Consumer
/Home & Leisure
Treasury unveils rule to ban large investors from homebuying
The Treasury Department on Thursday proposed new regulations to bar large institutional investors from buying up single-family homes, the latest step in the process to implement the most controversial section of the sweeping bipartisan housing law passed this summer.
Under the law, the ban — which prohibits investors with more than 350 ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Can we keep deposit after buyer backed out of home sale?
Q: We had our house under contract. and everything was on track. The inspection period had passed, and the buyer’s loan was approved; then he simply changed his mind because he found another house he liked better. We took our home off the market for six weeks for him. He left a good-sized deposit in escrow. Can we keep it? — Theodore
A: You...Read more
Las Vegas home sellers turn to mortgage buydowns to attract buyers
To buydown or not to buydown? That’s become a pressing question for Las Vegas Valley home sellers as mortgage rates remain elevated and buyers struggle with affordability.
With 30-year mortgage rates hovering above 7 percent since September, home sellers are increasingly being asked to help buyers lower their monthly payments through mortgage...Read more
US pending home sales plunged in September to a record low
Pending sales of existing U.S. homes fell to a record low in September as high mortgage rates continued to weigh on demand.
An index of contract signings from the National Association of Realtors tumbled 7.3% to 66 last month, its lowest reading since records began in 2001, according to data released Tuesday. The decline was sharper than any ...Read more
Musk plans to gift SpaceX shares to kids through Trump Accounts
Elon Musk vowed to distribute a share of SpaceX to each child in the U.S., a multibillion-dollar pledge that adds to a string of sizable donations from the tech industry for the benefit of the American public.
“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” the company’s chief executive officer wrote Monday on X,...Read more
Dan Gilbert pledges $1 billion for RenCen revamp, nonprofit to own complex
DETROIT — Mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert has pledged $1 billion to establish a new nonprofit that will redevelop, own and operate the Renaissance Center and surrounding 35-acre east riverfront district, officials said Oct. 19.
The contribution comes as the $2 billion project with RenCen owner General Motors Co. moves forward with plans to ...Read more
Donating to charity? Your generosity could pay off at tax time this year
For years, people have faithfully dropped money into church collection plates, supported their favorite charities or helped fund local nonprofits — only to discover their donations didn’t save them a dime in federal income taxes.
Now, a new tax law is changing that.
Starting with the 2026 tax year, taxpayers who take the standard deduction...Read more
US homebuilder sentiment drops to 14-year low on weak sales
Confidence among U.S. homebuilders this month slumped to a 14-year low as mortgage rates above 7%, labor shortages and elevated supply costs batter the housing market.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo gauge of housing market conditions fell 3 points to 29, the lowest since June 2012. The median estimate in a Bloomberg ...Read more
CoreWeave stock wipeout exposes divide between AI fear and greed
CoreWeave Inc. has become caught in a tug of war between investors who see rising bond yields as a potential rally killer for the AI trade and those who think demand for computing power will make those concerns seem passe before long.
The cloud-computing services provider’s shares plunged 20% in the first three sessions of the week, including...Read more
Malibu's million-dollar mansions, burned by fire, face a new threat from El Niño
Duke’s Malibu has endured one disaster after another. The famed restaurant perched over the Pacific narrowly survived last year’s Palisades Fire, though smoke left it badly damaged. Five weeks later, a mudslide forced it to close for 13 months.
Last weekend, waves came crashing through its windows.
Workers scrambled to board up the ...Read more
Detroit's Renaissance Center embroiled in dispute over what constitutes affordable housing
DETROIT — Developers of the proposed $2.2 billion Renaissance Center project are resisting calls for deeper affordable housing commitments, as Detroit residents press for lower rents and millions of dollars in housing assistance in exchange for public subsidies toward a reimagining of the iconic riverfront complex.
Nearly 200 apartments in ...Read more
NYC's iconic Plaza Hotel to close down for 4-year facade renovation
New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel is closing for a four-year renovation of its historic facade.
The closure, which is set to begin in Jan. 2027, will accommodate repairs to the hotel’s landmarked exterior, ensuring guest safety and adhering to preservation requirements, Plaza management said in a statement Wednesday.
The hotel operators ...Read more
Inside a California shopping center's struggle to reinvent mall food
LOS ANGELES — Westfield Topanga is one of Southern California's most popular malls, but it has grappled with what to do with the empty space left when it lost its Sears.
Joining a national wave of malls trying to become fancy food destinations, it launched its food hall — Topanga Social — in 2023, with high-end menus and an upgraded ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: What should we check before we buy a house near the water?
Q: We found a beautiful home a few blocks from the water and are ready to make an offer. Friends keep warning us about flood zones and insurance, and one even mentioned something called an elevation certificate. We don’t want to talk ourselves out of a house we love, but we also don’t want a nasty surprise. What should we check before we buy...Read more
US mortgage rates reach 7.5%; home-buying slump hits sixth week
U.S. mortgage rates continue to rise, pushing down home purchasing activity for a sixth straight week.
The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage ticked up 1 basis point to 7.50% in the week ended Oct. 9, still the highest level since November 2023, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. Rates are up nearly 1 ...Read more
US retirees to get another $75 a month for 2027 Social Security
Monthly checks for nearly 72 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027, the most in four years.
The cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA, will apply to Social Security benefits starting in January and increase the average benefit for retired workers by $75 per month to $2,170, the Social Security ...Read more
JPMorgan Chase reports 10-year return on $200 million in Chicago philanthropic investments
JPMorgan Chase issued a report this week seeking to determine the return on $214 million in philanthropic investments it made over the past decade into developing underserved Chicago communities.
While perhaps a little harder to measure than more traditional financial investments, the answer is: a lot, or more precisely, hundreds of them.
...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Is seller financing a good idea?
Q: Our house has been sitting on the market for months, and a buyer finally offered full price if we would finance the sale ourselves instead of making him get a bank loan. We own the home free and clear and like the idea of the monthly income. Is seller financing a good idea, or are we asking for trouble? — Walter
A: Seller financing can be ...Read more
The Bloc is back on the market as downtown LA's office market shows signs of bottoming out
The Bloc, a massive mixed-use complex in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, is on the block for sale as the commercial property market shows signs it is bottoming out with buildings changing hands at big discounts.
The complex fills a city block in the financial district with an office skyscraper, the high-rise Sheraton Grand hotel and a ...Read more
US apartment sizes are growing. Not in San Diego
Average U.S. apartment sizes have risen but not in San Diego where space is at a premium.
San Diego’s average new apartment size was 827 square feet in 2025, said a new study from rental website RentCafe, less than the national average of 910 square feet. San Diego’s apartment size was unchanged from the previous year, whereas the national ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Dan Gilbert pledges $1 billion for RenCen revamp, nonprofit to own complex
- Musk plans to gift SpaceX shares to kids through Trump Accounts
- US pending home sales plunged in September to a record low
- Donating to charity? Your generosity could pay off at tax time this year
- Las Vegas home sellers turn to mortgage buydowns to attract buyers






