• Best Towns on the North Shore MA for Families, Commuters and Downsizers

    Best Towns on the North Shore MA for Families, Commuters and Downsizers,William Phipps

      The Best Towns on the North Shore for Families, Commuters and Downsizers There is no single answer to the question of where to live on the North Shore. Which is either unhelpful or liberating, depending on your perspective. What there is, however, is data. And thirty years of learning how people a

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  • Why Spring is the Best Time to Sell in Essex County - And Why Most Sellers Miss the Window

    Why Spring is the Best Time to Sell in Essex County - And Why Most Sellers Miss the Window,William Phipps

    Why Spring is the Best Time to Sell in Essex County - And Why Most Sellers Miss the Window Every year, the same conversation happens on the North Shore. A homeowner decides they want to sell. They think about spring. They wait for spring. They list in May, sometimes June, occasionally July, by which

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  • The Truth About Zillow Estimates on the North Shore

    The Truth About Zillow Estimates on the North Shore,William Phipps

    The Truth About Zillow Estimates on the North Shore In 1897, Mark Twain wrote to a newspaper that had prematurely reported his death. "The reports of my death," he said, "are greatly exaggerated." He would have made an excellent real estate analyst. Zillow's Zestimate is not wrong in the way that a

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  • Living in Newburyport MA - What Nobody Tells You Before You Move Here

    Living in Newburyport MA - What Nobody Tells You Before You Move Here,William Phipps

    Living in Newburyport MA - What Nobody Tells You Before You Move Here There is a particular kind of person who moves to Newburyport. They have usually done their research. They know about the Federal architecture, the waterfront, the restaurants on Inn Street. They have probably driven through on a

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  • Newburyport Preservation vs Development: Why Historic Homes Matter More Than Ever

    Newburyport Preservation vs Development: Why Historic Homes Matter More Than Ever,William Phipps

    Published in The Townie, April 14, 2026 Some conversations matter more than others. This one does. This week I wrote a piece for The Townie - Newburyport's independent opinion publication - on one of the most important planning debates currently facing the city. Whether to extend the demolition dela

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  • The K and the Key

    The K and the Key,William Phipps

    There's a term making its way through economic circles right now. The K-shaped market. It describes what I'm seeing on the North Shore better than almost anything else. Picture the letter K. Two lines diverging from the same point. One trending upward. One drifting down. That's exactly what's happen

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  • April Realty Bites

    April Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96             Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.   If you have glanced at real estate headlines recently, you would be forgiven for thinking the entire market revolves around

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  • March Realty Bites

    March Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96                 Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.     Snow may still lie heavy on the ground across Massachusetts, but the shift is unmistakable. The light lasts longer. T

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  • February Realty Bites

    February Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96                 Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.     It may still feel like winter outside, with January temperatures in Massachusetts noticeably cooler than last year, b

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  • January Realty Bites

    January Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96                 Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.     January is not a pause button. It is a positioning month. And, as a top producer for Engel & Völkers By The Sea in De

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  • December Realty Bites

    December Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96                 Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.     December is the month when the market takes a breath. Not a pause exactly, more of a quiet inhale before January’s an

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  • November Realty Bites

    November Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96           Realty Bites   Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.   As the year draws to a close and the holidays pull families and friends together, I wanted to take a moment to

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  • October Realty Bites

    October Realty Bites,William Phipps

                96                 Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.     This October, even the data is feeling the chill. With the federal shutdown halting the release of official jobs

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  • September Realty Bites

    September Realty Bites,William Phipps

            96             Realty Bites   Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.   September brings its own turning point in the North Shore and Seacoast market. In Newburyport, Ipswich, and

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