FRIDAY - looking for jupiter the next several days
- Aging Gracefully: Select the Right Materials for a Modern Home
- Housing Production Holds Steady in August
- Starter-home Inventory Peaks in the Fall
- 10 points to keep in mind about housing affordability in California
- The State Housing Package
- Leaving the Bay Area? These folks did it — with mixed results
- 10 Ideas for Styling Your Patio for Outdoor Dining This Fall
Enjoy!
Housing Production Holds Steady in August - Nationwide housing starts fell 0.8 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.18 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. Single-family production rose 1.6 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 851,000 after a downwardly revised July reading. Year-to-date, single-family starts are 8.9 percent above their level over the same period last year. Multifamily starts dropped 6.5 percent to 329,000 units after an upward July revision. Regionally in August, combined single- and multifamily housing production rose 22.0 percent in the Midwest and 4.0 percent in the West. Starts fell 7.9 percent in the South and 8.7 percent in the Northeast.
Starter-home Inventory Peaks in the Fall - Trulia is advising first-time homebuyers to accelerate their house-hunting plans now, because for-sale inventory increases and listing prices decrease in the fall and winter months, according to Trulia's newly released findings from the Trulia Inventory and Price Watch. According to the report, starter-home inventory peaks in October and actually rises 7 percent in fall months compared with the spring. Regionally the strongest season for starter homes in 70 of the top 100 housing markets is between October and December. That leads to listing prices that are about 4.8 percent and 3.1 percent lower in the winter and spring than in the summer, respectively.
10 points to keep in mind about housing affordability in California - Many politicians and activists push simplistic solutions when it comes to California’s housing woes. Some promote subsidies; others density. Some sell infill as the solution; others blame everything on the state’s byzantine laws. Maybe I'm getting old, or maybe the election of 2016 just reminded me to beware of politicians appealing to the masses with buzzwords. We live in a complex world, and remedies for complex problems such as housing are complex.Nuance and straight talk will help us solve this crisis. Some points to inform the debate.
The State Housing Package - Three bills known as “the package”—Senate Bills 2, 3, and 35—combined ambitious spending plans with significant cost-cutting measures that would ensure the approval of a notoriously spendthrift Governor Jerry Brown. These particular pieces of legislation essentially produce a down payment, a request for a loan (via an upcoming ballot measure), and cost-cutting reform.
Leaving the Bay Area? These folks did it — with mixed results - You’re not alone in such thoughts. Results of the 2017 Bay Area Council Poll, an annual public-opinion survey, show 40 percent of respondents are seriously considering leaving the Bay Area in the next few years. But what’s life really like on the other side? We talked with a few folks who have made the move — often finding a common thread to be ongoing effects of the economic downturn. Some abandoned the Bay Area and love their new digs. Others moved, then found the new location wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be and moved back.
10 Ideas for Styling Your Patio for Outdoor Dining This Fall - Flickering candles, glowing lanterns and cozy throws make eating outside a celebration of the season. Some of my faves:
