If you and your significant other are churning out 60 hour work weeks and hustling to take care of young children as well, there's a finite amount of time for anything beyond the work/family treadmill. Yes, there is a fair amount of info to be found online, but the Boston-area is one of the trickiest real estate markets in the country to navigate. We have one of the oldest and arguably ill-maintained housing stocks of any major metro market, combined with still-inflated prices that have yet to feel the brunt of our crazy, half depressed economy. I am not going to get into the debate over whether Continue reading >>>

Family Service of Greater Boston (FSGB), based on Heath Street, has received a $40,000 grant from the Aramark corporation, and FSGB CEO Randal Rucker received the company’s Building Community Executive Leadership Award. The award and grant is one of three announced by Aramark last month. “By supporting breakthrough programs that prepare hard-to-employ individuals for work, the Aramark Building Community Innovation Awards highlight and support best-in-class programs that are proven to put people to work and serve as  best practice examples of new, creative solutions that help families succeed Continue reading >>>

By Brock Parker, Globe Correspondent Caritas Communities Inc. celebrated the renovation of 128 units of affordable housing in Central Square Tuesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Cambridge Family YMCA. The $10 million project renovated the largest licensed lodging housing for men in Cambridge, which is located at the Y at 820 Massachusetts Ave. The renovations included new bathrooms, elevators, heating systems, a new roof and masonry repairs. Funding was provided through private equity, public lending and tax-exempt bond financing, according to Caritas Communities, a non-profit organization Continue reading >>>

PEABODY, MASS. (06/07/2012)(readMedia)-- Acura is making luxury-car ownership more affordable with the debut of its ILX compact sedan, and Massachusetts Acura dealer Acura of Peabody is celebrating the all-new model's arrival in style. The Greater Boston dealership is holding an Acura ILX launch party at its showroom on Thursday, June 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., giving Acura fans their first up-close look at the newest offering from the brand. Open to the general public, Acura of Peabody's ILX launch party will feature free food and refreshments, as well as live music and Continue reading >>>

(Image via Thinkstock) The transition from winter to summer may have been nonexistent — did we get any snow this year? — but Boston is finally serving up outdoor events and activities to match the summertime temperatures. Hit the Beach What’s more classically summertime than spending afternoons lounging in the sun and going for a swim? Greater Boston is home to nearly 20 urban saltwater beaches, some of which were recently ranked among the nation’s cleanest. At the top of that list sits Nantasket Beach in Hull, which scored a 100 percent. The top five Boston beaches Continue reading >>>

SUNDAY: Nichole Bernier (“The Unfinished Work Of Elizabeth D.”) reads at 3 p.m. at Concord Book Shop … Lizz Winstead (“Lizz Free or Die”) reads at 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith MONDAY: Francesca Segal (“The Innocents”) reads at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store … Alex Maclean (“Up on the Roof: New York’s Hidden Skyline Spaces”) reads at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books TUESDAY: John Palfrey (“Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems”) reads at 6 p.m. at the Boston Public Library, Copley … Jill Lepore (“Mansion of Happiness”) reads at 7 p.m. at Continue reading >>>

Good morning, here are five things to know today: 1. Graduation: Medford High School's class of 2012 graduated Wednesday. Check out our photo gallery and upload your own photos, too. 2. Farmers Market Opens: Today is opening day for the Medford Farmers Market. The market has a new location this year behind City Hall. It will be open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. 3. Medford Lacrosse Players Earn MVP Honors: A total of 37 Medford High School athletes were named to Greater Boston League spring All-Star teams. Earning top honors were boys lacrosse player Ryan McCarthy and girls lacrosse player Jamie Continue reading >>>

1. Special night: The Stoneham High School Senior Banquet is slated for 6 p.m. at the school, according to the high school website. 2. Get blogging: Interested in blogging on Stoneham Patch? You can get started here. 3. Sold! Check out some of the recent home sales in the Stoneham area in our latest Sold! column at 10 a.m. Thursday. 4. How old are Stonehamites? Curious where Stoneham ranks in age in the Greater Boston area? Find out in our data story. 5. Sneak peek: Looking to buy a new home in Stoneham? If so, check out our latest sampling of open houses slated for the weekend in our House Hunt Continue reading >>>