Trump Elected 47th US President

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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On Wednesday morning, some woke up with a sense of victory and others with a sense of fear.

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Tuesday after a tight race with Democrat Kamala Harris. According to the Associated Press, Trump has secured 51 percent of the vote to Harris' 47.5 percent.

Trump has 292 of the required 270 electoral votes, with Harris garnering 224.

The former president delivered his victory speech in West Palm Beach Wednesday morning while the crowd chanted "USA, USA, USA." He called this the "greatest political movement of all time" and promised to deliver the "golden age of America."

"We're going to help our country heal. Help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country," Trump said.

"We've made history for a reason tonight and the reason is going to be just that we overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing."

Harris was to deliver a concession speech at 4 p.m. at Howard University in Washington.

AP called this an "extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts."

Massachusetts has reported about 97 percent of its votes, with Harris securing more than 2 million votes representing 61.4 percent and Trump seeing 36.4 percent of the vote or about 1.2 million.

Pittsfield, the county's largest community, has about 99 percent of its votes counted, according to the AP.  Harris saw 70.6 percent support, 14,439 votes, and Trump saw 27.5 percent support, 5,628 votes.



Opponents are concerned about Trump's Agenda 47, his plans for his second term. They see it as mirroring points from the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, a right-wing take on human rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ-plus rights, and immigrants' rights among others. Trump has repeatedly said that it is not his platform.

Supporters believe he can address the nation's economic crisis and see positives in securing the border.

On Wednesday morning, re-elected state representative for the 2nd Berkshire District Tricia Farley-Bouvier acknowledged that it may be a hard day for those who oppose these policies.

"Today: Rest. Be kind to yourself. Do something nice for someone else. Tomorrow: Repeat. We'll get through this…," she wrote on Facebook.

Elizabeth Warren secured her third term in the U.S. Senate, fending off Republican challenger John Deaton with 59.8 percent of the votes counted so far, compared to Deaton's 40.3 percent.

Yesterday on social media, Warren said the right to an abortion, health care, social security, and "our very democracy" is on the ballot.

"Today, we have the power. The power to fight for our families, protect our freedoms, and determine our futures. The power to build an America where all of our kids can thrive," she wrote on Facebook.

"Use your power."

Richard Neal was re-elected to the U.S. House for the Massachusetts 1st Congressional District over independent challenger Nadia Milleron with 62.6 percent of the vote so far.

According to AP, Republicans currently outweigh the Senate in a 43:52 ratio with five to be called. It is similar with the House, representing an 186:201 ratio with 48 to be called.

Note: an earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed Project 2025 to the president-elect. It is a Heritage Foundation plan.


Tags: election 2024,   president,   

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Berkshire Market Continues to Defy Broad Headlines

By Sandy CarrollGuest Column

The good news — residential sales rose countywide 7 percent, dollar volume rose 14 percent. 

If there's one takeaway from our full 2026 Q2 Market Watch Report, it's this: all real estate is local.

National economists can provide context, but they rarely tell the full story of what's happening here in Berkshire County. In fact, this year's numbers reinforce just how important it is to look beyond countywide trends and into individual communities.

After a slower first quarter, the market found its footing. Through the first six months of 2026, residential home sales increased 8 percent while dollar volume climbed an impressive 14 percent, reaching nearly $257 million in closed sales. Median sale prices also continued their steady upward trend, reaching $360,000 countywide.

The strength of the market, however, wasn't evenly distributed.

Middle and South Berkshire led the way with gains in both sales and dollar volume, while North Berkshire experienced a modest decline in residential activity overall. Yet even within those regions, individual towns told very different stories. Some communities experienced significant growth while neighboring towns slowed considerably — another reminder that real estate decisions should always be based on local market knowledge rather than broad assumptions.

 As our inventory levels shift, and in some months our absorption rates look to be heading toward a more balanced market, it is important to look at the price ranges where listings are selling, versus where we have a lot of inventory. The steady pace of the second quarter has created a very hectic market in the field, with agents running non-stop to manage their client demands. With a slightly lower pending sales rate heading into the third quarter but still a frenetic pace in the market, it's hard to project what the third quarter will bring.  It's also important to dig into town trends, as that is definitely an interesting and varied part of the market that this generalized data doesn't easily reveal.

Outside the single-family market, conditions remain mixed. 

Condominium and multifamily sales softened compared to last year, commercial sales remained modest, while land sales showed encouraging improvement after several challenging years. Mobile homes also continued to provide an important affordable housing option and posted solid gains during the first half of the year.

 

Perhaps one of the most encouraging trends is inventory. While still well below historical norms, available housing continues to improve gradually. Berkshire County remains a seller's market, but additional listings are creating more opportunities for buyers than we've seen in recent years.

Nationally, economists expect housing activity to strengthen during the second half of 2026 as inventory grows and mortgage rates stabilize. Whether those forecasts fully materialize remains to be seen, but locally we've already witnessed how quickly market conditions can change from one quarter to the next.

As always, this summary only scratches the surface. Our complete Market Watch includes town-by-town statistics, historical trends, appreciation data, and detailed reports for every major property type. Whether you're buying, selling, investing, or simply keeping an eye on the market, those local details often tell the most important story.

Full PDF Editions: 2026 Q2 Market Watch Report

Sandy Carroll is CEO of the Berkshire County Board of Realtors.
 

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