Homes Under $190,000

PROS Most homes on the market for under $200,000 are described as handyman specials or fixer-uppers. In this tiny cottage, much of the fixing up has already been done. All rooms have a fresh coat of pale yellow paint, and the hardwood floor is refinished. Tucked at the end of a driveway, the cottage is flanked by side yards. CONS It's very small, the only kitchen appliance is a stove, several doorknobs are missing or wobbly, and the place could use an airing out. Contact Patrick Lydon, Lydon Real Estate, Fitchburg, 617-293-3886.

$184,000

Berkshires, housing-starved artists may find aid in pursuit of space

But younger artists in their 30s are finding fewer such bargains. Although real estate is still less expensive than in Boston, prices in the region have been rising at a more rapid pace. Between 2000 and 2006, the average price of a single-family home in Berkshire County increased 85 percent (from $164,000 to $304,000), compared to a 54 percent increase (from $404,000 to $624,000) in Boston during the same time period, according to data Benjamin culled from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

Home sales down 15.4% in November

Home sales in Massachusetts dropped in November at a double-digit rate for the third straight month, yet house prices fell only modestly in neighborhoods that have so far escaped the subprime mortgage crisis.

Sales of single-family houses plunged 15.4 percent last month compared with November of last year, Warren Group, a Boston real estate and publishing firm, reported yesterday. The sales total of 3,538 single-family homes last month was the lowest for November since the recession of 1991. Condo sales plunged 23.2 percent in November.

Revised exit strategy

Knowing when and how to leave are two of life's great, underrated skills.

They have also happened to be two of Dick Syron's professional strengths. He accomplished important goals and then left on top at a series of big jobs, running the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the American Stock Exchange, and Thermo Electron Corp. (now called Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.) in Waltham. That didn't happen by accident.

Mass. Foreclosure Deeds Triple in First 10 Months of Year

The number of foreclosure deeds in Massachusetts so far this year has nearly tripled when compared to the same time period last year, according to the latest figures from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

Meanwhile, more petitions to foreclose were filed in Massachusetts during the first three quarters of 2007 than during all of 2006, The Warren Group said today.

Through October of this year, there were 6,324 foreclosure deeds in Massachusetts, compared to 2,112 at the end of October 2006. There were just 2,634 foreclosure deeds in the state for all of 2006.