eXp Realty Kathleen Militello, Realtor® The Militello Team COASTAL HOMES & LIVING

Local insights · The Militello Team

Buying Your Next Home

Buying on the North Shore goes more smoothly when you know what you are getting into before you write an offer. These posts cover the process, the numbers, and the decisions that come up in every purchase.

Stories in Buying Your Next Home

19 stories

Aerial view of a waterfront shingle-style estate with stone masonry, lawns, and a coastal jetty on the North Shore

Buying Your Next Home · October 29, 2026 · 7 min read

Love Your Mortgage Rate, but Is It Keeping You in the Wrong House?

Many North Shore homeowners are sitting on a 2 to 3 percent mortgage rate from a few years ago and assume they can never move, because today's rates would raise their payment. That assumption deserves a closer look. Sometimes staying is the right call, and sometimes the low rate is quietly keeping a household in the wrong house. This post works through the decision in three parts: the rate math, the lifestyle costs, and the equity in the current home.

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Custom graphic illustrating a home transfer through an assumable mortgage

Buying Tips · October 16, 2026 · 8 min read

Assumable Mortgages Explained: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know

An assumable mortgage lets a buyer take over the seller's existing loan, including its interest rate, remaining balance, term, and monthly payment, instead of taking out a new mortgage. For a seller who locked in a lower rate, an assumable loan can be a genuine marketing advantage. For a buyer, it can mean a lower monthly payment and lower closing costs than a brand-new loan at today's rates. Here is how it works, who can use it, and how to get started on the North Shore.

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An aerial view of a coastal North Shore town with a harbor full of boats

Buying Your Next Home · October 2, 2026 · 4 min read

How to Win a Bidding War on a North Shore Home Without Overpaying

On the coastal North Shore, a well-priced home in a town like Beverly, Salem, or Newburyport can draw multiple offers within days. Winning comes down to four things: knowing the true value before you offer, moving fast, making your offer as clean as possible, and being ready to negotiate terms, not just price.

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Golden marshland grasses at sunset on the North Shore in early October, the hero image for this open house guide

Buying / Open Houses · October 2, 2026 · 8 min read

How to Get the Most Out of an Open House

An open house is a low-pressure way to see a home in person, with no appointment and no obligation, and in October's shorter days it is the best way to see how a house really holds light. This guide covers how to prepare before you go, what to look at once you are inside, which questions are worth asking, and how to compare homes after the visit, so every tour moves you closer to the right decision.

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Bright interior photograph of a home open for viewing, the hero image for this first open house guide

First-Time Home Buyers · September 25, 2026 · 6 min read

Your First Open House: What to Look For (and What to Skip)

Your first open house is a low-stakes way to start seeing real homes in person, with no appointment and no obligation. It is a chance to train your eye: how rooms feel, how light moves through a house, and how one floor plan compares with another. This guide walks through what to do before you go, what to look at room by room, and how to use what you learn afterward.

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White New England town hall with a cupola on a village green with early fall maples

Buying Your Next Home · September 25, 2026 · 5 min read

North Shore Property Taxes: What a $700,000 Home Costs to Carry in Each Town

For fiscal year 2026 the residential property tax rate is $10.81 per $1,000 of assessed value in Beverly, $10.78 in Salem, $9.26 in Newburyport, and $9.31 in Gloucester. On a $700,000 home that is a gap of more than $1,000 a year between Beverly and Newburyport, before exemptions, and it belongs in every buyer's budget.

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