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Fewer people are moving as interest rates, rents rise
Most people move during the spring and summer months, but many would-be movers stayed put this May and June amid higher interest rates and rising rents, according to change-of-address data from the U.S. Postal Service.
Every state saw fewer people moving in compared with the same time last year, but the declines were most pronounced in New York...Read more

They worried about long-term housing for their disabled son -- until they built an ADU
LOS ANGELES -- Walking into the sunlit accessory dwelling unit just steps from his family's home in Culver City, Adrian Perez places his hands on the wall of his bedroom and smiles broadly.
"Adrian likes to touch everything," explains his mother, Andrea Villicana. "When the ADU was completed, he knocked on all the walls and tested the acoustics...Read more
The short-term rental market took off during the pandemic's real estate boom, but at what cost?
Needing places to either work from temporarily or vacation as they escaped pandemic restrictions, COVID fleers made South Florida one of their top destinations.
And with them came an increased need for short-term housing, or vacation rentals.
“It appears mostly in the Sunbelt states, particularly in Florida, in South Carolina, where we have ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: How can I stop neighbor from pointing flood light at my house?
Q: My neighbor and I had a falling out, after which he set up a bright flood light that points directly into my home. I cannot keep the blinds open on an entire side of my house. He also harassed me in other ways, such as throwing junk over the fences and making loud noises at inappropriate times. What can I do? — Anonymous
A: I usually ...Read more

Housing slowdown? Looming recession? Not for the ultra-rich buyers of LA's 8-figure condos
To unveil one of the grandest penthouses ever to be built in Los Angeles, its developers threw a little dinner party.
Two dozen of L.A.’s top real estate agents — the sunglasses-indoors kind who regularly appear on reality television — were tended to by a cadre of young women in identical cream outfits, hired for the evening to serve as �...Read more

California's Deaf community is leading push for affordable teacher housing
During the day, Mel Vezina supervises and mentors high school boys who live on campus at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont.
At night, he sleeps in his van.
One year ago, after working for more than a decade at the school, and living out of his van, Vezina saved enough money to buy a house in Sacramento with the help of a roommate. ...Read more
Here's how much you need to earn to buy a home in the Bay Area
Thinking of buying a home in the Bay Area? You’ll need to make at least $250,000 a year to comfortably afford it.
That’s by far the highest homebuyer salary necessary anywhere in the country, and more than triple the average required nationwide income of $75,000 a year, according to a recent report by mortgage data website HSH.com.
The Bay...Read more

In Colorado mountain towns, where affordable housing is scarce, 'even living out of your car is gentrified'
SALIDA, Colorado — Blocked from sleeping in vehicles parked within municipal boundaries, workers in profit-minded Colorado mountain towns now must seek “safe outdoor space” — in Walmart lots, forests or newly designated areas with Wi-Fi and access to bathrooms.
But homeowners oppose these SOS zones in Salida and Breckenridge as “band-...Read more
Searches for 'sell my house' soar as housing market changes
More people are looking to put their homes on the market as internet searches for selling a house have shot up.
Searches online for “sell my house” have soared in the United States, rising 147% as of July, according to an analysis of Google Trends by luxury home brands Ruby Homes.
“The analysis reveals that searches for ‘sell my house�...Read more
Student-loan freeze led to big credit-score gains, NY Fed says
The pandemic-era freeze on student debt payments has “dramatically” improved credit scores for Americans who borrowed money to pay for college, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said.
About 30 million people saw improvements in their risk profile, with the biggest gains going to borrowers who were delinquent before the pandemic, New ...Read more

Meme-stock frenzy returns, baffling Wall Street's 'smart guys'
Retail traders who lurk in forums like Reddit’s WallStreetBets are back to betting against Wall Street pros and the Federal Reserve as rallies for meme stocks like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. show shades of last year’s mania.
The home-good retailer nearly tripled at one point during its nine-day winning streak...Read more

Nursing homes are suing the friends and family of residents to collect debts
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Lucille Brooks was stunned when she picked up the phone before Christmas two years ago and learned a nursing home was suing her.
“I thought this was crazy,” recalled Brooks, 74, a retiree who lives with her husband in a modest home in the Rochester suburbs. Brooks’ brother had been a resident of the nursing home. But ...Read more

The Great Fire slowed interest in wood buildings, but Chicago's first mass timber tower could soon take shape
CHICAGO — Developer Sterling Bay is set to begin construction of Chicago’s first mass timber building, a nine-story, apartment tower in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. If approved by City Council, the $50 million development may kick off widespread use of the modern technique, already popular in other cities, which boosters claim is more ...Read more

The US climate bill could make now the best time to go solar
If signed into law as written, the climate bill before the U.S. Congress would change the calculus for American households thinking about going solar. The legislation stands to make that transition more affordable while also subsidizing purchases of electric cars, heat pumps, high-tech water heaters and battery-storage systems — clean-energy ...Read more

Socially responsible investing 2022: How to get started in 6 steps
If you want to put your dollars into causes you care about, one of the easiest ways to get started is through socially responsible investing. The strategy prioritizes financial return with the caveat that the money is invested to fuel positive change in three key areas: environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). Perhaps you’re ...Read more

Commentary: The fatal flaw in your retirement plan's target date funds
There was a major development in 2006 that transformed how Americans invest for retirement. It solved one problem, but created another that will be causing extra pain to people who retire in this economy.
The mid-2000s was the start of the nudge revolution, where policy makers thought they could coax people into more desirable behavior. The ...Read more

Erin Lowry: Millennials should use those Roth IRAs to invest for college
If there’s one thing the impending back-to-school season makes clear, it’s that the cost of higher education in the U.S. is nerve-racking. The average tuition and fees for the 2021 to 2022 school year is $10,338 at an in-state public college, $22,698 at an out-of-state and $38,185 at a private school, according to U.S. News data.
Based on ...Read more
Great Chicago Fire slowed interest in wood buildings, but city's first mass timber tower could soon take shape
CHICAGO — Developer Sterling Bay is set to begin construction of Chicago’s first mass timber building, a nine-story, apartment tower in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. If approved by City Council, the $50 million development may kick off widespread use of the modern technique, already popular in other cities, which boosters claim is more ...Read more

Almost half of US mortgaged homes now considered equity-rich
Home ownership has reached a milestone in the U.S.
Nearly half of mortgaged properties were considered equity-rich in the second quarter — meaning owners had at least 50% in home equity. This marked the ninth straight quarterly rise, fueled by soaring house valuations in the pandemic era and an increase in down payments by recent buyers, ...Read more

Commentary: Who's to blame for the priciest housing in history?
With so much attention fixed on soaring prices for gasoline and groceries, one can almost overlook the fact that we’re also enduring an affordable housing crisis. The question is, why?
Spanning the pandemic era from February 2020 through May 2022, home prices soared 43.5%. Over the past 12 months, home prices are up 19.7%, while residential ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Nursing homes are suing the friends and family of residents to collect debts
- Young adults moved home and then back out during the pandemic, disrupting millions of households
- Commentary: The fatal flaw in your retirement plan's target date funds
- Here's how much you need to earn to buy a home in the Bay Area
- In Colorado mountain towns, where affordable housing is scarce, 'even living out of your car is gentrified'