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Real estate

Franchises are big business, but they're adjusting to economic headwinds

by Matt Levin
Sep 22, 2023
Franchisees get help with marketing and branding, but the corporate parent can’t do much about high interest rates and labor costs.
McDonald's royalty fees will rise from 4% to 5% for some franchisees, according to a company email viewed by Marketplace.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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What a “de facto ban” on Airbnb means for New York City 

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Sep 21, 2023
Will housing prices go down with fewer short-term renters around?
Airbnb has a long history in New York City. But New York's stance towards short-term rentals has just gone from one of the most relaxed policies out there, to one of the strictest.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
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"Life happens." Why some home buyers and sellers forge ahead in spite of interest rates

by Elizabeth Trovall
Sep 13, 2023
People motivated to buy or sell homes in this market are often hitting significant milestones, from babies and back-to-office mandates to downsizing and retirement.
Even though interest rates are high, some home buyers have been spurred to move by big personal changes.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
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Adventures in Housing

Moving — instead of building — a house

by Maria Hollenhorst
Aug 29, 2023
When the Knapp family relocated from Alaska to Wisconsin, they bought a building from a church for $1 and relocated it to their property.
When Anna and Patrick Knapp came to Wisconsin, they decided to take a house off of a church's hands and move it to their property. It worked out well.
Courtesy Anna Knapp
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Adventures in Housing

Checking in on the path of pandemic homebuying

by Maria Hollenhorst
Aug 10, 2023
Three real estate agents explain how their communities have changed.
The flow of out-of-state buyers into rural communities has not stopped, according to one Montana real estate agent.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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New study examines the viability of turning empty office blocks into homes

by Henry Epp
Aug 9, 2023
The paper considers whether tax breaks might incentivize developers to take on the conversions.
Converting empty office buildings into apartments can add affordable housing, bring more people into downtowns and cut carbon emissions, according to the paper.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Homeowners are gaining equity, but it may be going untapped

by Henry Epp
Jul 31, 2023
A new report finds the rate of mortgage borrowers considered "equity rich" increased to 49% in the second quarter.
"Why would you refinance if you've got a mortgage of 3%, at a mortgage rate of 7%?" says Susan Wachter of the Wharton School.
Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images
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Adventures in Housing

Co-buying a house with your best friend

by Maria Hollenhorst
Jul 27, 2023
The lack of affordability has spurred “nontraditional setups” like this partnership between women who trust each other and work well together.
In 2022, Cass Lang, left, and Jordan Heiden bought a home together in Vermont. “We both wanted the same thing at the same time, so why would we not do it?” Lang said.
Courtesy Lang
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Piano movers, inspectors and more feel the pain of housing market slowdown

by Stephanie Hughes
Jul 24, 2023
More people are staying put, which means they’re not paying for the adjacent services we need when buying a home.
With more people staying put, there's less of a need for moving-related services, like movers.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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With existing home inventory low, there are economic incentives to build more

by Stephanie Hughes
Jul 21, 2023
But one economist warns it’ll “take decades of building, not just one good year, for the market to come back into a healthy place.”
The number of permits to build new single-family homes rose in June to the highest it's been in 12 months, according to federal data released this week.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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