A condo questionnaire killed a loan, then two phone calls brought it back in four hours. Plus a live seller call comes in on air.

Boston real estate agent Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone get into the August condo lending shakeup that is quietly wrecking Boston deals, a $25,000 re-trade after a clean inspection, and what clean versus dirty 6D really means at the closing table. Then the bat phone rings mid-episode and you get to hear a seller lead handled start to finish.

In this episode:

• The new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac condo rules: 15 percent reserves and the end of limited review
• A lender denied the loan over an unanswered questionnaire, and how Nick reversed it in four hours
• Self-managed associations with no condo fee, no reserves, and no shot at financing an $800,000 buyer
• A buyer came back for a $25,000 credit five days after giving the all clear
• The 6D certificate, super liens, and why a dirty 6D is not the emergency everyone treats it as
• P&S Section 52 and who eats an assessment levied before closing
• Net versus gross commission, and the closing disclosure nobody reads in time
• Insurance carriers auditing roofs by drone and canceling policies after the fact
• A live on-air seller call from an out-of-state owner selling a Jeffries Point single family
• Overrated or underrated: Labor Day open houses, balcony grills, suspiciously low condo fees, and listing into the fall market

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: Nick has never eaten an Italian sub 13:38 How to actually grill wings, low and slow 28:00 Deal flow: a real Euro August slowdown 30:16 The $25,000 re-trade after a clean inspection 35:33 Two adjacent Chelsea four-families and the tear-down math 41:34 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: 15 percent reserves, no more limited review 46:05 A condo questionnaire denied the loan, then two phone calls fixed it 50:37 Why the agent has to be the mouthpiece or get cut out 55:53 The 6D certificate, super liens, and estoppel 59:39 Clean 6D versus dirty 6D at the closing table 66:25 Commission statements, net versus gross, and the CD nobody reads 71:41 Insurance carriers auditing roofs by drone 73:57 A live seller call, on air, from Kentucky 87:50 Speed to lead and tracked phone numbers 90:50 Overrated or underrated, Labor Day edition 98:22 Condo due diligence before you write the offer 100:38 Listing after Labor Day and the fall market 102:08 Over/under: trucks getting Storrowed on September 1

Seth Williams runs Reference Real Estate out of East Boston, a team of 14 agents on pace for over 200 sales this year. Buying or selling anywhere from Winthrop to the South Shore, start at sellinboston.com. Nick Nardone is a Massachusetts real estate and condo attorney who spends his week closing deals and untangling other people's paperwork.

Bad Deals Only is made for entertainment. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by listening. Talk to your own attorney and lender about your specific deal. Explicit language throughout.

Boston finally got a real August: pending sales down 13%, inventory way up, rates back at 6.7%, and a move-in ready house that could not sell but rented in a day at the same payment.

In this episode:

• The market check: pending sales down 13%, inventory above the last two years, and buyers who suddenly are not in a rush
• Mortgage rates back at 6.7% and why 6.25% is the number that unlocks the fall
• The listing that sat for months, went up for rent, and was instantly flooded with applications at the same $4,000 a month
• Seth's own purchase going sideways: a roof stain everyone called old, until it rained twice
• Why Seth now sends a full seller's disclosure to the buyer before the home inspection
• Home inspection reports that read like the house could fall down tomorrow or stand another hundred years
• A closing blown up by open ISD permits and a tenant estoppel the seller claimed to know nothing about
• Paragraph 10 extensions, rate lock fees, and who is actually on the hook
• The Salem sump pump permit war, and why some agents stopped doing seller's disclosures entirely
• A South Boston fence a broker swore was common area, and what happens when it is not
• One year of the Massachusetts renter-paid broker fee ban, and the open-listing loophole still charging tenants a full month
• Overrated / Underrated: the school district premium, back to school shopping, Plymouth County, and living off campus
• Plus: writing an offer straight out of anesthesia, spatchcock chicken on a hard-lined grill, and things you only see on Revere Beach

Chapters:

00:00 Why listen to two guys who do this much volume 07:26 Surgery, private-pay insurance and the HSA play 14:20 Writing an offer straight out of anesthesia 18:30 Pending sales down 13%, inventory way up 19:39 Rates back at 6.7% and what that does to buyers 20:23 The house that would not sell but rented in a day 22:23 Do buyers have commitment issues now 24:55 Home inspection reports are 40 pages of disclaimers 26:22 Seth's own roof leak, found at the final walkthrough 29:03 Full seller's disclosure before the home inspection 32:48 Overrated / Underrated: the 80 year old Maytag gas dryer 43:35 Things I see on Revere Beach 55:51 Bad deal: open ISD permits and a tenant estoppel 57:05 Paragraph 10 extensions and who pays the rate lock 59:43 The Salem sump pump permit war 64:57 The fence a broker swore was common area 67:02 One year of the Massachusetts renter-paid broker fee ban 72:48 Overrated / Underrated: the school district premium 78:01 Plymouth County 79:37 On campus vs off campus, story time

Hosts: Seth Williams, owner of Reference Real Estate in Boston (sellinboston.com), and Nick Nardone, Massachusetts real estate and condo attorney.

