Real Estate News

Climate Anxiety Hits Homebuyers, Amplifying Housing Market Weaknesses

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 10/12/2023 - 3:00am

More than 80% of homebuyers take climate change into consideration. With the housing market rising and falling in recent years, only 21% of Americans have confidence that it is a good time to buy. (AP Photo)

More than 80% of home shoppers consider climate risks when looking for a new home. As potential homebuyers navigate the complexities of the current real estate market, they find themselves at the crossroads of economic challenges and climate anxieties.

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More Federal Funding Needed To Improve Drinking Water, EPA Study Finds

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 10/12/2023 - 2:00am

Water utilities throughout the United States will need to spend $625 billion over the next 20 years to fix, maintain, and improve the country’s drinking water infrastructure, according to the results of a periodic assessment done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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‘Unbelievable’ Insurance Increases Are Walloping Nebraska Homeowners. Climate Change Is A Big Reason Why.

Published by jason@omahadail... on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 5:00am

Jenn Burruss stands outside her home in Hickman, Nebraska, Sunday, Sept. 24. Burruss was shocked recently when she learned that her homeowner’s insurance premium had doubled in one year.
(Eric Gregory / Flatwater Free Press)

When Jenn Burruss got home from work last Wednesday, she started cooking dinner and opening mail. She saw her annual homeowners insurance renewal notice and shuffled it to the bottom of the pile.

When she finally opened the notice, it laid bare a painful question: Could she, a single woman raising three kids, afford to keep her house?

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Round Two Of Emergency Rent Aid, Once A Political Hot Potato, Now Available To 91 Nebraska Counties

Published by jason@omahadail... on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 3:00am

BELLEVUE — Just a few days into accepting applications for a new batch of emergency rent aid, the State of Nebraska already has fielded more than 600 requests from 55 counties.

“It’s been insanely busy,” Tanya Gifford of Lift Up Sarpy County said Monday between visits with clients seeking the federal assistance.

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Stuck In The Suburbs: Pandemic Migration Creates Housing Crisis

Published by jason@omahadail... on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 2:00am

One out of every 5 homeowners who moved within the last three years now regret their decision.

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Amid Rising Evictions And Rents, States Grapple With Protections In Tenant-Landlord Laws

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 5:00am

At 90 years old, Hilda Chavera has found a new purpose in life: tenant organizing.

A Minneapolis resident for 50 years, Chavera said she has seen her city change, with many of her neighbors struggling to stay in their homes.

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Traditional Downtowns Are Dead Or Dying In Many U.S. Cities − What’s Next For These Zones?

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 4:00am

The hollowing out of U.S. cities’ office and commercial cores is a national trend with serious consequences for millions of Americans. As more people have stayed home following the COVID-19 pandemic, foot traffic has fallen. Major retail chains are closing stores, and even prestigious properties are having a hard time retaining tenants.

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Trade Labor Shortage Frustrates Homeowners

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 3:00am

Skilled trades employers posted over 200,000 job openings in April 2023.

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Policymakers Can Expand Access To Lower-Cost Housing With Manufactured Homes

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 09/21/2023 - 5:00am

Most renters in the United States say they would like to own their own homes, but with a limited supply of entry-level or affordable options available, many find it difficult to buy. Making it easier to buy manufactured homes could be part of the solution for first-time homebuyers and middle- or lower- income families that may not have enough savings for a down payment or the income to afford such an expensive purchase.

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Massachusetts Has A Huge Waitlist For State-Funded Housing. So Why Are 2,300 Units Vacant?

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 09/21/2023 - 4:00am

Deb Libby is running out of time to find a place to live.

Libby, 56, moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, four years ago, in part to be closer to the doctors treating her for pancreatic cancer. She rented an apartment — a converted garage — and spruced it up, patching the walls and repainting all the rooms.