At a time when so many people are priced out of the housing market, both as renters and buyers, it’s an unpleasant surprise to see an article in the recent Home Magazine called “The Basics of Flipping Homes.” Its headline is ironic, given that the flippers have taken what was once a home, made some upgrades, not so that they can have a home, but so they can make a nice profit by reselling the property for significantly more than they paid. The story is no doubt just a “filler” in a newspaper section that is devoted to advertising, but it is truly disturbing to see in the Gazette, all the more so since western Massachusetts, like so much of the country, is troubled by high sale prices and high rents. Jan Whitaker & Barton Byg

Jan Whitaker and Barton Byg

Northampton