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Everyday Cheapskate: What I Prep Once in June to Save Time and Money All Summer
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
What are 'pocket listings' in real estate and why are they so controversial?
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
First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement
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?
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
Autonomous weapons firm Anduril betting big on Seattle office, shipyard
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
Why Pennsylvania is moving to regulate firms offering home equity investments
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
Rent-hike ban to protect fire victims ends despite gouging concerns
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
Home price cuts and canceled contracts were less likely in the Philly region than in most major metros in April
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
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
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
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
Everyday Cheapskate: The $5 Summer Comfort Trick Nobody Talks About
Every summer, right about the time the house starts feeling like a toaster oven with furniture, people begin searching for bigger solutions.
A stronger fan. A portable air conditioner. Blackout curtains that look like military equipment. Somebody with a decent advertising budget trying to sell a "cooling mattress" for the price of a used car.
...Read more
Sale of Oceanwide Plaza graffiti towers in Los Angeles delayed
The cleanup of one of the most notorious collections of graffiti in the country has been postponed again as the proposed buyer of the stalled Oceanwide Plaza development in downtown Los Angeles struggles to reach terms with city officials who must sign off on the $470 million sale.
Wiping clean the empty high-rise towers besmirching the city ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Can condo association foreclose on my home over unpaid assessment?
Q: My condominium association is threatening to foreclose on my home over an unpaid assessment of $380 from last year. I had a financial hiccup, and, by the time I had the money, the interest, late fees, and their attorney’s fees had grown to more than $3,000. Can they really take my home over this? — Diane
A: It is terrifying to receive a ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Readers Share Creative Solutions for Chains, Stains, Sprains and More
I call it my mailbag, but in truth its my email inbox and lately, it's been loading up with creative tips from you, my clever readers!
CREATIVE GIFTING
My teenage grandchildren don't want "stuff" anymore -- they want cash! And I understand; being a teenager can be expensive. But I don't want to just hand them money. For Christmas last year I ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 13 New Uses for an Old Credit Card
Before you cut up an expired credit card -- or toss that silly fake one you got as junk mail -- consider all the great things you can do with it!
1. Bookmark. It'll keep your place and act as a handy straightedge for underlining or highlighting.
2. Glass scraper. A credit card is just the right size to scrape ice from your car's windows and ...Read more
San Diego home values haven't kept up with inflation for 16 months
San Diego home prices continue to show gains, but any increase has been blunted by rising inflation, data released Tuesday shows
The San Diego metropolitan area’s home price increased 0.78% annually in March, said the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Indices report. At the same time, San Diego metro, which includes all of San Diego County, had an ...Read more
Should owners of vacant second homes be heavily taxed? San Diego voters get to decide
For years, vacant homes in large U.S. cities have conjured up images of derelict, abandoned properties in need of loving attention and a full-time resident. In San Diego, a June ballot measure is taking aim at a very different kind of vacant dwelling by proposing to heavily tax second homes — from the coast to the suburbs — that all share ...Read more
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Home safety tips for barefoot families
A barefoot home has its own kind of comfort. Shoes come off at the door, floors stay cleaner, and the house feels softer and more relaxed. For many families, padding through the kitchen, living room and hallway in bare feet is simply part of being home.
But bare feet also change the way a household should think about safety. A dropped screw, a ...Read more
Inside Consumer
Popular Stories
- Barefoot homemaking: small rituals that make a house feel lived-in
- First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement
- What are 'pocket listings' in real estate and why are they so controversial?
- Autonomous weapons firm Anduril betting big on Seattle office, shipyard
- Real estate Q&A: How can I avoid 'force-placed' insurance from my mortgage company?



























