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From the 1920s to the 2020s, cash-strapped homebuyers turn to smaller homes

May 13, 2024
Home builders are making new homes smaller to keep prices down. In Southern California, where land is scarce and housing is expensive, buyers are turning to small pre-war homes or ADUs.
Smaller pre-war homes, built before 1940 and under 1,500 square feet, vary in price based on location, size and condition. In South L.A., price per square foot can range from $300-800.
Courtesy Michael Robleto

How a new house turned into a "starter, middle, and ending" home for this Texas woman

May 10, 2024
"I'm just attached to it because it's taken care of me and I'm taking care of it," said Violet O'Brien on why she's choosing to age in place in her Houston home.
Violet O'Brien has decided to age in place in her Houston home.
Courtesy Violet O'Brien

For retirees, homeownership may not be the asset it used to be

May 7, 2024
Paula Span of The New York Times says that these days, aging in place might feel more like being stuck in place .
Many older couples want to downsize, but in a competitive, high-priced market, moving to a smaller home can be a challenging option.
David Ramos/Getty Images

The "wealth effect" could affect consumer behavior — and U.S. politics

Apr 19, 2024
While sizable gains in the value of stocks and real estate has likely boosted spending, it's done less to improve sentiment.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Smaller banks reveal ripple effects of commercial real estate woes

Apr 18, 2024
Some types of CRE are hurting more than others. A steep downturn could cause pain to regional banks as well as property owners.
Small, local banks might have up to 50% of their portfolios in CRE, says Suri Sharma of  Morningstar. But some subsectors of the field, like industrial property, are strong.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Movie theaters aren't going anywhere, and it's partially due to their weird architecture

Apr 17, 2024
With sloping, concrete floors and huge, windowless rooms, movie theaters are not the easiest properties to convert.
Ticket sales at movie theaters are still down from pre-pandemic times.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How fast casual restaurants pick new locations

Apr 16, 2024
"There's a lot of science and a little bit of art" involved in finding the perfect place, a Chipotle executive says.
Shake Shack has cracked the code on scouting locations, says hospitality consultant Talia Berman.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

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A typical home costs $1 million or more in a record number of U.S. cities

Apr 10, 2024
Zillow find that million-dollar homes are proliferating — and not just in the usual high-cost metro areas like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Median home values were north of $1 million in 550 cities in February, according to Zillow.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Realtors settlement could change how agents work with homebuyers

Apr 3, 2024
In a landmark settlement to several lawsuits, the National Association of Realtors could require agents and buyers to have a written agreement.
A rule change for Realtors could require buyers to pay agents directly, and that has some Realtors worried.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Why might Americans be moving less?

Rather than chasing higher-paying jobs, many Americans are opting to stay put. Housing costs have something to do with it.
"Higher wages still attract workers, but people are reluctant to move because of high housing costs," explained senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Mario Tama/Getty Images