MOAM: Question 7, Starter Homes vs. Local Control. What It Could Mean for the North Shore

MOAM: Question 7, Starter Homes vs. Local Control. What It Could Mean for the North Shore

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 3, Massachusetts voters decide ten ballot questions. As a Marblehead REALTOR®, the one I get asked about most is Question 7, "Single Family Homes."

What a yes vote does

A yes vote would allow a single-family home in any residentially zoned area on a lot of at least 5,000 square feet with at least 50 feet of frontage and access to public water and sewer. Today, each city and town sets its own minimum lot size. Under Question 7, a lot that meets those three tests could get a single-family home by right, even where local zoning now requires a bigger lot.

Towns would still be able to regulate height, distance from neighboring buildings, open space, parking and short-term rentals, and the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities could issue regulations. Boston, which has its own zoning statute, is exempt. A no vote changes nothing.

The case for

Wesley Lima of Legalize Starter Homes signed the argument in favor. Supporters see it as one way to add housing supply in a state struggling with high prices and limited inventory. Smaller lots mean smaller, less expensive homes. Those are the "starter homes" young families tell me they can't find, and the right-sized homes downsizers want so they can stay in town.

The case against

Adam Chapdelaine of the Massachusetts Municipal Association signed the argument against. Opponents say zoning should stay mainly under local control, and that one statewide standard can't account for the differences between communities.

Here in Marblehead, Select Board Chair Dan Fox opposes it. He told the Marblehead Current that in a built-out town "where small lots, narrow streets, infrastructure limitations, parking and neighborhood character all matter," eliminating local zoning requirements "could have significant unintended consequences." Planning Board Chair Marc Liebman also opposes it, saying it could "majorly reshape our neighborhoods, density and population."

Don't confuse it with MBTA Communities

Marblehead just finished a separate zoning fight. On Oct. 26 the state found the town in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act, accepting a 40.8-acre multifamily district built mostly on Tedesco Country Club land, with estimated capacity for 900 units. That law covers multifamily housing. Question 7 covers single-family lots. They are two different things.

What it could mean for prices and inventory

Honestly, nobody knows yet. The state's own fiscal statement says new housing "could provide positive new growth revenues" but the scale is "difficult to project." The Marblehead Independent noted that the available figures don't show how many Marblehead lots it would affect. In older North Shore towns, many lots are already smaller than 5,000 square feet, so the bigger change may come in towns with large-lot zoning. Over time, more buildable lots could mean more inventory and some relief on prices for entry-level buyers. It could also mean more teardowns and tighter streets. That's the trade-off on the ballot.

Whatever you decide, please vote tomorrow. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

So what do you think? Should the state set a floor for starter homes, or should each town keep the final say on its own lots?

Questions about what Question 7 could mean for your property? Call or text me at 781-727-6516, or visit nanepashemet.com.

John Nestor, REALTOR®, Marblehead

#MOAM #Question7 #Marblehead #NorthShore #mapoli

Sources

• Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth: 2026 Ballot Question 7
• Marblehead Current: Nine questions, one ballot (Oct. 14, 2026)
• Marblehead Independent: Marblehead voters to fill open congressional seat, weigh 10 ballot questions

The Snow House: 58 Front Street and the Harbor It Grew Up Beside

 

Walk down Front Street toward Fort Sewall and you're walking through some of the oldest housing stock in New England. One house I want to start this series with is No. 58, listed in the state's historic inventory as the Snow House.

What the record says

The Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS), the state's inventory of historic places, carries 58 Front St. as inventory number MAR.361, the "Snow House," with a date of 1747. I haven't yet seen the full inventory form, so I can't tell you who the Snows were, whether the 1747 date is documented or estimated, or who built the house. I'd rather tell you that plainly than guess.

What I can tell you is the company it keeps. On the same stretch of Front Street, the inventory lists the Laskey House at No. 50 (1725), No. 54 (1720), the William Bowler House across the way at No. 57 (1745), and the Ruth Morse House at No. 47 (1750). Further down are the Bartoll houses at Nos. 31, 33 and 39, from about 1740–1760. No. 58 is one of a row of mid-1700s houses that have stood beside the harbor for more than 275 years.