Bad Deals Only is for entertainment purposes only and is not legal, financial, or real estate advice. Talk to your own attorney or agent about your specific situation.

Boston just tipped into a condo buyer's market, and this week Seth put his own house on the market to prove a point.

In Episode 14, Boston real estate agent Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone break down what a buyer's market actually looks like on the ground in Boston, why "it's my house" pulled real buyers out of the woodwork, and the appraisal contingency that is quietly hiding inside every mortgage contingency.

In this episode:

• Why Boston condos have tipped into a full-blown buyer's market, price band by price band
• Selling my own house: closing stress and why Seth broke his rule about representing himself
• How a listing video that said "it's my house" produced three seller appointments and real buyer inquiries
• Buying another off-market four-unit with a private-money rehab loan and a residential refi
• Mortgage rates moving the wrong way, plus a 5.375% seven-year ARM
• Attorney hot seat: who pays for a condo gas leak, the association or the unit owner?
• The appraisal contingency hiding inside your mortgage contingency, and how to write LTV into an offer
• Overrated or underrated: use-and-occupancy agreements, extended-coverage title insurance, and Qualia

Chapters:

00:00 Intro 00:44 Seth's hernia surgery saga 08:40 Seth's ruptured appendix and a 20-year cover-up 10:48 Selling my own house and breaking the self-representation rule 14:00 Why "it's my house" brought buyers out of the woodwork 18:50 Buying another off-market four-unit 21:35 Mortgage rates turn the wrong way 25:50 The Fed, fear-mongering, and reading the market yourself 28:00 $189M for Boston school busing 34:20 Hot take: Boston condos are a buyer's market 41:15 Attorney hot seat: who pays for a condo gas leak? 46:20 The appraisal contingency inside your mortgage contingency 56:44 Put it in the offer: controlling the deal 73:00 Overrated or underrated: use and occupancy, title insurance, Qualia 76:49 Wrap

Hosted by Seth Williams, a Boston real estate agent and owner of Reference Real Estate, and Nick Nardone, a Massachusetts real estate and condo attorney. Work with Seth and the team at sellinboston.com.

Bad Deals Only is for entertainment purposes only and is not legal, financial, or real estate advice. Consult a licensed professional before making any real estate decision.

A truck gets Storrowed live on Storrow Drive, a car goes up in flames on the Zakim, buyers walk away from $50K deposits, and the Massachusetts condo market gets called a hot dumpster fire. No producer, no filter.

Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone go it alone this week (RIP Producer Nick) for a very Boston episode of moving-day carnage, dead deals, and Reddit's worst landlord horror stories, with a real Massachusetts inventory update in the middle of it all.

In this episode:

• A moving truck gets Storrowed in real time, plus a car fully engulfed on the Zakim bridge
• Massachusetts single-family inventory update and why the condo market is a hot dumpster fire
• Friday price drops are putting buyers under agreement fast
• How commission-rule changes broke rental representation, and why rents still aren't dropping
• The watermarked 6(d) certificate that blew up a closing, and the Uber Courier document hack
• Buyers torching $50K to $54K deposits by walking at the closing table
• Reddit bad deals: a phantom in-ground pool, an HOA vs. a court order, and dues spent on board members' lawns
• Overrated or underrated: July 4th weekend, lakes vs. ocean, snakes, and men's skincare
• The 3A multifamily overlay fight and what "paper compliance" really means

