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Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register/TNS

Homebuyer contract bill heads to governor's desk

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A bill limiting homebuyer contracts to three months passed the state Legislature last week and is on its way to the governor’s desk.

If Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signs it, the measure would take effect Jan. 1, making California one of at least 22 states with laws requiring home shoppers to have a buyer-representation agreement with their agents. ...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Demolition of iconic Sears complex starts, opening a new era for high-tech industry

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Workers have started tearing down the vacant Sears world headquarters in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a necessary next step in converting the iconic 2.4 million-square-foot complex into a data center site.

“No one is going to come in and say I want 2 million square feet of office space,” said Village Manager Eric Palm. “...Read more

Jerritt Clark/Fashion Nova/Getty Images North America/TNS

Why Fashion Nova bought a $118-million office space in Beverly Hills

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — When fast-fashion retailer Fashion Nova was searching for a new headquarters, the pull of Beverly Hills was strong.

The city is one of the world’s luxury capitals, and its palm tree-lined streets are home to billionaires, Hollywood stars and high-end brands including Gucci and Dior. Compared with Fashion Nova’s current base ...Read more

Hyosub Shin/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Report: Home Depot spent billions on its own shares instead of raising pay

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Home Depot ranks in the bottom 100 companies in the S&P 500 index for median pay. But it ranks near the top of those corporations in buying back its own stock shares, billions that instead could have been spent improving wages, according to a report from a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Lowe’s and Home Depot ranked No. 1 and No. 2, ...Read more

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Allstate receives approval for 34% increase in homeowners insurance rates

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Allstate has received approval to raise its California homeowners insurance premiums by an average of 34% starting in November — the largest rate increase this year amid the state's insurance crisis.

The rate increase approved earlier this month by state regulators affects more than 350,000 policyholders statewide and exceeds a 30% increase ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How long should I keep records related to condo sale?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I helped my father sell his condo in 2017 and have been storing the paperwork from when he originally purchased it to when he sold it. I want to shred the papers, but I was wondering if I need to hold on to them for a certain length of time. How long should I keep the paperwork? — Lois

A: Good record-keeping can make a big difference ...Read more

José Luis Villegas/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

California moves toward helping undocumented immigrants with down payments in home loan program

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom will soon determine if undocumented immigrants in California can qualify for a popular state-backed home loan program.

The Democrat-supermajority Legislature passed the contentious measure, Assembly Bill 1840, on Wednesday afternoon. The bill now heads to the desk of Newsom, who will have to weigh the ...Read more

California lawmakers approve bill to extend home mortgage aid to undocumented immigrants

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The California Assembly gave final appoval Wednesday to a bill that could help undocumented immigrants in California buy homes, despite opposition from Republicans who said it would encourage more Mexican immigrants to cross the border illegally.

Elon Musk went as far as posting on his social platform X that "half of Earth should move to ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

The six fire-, flood- and storm-prone cities where billionaires love to buy homes

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Rising interest rates. Natural disasters. There are a host of reasons not to buy a home in the current real estate market — particularly in certain areas. But the ultra-rich are unfazed.

As most of the market recovers from its pandemic hangover, megamansions in some cities have been immune to the slowdown. Across the country, billionaires are...Read more

The richest man in Pennsylvania invests in kids' soccer classes, car repair, hiring tech and more

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

From its busy trading floors just outside Philadelphia, Susquehanna International Group has grown since its 1987 founding into one of the dozen biggest U.S. firms that bet their own money — trillions a year, in Susquehanna's case — on stocks, options, futures, and anything else that changes hands in securities markets.

Susquehanna's success...Read more

Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Inflation is cooling. Here's what a Temple professor says you should do now

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Inflation is under 3% for the first time in three years, according to the Consumer Price Index Report released earlier this month, with the Federal Reserve poised to begin interest-rate cuts starting next month.

In July, inflation dropped to 2.9% year-over-year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. That was a slight decrease from June, ...Read more

Kevin Spear/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Mormon church seeks to annex 52,450 acres of ranchland to Orlando

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

An investment arm of the Mormon church applied today to annex 52,450 acres of ranchland to the city of Orlando, Florida, a massive addition that would increase the physical size of the city by nearly 60 percent.

The land-owning entity, known as Farmland Reserve, says it has no immediate plans to develop the land, which will be annexed as the �...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Survey: ATM fees reach 26-year high while overdraft fees inch back up

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Accessing the money from your checking or savings account keeps getting more expensive, if you’re using an out-of-network ATM. In fact, average total ATM fees continue their climb to $4.77 this year, according to Bankrate’s 2024 checking account and ATM fee study. This reflects an increase from $4.73 last year and the highest annual amount ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Inherited 401(k) rules: What beneficiaries need to know

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If a loved one has named you as a beneficiary of their 401(k), knowing how to make the best use of the bequest is another way to honor them. How to best use an inherited 401(k) depends on a number of factors — first and foremost your relationship with the primary account holder.

Here are the key rules to know when inheriting a 401(k) and how ...Read more

Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

US sues RealPage, alleging its software allows landlords to coordinate rent increases

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday sued a major real estate firm, alleging the company's algorithmic software enables landlords across the country to set rent at artificially high rates.

The lawsuit, joined by several states including California, focuses on software from Texas-based company RealPage. The software is used by many landlords...Read more

Trekandshoot/Dreamstime/TNS

US mortgage rates drop to a 2024 low as buyers await Fed cuts

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Mortgage rates in the U.S. resumed their downward path, dropping to a new low for the year.

The average for a 30-year, fixed loan was 6.46%, down from 6.49% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday.

Borrowing costs are down significantly after topping 7% earlier this year, giving house hunters more purchasing power and coaxing some...Read more

Frank Wiese/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Final orange grove in the San Fernando Valley is likely to give way to luxury homes

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A century-old orange grove in Tarzana, California, appears on its way to becoming the site of luxury homes, a transformation that would mark the end of commercial citrus farming in the San Fernando Valley, where the crop was once a mainstay.

At 14 acres, Bothwell Ranch represents less than one-thousandth of what once was, before the orchards ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can a lender increase monthly payments to cover higher property tax?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We purchased our house last year from a lovely couple that had lived there for several decades. Our bank is taking care of our tax and insurance payments. Our lender drastically increased our payment when the new tax roll came out. This higher payment is hard to swallow as we counted on the old amount when making our budget. Can they do this?...Read more

Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Harris proposes $25,000 in downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers, crackdowns on corporate landlords

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With California’s housing affordability crisis spreading across the U.S., Vice President Kamala Harris last week unveiled her economic agenda, aimed at lowering housing costs for both homeowners and renters around the country.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee seems to be pulling a few moves from California housing advocates’ ...Read more

Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Las Vegas is seeing one of the largest industrial booms in the nation

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

North Las Vegas definitely falls within that “Goldilocks zone” when it comes to the industrial space, one of the biggest developers in the area said.

“You’ve got great freeway access with the I-15 going through and the 93 and 215 (Beltway) in close proximity, it’s kind of the crux of everywhere coming together,” said Lisa Brady, who...Read more