Consumer
/Home & Leisure
/ArcaMax
Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times
Denise Richardson took her kids to Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee, Illinois, so often that at Christmas time, the Santa Claus there recognized them by name. She remembers when department stores moved out of Elgin, then a city of 64,000 people in the exurbs of Chicago, to the mall when it opened in 1980, and it was the place to be.
But the mall...Read more
Downtown Chicago's condo development boom has ended. Here's why
For the first time in years, there are no new large condo projects under construction in downtown Chicago.
Roughly 2,500 condos have been developed downtown since 2015 as multiple towers were constructed, and about 600 of those units are still available, said Gail Lissner, managing director for Integra Realty Resources.
But the high cost of ...Read more
Sorry, home sellers: The 6% commission isn't going anywhere
Negotiation is an essential part of buying or selling a home. But for nearly a century, there’s been one part of the process where haggling doesn’t fly: the 5% to 6% standard commission charged by U.S. realtors. Now, in a dramatic turn of events, the National Association of Realtors has settled a class-action lawsuit that targeted the ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Take it Slow and Easy!
That slow cooker you keep on reserve for the cold months of winter is a perfect solution for summer, too -- especially during these days when you just cannot look another takeout meal in the face. Think about it: A slow cooker creates very little heat and costs only pennies a day to operate. And with energy costs skyrocketing, slow cooking is ...Read more
Upscale Westside LA neighborhoods hit hard by State Farm home insurance cancellations
Thousands of Californians who won't see their home insurance renewed by State Farm this summer are homeowners in Los Angeles County, with some upscale Westside neighborhoods hit hard, according to the insurer's recent filings with the Department of Insurance.
A majority of the insurer's customers in neighborhoods in West Los Angeles as well as ...Read more
15 best native plants to grow in your yard if you also want fragrant bouquets
LOS ANGELES -- Attention, anyone who thinks native blooms are brilliant in the wild — or our yards — but don't work in bouquets.
Boy, are we wrong.
This isn't an invitation to trample wildflower fields to pick bouquets — our precious wildflowers need to stay unpicked so their seeds will produce blooms in the future — but it is notice ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Bonus vs. Salary Bump, Family Squabbles, and More Reader Quandaries
Dear Cheapskate: I just had my annual review at work. My boss told me I'm doing a good job then gave me the option of taking my raise as a lump sum or a salary increase. But I'm not sure if it's better to get the money all at once or spread out over the entire year. What is the right decision? -- Geoffrey, Ala.
Dear Geoffrey: If you take the ...Read more
If US inflation reflected rising home insurance costs, it'd be even higher
If the rising price of homeowners insurance were factored into the U.S. Consumer Price Index — a key metric of inflation — it could have added 80 basis points, or about 0.8%, to last year’s CPI increase of 3.4%, according to an analysis from Bloomberg Intelligence.
By not including home insurance, the CPI “ignores climate costs,” ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Top 5 Brilliant Hacks to Kickstart Your Vegetable Garden
As you might imagine, I grew up with more than a few adults greeting me with, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" followed by a big smile or, more often, laughter. It was embarrassing, but probably not for the reason you assume. I didn't know how to answer that question! I didn't know what "contrary" meant, I didn't have a ...Read more
Home insurance cost hikes slowed at the end of 2023. Some say the crisis may be nearing its end
Home insurance rates in Florida far outpaced inflation over the 18 months that ended on Dec. 31, but the rate of increase slowed in the fourth quarter of 2023 to its lowest point of the period.
And many insurance insiders are optimistic that rates will continue to stabilize this year and next, barring a big costly you-know-what.
According to ...Read more
Could AI start replacing real estate agents?
LAS VEGAS — Bruce Hiatt is hoping the integration of artificial intelligence will help take his real estate company to the next level, and in turn, could require fewer in-person agents in the process.
Hiatt, a Las Vegas-based broker who is also the owner of Luxury Realty Group, is currently beta testing an AI conversational avatar that speaks...Read more
Which debts can be consolidated? Here are 4 types to consider combining
Debt consolidation can make repayment easier by consolidating multiple accounts into a single one. Consolidating debt also can save you money on interest and help you get out of debt faster, depending on your situation. Here are four ways to do it:
________
You can consolidate credit card debt
Paying down your monthly credit card balance on ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Wash White Laundry to Keep It Looking Brilliant
In the same way there are rules in life for things like how to drive a car, how to cook a meal or how to manage your money, there are a few simple rules for how to wash white clothes to keep them looking brilliant and clean. And if they happen to get a bit dull, gray or yellowed, there are rules for how to restore the brightness of washable ...Read more
California is building fewer homes. The state could get even more expensive
Ken Kahan makes a living building homes.
A specialty? Luxury apartment complexes in Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Palms and Silver Lake filled with mostly market rate units, but with a handful of income-restricted affordable ones as well.
It can be a good business, but lately less so.
"We have pulled back," said Kahan, the president of ...Read more
Studio owners revise plans for $1 billion update of historic Television City
LOS ANGELES — The owners of Television City have scaled back their plans to enlarge and modernize the landmark Los Angeles studio where CBS began making shows to broadcast nationwide at the dawn of the television age.
Formerly known as CBS Television City, the studio sits next to popular tourist attractions the Original Farmers Market and the...Read more
The year of the 'mansion tax': Hundreds of millions raised, but a chill to LA's luxury market
One year ago, Los Angeles' "mansion tax" took effect. It has either been a godsend or an absolute disaster, depending on who you ask.
The transfer tax, formally known as Measure ULA, levies a 4% charge on all property sales above $5 million and a 5.5% charge on sales above $10 million, with proceeds funding affordable housing and homelessness ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: How I can find ex so I can sell condo we bought together?
Q: I bought a condominium with my live-in girlfriend about a decade ago. When we broke up a few years ago, I stayed in the apartment and kept paying the mortgage and the bills. I just remembered her name was even on the deed when I recently decided to sell it. I have no idea where she is now. How can I reclaim my property? — Kevin
A: When you...Read more
Pickleball craze breathes new life into old downtown Minneapolis office buildings
In a fever-dream phase of the pandemic, commercial real estate broker Mike Marinovich used electrical tape to draw out three pickleball courts on the sprawling second floor of his vacant downtown Minneapolis office building.
The space at 1200 Washington Av. S. had just been vacated by a supercomputing center, and Marinovich was having no luck ...Read more
Crime or peak urbanism? YIMBYs can't help but applaud the transit officials who built secret apartments inside Bay Area train stations
In California's Bay Area, where it can easily cost north of $900,000 to build a single new-unit of affordable housing, how did former Caltrain officials end up building two secret apartments inside two Peninsula stations for the measly sum of $50,000?
Not legally, San Mateo, California, prosecutors allege.
Former Caltrain Deputy Director ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Know if Stay-at-Home Is a Reasonable Solution
Dear Cheapskate: With two little boys, my husband and I are paying through the roof for day care. It seems like almost all the money I earn goes to child care, so I've been thinking of quitting my job and staying home with the kids. I'm enthusiastic at the thought of spending more time with them, but I also want to be sure my family will be OK ...Read more
Inside Consumer
Popular Stories
- Friends split a mortgage, share a home to beat high housing costs
- Real estate Q&A: Do I have to sell condo to another owner in building?
- Millions of New Yorkers facing rent hikes of up to 4% for 1-year lease
- May Fed meeting preview: Are rate cuts canceled or just delayed? Watch for these 3 key themes as inflation stays hot
- Erin Lowry: Your retirement anxiety can't be cured online