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open - RIP Producer Nick (now powered by Claude) 01:27 Scouting the competition with agent sale-to-list data 03:37 Seth's annual Bank of America pilgrimage 05:56 A moving truck gets Storrowed on Storrow Drive 10:54 A car engulfed in flames on the Zakim bridge 15:20 Friday price drops put four buyers under agreement 16:54 Massachusetts single-family inventory update 18:31 Why the condo market is a hot dumpster fire 19:48 The rent-control ballot measure gets denied 20:59 Why rents aren't dropping and the mom-and-pop squeeze 23:32 How commission-rule changes broke rental representation 30:53 The watermarked 6(d) that blew up a closing 33:37 Uber Courier: the document-delivery power move 36:41 Reddit bad deal: tenants "installed" an in-ground pool 39:15 Does an HOA trump a court order? 40:59 Are condo rules and regs actually enforceable? 45:37 Live fire: a buyer submarines his own condo deal 51:00 Walking away from $50K to $54K deposits 57:58 HOA spends 90% of dues on board members' lawns 58:31 Overrated or underrated: July 4th weekend 61:36 Lakes vs. ocean and a 53-foot tide 66:56 Snake stories: Snake Bay, pythons in the walls, Costa Rica 73:48 The 3A multifamily overlay and "paper compliance" 80:22 Thigh tans, no sunscreen, and men's skincare 82:53 July 4th boat-day provisions and the meat market

Hosts: Seth Williams of Reference Real Estate and real estate attorney Nick Nardone.

Buying, selling, or investing around Greater Boston? Reach Seth and the Reference Real Estate team at sellinboston.com.

Bad Deals Only is a comedy podcast for entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this episode is legal, financial, tax, or real estate advice. Consult a licensed professional before making any real estate or financial decision.

The Boston summer real estate market is cooling off, and the deals that are still happening are brutal. In Episode 12 of Bad Deals Only, Seth Williams and Nick Nardone break down why every transaction feels like a fight right now, why everyone (buyers, sellers, agents, and honestly Seth too) is being so difficult this time of year, and what a summer slowdown really means if you are trying to buy or sell in and around Boston.

Seth also gets into the chaos of buying AND selling his own personal home while running deals for everyone else, and the guys close it out with a Father's Day edition of Overrated vs. Underrated (is Cape Cod actually overrated? you decide).

What we get into:

• Why the Boston summer market is slowing and what it means for buyers and sellers
• The hard fought, brutal deals happening right now
• Why everyone feels so difficult this time of year
• Seth buying and selling his own house at the same time
• Overrated vs. Underrated: Cape Cod, Father's Day, and more

Bad Deals Only is the no filter real estate podcast from Reference Real Estate. Real agents, real deals, real chaos, in and around Boston.

Watch the full episode on YouTube, and find more at sellinboston.com.

Two real estate vets, zero filter. Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone break down how deals actually get done — and undone — in today's market. Seller financing, no-cap escalation clauses, escrow holdbacks, and the trust that nearly blew up a closing. Real tactics, real bad deals, and a lot of laughs along the way.

In this episode:

• How a business coach's dare turned into a one-phone-call property sale
• The creative-financing playbook Seth used to buy a Winthrop three-family with almost nothing down — then refinance his way into a $1.25M asset
• Real estate team economics: why chasing splits is a trap, and how to track where your deals actually come from
• "Every deal is a dumpster fire" — the walkthrough issues plaguing closings and the listing-agent moves that prevent them
• Escrow holdbacks: how holding back proceeds gets a stalling seller moving
• The Escalation Clause Masterclass — when a no-cap escalation wins, and the "will you be pissed?" test for finding a buyer's true number
• Pricing strategy: why you sometimes let the market punch an overpriced listing in the face
• The "relay race" of a deal — communication and extension etiquette that keep closings on track
• The bad deal: a trust with no successor trustee, a mystery title issue, and how to enforce a contract instead of walking away
• A lender PSA: why "volcano insurance" is the reason you don't run a condo through Rocket Mortgage
• Full circle — selling a home Seth repped 10 years ago (and hasn't set foot in since 2017)

Chapters:

• 00:00 — A coach dares Seth to grow, so he sells a property on one phone call
• 01:52 — Creative financing 101: buying a Winthrop three-family with seller financing
• 10:00 — Team splits, leads & why "chasing splits" backfires
• 17:00 — Memorial Day weekend, stroller purges & a Beacon Hill condo-conversion run
• 20:56 — The Newport "Nardo Museum" & an underperforming Florida house
• 33:13 — "Every deal is a dumpster fire": walkthroughs & listing-agent must-dos
• 34:00 — Escrow holdbacks that actually motivate sellers
• 35:46 — Escalation Clause Masterclass: the no-cap strategy
• 41:24 — Pricing strategy: let the market do the talking
• 44:10 — The deal "relay race": communication & extensions
• 49:28 — The bad deal: a broken trust, a title issue & enforcing the contract
• 59:56 — Rocket Mortgage vs. a condo: the "volcano insurance" saga
• 64:06 — Full circle: selling a home he repped a decade ago
• 73:40 — Underrated/Overrated: Memorial Day, grad parties & dance recitals

Bad Deals Only is the real estate podcast that tells you what really happens behind the closing table — hosted by Seth Williams of Reference Real Estate with real estate attorney Nick Nardone. If it helped (or just made you laugh), follow the show and send it to an agent who needs to hear it.

