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Review Brooks & Crowley
February 2026
781-251-0555
brooksandcrowley.com
439 Washington Street Dedham, MA 02026
*Services Throughout Massachusetts
KINDNESS DOESN’T NEED A HOLIDAY THE CASE FOR EVERYDAY DECENCY
When I heard Feb. 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day, my first reaction was that it would be nice if the entire year were focused on kindness instead. Do we really need a date on the calendar to tell us not to treat each other like garbage? Some days it feels
of your driveway is cleared, even though you didn’t touch a shovel. Next storm, you go a little farther when it is your turn. Nobody needs to talk about it. It’s just how things are done.
like we do. You look around, and everybody seems wound tight, ready to go to war over the smallest difference of opinion. You can’t just disagree with somebody anymore. You have to hate their guts while you are at it.
Boston has a reputation for being a little rough, and I’m not going to pretend we are all walking around handing out hugs. I’m not that guy either. But I know plenty of people who
spend weekends stocking shelves at food pantries, dropping off meals, or slipping checks to a group that keeps families afloat. They would never call it a “random act of kindness.” To them, it’s just part of being a grown-up in a city where people have real problems.
When I was a kid, people still had strong opinions, but it didn’t swallow up everything else. Neighbors helped each other build decks, watched kids for an hour so somebody could run an errand, and checked in when they knew a family was going through something. You might not line up on every issue, but most people agreed on the basics. Try to be decent, and don’t make life harder for the folks who live 10 feet from you.
Driving is where all this either shows up or disappears. You can give someone a little room to
move over, or you can sit 6 inches off their back bumper and lean on the horn. My father used to leave the house a few minutes early so he didn’t turn into that guy. If he got to the light,
One problem is that a lot of energy has moved online. Instead of talking over the fence, people sit on the couch and hammer away on
and somebody needed to slide in, he let them. He still arrived on time, and he didn’t spend the morning furious. Most of us could stand to copy that.
their phones. The stuff that floats to the top is whatever makes people mad, because this is what the algorithms care
about. One story about a bad experience with a business or an agency gets passed around all day. The quiet, normal, good work that happens a hundred times in the same place never makes it into the story. If that’s all you see, you start to think the world is a lot meaner than it really is. What I see on my own block looks different from the horror show online. In our neighborhood, people still fire up the snowblower and keep going past their own driveway. You come home after a snowstorm, and the end
If you like the idea of a day for kindness, fine. Put it on the calendar if it helps. Just do a little more than that. Look the person next door in the eye and say hi. Let a car in without turning it into a battle. Pay attention when someone around you could use a hand. If enough of us do the basics a little better, we won’t need a special day to remind us how to act. –Steve Brooks
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A Revolution of Residential Design
Levittown and the Rise of Suburbia
In 1947, a stretch of potato fields on Long Island started growing something new. Instead of potatoes, the land was transformed into thousands of identical houses, each built in just a few days. The development was called Levittown. To the families moving in, it must have felt like a miracle. To those watching from afar, it looked like the future. Before Levittown, the suburbs were mainly for the wealthy. Places like Shaker Heights in Ohio and Riverside in Illinois offered quiet streets away from the pollution and overcrowding of the city, but working families couldn’t afford to live there. Levittown was different. The developers, Levitt & Sons, treated home construction like an assembly line, and crews efficiently knocked out house after house. At their peak, they finished dozens of homes a day.
Housing was in high demand at the time. With veterans returning home from World War II and the baby boom beginning, cities were running out of space. A Levittown home sold for around $8,000, which was within reach of families using GI Bill loans. The single-story houses came with stoves, televisions, and a small yard for barbecues. It wasn’t luxury, but it gave the families who moved there a chance to live their version of the American dream. Soon, the development became its own world. Swimming pools, baseball fields, and shopping centers became places where families ran into neighbors on Saturday mornings, which felt new and full of possibility. But that possibility wasn’t a reality for everyone.
Racist sales policies barred Black families from buying homes, even when they qualified for loans. The suburb also reinforced older ideas about gender. Women who had worked during the war felt pressure to return to domestic life, stay home, and care for the kids while their husbands commuted to work. For all its promise, it was still a product of its time. Even so, Levittown launched a new style of living that transformed the landscape of American life. Other developers copied the model, and before long, new neighborhoods stretched toward the horizon. Rows of identical houses became symbols of stability, and the dream of a better life moved to the city’s edges.
Getting Smart About Your Next Mortgage Are Refi Rates Worth Another Look?
Lately, I’ve started to see something I have not seen in a while. Refinance files are back on my desk. For a couple of years, people sat on their cheap old loans or froze when they saw how fast rates jumped. Now that rates have dipped, more homeowners are asking the question again: Does a refi help us or not? Nobody I talk to is thrilled with the rates. We aren’t going back to 3%, but we are also not at the peak. Around Massachusetts, prices are still strong, so people aren’t betting on a crash. A refinance can help in the right situation, but it is not free money. You have to look at a few simple things. How long do you plan to stay in the house? What are the closing costs, and how much will the payment really change each month? One basic test is to take the closing cost and divide
it by the monthly savings. If the number you get is longer than you plan to stay, it’s not worth it. If your current rate is at least a full point higher than what lenders are offering now, it’s worth a call to see current numbers.
