Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has introduced the You Earned It, You Keep It Act, which would eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits while extending the payroll tax to incomes above $250,000. “Like a lot of Americans, I’ve been paying into Social Security since my first job at 14. But despite decades of paying into […]
Bill would end Social Security benefit taxes Read More »
California has become the first U.S. state to require homeowners selling older properties in high-risk wildfire zones to disclose not just a house’s vulnerabilities, but also steps taken to reduce those risks. The new mandate took effect in July and applies to houses built before 2010 – when the state strengthened building codes to withstand
Wildfire warnings accompany California’s older home sales Read More »
The annual job revisions data was released today, which showed that 911,000 jobs that were supposedly created from March 2024 to March 2025 were removed from the books. The estimates were for 818,000 jobs to be lost in this report, so it came in worse than expected. Lower job growth has been a theme recently,
911,000 jobs cut in latest revisions. Is the Fed already too late? Read More »
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) introduced legislation last week that would make it easier for faith-based organizations and colleges to convert unused land into affordable housing. The measure — called the Yes in God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) Act — would direct federal resources to help religious
Bill aims to expand affordable housing on unused religious, college land Read More »
The total value of U.S. homes has climbed to a record $55.1 trillion, although growth has cooled in the past year amid high housing costs. That figure represents a $20 trillion increase since early 2020 and an $862 billion gain over the past year, according to an analysis released Monday by Zillow. But while the
US housing market value hits record $55T, but growth is slowing Read More »
Los Angeles will make $387 million available for affordable housing projects — reportedly the largest single funding round in the city housing department history. Applications for the funds opened Sept. 5 and close Oct. 20. Eligible applicants include nonprofit and for-profit developers, community land trusts, limited equity housing cooperatives, public entities and other organizations, the
Los Angeles ‘mansion tax’ fuels record affordable housing funding Read More »
Longbridge Financial has officially launched a home equity line of credit (HELOC) program that’s designed for homeowners ages 62 and older, offering approval and funding in as little as five business days. The move marks an expansion beyond the company’s core reverse mortgage business while staying focused on older borrowers. This demographic collectively holds nearly
Longbridge’s ‘HELOC for Seniors’ is officially on the market Read More »
Top-performing Douglas Elliman-brokered large team, The Michael Lorber Team is expanding into Connecticut. The Michael Lorber Team is the No. 6 ranked large team in New York after recording $269.05 million in sales volume across 101 transaction sides in 2024, according to the 2025 RealTrends Verified Rankings. “Our team has built a strong reputation representing
Top Douglas Elliman team expands into Westchester, Connecticut Read More »
Homeowners are spending a growing share of their mortgage payments on property insurance, which is now rising faster than principal, interest and taxes, according to the September ICE Mortgage Monitor. Data shows that annual property insurance payments for single-family mortgage holders now average nearly $2,370. That amounts to 9.6% of monthly mortgage-related expenses, the highest
Rising insurance costs deepen homeownership strain Read More »
Boston-based Hometap has closed a $300 million securitization of home equity investment (HEI) loans originated by the company, marking its fifth transaction in the space. The deal, closed on Aug. 29, included a $231 million Class A tranche rated at BBB(sf) and a $12 million Class B tranche rated at BBB(low)(sf) by Morningstar DBRS. “Through
Hometap closes $300M securitization of home equity investments Read More »