GBH: Gateway Cities & Foreign-Born Populations

Housing affordability and ownership patterns across Massachusetts have changed significantly over the past several years. Rising median sales prices, increased foreclosure activity in certain areas, and the growing presence of corporate and LLC-based property buyers have reshaped local housing markets. Concerns about corporations purchasing residential homes and impacting affordability have been increasing, and our client, Jennifer, would like to examine these trends and explore how they are evolving, particularly in Gateway Cities. She is specifically interested in the trends across different home types - condos, single family, multi-family homes, etc. across the state. The first priority is to determine if there are any patterns to be discerned from the data - based on geography, housing type, etc. She is also interested in going deeper into how corporate home buying is impacting Gateway Cities. Gateway cities are a group of 26 mid-sized Massachusetts cities that historically served as economic hubs but today experience lower-than-median income levels, lower educational attainment, and greater structural vulnerability. These cities include Worcester, Springfield, Brockton, and New Bedford. Finally, she is interested in understanding the landscape of companies purchasing homes - are there any trends here? Who are the top purchasers? What type of housing stock are they buying and selling? Where are they buying and selling and what profits are they extracting from this activity? This project aims to analyze and visualize foreclosure activity, housing prices, and corporate purchasing trends across Massachusetts towns and cities from 2015 to 2025.