Owner-paid heat in triple-deckers makes winter gas/oil a four-figure season — and Massachusetts habitability law enforces temperature minimums. Insulation and heating-system upgrades repay faster here than almost any market. Who-pays-heat shapes both costs and rents; model it explicitly.
Pre-1978 stock renting to families with children under six triggers deleading obligations with real costs — but deleading certificates add durable value and rentability. Budget the question before buying, not after the application arrives.
Snow removal (liability, sometimes ordinance), ice-dam management on old roofs, frozen-pipe vigilance, and the boiler's service-and-replacement cycle. Vacancy in January is expensive in every direction.
The deepest per-capita renter base in America, September-cycle predictability, and durable rents. Boston rewards owners who respect its rules and seasons.
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