Reference Real Estate — Winthrop & Greater Boston | sellinboston.com Follow Bad Deals Only on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

Bad Deals Only is for entertainment and general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Talk to a licensed professional before making real estate decisions.

An AI assistant that drained its own budget, a hole-in-the-floor FHA deal, and a litter of puppies born on a seller's porch the morning of closing. Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone get into the deals that go sideways, the brokers who pass the buck, and why the agent who solves the $300 problem is the one who gets the next call.

In this episode:

• How Seth's AI build went off the rails: team accounts drifting apart, runaway token spend, and an assistant that forgot it ever built the show notes
• Why buyers and sellers now expect AI-grade prep from their agent, and how that is thinning the herd
• The $300 bulkhead standoff: two brokers and two attorneys arguing over weather stripping, and the "be the source" rule that keeps clients calling you back
• A dilapidated two-family, an FHA offer that should never have qualified, and the hold harmless agreement that kept the deal alive
• Appraisal shortfalls: how a rebuttal actually works, and the need-to-know way to brief a client so you solve the problem instead of just stressing them out
• The bad deal: a cashier's check that burned up in a car fire on the highway, plus how you recover a lost bank check
• Puppies at the closing table: a German shepherd litter on the front porch, a missing seller, and a junk-removal holdback that turned into a credit
• The 9,000 square foot move that ran three days late, and the listing-agent habits that prevent it
• Underrated or overrated: ADUs in Winthrop vs Revere, Memorial Day weekend, Mother's Day, and title insurance

Chapters:

• 00:00 : The AI experiment that spent its own money (and forgot the show notes)
• 09:30 : A Monday from hell: sideways deals, a flat tire, and a near-death MacBook
• 12:00 : Why agents who skip AI are starting to fall behind
• 16:00 : The $300 bulkhead fight and the "be the source" rule
• 20:00 : The hole-in-the-floor FHA deal and the hold harmless fix
• 28:00 : Appraisal shortfalls, rebuttals, and need-to-know client updates
• 29:30 : When a small brokerage goes quiet on an escrow refund
• 35:00 : The bad deal: a cashier's check that went up in flames
• 38:00 : Puppies on the porch: a Marshfield closing in chaos
• 41:00 : The 9,000 square foot move that ran three days late
• 44:00 : Listing-agent habits that keep closings on track
• 47:30 : Underrated or overrated: ADUs, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and title insurance

Bad Deals Only is the real estate podcast that tells you what really happens behind the closing table, hosted by Seth Williams of Reference Real Estate in Winthrop and Greater Boston, with real estate attorney Nick Nardone, partner at Touchstone Closing & Escrow. If it helped, or just made you laugh, follow the show and send it to an agent who needs to hear it.

Reference Real Estate, Winthrop & Greater Boston | sellinboston.com Nick Nardone, Touchstone Closing & Escrow | touchstoneclosing.com Follow Bad Deals Only on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.

Bad Deals Only is for entertainment and general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Talk to a licensed professional before making real estate decisions.

Spring offer season is here and it is melting everyone's brains.

Nick and Seth open on the whiplash of happy new-client calls and festering problem calls, then dig into a condo market drowning in inventory, a starter-buyer pool that is frozen in place, and the real math of renting versus owning. Plus a run of genuinely unhinged bad-deal stories.

In this episode:

• Condo inventory exploding while two-beds get passed over for three-beds at the same price
• Rent versus own, run live: a $420k East Boston condo against $2,700 rent
• The buyer pie chart for a $750k Winthrop single family
• Why the entry-level buyer is now closer to 40 than 27, and why so many sit stuck in lease-renewal limbo
• Listing edge: golden-hour photos, fewer clickbait images, and lockbox versus accompanied showings
• Bad deals: the agent who ghosts at closing, the agent who sold the wrong house, and a divorce that triggered a refi rescission
• An ex-wife's attorney dropping a lien on the property at the closing table
• Marry the house and date the rate, plus Nick's Aqua Bounty stock run and a safe full of "$18 million" in nickels

Hosted by Seth Williams (Reference Real Estate) and Nick Nardone (real estate attorney). More at sellinboston.com.

For entertainment only. Nothing here is legal, financial, or real estate advice.