General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Housing Affordability Linked to Odds of Severe Maternal Morbidity

Living in a New Jersey municipality with less affordable rental housing was associated with higher odds of severe maternal morbidity, according to a cross-sectional study published in JAMA Network Open.“Maternal mortality and morbidity are pressing issues in the United States and the rates have been rising over the past several decades, and yet we know little about their upstream causes or about policies that could improve maternal health

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October Construction Spending Down 0.3%

The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday reported that total U.S. construction spending was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of approximately $1.79 trillion in October, a decrease of 0.3% from September's revised figure of $1.8 trillion.Total spending was 9/2% higher than what the Census Bureau reported for October 2021. Spending from January through October of 2022 totaled almost $1.51 trillion, 10.8% higher than the same period in 2021.Total

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Perform a ‘Home Inspection’ while Hanging Holiday Lights

Holiday decorating is in full swing, and as homeowners deck their halls, they may want to also use the festivities as an excuse to inspect several out-of-sight ares of their home.Groundworks(link is external), a basement and foundations firm, offers up tips to spot needed repairs in the home while also hanging your holiday decor. Here are the top seven home issues they suggest looking for:Electrical outletsIs a plug no longer working? Outdoor out

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U.S. Banks Profits Rise in 3rd Quarter, Despite Warning Signs

U.S. banks reported a 3.2% rise in third-quarter net income from a year earlier, but an uptick in early delinquency and higher unrealized losses with securities may reduce future profits, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said on Thursday.Jointly, banks posted $71.7 billion in profit in the third quarter. The FDIC compiles data from 4,746 commercial banks and savings institutions it insures.FDIC acting Chairman Martin Gruenberg sai

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Mortgage Rates Slide Further Away from 7% Threshold

Borrowing costs fall for the third consecutive week, but will that bring home buyers back to the market? Aspiring home buyers saw signs of hope for greater affordability this week as the average 30-year mortgage rate dropped to 6.49%, Freddie Mac reports. Recent economic data suggests mortgage rates have peaked after surpassing 7% in the second week of November. “Rates are still more than double those of a year ago,” cautions Nadia Evangelou,

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Banks' Strength Reflects Well on Dodd-Frank

The architects of the financial system overhaul known as Dodd-Frank suffered numerous slings and arrows while crafting their historic legislation. The final rules put in place in 2010 to stabilize the system after the ravages of the financial crisis were highly controversial in many corners of the banking world — and hotly contested in Washington.However, as the economy heads into another period of potential weakness, the fruits of that labor a

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20% of College Students Struggle to Find Stable Housing

The “broke college student” stereotype has been around for a while. But as college costs have risen to exorbitant levels, the stakes have gotten higher too. Where college students used to fear a budget-friendly ramen noodle diet, now 1 in 5 students have dealt with housing insecurity, according to a recent survey from student loyalty network, Student Beans. The company defines housing insecurity as someone who “finds themselv

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Hope for Turnaround After Contract Signings Fall Again

Pending home sales continued to fall in October as higher mortgage rates shook buyer confidence. Read more from NAR’s latest home sales report. Pending home sales fell for the fifth consecutive month in October as rising mortgage rates brought many housing markets to a halt. But now that rates show signs of stabilizing, economists say more home buyers—particularly first-timers—may gradually return to the market.Still, contract signings

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Welcome to the Team Carla Hunter Dealing the S.F. Bay Area

About Carla I am Carla Hunter and I've been a resident of the Tri-Valley since 1974. I love this area and I'm excited to share all that I know about these thriving communities. I have watched the Tri-Valley morph from a very small bedroom community with grazing animals and orchards to a beautifully orchestrated business and family dreamland. We truly have it all here and there's nowhere I'd rather be.I was born in Louisiana and moved practically

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Borrowers Face Tighter, Costlier Loan Terms

Banks are tightening standards, and private credit markets are adopting a "risk-off" stance. Billionaire Sam Zell probably doesn’t have trouble getting a bank loan. But one of the portfolio companies of his firm Equity Residential — a company he described as very well capitalized and an “A-” credit — recently “had the hardest revolver extension” that Zell’s firm has ever been involved in.  Zell’s anecdote, provided at

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