If rates keep drifting, I expect to see more people move from refinancing to buying and selling again. A lot of folks have been sitting tight, even when the house doesn’t really fit anymore. It might be due to a new job across town, or stairs that are getting tougher every year for parents or grandparents. At some point, you stop waiting for the rate you missed and start looking for a place that works better for your situation. That’s where we come in. I’m not a mortgage guy, but I talk to lenders all the time and can point you toward the right people. Also, in Massachusetts, you are going to have a lawyer involved in the closing anyway, whether it’s a refinance or a sale. If you are kicking around the idea of a refi or move this year, call us first so we can help with the process.
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LOVE YOURSELF LIKE YOU MEAN IT Your Valentine’s Day Self-Care Guide
For many Americans, Valentine’s Day is synonymous with romance. We get reservations weeks or months in advance, shower our partners in love and affection, and enjoy an extravagant date night. It’s a day filled with high
expectations, and with that comes stress and pressure. If you feel like you’re always going above and beyond to impress on Valentine’s Day without getting the same effort in return, it may be time to show yourself some extra love. Everyone deserves a happy and fulfilling life, but it can be hard to achieve when work, relationships, and other pressures weigh us down. Most of us rarely take time for ourselves, so as the pressure builds, we start to experience episodes of burnout, depression, and anxiety. This Valentine’s Day or sometime close to it, take time for yourself and practice self-care. It will help you feel rejuvenated while removing any negative thoughts that have been lingering around. How you approach self-care is entirely up to you, but it almost always involves engaging in relaxing and enjoyable activities. Think about the things you love to do the most. When was
the last time you played a round of golf, went on a walk through nature, or enjoyed your favorite movie uninterrupted? Whatever your favorite activity may be, find a way to incorporate it into your self-care day. In addition to your favorite activities, take some time to pamper yourself. Get a massage, buy something for yourself that you really want, or take a long, relaxing bath. These actions will help you feel good inside and out! To ensure your self-care day is a success, consider turning off your phone and other devices for the duration of the day. Scrolling through social media will not help you feel any better; in fact, it will likely make you feel worse. This is a time to focus on yourself and ensure you get the attention and love you deserve. If you waste the whole day scrolling through TikTok or X, you’ll focus on everything but yourself.
Have a Laugh!
Hot Honey-Infused Feta Chicken
Ingredients
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2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• • •
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese 2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped (or thyme) 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• • • •
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp hot honey
•
directions
1. Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. 2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. 3. Sear chicken for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden. 4. In a small bowl, mix hot honey and minced garlic to create a glaze. 5. Place the seared chicken in a baking dish. Pour the hot honey mixture over top. 6. Sprinkle chicken with crumbled feta, then rosemary or thyme. 7. Bake at 400 F for 20–25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 F. 8. Optional: Broil for 1–2 minutes for extra caramelization. 9. Let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon juice and extra herbs before serving.
Inspired by LadySavor.com
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439 Washington St. • Dedham, MA 02026
Inside THIS ISSUE
1 Turning Random Acts Into Daily Habits 2 The Birth of Suburban Life
Refinance Questions Are Back
3 Reclaiming Valentine’s Day for Yourself
Hot Honey-Infused Feta Chicken
4 Local Outings for a Short Month
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February Fun Around Greater Boston Beat Cabin Fever With Local Events
Lunar New Year Around the City On Sunday, Feb. 15, Têt in Boston brings a full Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival to the Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center, with traditional food, music, dance, and family activities to welcome the Year of the Horse. Later that week, the Museum of Fine Arts hosts its own Lunar New Year celebration on Thursday, Feb. 19, with evening hours, performances, and chances to explore art connected to the holiday. Winter Sports, Boston Style College hockey fans know there is nothing quite like the Beanpot. The men’s tournament wraps up at TD Garden on Monday, Feb. 9, with the third-place game at 4:30 p.m. and the championship at 7:30 p.m. Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern all take the ice and compete for bragging rights. Later in the month, snowboarding takes over
Even though it’s short on days, February can feel like a long month in Boston. Still, it’s not all slush and gray skies. Between sports traditions, Lunar New Year celebrations, and food and wine events, there are plenty of reasons to get out of the house.
downtown when Red Bull Heavy Metal brings a rail contest to City Hall Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 21. The event turns the Plaza steps into a temporary terrain park and gives spectators a chance to watch top riders tackle big features in the middle of the city. Winter Food and Wine Events For a different kind of outing, Femme Fete hosts its Grand Tasting at the Boston Center for the Arts at Cyclorama on Saturday, Feb. 28, from noon to 5 p.m., with women-led wine and beverage producers pouring and talking about their work in a relaxed, walk-around setting. All season long, the Boston Wine and Food Festival also runs at the Boston Harbor Hotel from late January through March. If you are looking to break up the winter routine with something indoors, checking the festival calendar and planning a tasting or dinner can be a good place to start.
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