across most metrics.

5. Barnstable Town, Mass., 4.4% of views: The Cape Cod community was ranked the 16th best place to live in Barnstable County, according to Niche, netting a B-Plus on its report card. Housing scored particularly poorly, grabbing a C-Minus, from Niche.

4. Portland, Maine, 4.7% of views: Portland was ranked the 14th best place to live, overall, in the Pine Tree State, according to Niche, grabbing an A grade for its amenities and services.

3. Worcester, Mass., 6.1% of views: Worcester was ranked the 103rd best city nationwide for young professionals, according to Niche, netting an overall grade of B for its amenities. The city’s nightlife and diversity both got A grades on Niche’s report card.

2. Hartford, Conn., 6.2% of views: Connecticut’s capital city was ranked the 204th best city nationwide for young professionals, according to Niche. It nabbed an overall grade of C-minus in Niche’s report card, scoring particularly poorly for its safety, housing, and public schools.

1. Providence, R.I., 8.3% of views: Rhode Island’s state capital was ranked the 43rd best nationwide for young professionals, according to Niche. The city “offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents rent their homes. In Providence, there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks,” the website noted in its report card.

Like Boston and a number of other cities, Toledo, Ohio, has its tougher and more challenging neighborhoods. Tom Seeman grew up in a family of fourteen in a predominantly black housing project in one of those neighborhoods.

Like so many, Seeman was consigned to a childhood of poverty, dysfunction, and constant turmoil by birth.  The price he paid for being brought into this world was high at times. There were constant challenges and emotional and physical pain both inside his rundown home in the projects as well as waiting for him the minute he crossed the threshold of that home onto the tough and turbulent streets.

But, unlike so many in those neighborhoods and on those streets, Seeman had an inner vision, the intellectual gifts, and the determination to propel himself out of that project, away from the neighborhood, and into a world of success many dream of but few achieve.  A world of earned success which landed him at Yale University; Harvard Law School; McKinsey & Company; and finally corporate boardrooms as a CEO.

But to get to such lofty platforms from the lowest of the lows, one usually needs an epiphany which clears and decompresses the mind just long enough to see an invaluable truth which had always been right before you.  For Seeman, that moment came in the fourth grade.

It was there and then that Seeman made a shocking — but liberating — announcement. When his teacher asked his class to name the greatest thing each of their parents had given them, he stood and said: “The greatest thing my mother has given me is that she’s always there to help me. And the greatest thing my father has given me is an example of what I don’t want to be.”

Simply by vocalizing what had long been locked inside his mind, a tremendous weight had been lifted from Seeman’s shoulders. Replaced by a lightness in mind and spirit that allowed him to focus on escaping the life he was born into.

In a number of ways, Seeman’s escape was the Boston areas gain.

After achieving his goals for success as an adult, Seeman made an inspiring pledge to himself: “Every day, do something kind for a stranger.”  He has fulfilled that pledge and then some.

“Every act of kindness, no matter how small, makes a difference,” said Seeman.  “Some days it’s something small, like letting someone into my lane in traffic, and some days it’s something sizable, like creating a scholarship for underserved kids… Most days, my promise falls somewhere in between.”

One of those “sizable” acts of kindness saw Seeman and his wife Jenny donate one million dollars to the St. Francis de Sales School in Toledo, Ohio for the benefit of economically disadvantaged children.   A school Seeman credits with helping to land him firmly on the path to success, when, as himself an impoverished eighth grader, the school administrator offered him a near full scholarship.

Years after his escape from that tough Toledo neighborhood, Seeman settled in the greater Boston area with his wife Jenny to raise a family.  After doing so, his passion to give back only grew.  Today – among other things — Seeman currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston and on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Years before coming to Massachusetts and while still at Yale, people began asking Seeman the same question: “How did you get out?”  It is a critically important question.

Statistics about such poor, tough and dysfunctional neighborhoods indicate that it is almost a certainty that one would not “get out.” That one would not choose wisely. That one would fall into a pattern of hooking school, substance abuse and crime.

Later in his life as more and more people learned of his “rags to riches” story, many suggested to Seeman that he tell his inspiring story via a book.  While honored and humbled by the encouragement, Seeman was quite hesitant to do so.  First, because to do so would entail ripping off scabs, reliving pain, and quite possibly hurting or embarrassing family members. And second, because the process can be overwhelming.

For those reasons and more, Seeman rejected the idea of a memoir detailing his challenging childhood.  But then those around him offered up the most important reason of all: “What if your story could not only reach someone going through what you endured — or much worse — but change a life for the better?”

That reasoning made great sense to Seeman.  It was yet another way to fulfill the pledge to himself: “Every day, do something kind for a stranger.”  Seeman came to believe that he could tell his story to further help the charities he so deeply cared about.

So Seeman sat down and wrote that story, titled “Animals I Want to See: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Projects and Defying the Odds.”  A book that is deeply moving, will inspire all who read it, and will create untold acts of kindness.

Douglas MacKinnon – originally from Dorchester — is a former White House and Pentagon official and an author.

BOSTON — The Bruins couldn’t keep their season alive as they suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Friday night at TD Garden.

The Panthers took the series, 4-2, and advance for a second straight season to the conference finals, where they will meet the New York Rangers.

Check out full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins looked to do what the Panthers did to them a season ago.

But the Panthers prevented the Bruins for completing a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.

It was the same old issues for the Bruins that hampered them in Game 6. Boston went long stretches without sustained offensive pressure and put too much of a workload on Jeremy Swayman, who was outstanding yet again with 26 saves, to carry them. The Bruins also struggled to clear the puck on numerous occasions, which allowed the Panthers to swing momentum in their direction in the second period by leveling the score.

Boston had several chances to extend their lead, too. David Pastrnak couldn’t finish off a breakaway bid. Charlie McAvoy had a tip go wide of the net. Justin Brazeau had a point-blank shot stopped.

The Bruins will look back on those opportunities as what could have been with their season over.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Gustav Forsling scored the game-winning goal with 1:33 left in the third period. He pounced on a rebound and found a small hole to net the timely tally.

— Pavel Zacha opened the scoring with a pretty finish on a breakaway with 52.8 seconds left in the first period. Jake DeBrusk delivered a terrific pass to set up Zacha, who beat Sergei Bobrovsky on his backhand for his first career playoff goal.

— Anton Lundell netted the equalizer with 7:16 left in the second period as the Panthers center was in the right place at the right time. Lundell collected a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot into the back of the net.