The street around it (context, not the house's own story)

To understand a house like this, you have to understand the water out front.

Marblehead was built on cod. After a visit in 1660, the King's agent reported back to England that Marblehead was "the Greatest Towne for Fishing in New England." Fishermen from Cornwall and the Channel Islands settled here. By 1837 the town's fleet numbered 98 vessels, 95 of them over fifty tons. Then came September 19, 1846. A hurricane-force gale caught the fleet on the Grand Banks, at least eleven vessels never came home, and sixty-five men and boys were lost. The town marks that storm as the start of the fishery's decline.

Front Street ends at Fort Sewall. The fort began as an earthwork on Gale's Head in 1644 to protect the fishing fleet from pirates, the French and the Dutch. It was manned in the French and Indian War and the Revolution. On April 3, 1814, the USS Constitution, chased by two British frigates, ran into Marblehead Harbor under the fort's guns and got away. Whoever lived at No. 58 that spring was a short walk from the action.

The neighborhood also sent men to war by sea. John Glover's Marblehead regiment, commissioned in 1775, crewed the schooner Hannah, which the town calls America's first naval vessel, and on Christmas night 1776 rowed Washington across the Delaware.

Today the house sits inside the Marblehead Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1984. The district runs roughly from the harbor to Waldron Court and Essex, Elm, Pond and Norman Streets.

Why I care about houses like this

Nanepashemet Real Estate is the proud rental agent and property manager of 58 Front St., so this one is personal. I'm a broker, but I'm also a builder, and a house that has stood since the 1740s earns my respect. Houses this old have carried generations of families through storms, wars and good years on the water. They also come with their own quirks: framing, chimneys, wiring and drainage that a careful owner learns to watch. If anyone has deeds, family papers or old photos of 58 Front St. and the Snows, I'd love to hear from you, and I'll update this story.

Own an old Marblehead house and wondering what it would take to sell it someday? My seller checklist is a good place to start. Or call or text me at 781-727-6516.

Photo: Front Street, Marblehead, on a 1914 postcard (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). The photo shows the street, not necessarily No. 58.

30-Year Rate Holds at 7.40% + Marblehead & Lynnfield Numbers | North Shore Real Estate Weekly

This is catching the MOAM's attention today….. the 30-year mortgage rate held at 7.40% for a second week, still the highest Freddie Mac weekly average since mid-November 2023. Here's this week's short video with the real numbers for Marblehead and Lynnfield, plus one practical tip from a guy who sells houses and builds things. No hype, no made-up stats. If I can't source a number, you won't see it.

This week's numbers

Mortgage rates (Freddie Mac PMMS®, U.S. weekly averages as of Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026)

• 30-year fixed: 7.40%, unchanged from last week. A year ago it was 6.27%.
• 15-year fixed: 6.71%, down from 6.73%. A year ago it was 5.52%.

That's the highest 30-year PMMS reading since November 16, 2023 (when it was 7.44%), per Freddie Mac's historical data — and now two weeks in a row at 7.40%.

Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey · PMMS history CSV

A quick reality check: on a $600,000 30-year loan, principal and interest runs about $3,702 a month at 6.27% and about $4,154 at 7.40%. That's roughly $452 more a month than a year ago, before taxes and insurance. (That's my own arithmetic at the Freddie Mac average rates. Your actual rate depends on your lender and your loan.)

