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A wildfire charred their LA yard -- but it let them create a lush native plant landscape
LOS ANGELES -- It was 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2019, and Phil Hinch was in his bed, "dead to the world," when he heard someone pounding on the door of his Porter Ranch home. His wife, Margaret, was on a business trip in New York; their two young children were in their rooms, fast asleep.
The porch was empty when he groggily opened his front door,...Read more
Atlanta ranked as best US city for Black homebuyers
New research published Thursday found Atlanta is the best city for Black people who want to get on the housing ladder. But it also reinforced findings on the gulf between white and Black homeownership in the US.
The report published by Columbia, Miss.-based Mortgage Research Center suggests the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta area is the most ...Read more
Does your deed say Black, Jewish, or Polish people can't live in your home? In Pa., there's a new way to address old discriminatory language
In 1927, 44 homeowners living on West Penn Street in Germantown, Pennsylvania, got together to write a rule for who could and couldn’t buy or rent their properties. They excluded everyone “other than those of the Caucasian race.”
And then they went even further.
If anyone of any other race occupied any of the properties, the covenant ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: What should we do if our house is damaged by a hurricane?
Q: We are new to Florida and dealing with our first major storm. Many people are telling us how to prepare, but not the realities of dealing with damage to our new home, should it occur. What do we do if something happens? — Justin
A: Natural disasters can occur no matter where someone lives. For some people, it could be a hurricane; for ...Read more
Office vacancy levels soar to record highs in biggest Bay Area markets
SAN JOSE, California — The Bay Area’s three primary office markets, haunted by empty buildings, have reached forbidding new milestones of record-high vacancy levels, according to a grim new report.
Silicon Valley, which roughly equates to Santa Clara County; downtown Oakland; and San Francisco all hit record-high office vacancy rates in the...Read more
Miamians are the most rent-burdened people in America -- and they're stressed about it
Their budgets strained, Miami metro residents are distressed about life in their increasingly unaffordable community.
More than three-quarters of South Floridians report difficulty paying for usual household expenses, according to the Census Bureau’s newest Household Pulse Survey released on Thursday.
That makes greater Miami — which ...Read more
Some California homesellers are letting buyers who can't get insured pull out of deals
To protect themselves from entering into a deal that could come back to bite them, homebuyers are advised to write contingencies into an offer, so they can pull out of a deal or renegotiate the price if an inspection or appraisal surfaces new issues.
But what if a buyer can’t find insurance?
This summer, the California Association of ...Read more
The 2024 election and your retirement: How to stay financially prepared regardless of who wins
The 2024 elections are right around the corner, and it’s been one of the most contentious campaign seasons in recent memory. For retirees, the outcome of the election has some ramifications, especially with a looming Social Security shortfall, which could lead to drastic cuts in benefits. Whoever is elected this year could help shape how the ...Read more
Does an annuity make sense if you don't have a high net worth?
Annuities have long been touted as a reliable way to generate income in retirement. But the upfront cost of an annuity can deter some people who believe they need a substantial net worth to make purchasing one worthwhile.
While it’s true that some annuities, especially those offering guaranteed lifetime income, require significant capital, ...Read more
Survey: Americans think money is more taboo to talk about than their political or religious views
American culture changes at a breakneck pace — just ask fans of Stanley cups and skinny jeans in 2024. But over the past decades, one mantra hasn’t changed much: Don’t talk about your personal finances. Today, money is such an awkward topic that only 38% of U.S. adults feel comfortable discussing their bank account balances with family and...Read more
Commentary: MAGA's praise of 'real Americans' has a dark history
We’ve heard a great deal about so-called “real Americans” in this presidential campaign.
It was a theme of this summer’s Republican National Convention, where speakers like Hulk Hogan and UFC CEO Dana White used the phrase to praise Donald Trump and his supporters. And more recently, the former president and his running mate, JD Vance, ...Read more
Philadelphia's office buildings have lost over $1 billion in assessed value
The assessed value of Center City office buildings fell by over $1 billion in recent years, the Office of Property Assessments (OPA) reported to City Council this week. That spells trouble for the City of Philadelphia’s tax revenue.
The assessed value fell from $9.82 billion in tax year 2023 to $8.78 billion in tax year 2025, OPA stated, amid...Read more
Looking to buy or sell a condo unit? Get to know your building's structural inspection reports
Becoming familiar with two structural inspection reports that condo associations are required to submit this year can save buyers money or help them avoid making an expensive mistake.
Sellers will need to know what’s in their associations’ Milestone Inspection report and Structural Integrity Reserve Study before closing on a used condo unit...Read more
Seattle churches wanting to build affordable housing face testing times
SEATTLE — The leaders of Saint Mark’s Cathedral on Capitol Hill have a vision: New neighbors living in the nearly century-old brick building the church owns just next to its cathedral. But landing one of Seattle’s overwhelmed affordable-housing developers proved challenging.
In Lake City, a Mennonite church housed in an old movie theater ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: How do we fix a defective deed?
Q: My wife recently inherited an apartment. My wife was added to the deed some years ago to get the property as part of her mother’s estate plan. We already have a home and do not want to deal with tenants, so we decided to sell it. The closing agent tells us that the original deed to my mother-in-law from a couple of decades ago is defective ...Read more
You grew your first outdoor pot plant. Here are 4 things you need to do next
LOS ANGELES -- Back in the spring, Emily Gogol and Penny Barthel barnstormed L.A.-area nurseries and gardening centers with a series of USDA-sponsored Grow It From Home workshops that spread a simple message: Cultivating cannabis in your backyard is not only as easy as growing tomatoes, but Southern California turns out to be one of the best ...Read more
How to save for retirement when you're in your 50s
Once you reach your 50s, it is crunch time for saving for retirement. If you set a retirement savings target but have been neglecting it, you need to dust it off for a careful review. (Working with a financial adviser can help get you back on track.)
Once you’ve reacquainted yourself with the financial destination you want to reach, take ...Read more
Southern California's hottest commercial real estate market is for tenants that aren't human
Where Wilshire Boulevard begins in downtown Los Angeles, thousands of miles of undersea fiber-optic cables disappear into an ordinary-looking office tower.
One Wilshire is the mother of all data centers in the West, a discreet terminus for major digital links between Asia and North America that help sustain the world's bottomless need for data ...Read more
Penn Staters don't have to bribe the bouncer to skip the line at their favorite bar this homecoming weekend. There's an app for that
It’s Friday night of a football weekend in Happy Valley.
Every bar in the college town is packed, with some lines snaking around the block. As they wait, jacketless bar-goers huddle together, shivering in the crisp autumn air, while Penn State alumni who have fallen out of practice with late-night revelry stifle yawns.
It’s an experience ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Can condo board force sale to another owner instead of a family member?
Q: My cousin is getting married and agreed to sell me her apartment for a great price. We drew up a contract so that I could get a mortgage loan, and I interviewed with the condo board. Now, the condo tells us that my cousin must sell it to another owner who already lives in the building. She is only selling it at a discount because we are ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Does your deed say Black, Jewish, or Polish people can't live in your home? In Pa., there's a new way to address old discriminatory language
- Office vacancy levels soar to record highs in biggest Bay Area markets
- Miamians are the most rent-burdened people in America -- and they're stressed about it
- Real estate Q&A: What should we do if our house is damaged by a hurricane?
- Atlanta ranked as best US city for Black homebuyers