Category: homes

Many Americans Lack Basic Knowledge About Home Ownership: Survey

Many Americans lack knowledge of basic concepts about home ownership, including misconceptions about mortgage terms and knowledge about home buying, maintenance, and renovation, as well as home building, a new study has revealed. The study was conducted in May by Lombardo Homes, a Midwest home builder specializing in new construction in Michigan and Missouri, which surveyed…


Arizona City Bans Natural Grass Front Yards in Newly Built Homes

As Arizona faces drought and intense heat, the city in Scottsdale has banned natural grass in the front yards of newly built homes in an effort to conserve water. The measure was supported unanimously by the Scottsdale City Council and will apply to single-family homes constructed or permitted after Aug. 15. “By adopting this ordinance,…


A Quarter of Homes in Eastern Australia Purchased Without Mortgage in 2022

Over a quarter of residential properties purchased in Australia’s eastern states in 2022 were mortgage-free, indicating that a significant portion of the population was not affected by interest rate hikes. Property data firm PEXA has released a report that analyses residential property purchases in the states of New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and Queensland between…


‘We Need Homes’: Disability Groups Call for Action

Current strategies to address the housing needs of nearly 20 percent of the New  South Wales (NSW) population cannot meet demand and are not fit for purpose, disability groups say. Seven groups representing the 1.4 million NSW people with disabilities on Wednesday issued a blueprint for action they want the next NSW government to take….


Fire Burns Makeshift Homes in Shadow of Seoul’s Skyscrapers

SEOUL, South Korea—A fire destroyed about 60 makeshift homes in a densely packed neighborhood surrounded by towering high-rise apartments and lavish shopping districts of South Korea’s ultramodern capital Friday. Firefighters extinguished the flames in Seoul’s Guryong village within about five hours, and no injuries or deaths were reported. Shin Yong-ho, an official at the fire department…


Suspected Gas Blast Levels 2 Homes, Hurts 5 in Philadelphia

A suspected gas explosion a few hours into the new year demolished two Philadelphia row homes and damaged others, sending several people to the hospital, authorities said. Fire department officials said the blast occurred shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday in the Port Richmond neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia. Two buildings were reduced to rubble while others…


Government Passes Pensioner Concessions to Free up Housing

Pensioners are being given further concessions to encourage them to downsize and free up housing stock for younger families looking to buy. The new federal laws reduce the impact selling a house has on the payments pensioners, and other welfare recipients receive. The current 12-month asset exemption test for the amount of money from the…


Number of Homes for Sale Across US Soars as Increased Demand, Higher Prices See Buyers Hit Pause

The number of homes for sale across the United States increased at a record rate in July, signaling that higher mortgage rates and soaring prices are decreasing consumer demand for housing, according to a report published by Realtor.com on Aug. 9. The growing number of homes for sale could mean that would-be buyers may have more negotiating power…


Study Finds Non-Homeowners Are Pessimistic About Buying Homes Despite Cooling Prices

A new study conducted by Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) finds that Canadians who don’t own homes think home ownership remains far out of reach despite prices cooling slightly across the country. CPA Canada says half of non-homeowners surveyed believe it’s unlikely they ever will buy a home, 21 percent think it’s very…


‘We Lost Everything’: Many Residents in Princeton, BC Still Digging out From Flood

PRINCETON, BRITISH COLUMBIA—Mario Loutef had little sleep the four days leading up to Saturday, when he piled his ruined belongings in the street outside his home in Princeton, B.C. A vast swath of the downtown in the community two hours south of Kamloops was decimated when the Tulameen River overflowed its banks, flooding homes and…