real estate

A three-generation family real estate firm
18 Jul

A three-generation family real estate firm

Melissa StaceyLocal News, real estate
The following is an interview with Jean Carlson, co-owner of the Carlson Group, conducted by Discover Marblehead. The Carlson Group is a three-generation family real estate group working together to service Marblehead and the entire North Shore. Learn more at carlsongroupre.com. Jean Carlson owns the Carlson Group, a family-run real estate firm in Marblehead COURTESY PHOTO Jean, tell us about Carlson Group and how it got started. I have been in the real estate brokerage business most of my life, over 50 years. My mother…
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Local brokers: Effect of NAR proposed settlement has been overstated
03 Apr

Local brokers: Effect of NAR proposed settlement has been overstated

Kris Olson0 CommentsBusiness, Local News, real estate
The proposed settlement of litigation against the National Association of Realtors has been portrayed as a sea change and a huge win for homebuyers, but members of the local real estate industry are not so sure. Technically, the proposed settlement eliminates the requirement that listing brokers or sellers make offers of compensation to buyer brokers. If such offers are made, there will no longer be any requirement that they be “blanket, unconditional or unilateral,” according to the language of the settlement. But local real estate…
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Petition opposing MBTA zoning proposal surfaces
28 Mar

Petition opposing MBTA zoning proposal surfaces

Will Dowd0 CommentsBeacon Hill, Local News, Municipal Matters, Politics, real estate, Top Stories, Town Meeting, Uncategorized
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the article "Petition opposing MBTA zoning proposal surfaces," there were two inaccuracies regarding the proposed overlay district in Marblehead. First, the correct maximum building height is 35 feet, even for multi-family buildings. Second, the correct minimum lot area per dwelling unit in the three proposed districts (Broughton Rd, Pleasant Street, and Tioga Way) would range from 2,200 to 2,500 square feet. The Marblehead Current regrets the error. A Marblehead man has initiated an online effort to challenge the town’s proposal related to…
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MUNICIPAL MATTERS: Assessor placed on paid leave; audit of valuation process underway
26 Mar

MUNICIPAL MATTERS: Assessor placed on paid leave; audit of valuation process underway

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories
The Board of Assessors has placed the town’s chief assessor, Karen Bertolino, on paid administrative leave while an independent firm hired by the board audits Marblehead’s property valuation process, Chair John Kelley told the Marblehead Current on Thursday. The move comes amid concerns from residents over the equity of recent property revaluations and significant hikes in their property tax bills. The Mary Alley Municipal Building houses the town assessor’s office, which will be undergoing an independent audit of its property valuation process. CURRENT PHOTO /…
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Property tax bills, abatement requests due Feb. 1 amid assessment controversy
31 Jan

Property tax bills, abatement requests due Feb. 1 amid assessment controversy

Andrew Oliver0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories
The deadline to apply for a property assessment abatement is Thursday, Feb. 1. Realtor, market analyst and referral specialist Andrew Oliver posed several questions to Assessor Karen Bertolino. See her responses below. Q. How is my property assessed each year? All property is valued every year and is based on calendar year market sales in Marblehead. Fiscal year 2024 began July 1, 2023, and is based on what existed January 1, 2023, so the preceding calendar year 2022 primarily is used for the basis of…
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Select Board, Kezer lambasted over tax bills, property reassessments
25 Jan

Select Board, Kezer lambasted over tax bills, property reassessments

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories
Tempers flared near the end of the State of the Town address Wednesday night as residents angrily interrogated the Select Board and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer about recent spikes in property tax assessments they called exorbitant and unjustified.  Marblehead residents hit the Select Board and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer with a barrage of questions about property assesments and tax bills. COURTESY PHOTO / ROBERT PECK The back and forth came after Kezer delivered a presentation spotlighting a slate of fiscal  initiatives and the town’s broader…
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Voters to get their say on local meals, room taxes
17 Jan

Voters to get their say on local meals, room taxes

Will Dowd and Leigh Blander0 CommentsBusiness, Local News, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories, Town Meeting
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer is proposing a meals and room tax in Marblehead and hopes Town Meeting voters will approve it this May. People staying at the Harborlight Inn could be hit with up to a 6% room tax. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Kezer discussed the new taxes at a recent Select Board meeting when he previewed several articles he has prepared for Town Meeting. Town departments have until Jan. 26 to submit articles for the Town Meeting warrant. Several of the plans are…
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Marblehead homeowners stunned by ‘outrageous’ tax hikes
17 Jan

Marblehead homeowners stunned by ‘outrageous’ tax hikes

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories
When Brenda Kelley Kim opened the mail this month, her jaw dropped in disbelief. The town had increased her home's assessed value by 29% from $649,500 to $836,800 – adding nearly $200,000 overnight. Even with accounting the tax rate decreasing from $10 in Fiscal Year 2023 to $8.96 in Fiscal Year 2024, her taxes shot up about 15 percent, the type of spike that Proposition 2 1/2 was designed to eliminate. Photo slugged taxes. CUTLINE: Marblehead resident Brenda Kelley Kim didn’t anticipate her home’s valuation…
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Local couple plans to knock down historic harbor-front home, upsetting residents
09 Nov

Local couple plans to knock down historic harbor-front home, upsetting residents

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal History, Local News, real estate, Top Stories
A Marblehead couple plans to demolish a historic house on the harbor and is asking the town for permission to build a larger one on the same lot. The request has prompted an outcry from some neighbors and residents around town. Holly and Jerome O’Neill purchased 84 Harbor Ave. (not far from the Eastern Yacht Club) in April 2023 for $3.65 million. They currently live on Orchard Street. New owners of 84 Harbor Ave. on the Neck plan to knock down the historic home and…
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BALANCING ACT: MBTA zoning mandate generates hopes and fears
03 Nov

BALANCING ACT: MBTA zoning mandate generates hopes and fears

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories
A public forum on Massachusetts' controversial housing zoning law gave the Marblehead Planning Board a sense of where residents stand on the charged issue. Marblehead residents huddle in small groups during Thursday's MBTA zoning meeting to discuss concerns and ideas regarding compliance with the state mandate. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD Nearly 60 residents engaged in an information session and workshop to share their input on how the town can comply with the impending state mandate requiring denser multifamily housing.  “No decisions have been…
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