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Real estate Q&A: Should I take HOA to small claims court over landscaping demand?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We live in a gated community with an HOA and had our landscaping plan approved by the Architectural Review Committee in 2015. This plan included adding shrubbery and rocks around a roadside tree. Recently, the HOA management stated that this area is community property, and the landscaping violates community rules, demanding its removal at our...Read more

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/TNS

5 things to know about Baltimore's grants to revive vacant properties

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Baltimore is aiming to reduce its thousands of vacant properties by offering grant funds to those who are interested in fixing them up.

Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, announced the “first round” of City-Wide Affordable Housing TIF Funds last week. The initiative is part of a $3 billion plan over 15 years from the two-term mayor that aims ...Read more

Ivy Ceballo/The Seattle Times/TNS

Amazon pledged to support affordable housing. How has it fared so far?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

It's a sunny, September day in SeaTac, Washington, and three kids are playing in the courtyard of Connection Angle Lake, a new 130-unit affordable housing project roughly 50 feet from the last stop on Sound Transit's 1 Line.

Inside, the studios, one-bedroom and multi-bedroom apartments look fresh with stainless steel appliances and views that ...Read more

Joe States/Pioneer Press/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Gurnee Mills announces new slate of businesses: 'The death of malls is vastly overrated'

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

GURNEE, Illinois — Gurnee Mills, a mall located in a northern exurb of Chicago, recently announced a new slate of stores and businesses coming to the mall in the near future, a sign of its “thriving” health, according to shopping center representatives.

It’s a far cry from reports that came out about the mall leading up to the pandemic,...Read more

350jb/Dreamstime/TNS

Mortgage rate scenarios to watch following a likely Fed rate cut

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Nearly everyone thinks the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this week. That sentiment has translated to falling mortgage rates. Last week, the average 30-year fixed rate dropped to 6.38%, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. Rates haven’t been this low in nearly a year.

“These lower rates reflect growing market ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

AI is transforming how we bank: What this means for your money

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Artifical intelligence (AI) is likely to reshape our lives in as big a way as the internet did in the 1990s and smartphones did in the 2000s (scary or exciting as that may be). That means changes to your regular life and your banking life, too. You’re likely encountering AI in your financial life already, with or without knowing it.

Banks ...Read more

Epicstock/Dreamstime/TNS

13 states that don't tax your retirement income

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

When their working days eventually come to an end, many retirees will think about the best place to spend their golden years. Not all states treat retirement income — such as pension payouts or distributions from 401(k) plans and IRAs — the same way, which makes state and local taxes a key consideration for anyone expecting to be on a fixed ...Read more

Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Analysis says San Francisco's housing costs have returned to 'normal'. What does that mean?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A report recently released by real estate company Redfin makes a startling claim: San Francisco's housing costs have returned to "normal."

The City by the Bay, consistently ranked as one of the most expensive in the U.S., has seen signs that the housing market is leveling out: Home-price growth is slowing and mortgage rates are starting to fall...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Is our new home in an HOA neighborhood or not?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We just bought a house in a nice neighborhood that we thought didn’t have a homeowners association. One of the neighbors told us there is an association, but all it does is maintain the road. We are being asked to pay a hundred dollars once a year. Is this legit? — Dan

A: Buying a home is an exciting milestone, but it can come with ...Read more

Hyosub Shin/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

How Home Depot uncovered the biggest alleged retail theft in its history

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The bust last month of members of an alleged organized retail theft ring in California that Home Depot said was the largest in its history was the result of a corporate investigation years in the making.

In an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a Home Depot official detailed how the company tracked the alleged members, ...Read more

Dreamstime/TNS

What is the rule of 55 and how does it work?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The rule of 55 can benefit workers who have an employer-sponsored retirement account such as a 401(k) and are looking to retire early or need access to the funds if they’ve lost their job near the end of their career. It can be a lifeline for workers who need cash flow and lack other viable alternatives.

Here’s how the rule of 55 works and ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: What can I do after neighbor trimmed my hedge without permission?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: My next-door neighbor has been pressuring me to trim my hedge to match his landscaping, but I haven’t wanted to. A couple of weeks ago, I came home and found that he had trimmed the hedge himself, the way he wanted it. I was furious, and he essentially told me that he was going to do it anyway and that I should deal with it. What are my ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

How a Macy's parking structure became LA's latest luxury apartment complex

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — An unlikely corner of one of L.A.'s once-famous/now-dead malls is open for business again this week as residents move into luxury apartments on the spot that used to be a Macy's parking lot.

The Westside Pavilion was one of the city's premier shopping venues and a cultural touchstone for generations of Angelenos, appearing in ...Read more

April Saul/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Why this major builder is shifting to data centers in Trump's America

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Skanska USA Building builds big. One of the 10 largest general contractors in the United States, its Swedish owners bought Blue Bell-based Barclay White in 2000; added their name and capital; built a national staff of engineers, architects, and managers; and now have offices directing construction in New York and California, Texas and Florida, ...Read more

Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Bernard Arnault bets on LA's Rodeo Drive with new Tiffany, Louis Vuitton flagship

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Bernard Arnault is pressing ahead with two major developments on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, tightening his grip on one of the world’s most exclusive retail corridors.

Arnault’s luxury conglomerate, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, is planning a new Tiffany & Co. flagship store on the site of the old Luxe Hotel, which will be ...Read more

Hyosub Shin/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Home Depot's $5.5B GMS deal gets final antitrust clearance with Canadian OK

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Home Depot has checked another box for its pending acquisition, a $5.5 billion deal to buy specialty building products distributor GMS Inc.

Home Depot said Friday it has received clearance from the Canadian Competition Bureau in the form of a “no-action” letter. Home Depot and GMS both do business in Canada.

Home Depot says it has now ...Read more

Dreamstime/TNS/TNS

Do you live here? 41 states where you might outlive your retirement savings

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Forty percent of baby boomers fear they will outlive their retirement savings. Several recent studies suggest they are right to worry.

Seniors in 41 states are projected to have more expenses than income during their golden years, putting them at risk for outliving their retirement savings, according to a new study by Seniorly, an assisted ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: What happens if I can't afford to pay 'huge' condo assessment?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: Our condo board just passed a huge special assessment to fix the roof. I live on a fixed income and cannot afford to pay it. Is there anything I can do? — Ruth Ann

A: Special assessments can be a financial challenge for condominium owners, especially when they come unexpectedly.

These assessments are typically levied when the association�...Read more

Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle-area real estate agents go where homebuyers scroll

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Lights. Camera. Sold.

As new generations of homebuyers enter the housing market, real estate agents are adapting their marketing strategies to win their attention — and business.

Agents, once popping up on highway billboards and showing up at community events to draw homebuyers and sellers, are now building influencer-like presence on social...Read more

Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Real estate agent pokes fun at Twin Cities suburbs. Closings ensue

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

After two years of inconsistent revenue, Twin Cities real estate agent Bryan Clapper decided to promote himself on social media armed with only his wits, video production skills and snarky personality.

In January, he posted a now viral pitch that Canada annex Minnesota (“We’re the only state whose motto is in French!”). This spring, he ...Read more