May update: Boston's heating up (literally and figuratively)!

May 2026

Boston's been hitting the mid-90s this week, so please stay cool and hydrated out there. I just brought a new listing to market that's already generating solid interest from buyers who've been waiting for the right opportunity. Let's dig into May's numbers, see what's happening nationally with mortgage rates, and I found an interesting piece about Boston's changing neighborhood dynamics.

FEATURED LISTING

Just Listed

$500,000

2 Lyn Street

2 bed · 1 bath · 1,850 sqft

Just Listed

27 Halborn St, Mattapan, MA

2 bed · 1 bath

Detached bungalow style single family home featuring open living and dining room, with off street parking and basement laundry included.

View listing →

LOCAL PULSE · BOSTON

Whats Actually Happening in Boston Right Now

Boston's housing market showed surprising strength in early 2026, with the median sale price hitting $860,000, up 2.4% from last year. But buyers are getting more time to think, with homes staying on market an average of 33 days compared to just 22 days in 2025.

Boston School Committee Cuts 400 Staff Positions

The Boston School Committee unanimously approved a $1.7 billion budget that eliminates up to 400 positions, including 260 teachers and 144 aides. The district is facing a $53 million deficit, with about half the cuts coming from planned school closures and grade reconfigurations.

Construction Activity Drops to Decade Low

Only one tower crane was operating in Boston during the first quarter of 2026, signaling a dramatic slowdown in development. The Wu administration expects just $40 million in new tax revenue from development this year, the smallest amount since 2016, as high interest rates and construction costs freeze major projects.

TOP OF MIND

ASML Beats Earnings but Stock Slides on AI Doubts

ASML delivered exactly what analysts wanted, then watched its stock drop anyway. The Dutch chip equipment maker posted Q1 sales of 8.8 billion euros, beat profit expectations, and raised its full-year outlook to 36-40 billion euros. The fundamentals tell a clear story: AI infrastructure demand is real, chip shortages persist, and customers are accelerating capacity plans for 2026 and beyond.

The market's reaction reveals something more complex about how investors are processing the AI boom. Despite strong results and raised guidance, ASML's stock fell because Q2 revenue projections came in slightly below expectations. 6 billion euros in negative free cash flow (mostly timing-related) and supply chain constraints limiting production, and the picture gets muddier.

The company that makes the machines that make the chips everyone needs can't keep up with demand.

Geopolitical risks compound the uncertainty. China represented 19% of Q1 sales, but tightening export controls on lithography equipment could cut off a major revenue source overnight. For chipmakers building AI capacity, ASML's raised guidance signals the infrastructure race continues.

For everyone else, the earnings reaction shows that even companies at the center of the AI revolution face execution challenges that matter more than market positioning. The technology shift is real, but translating that into predictable business results remains the harder problem.

ASML — read

NATIONAL MARKET

Fed Holds Rates Steady, One Cut Still Expected in 2026

The Federal Reserve kept rates at 3.5-3.75% in March, marking the second straight meeting without changes (Trading Economics/Federal Reserve). Policymakers still expect one rate cut this year, though timing depends on how inflation and the job market play out.

The Fed revised inflation expectations higher to 2.7% for both PCE measures, up from December's 2.4-2.5% projections. Energy prices and geopolitical tensions are keeping pressure on costs, even as the labor market stays stable.

For mortgage shoppers, this means rates will likely hold near current levels through the spring and summer. Relief could come later in the year if economic conditions allow that anticipated cut to happen.

Trading Economics/Federal Reserve — read

WORTH KNOWING

The Anti-Hustle Movement Finally Has Data Behind It

After years of optimization culture and productivity hacks, people are deliberately choosing constraint over expansion. The 2026 lifestyle shift isn't about doing less because you're tired. It's about doing less because you're smarter.

The misconception is that this makes people less ambitious. The opposite is true. When you stop burning energy on unsustainable systems, you have more left for things that actually compound. Burnout doesn't build resilience. It creates fragility that takes years to repair.

The most interesting part is how people are approaching identity. Instead of constantly reinventing themselves, they're integrating different parts of who they already are. Growth happens within a stable framework rather than through endless transformation cycles.

This shows up everywhere from career choices to housing decisions. People are asking a simple question: what kind of life feels good to live every day? Not just on weekends. Not just when everything goes perfectly. Every day.

The result is steadier participation in work, relationships, and community. Less dramatic peaks and valleys. More sustainable engagement over time.

https://thebalancededitmag.com/2026-lifestyle-trends-how-well-live-work-and-rest-differently/

The Balanced Edit — read

Hunter Letendre

BHHS Verani

(222) 222-222·hunterletendre@gmail.com·realestatewithhunter.com

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