FRIDAY - GETTING UP EARLY AROUND HERE
- 7 Best Plant Types for Creating Privacy and How to Use Them
- Higher interest rates lower California housing affordability in third quarter
- FHA Eases Condo Project Approval Requirements
- Down Payment for Home Not a Top Priority for Renters
- New life for Milpitas' Serra Center? Owner floats big mixed-use plans at old-school strip mall
- Holiday events 2015: Bay Area tree lightings, ice rinks and more
- Kitchen Confidential: All Good in the Hood
Enjoy!
Higher interest rates lower California housing affordability in third quarter - “The slowdown in October’s home sales could be attributed to the financial turmoil and global economic uncertainty that took place in August and September, as some prospective buyers took a wait-and-see approach,” said 2016 C.A.R. President Ziggy Zicarelli. “With job growth increasing the most since late 2014 and interest rates remaining below 4 percent, the demand for housing should continue to grow at a modest pace. Statewide sales are on track to finish the year with a mid-single-digit increase from last year.”
FHA Eases Condo Project Approval Requirements - The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently published new guidelines under its condominium approval process intended to increase affordable housing options for first-time and low- to moderate-income home buyers. Effective immediately, FHA’s temporary guidance will streamline the agency’s condominium recertification process and expand the eligibility of acceptable ‘owner-occupied’ units to include second homes that are not investor-owned.
Down Payment for Home Not a Top Priority for Renters - For the Freddie Mac quarterly online survey, renters currently saving for all listed goals place a higher priority on saving money for an emergency/unexpected expense (59 percent), retirement (51 percent), and children's education (50 percent) than a down payment on a home (39 percent) or a vacation (26 percent). They also indicate that they are behind in saving for those things.
New life for Milpitas' Serra Center? Owner floats big mixed-use plans at old-school strip mall - The owners of the 16-acre property have begun early planning work to redevelop the site into a residential and retail mixed-use hub — if they can overcome some significant reservations from some members of the city council. Their development team gave an early glimpse of a potential project to the council this week to mixed reviews, but the upshot was that officials didn’t say no — which means a formal proposal will be forthcoming.
Holiday events 2015: Bay Area tree lightings, ice rinks and more
Kitchen Confidential: All Good in the Hood - If you're looking for a new hood for above your stove, you have a wide range (pun intended) of options. Some of my favorites:
