A recent decision by the Massachusetts Land Court held that text messages between real estate agents can satisfy the requirements of the statute of frauds and bind parties to a real estate transaction. In Massachusetts, the statute of frauds requires transactions for the sale of real property to be in writing and signed. In its decision, the court noted that the use of email and text has “advanced immensely and become commonplace” in the last

A recent decision by the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the 1st Circuit held that, in certain circumstances, homestead protection applies to adjoining parcels with a common owner.  In its decision the court confirmed that when a homeowner uses the surrounding land in connection with the principal residence, the owner is entitled to homestead protection on those parcels. Judge Bruce A. Harwood stated “[w]hen a debtor actually occupies property and uses the surrounding land in connection

A recent U.S. District Court decision upheld the principal that the Massachusetts Homestead Act permits property owners to declare a homestead on a mixed-use structure that is used predominantly for residential purposes. The Massachusetts Homestead Act allows a property owner to declare a homestead on a building to protect the property from creditors. Under the Homestead Act, a “home” is defined as a single-family or multi-family dwelling, a manufactured house, or a unit in a