Remote learning was and still is one of the worst debacles of the last two years. Aside from school performance metrics and overall student morale being abysmal, the effects remote learning had on local economies was significant in many areas nationwide. Few metro markets saw the same housing market upheaval as did Boston, where the apartment vacancy rate soared to a record 8% in September 2020.

I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise in a city where it’s estimated that nearly half of all leases are signed for 9/1. Boston’s many area Universities account for roughly 138,000 residents, a large percentage of which seek off campus housing in various neighborhoods around Boston. When campuses mandated remote learning for Fall 2020, the effect it had on the demand for apartments in Boston was seismic.

Not only did vacancies soar to record levels, apartment availability hit an unprecedented 13.4% in March of 2020. That same month, many of Boston’s largest schools announced plans to eliminate remote learning for Fall of 2021. As a result, if you analyze apartment supply data from April 2020 through today, you’ll see one of the fastest market corrections in history. Over 85% of the available inventory was absorbed and we’re now seeing some of the lowest apartment supply on record in many neighborhoods.

Looking back at the last two years of rental market data, it’s safe to say that few metro markets have experienced the same level of upheaval and subsequent recovery as Boston. In our 2021 Boston rental market report, we detailed an unprecedented increase in rental supply numbers that occurred as a result of COVID-19. Roughly one year later, the data suggests our Boston apartment market has not only corrected itself, but it’s possibly even stronger than it was prior to the pandemic.

Boston Apartment Supply Metrics Sink Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

Both of Boston’s key apartment supply metrics, real-time vacancy rate (RTVR) and real-time availability rate (RTAR), have sunk below pre-pandemic levels (-36.36% and -40.00% from January 2020 respectively). Comparing these same metrics to January 2021, when we were nearing the worst of the COVID-induced supply glut, we see that availability of Boston apartments has decreased by -67.20%. The vacancy rate has dropped by a staggering -86.88% in the same time span. What a difference a year makes.

Postpartum thyroiditis is a condition that occurs in about 5% of women after pregnancy. It is when the immune system produces anti-thyroid antibodies which attack the thyroid gland, causing it to become inflamed. The thyroid is critical to your body’s hormone regulation, and for pregnant women already going through hormone changes, it is a common issue they experience.

Luckily for most, it is not a permanent condition and typically wanes a year after delivery. Still, it’s good to know the risk factors and how to treat it if you are affected.

Thyroid dysfunction is an issue that affects many pregnant women.  Hyperthyroidism, while not as common as hypothyroidism, affects .2% of pregnancies.  Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid is overactive, and can lead to increased heart rate, feeling hot, shaky hands, weight loss, trouble sleeping, and anxiety. Hyperthyroidism can also affect your pregnancy, so here’s some advice for moms-to-be.

Hypothyroidism is a common health concern for pregnant women. It affects 2-3% of pregnancies and it is usually caused by an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s disease, which is when the immune system produces antibodies that attack the thyroid. Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid gland, and those who are affected by it typically suffer from a lack of energy, feeling cold, muscle cramps, constipation, and problems focusing.

For expecting mothers, your new baby’s health will always be top of mind. And one of the biggest concerns for moms-to-be is birth defects. Even though the probability of birth defects is low in most cases, the thought of having a baby with a birth defect can keep an expecting mom up at night.

If you do the research, you’ll find that these types of problems with newborns are very rare, and there are certain things you can do to reduce your chances of having a baby with birth defects.

Recent housing market reports suggest that Boston’s apartment availability is even lower than it was prior to the pandemic. The current apartment availability rate of apartments for rent in Boston is 2.49%, which is -45.03% lower than its January 2020 level. This might be great news for landlords in Boston, but it’s a bit unnerving to renters considering that apartment availability was already at historic lows two years ago before COVID came to town.

So it seems after a year of unprecedented apartment supply surplus that Boston’s rental market has returned to its normal stingy and scrappy self. If anything, the rental market has shifted even more in favor of landlords, as the current availability rate suggests that it will be harder to find an apartment this year than it has been in years past. From an onlooker’s perspective, it’s easy to attribute the market’s supply issues and subsequent recovery to remote learning. But that’s not the whole story.

Of all the things that can keep an expectant mother up at night, birth defects are among the most unnerving. No new mother wants to see their baby in any sort of pain or discomfort, and although rare, birth defects are always in the back of a mom-to-be’s mind. The causes of many birth defects are still unknown within the medical community, but based on existing data we can identify factors that increase a person’s risk for having a baby with a birth defect.

Here are some was to reduce the risk of having a baby with a birth defect.

South Boston has been one of the hottest housing markets in Metro Boston over the past decade. Southie consistently maintains some of the highest average rent prices and lowest apartment availability in the city, and it’s also one of the most active real estate markets in terms of total residential real estate transactions.

So if you’re one of the many people who aspire to call South Boston home, you may be wondering which will cost you more, purchasing a home or renting an apartment. In this article, we will break down the monthly difference in the cost of owning a home vs renting an apartment in South Boston based on the most up-to-date average rent prices and median sales prices.

South Boston has been one of the hottest housing markets in Metro Boston over the past decade. Southie consistently maintains some of the highest average rent prices and lowest apartment availability in the city, and it’s also one of the most active real estate markets in terms of total residential real estate transactions.

So if you’re one of the many people who aspire to call South Boston home, you may be wondering which will cost you more, purchasing a home or renting an apartment. In this article, we will break down the monthly difference in the cost of owning a home vs renting an apartment in South Boston based on the most up-to-date average rent prices and median sales prices.