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Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Beverly Hills voters appear to reject world's richest man's Rodeo Drive hotel project

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The people of Beverly Hills have spoken, and they appear to have scuttled the world’s richest man’s plan to build an ultra-luxury hotel on Rodeo Drive.

In Tuesday’s special election, voters were deciding whether to rescind the City Council’s approval of a billion-dollar hotel project helmed by French multibillionaire Bernard Arnault and...Read more

Chitose Suzuki/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

'Shoptainment' will save shopping malls, analyst says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Before the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, industry analysts across the board were lamenting the death of the shopping mall.

Online shopping had gripped the American consumer, people were ordering dinner online with delivery right to their door, and once longstanding brick and mortar stores including massive chains were ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

This CEO wants to rent your empty desks: Five minutes with Larry Gadea

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Larry Gadea wants to grab your desk — and rent it out to the highest bidder. That empty boardroom, too. Gadea, the chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Envoy, founded his firm a decade ago to help companies more effectively manage office visitors and deliveries. Then the pandemic hit, and buildings went dark. But Gadea — who landed...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How should I handle major flood damage caused by neighbor?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I read with interest your recent article about the condo-dweller damaged by his neighbor’s leaky toilet. In that situation, the damage was minor. We had a situation where our upstairs neighbor had a major flood that severely damaged our apartment. Should we address this differently? —Janet

A: Yes, addressing a small leak that causes ...Read more

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Beverly Hills voters to decide the fate of ultra-luxury LVMH hotel project

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

In a city whose name is shorthand for exclusivity and wealth, the future of a planned ultra-opulent hotel will soon be decided by the most democratic of means: an election.

Beverly Hills voters will decide Tuesday whether to rescind the City Council's approval of a hotel project helmed by French multibillionaire Bernard Arnault and LVMH Moet ...Read more

Andrey Popov/Dreamstime/TNS

More Americans struggling with their finances, Fed survey shows

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Increasing numbers of Americans say they are struggling with their finances, according to a new Federal Reserve report revealing the toll that inflation has taken on U.S. households over the past year.

Some 73% of adults were “doing at least OK financially” as of October, down five percentage points from a year earlier and among the lowest ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Looking to apply for home equity lines of credit? Some larger banks have a pause on them

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For homeowners looking to take out new applications for home equity lines of credit, they may be out of luck with some of the larger banks.

A few of the major banks in the United States still have a pause on accepting new applications for home equity lines of credit, known as HELOC, amid what they describe as economic uncertainty.

A HELOC is a...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Bankrate: These fintechs are automating the budgeting process

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

While not a bank in the traditional sense, Oportun — formerly known as Digit — is offering a new way for consumers to do their banking that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Customers link their bills and credit cards, and Oportun’s algorithms determine how much should be allocated to each expense category when a deposit ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Bankrate: Super savers: How much is too much to put in a savings account?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Saving money and having an emergency fund can help you handle unplanned expenses and provide peace of mind — especially in uncertain times. But stashing away too much cash might not be the best personal finance strategy, either. It’s possible to have too much money sitting in a savings account that earns little or no interest.

The drawback ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

S&P 500 could plunge 20% if US fails to raise debt ceiling, UBS warns

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Stocks are primed for a precipitous drop if the U.S. fails to raise the debt limit and delays government payments.

That’s the warning from a team of UBS strategists. Although it’s unlikely, if the U.S. formally defaults and delays all payments beyond principal payments for a week, the S&P 500 will fall as much as 20% toward 3,400, the team...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

In a gentrified Bay Area, the former 'Rottenest City' fights to preserve its history

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, California, has been in Cole Tibbets’ family for over a century. He has memories of coming into the card room as a kid with his dad, hearing stories about the guys who lived in the boarding house-style apartments on the top floor. He’s now the manager, greeting regulars as they approach the front door, but ...Read more

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Chicago's rental market is stabilizing but seeing some of the fastest price increases in the US

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Bidding wars. Lack of inventory. Offers above asking price. All characteristics of the hot local housing market, these trends are now also showing up in Chicago’s rental market.

While rents are stabilizing in Chicago after red-hot hikes seen in 2021 and 2022, the market is experiencing its usual spring and summer tail winds. Rental listings ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Does my neighbor have to pay for water damage?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: The upstairs neighbor in my high-rise condominium had a leaking toilet, and the water damaged my ceiling. The repairs cost me over a thousand dollars. It took several phone calls and follow-ups to get him to fix the leaking toilet, and now he refuses to pay for the necessary repairs to my bathroom ceiling. What can I do? — Don

A: People ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

US housing starts rise in sign home construction is stabilizing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

U.S. housing starts increased in April, adding to evidence that residential real estate is gradually recovering after a yearlong slump.

Beginning home construction rose 2.2% to a 1.4 million annualized rate, according to government data released Wednesday. Single-family homebuilding increased 1.6% to the highest level this year, entirely due to...Read more

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times/TNS

They added an ADU that's 'not too big' and 'not too small' to their LA fixer-upper

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES – Standing at the front of Danielle Rago and Darren Hochberg's home in Larchmont Village, where a concrete sidewalk welcomes you, the ordinary path becomes something extraordinary as it takes you on a journey from the street, through the house, to where the sidewalk ends — an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in the backyard.

As ...Read more

Scott Olson/Getty Images North America/TNS

Chicago's empty office towers threaten its future as a major financial hub

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

In the heart of Chicago’s financial center, a seven-story building occupying much of a city block was once home to the world’s largest options exchange. Now, it’s collecting dust.

The property, for decades home to the floor where options traders jostled and screamed orders at each other, has been on the market since 2019, but owner Cboe ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Debt-limit default risk is higher than ever. How can you safeguard your wealth?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The risk of a US debt default is greater than it’s ever been, threatening to tip global markets into a brand-new world of pain. For investors, there are few places to hide other than the oldest hedge in the book: gold.

The precious metal is by far the top pick for those seeking protection in case Washington’s game of chicken over the debt ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Bankrate: Trying to time the stock market? Read this first

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Timing the market refers to buying securities when the price is low and selling them when the price is high. Trying to time the market can be tempting because it might seem like you can make a lot of money, but it’s not without risks.

Buy low, sell high. While it’s simple in theory, in reality, it’s highly unlikely you will be able to ...Read more

Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Why single women in the US far outpace men in house buying

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Mary Woods has a career with erratic schedules and unpredictable paychecks, but she saved money and kept her credit score high so she could buy a house on her own.

The purchase was a priority, said Woods, 43, a production worker in the film industry who has been in her DeKalb County, Georgia, home for nearly two years, glad for friendly ...Read more

Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS

Some condo buyers are hesitant to purchase as they wait out new rules

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Some uncertainty among potential condominium buyers is brewing as they wait to see how the latest state guidelines on condo safety play out.

Florida lawmakers approved a revised version in early May of last year’s guidelines on ensuring safety in condo buildings in an effort to smooth out the process, though experts say that some buyers are ...Read more