California

Household income climbs in some big cities, outweighed by inflation in others

Household income in the U.S. rose slightly in 2024, but the picture looks very different depending on where you live. The national median income reached $83,730 last year, up 1.3% from 2023, according to a new report from online fintech company SmartAsset. That modest increase failed to keep pace with the roughly 3% inflation rate, […]

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Wildfire warnings accompany California’s older home sales

California has become the first U.S. state to require homeowners selling older properties in high-risk wildfire zones to disclose not just a house’s vulnerabilities, but also steps taken to reduce those risks. The new mandate took effect in July and applies to houses built before 2010 – when the state strengthened building codes to withstand

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Los Angeles ‘mansion tax’ fuels record affordable housing funding

Los Angeles will make $387 million available for affordable housing projects — reportedly the largest single funding round in the city housing department history. Applications for the funds opened Sept. 5 and close Oct. 20. Eligible applicants include nonprofit and for-profit developers, community land trusts, limited equity housing cooperatives, public entities and other organizations, the

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Housing market risk steepest in southern, western areas

A growing number of U.S. housing markets face elevated risks from high foreclosure rates, underwater mortgages and rising costs, according to a new report. ATTOM analyzed 579 counties nationwide for its second-quarter Housing Risk Report — with ranking criteria including affordability, foreclosure activity, mortgage equity and unemployment. California and Florida counties were heavily represented among

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Coldwell Banker Realty adds top agent Mary Bee

Top-producing real estate agent Mary Bee has affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty’s office in Burlingame, Calif., the company announced. She was previously affiliated with RE/MAX Capital in San Mateo. In 2024, Bee closed 27 transactions totaling more than $74.2 million in sales volume — and has surpassed $1 billion over her 40-year career. Mary Bee

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Housing industry groups are fighting the surge in homeowners insurance costs

With homeowners insurance premiums expected to rise an average of 8% in 2025, according to data from Insurify, and researchers blaming these rising costs for an uptick in mortgage delinquencies, it’s clear that insurance costs are hampering homebuyers’ and owners’ already strained wallets.  “Insurance is one of those things that flies under the radar when

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Tech startup offering AI-driven property level risk modeling

San Diego-based startup FutureProof is using artificial intelligence (AI) to change the way insurers assess catastrophe risk and set premiums, a shift that could make insurance both more affordable and easier to come by in disaster-prone regions. “FutureProof started with thinking about the build environment and everyone’s homes and businesses,” FutureProof co-founder and co-CEO Alisa

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Caliber Home Loans fined $2.3M for overcharging California borrowers

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) confirmed on Monday that it has reached a $2.3 million settlement with former mortgage lender and servicer Caliber Home Loans Inc. California regulators found that in 2016, Caliber overcharged borrowers per diem interest and later identified 4,912 affected loans between 2012 and 2019, totaling $550,316. These

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Top-producing southern California agent joins eXp Realty

Top-producing southern California agent joins eXp Realty

eXp Realty has added veteran Southern California real estate agent Vivian Lesny to its network, the company announced Thursday. Lesny — who has worked in real estate for more than 20 years — surpassed $70 million in sales in 2024 and has closed as many as 88 transactions in a single year. She has consistently

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Outdated manufactured home? This reverse LO could save the day

Outdated mobile homes that were built before the implementation of modern construction and safety standards in the 1970s can still be found across the country. Seniors living on fixed incomes often own these homes and don’t have a practical solution for replacing them. That’s where Bill Smith comes in. For the past decade, Smith —

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