An independent, plain-English guide to Greater Boston housing

Boston Housing, Explained focuses on the practical questions renters and buyers face: what a lease or mortgage really costs, how policy changes affect supply, what to ask about a neighborhood, and what a new market report does and doesn't say.

We plan to publish often, and on days when significant housing data is released, that day's post may focus on it.

How we report

• Facts, estimates and interpretation are labeled. Reported figures, estimates and our own reading of them are kept visibly separate.
• Data has two dates. For numeric posts we show the period the data describes separately from the date we publish.
• Geography is named. A metro area, a city and a neighborhood are different places, and we say which one a number covers.
• Asking is not achieved. We note whether rents or prices are listed (asking) or signed and sold (achieved).
• Primary sources first. Each post links its sources in a compact footer so you can check them.

What we don't do

We don't give personal financial, legal or real estate advice, and we don't publish invented listings, rankings or forecasts presented as fact.