Boston skyline reflected in the pond of the Public Garden

Buying a home in
Boston

Q: Can I get a mortgage in Boston on a work or research visa?

Often, yes. Conventional loans are available to non-US citizens who are lawfully resident, including temporary visa holders, and the lender has to establish your status from your documents. Individual lenders set their own requirements about visa type and remaining validity. FHA loans are no longer available to non-permanent residents. Your US employment contract and the funds you hold in a US account will carry most of the weight.

Q: Will a typical Boston purchase need a jumbo loan?

Not necessarily. The 2026 conforming limit in the Boston area is $962,550 for a one-unit home. At the city's median price of about $860,000, a buyer putting down 20% would borrow well under that. A house in Brookline or Newton at $1.5 million would take you over it, into jumbo lending where each lender applies its own rules.

Q: Why is my tax bill higher than my neighbour's?

If your neighbour lives in the home as a principal residence and you do not, they receive Boston's residential exemption and you do not. It was worth up to $4,353.74 in fiscal year 2026. Buyers who move in during the year can qualify for the following fiscal year, but you have to apply by the deadline.

Q: Can I rent out my Boston flat on Airbnb when I am in Europe?

Only within narrow limits. Boston allows short-term rentals solely in owner-occupied homes, and the owner must live there at least nine months a year. A unit you do not live in cannot be registered. Longer lets are a different matter and follow ordinary tenancy law.

Q: What should I check in an older Boston building?

Three things beyond the usual inspection. Homes built before 1978 fall under the lead paint rules, which bite if a child under six will live there. About one in four Massachusetts households still heats with oil. And in a condominium, ask for the association's budget and the 6(d) certificate showing that the unit's common charges are paid up.

Boston is the most European-feeling large city in the United States and one of the most expensive. People come for Harvard, MIT, the hospitals and the biotech firms of Kendall Square, and find a housing market of old brick, small condominiums and prices close to a million dollars.

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Everything about buying in Boston

Short answers on this page. The full guide has the detail, the figures and the sources.

The purchase and the loan

How a purchase runs here and which loans fit.

Financing at Boston prices
Buying a condominium

Prices, taxes and insurance

What homes cost and what you pay on top.

What homes cost
Property tax changes at the town line

Letting and living

Rental rules, local life and how to get there.

If you plan to let it
Getting home

Read the full guide

Who moves here from Europe

Boston's employers recruit internationally as a matter of routine. Harvard has more than 20,000 faculty and staff and MIT nearly 12,000 students, most of them graduate researchers. Mass General Brigham, which includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's, employs more than 85,000 people. Biogen is planning a new global headquarters in Kendall Square, LEGO opened its US headquarters in the city in 2025, and Hasbro has signed a lease to move its headquarters functions here from Rhode Island.

For a European household that usually means arriving on an employer-sponsored or academic visa, with a US salary and no US credit history. That profile can obtain a conventional mortgage. It takes preparation, and it helps to start before you have found a home. See how your visa status decides the loan.

Colorful wooden row houses with bay windows lining a tree-shaded street in Boston

Boston at a glance

Figures last checked: 3 October 2026

This is not a lending decision: a US specialist confirms what applies to your own situation.

Median sale price	$859,431 in the city of Boston, all home types, three months to August 2026 (Redfin).
Property tax	Fiscal year 2026 residential rates per $1,000: Boston $12.40, Somerville $10.98, Brookline $10.24, Newton $9.69, Cambridge $6.67.
Residential exemption	In Boston, worth up to $4,353.74 in fiscal year 2026, for owners who live in the home as their principal residence.
Loan limit 2026	$962,550 for a one-unit home in Suffolk, Middlesex and Norfolk counties. Above that is a jumbo loan.
Short-term rental	Allowed only in homes the owner occupies. Investor units are excluded.
Flights home	Nonstop from Logan to 21 European cities, including Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris and Rome (some seasonal).

Footbridge over the pond in Boston Public Garden framed by yellow and red autumn trees

Sailboats and a tall ship on Boston Harbor in front of the downtown waterfront buildings

Historic red brick townhouse with black shutters, dormers and chimneys in Boston

Stone towers of the Longfellow Bridge with the Boston skyline behind it on a bright day

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Before you make an offer in Boston

Get a pre-approval from a lender that understands your visa and employment contract.
Compare the tax bill in dollars across the towns you are considering.
Check whether you will qualify for the residential exemption and when to apply.
Confirm whether the loan would be conforming or jumbo.
For a condominium, read the budget and ask for the 6(d) certificate.
Check the building's age for lead paint and ask how it is heated.
Do not count on short-term rental income for a home you will not live in.
Have your own attorney review the purchase and sale agreement.

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Questions people moving from Europe ask

Can I get a mortgage in Boston on a work or research visa?

Will a typical Boston purchase need a jumbo loan?

Why is my tax bill higher than my neighbour's?

Can I rent out my Boston flat on Airbnb when I am in Europe?

What should I check in an older Boston building?

Continue your research

Sources (18)

Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. Rates, prices and local rules change, so confirm anything you rely on before you commit.

Buying a home inBoston