Marblehead, single-family, September 2026 (Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®)

• Median sale price: $1,127,500, up 15.6% from $975,000 in September 2025
• Closed sales: 14 (20 a year ago). Small sample, so one month can look extreme.
• Homes for sale: 28 (down 15.2% from a year ago)
• Months of supply: 2.0
• Cumulative days on market: 53 (36 a year ago)
• Sellers received 93.0% of original list price (99.3% a year ago)

Source: MAR Local Market Update, Marblehead, September 2026 (MLS PIN data, provided by MAR)

Lynnfield, single-family, September 2026 (MAR): this week's rotating town spotlight

• Median sale price: $1,307,000, up 18.3% from $1,105,000
• Closed sales: 9 (13 a year ago). Tiny sample.
• Homes for sale: 21
• Months of supply: 2.3
• Cumulative days on market: 32 (24 a year ago)
• Sellers received 102.7% of original list price (101.3% a year ago)

Source: MAR Local Market Update, Lynnfield, September 2026

So what does it mean? Both towns are still tight at about two months of supply. Marblehead homes are taking longer to sell than a year ago, and sellers there are giving up more off their original asking price. Lynnfield's nine closings are too few to hang a trend on, but sellers there were still getting over list. With rates stuck at 7.40%, buyers have a little more room to negotiate than they did last fall — especially on homes that have been sitting.

The broker-who-builds tip: read the roof

Before you buy — or list — take a hard look at the roof. Check the shingle age and granule loss, peek at the flashing around chimneys and valleys, and look for ice-dam stains on the fascia in winter. A worn roof isn't a deal-killer, but it should be priced in.

This tip is general information, not a substitute for a home inspection, and it doesn't replace advice from your listing agent or a licensed home inspector. If you're planning repairs before a sale, I hold MA Construction Supervisor License CS-047636 and can talk through what's worth fixing.

Buying, selling, or fixing up?

• Search North Shore homes
• Thinking of selling? Get a free estimate
• Renovations and pre-sale fix-ups
• The 29 North Shore towns we serve

Or call or text me at 781-727-6516. I'm available seven days a week.

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John Nestor, Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. #136995-RE-B · 328 West Shore Drive, Marblehead, MA 01945 · 781-727-6516 · nanepashemet.com. Renovations: John Nestor, MA Construction Supervisor License CS-047636. Equal Housing Opportunity.

MOAM Out.

A New Home for Nanepashemet Real Estate

For a long time, the Nanepashemet Real Estate website did its job the way an old skiff does: it floated, it got you there, and nobody would call it pretty. This fall I hauled it out, scraped it down, and gave it a proper refit. The new site is at nanepashemet.com, and I hope you'll take it for a spin.

Why bother? Because the way people look at houses has changed. Most of you start on your phone, late at night, scrolling. I wanted a place where you can do that without wading through clutter, and where you can reach a real person when you're ready.

Here's what's aboard:

Home search. You can search homes for sale in all 29 North Shore towns I cover. Save a search and let the site do the watching for you.

New Listings Today. Every day there's a fresh page showing what just came on the market across those 29 towns. It's the same list I point to in my daily listings posts, and it's a good one to bookmark: New Listings Today.

Sell Your Home. If you're thinking about selling, this page lays out how I work: honest pricing, getting the house ready without overspending, and staying with you through closing.

Two new pages for sellers. The free Seller Checklist walks you through what to fix, clean, gather and decide before the sign goes up. And if you're wondering what your place would bring in today's market, fill out a Home Value Request and I'll get back to you with a real number from a real local broker, not a computer guess.

Renovations. I'm a licensed Massachusetts Construction Supervisor and a boatbuilder, so I spend a lot of time thinking about how things are put together. That helps whether you're buying a house that needs work or fixing one up to sell.

About and Contact. A bit about me, about Marblehead, and about the name. The business is named for Nanepashemet, the sachem who led the people of this coast long before any of us showed up. I try to keep that respect for the place in how I do business.

A website is no substitute for a conversation, though. If you have a question about a house, a neighborhood, or a project, call or text me at 781-727-6516 or email jnestor@nanepashemet.com. I'm around 7 days a week.

Take a look, poke around, and tell me what you think. If something's broken, tell me that too. I'd rather hear it from you.

MOAM Out.

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John Nestor, Broker – Nanepashemet Real Estate Services · MA Broker License #136995-RE-B · MA Construction Supervisor #CS-047636