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Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Downtown LA businesses are in crisis. Owners want politicians to deal with it

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Cemal Clik was rinsing some strawberries for lunch when he felt a gun on his temple.

The 61-year-old was sitting near his gift shop in downtown Los Angeles this month when two men threatened to kill him if he didn’t give up the gold chain hanging from his neck. They grabbed the chain and disappeared down South Broadway.

It took 45 minutes ...Read more

Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty/TNS

Where can Seattle ultrawealthy store their toys? Condos

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

In a city infamous for its high housing costs, Seattle’s ultrawealthy will soon be able to buy condos for their luxury cars and yachts.

Nearly 9 acres of a former industrial fuel terminal on Salmon Bay waterfront near the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard will undergo a transformation into an extravagant car collector garage, superyacht ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Fight over housing in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood enters a new phase

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Many people thought the long fight over whether the city can or should build housing near the baseball stadium was done in May. But it will now stretch out even longer, after an appeal filed last month that could also delay the city’s broader plans for growth in Seattle.

The city is in the midst of updating its plan to manage growth over the ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Ask Me Anything: Cost of Ice, DIY Whipped Butter, Elderly Turkey, EC en Espanol

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: My husband says that it costs more to make ice in the freezer than to buy it in bags. I find that hard to believe. Do you know the answer? -- J.M.

Dear J.M.: Let's say a 10-pound bag of ice at the store costs $2. Two dollars' worth of water from your tap would be nearly 350 gallons at the U.S. average price of about 0.0058 cents per ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Repair Your Credit and Improve Your Credit Score

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Your credit score is a three-digit number between 300 and 850, generated by a mathematical algorithm (a mostly secret formula) based on information in your credit report compared with information on tens of millions of other people. The resulting number is said to be a highly accurate prediction of how likely you are to pay your bills.

If it ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times/TNS

This new law could create a million new apartments and condominiums in California

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A new state law that allows denser housing development near major transit stops goes into effect in July, opening the door to construction of more than 1 million new units in California's urban centers.

The law forces cities to approve taller apartment and condominium complexes around rail stops, ferry terminals and rapid transit bus stops, ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Credit Card Tips and Tricks

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

There's no doubt that credit cards are convenient. They're compact, easy to carry and work just about anywhere. And that's the problem. What seems like no big deal on a daily basis can add up to one whopping surprise at the end of the month.

In the event you have fallen into a mind-numbing "coma" that has you swiping the plastic with abandon, ...Read more

A lifetime of savings lost: How elder financial exploitation is challenging banks and families

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Just months before she died at age 101, Phyllis Hood was facing a prospect she never imagined possible — running out of money.

The longtime Beaver County, Pennsylvania, nurse had spent decades caring for others. She lived frugally, attended Presbyterian church faithfully and saved diligently for retirement, her family said.

Yet, by early ...Read more

Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Las Vegans are bad with their money. Meet the guy who wants to change that

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Daniel Chi is on a couple of missions.

One, the chair of the Department of Finance at UNLV’s Lee Business School wants to increase financial literacy across Nevada. A recent study found that Nevada has the highest rate of credit card delinquencies and one of the highest overall debt burdens of any state.

About 3,000 students were taught ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: What I Prep Once in June to Save Time and Money All Summer

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Every summer starts with good intentions: This will be the year we stay ahead of things. The year we don't waste food, lose track of sunscreen, or make six emergency grocery runs a week because nobody knows what's for dinner.

And then suddenly it's July, the refrigerator is full, the counters are cluttered, nobody can find the sunscreen, and ...Read more

Kara Gildea/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

What are 'pocket listings' in real estate and why are they so controversial?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

While the rise of pocket listings — when a residential property is put up for sale without being placed on the Multiple Listing Service — are tough to track, one local broker said it should concern anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home in the near future.

Multiple studies estimate pocket listings make up small portions of the overall ...Read more

Courtesy Ty and Allisha Setty/Stateline/TNS

First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The idea started with a sermon Micah Longmire heard at his Presbyterian church in Ogden, Utah, about the importance of grandparents in a child’s life.

Longmire, now 31, exchanged a look with his mother-in-law. “We were like, ‘I’d be OK living with you after that sermon,’ and the ball rolled downhill from there,” Longmire said.

Both...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can I avoid 'force-placed' insurance from my mortgage company?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: My insurance company just told me it will not renew my homeowners policy, and a few days later, my mortgage company warned that it will buy “lender-placed” insurance if I do not show proof of a new policy. I have never filed a claim in my life. What do I do, and is this force-placed insurance really as bad as it sounds? — Marcus

A: It ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Autonomous weapons firm Anduril betting big on Seattle office, shipyard

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SEATTLE — Defense contractor Anduril Industries is expanding in Seattle, with hiring plans to fill out what it calls its connected warfare headquarters.

After installing a small office in Seattle about six years ago, the Costa Mesa, California-based company has expanded into Bellevue and Seattle's ship canal, pumping millions of dollars into ...Read more

Wendy Gilch/TNS

Why Pennsylvania is moving to regulate firms offering home equity investments

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

PITTSBURGH -- Wendy Gilch wasn’t looking for a new financial threat lurking in the housing market when she opened TikTok.

The Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, consumer advocate was researching a completely different problem: companies she believed were violating the Federal Trade Commission’s advertising rules with fake testimonials, AI-...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Rent-hike ban to protect fire victims ends despite gouging concerns

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES -- A rule intended to prevent rent gouging in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires has lapsed in Los Angeles County, possibly exposing some renters to hikes.

The executive order that blocked rent increases was issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the devastating wildfires last year. Under the order, landlords couldn't increase ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/Yong Kim

Home price cuts and canceled contracts were less likely in the Philly region than in most major metros in April

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

PHILADELPHIA -- Signs point to a stronger housing market last month in the Philadelphia region than in most other major metropolitan areas.

In the Philadelphia metro, home sales were less likely to fall through and sellers were less likely to cut their prices in April, according to two Redfin analyses of the country’s 50 most populous ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Buckle Down and Save Up for Home Improvements

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Today is a good day to reach into my virtual mailbag and pull out letters from two of my dear readers.

Dear Mary: We are homeowners with about $175,000 in equity, which we will need to buy a bigger house in the future. Our home needs some expensive improvements (new windows, updated kitchen, siding), none of which are urgent, but which will be ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Home Equity Scams

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Homeowners beware. These days, home loan scam artists are lurking around every corner. They're hungry, they're determined and they're coming after your equity.

Unscrupulous loan peddlers are known as predatory lenders because of their uncanny resemblance to vultures. These loans encourage people to consolidate their debts and suggest this will ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Dreamwash Your Mind to Reach Your Goals

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

In today's offering of tips from your fellow readers, you're going to get a bonus: a new vocabulary word. Read on.

My dream is to own a second home in Sweden, and to be able to purchase it without a long-term mortgage. I found a picture of the home I dream of and hung it where I will see it often during the day. This has "dreamwashed" my mind, ...Read more

 

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