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Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Bay Area downtowns aren't dying – they're changing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For years, headlines have warned of downtown “doom loops” and “death spirals,” focusing on the office vacancies that have piled up since the pandemic. Take a walk through downtown San Jose, for instance, and you’ll see many once-bustling buildings quiet and mostly empty.

But while they’ve been slow to recover, the streets below them...Read more

John Konstantaras/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois is one step closer to banning 'junk fees' and hidden charges on renters

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — Sharon Gardner was paying her rent. But her Hanover Park apartment owner continued to pile up charges against her.

With eviction threats mounting, Gardner was told she owed more than $3,300 in unexpected fees — a $50 monthly charge for cable internet she never received, $5 a month for pest control, a $300 move-in fee...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can we still close home sale after low appraisal?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We are selling our home, and the buyer’s appraisal just came back $30,000 below the price we agreed on. Now the buyer is demanding that we drop the price to match the appraisal. We priced the house fairly and had multiple offers. Do we have to give in? — Carol

A: Few things deflate the excitement of an accepted offer faster than a low ...Read more

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Has Palo Alto unlocked the secret to downtown vibrancy?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

On a stroll down University Avenue in Palo Alto, California, on a spring Saturday evening, one can see parklets that were once parking spaces packed with well-heeled diners elegantly swirling wine glasses or digging into their meals inspired by culinary traditions from around the world.

Families line up down the block to order ice cream at Salt...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Downtown LA businesses are in crisis. Owners want politicians to deal with it

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Cemal Clik was rinsing some strawberries for lunch when he felt a gun on his temple.

The 61-year-old was sitting near his gift shop in downtown Los Angeles this month when two men threatened to kill him if he didn’t give up the gold chain hanging from his neck. They grabbed the chain and disappeared down South Broadway.

It took 45 minutes ...Read more

Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty/TNS

Where can Seattle ultrawealthy store their toys? Condos

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

In a city infamous for its high housing costs, Seattle’s ultrawealthy will soon be able to buy condos for their luxury cars and yachts.

Nearly 9 acres of a former industrial fuel terminal on Salmon Bay waterfront near the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard will undergo a transformation into an extravagant car collector garage, superyacht ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Fight over housing in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood enters a new phase

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Many people thought the long fight over whether the city can or should build housing near the baseball stadium was done in May. But it will now stretch out even longer, after an appeal filed last month that could also delay the city’s broader plans for growth in Seattle.

The city is in the midst of updating its plan to manage growth over the ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times/TNS

This new law could create a million new apartments and condominiums in California

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A new state law that allows denser housing development near major transit stops goes into effect in July, opening the door to construction of more than 1 million new units in California's urban centers.

The law forces cities to approve taller apartment and condominium complexes around rail stops, ferry terminals and rapid transit bus stops, ...Read more

A lifetime of savings lost: How elder financial exploitation is challenging banks and families

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Just months before she died at age 101, Phyllis Hood was facing a prospect she never imagined possible — running out of money.

The longtime Beaver County, Pennsylvania, nurse had spent decades caring for others. She lived frugally, attended Presbyterian church faithfully and saved diligently for retirement, her family said.

Yet, by early ...Read more

Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Las Vegans are bad with their money. Meet the guy who wants to change that

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Daniel Chi is on a couple of missions.

One, the chair of the Department of Finance at UNLV’s Lee Business School wants to increase financial literacy across Nevada. A recent study found that Nevada has the highest rate of credit card delinquencies and one of the highest overall debt burdens of any state.

About 3,000 students were taught ...Read more

Kara Gildea/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

What are 'pocket listings' in real estate and why are they so controversial?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

While the rise of pocket listings — when a residential property is put up for sale without being placed on the Multiple Listing Service — are tough to track, one local broker said it should concern anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home in the near future.

Multiple studies estimate pocket listings make up small portions of the overall ...Read more

Courtesy Ty and Allisha Setty/Stateline/TNS

First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The idea started with a sermon Micah Longmire heard at his Presbyterian church in Ogden, Utah, about the importance of grandparents in a child’s life.

Longmire, now 31, exchanged a look with his mother-in-law. “We were like, ‘I’d be OK living with you after that sermon,’ and the ball rolled downhill from there,” Longmire said.

Both...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can I avoid 'force-placed' insurance from my mortgage company?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: My insurance company just told me it will not renew my homeowners policy, and a few days later, my mortgage company warned that it will buy “lender-placed” insurance if I do not show proof of a new policy. I have never filed a claim in my life. What do I do, and is this force-placed insurance really as bad as it sounds? — Marcus

A: It ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Autonomous weapons firm Anduril betting big on Seattle office, shipyard

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SEATTLE — Defense contractor Anduril Industries is expanding in Seattle, with hiring plans to fill out what it calls its connected warfare headquarters.

After installing a small office in Seattle about six years ago, the Costa Mesa, California-based company has expanded into Bellevue and Seattle's ship canal, pumping millions of dollars into ...Read more

Wendy Gilch/TNS

Why Pennsylvania is moving to regulate firms offering home equity investments

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

PITTSBURGH -- Wendy Gilch wasn’t looking for a new financial threat lurking in the housing market when she opened TikTok.

The Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, consumer advocate was researching a completely different problem: companies she believed were violating the Federal Trade Commission’s advertising rules with fake testimonials, AI-...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Rent-hike ban to protect fire victims ends despite gouging concerns

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES -- A rule intended to prevent rent gouging in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires has lapsed in Los Angeles County, possibly exposing some renters to hikes.

The executive order that blocked rent increases was issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the devastating wildfires last year. Under the order, landlords couldn't increase ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/Yong Kim

Home price cuts and canceled contracts were less likely in the Philly region than in most major metros in April

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

PHILADELPHIA -- Signs point to a stronger housing market last month in the Philadelphia region than in most other major metropolitan areas.

In the Philadelphia metro, home sales were less likely to fall through and sellers were less likely to cut their prices in April, according to two Redfin analyses of the country’s 50 most populous ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Sale of Oceanwide Plaza graffiti towers in Los Angeles delayed

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The cleanup of one of the most notorious collections of graffiti in the country has been postponed again as the proposed buyer of the stalled Oceanwide Plaza development in downtown Los Angeles struggles to reach terms with city officials who must sign off on the $470 million sale.

Wiping clean the empty high-rise towers besmirching the city ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can condo association foreclose on my home over unpaid assessment?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: My condominium association is threatening to foreclose on my home over an unpaid assessment of $380 from last year. I had a financial hiccup, and, by the time I had the money, the interest, late fees, and their attorney’s fees had grown to more than $3,000. Can they really take my home over this? — Diane

A: It is terrifying to receive a ...Read more

Michael Ho/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

San Diego home values haven't kept up with inflation for 16 months

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

San Diego home prices continue to show gains, but any increase has been blunted by rising inflation, data released Tuesday shows

The San Diego metropolitan area’s home price increased 0.78% annually in March, said the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Indices report. At the same time, San Diego metro, which includes all of San Diego County, had an ...Read more