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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Home prices pick up in 80% of US metro areas, led by Northeast

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Prices of existing homes rose in 80% of U.S. metropolitan areas in the second quarter, as home values pick up pace after several months of weakness.

The figure is up from 71% that saw year-over-year increases in the first quarter, National Association of Realtors data released Tuesday showed. By region, the Northeast — where the supply of ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Clean a Bathtub Anti-Slip Bottom

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you have a bathtub with a slip-resistant bottom that still looks dingy, grungy and downright grimy no matter what you use to clean it, I have really good news and at least one surefire solution that will even bring an older tub bottom back to being clean and like new!

Since the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, all bathroom...Read more

AI isn't a catch-all trade for stocks in this earnings season

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Equity investors are learning a harsh lesson this corporate earnings season: Not all artificial intelligence trades are created equal.

While profits at S&P 500 and Stoxx Europe 600 constituents as a whole are tracking one of the best quarterly increases in years, traders have been much more discerning about how much cash is being spent on ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Water Your Lawn Without Being Wasteful This Summer

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Every summer it happens.

The weather turns hot, the lawn starts looking a little tired, and otherwise sensible people begin dragging sprinklers around the yard as though they're trying to rescue the Sahara Desert one gallon at a time.

Water bills climb. Grass still looks unhappy. And somewhere in the neighborhood, there's always one sprinkler ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Searching for an affordable house in SoCal, she fell for a scam sweeping social media

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Pam Yeager thought she had found her perfect next rental in a cute bungalow near downtown Fullerton, California.

It seemed like a no-brainer: It was priced slightly below the region's average for a two-bedroom home, would allow her to live closer to her son and was available right as her current lease was expiring.

But it turned out to be one ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Judge tosses lawsuit alleging Zillow deceived home shoppers

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A federal judge has thrown out the central claims in a lawsuit alleging that Zillow illegally deceived home shoppers into working with certain real estate agents.

The case, filed in September, said that prominent buttons on Zillow’s website inviting browsers to “Contact agent” or “Request a tour” make home shoppers assume they’re ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can I take over seller's mortgage loan with low interest rate?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: The house I want to buy has a mortgage at a 3 percent interest rate, and my agent says the loan might be “assumable.” Rates today are more than double that. Can I really just take over the seller’s loan and keep that low rate instead of getting a new one? What is the catch? — Marcus

A: I understand the appeal. A rate like that feels ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mortgage rates in US rise to 6.66%, highest level in a year

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

U.S. mortgage rates rose to a 12-month high as Treasury yields climbed in recent weeks and continued fighting in Iran fueled concern about higher inflation.

The average for a 30-year, fixed loan increased to 6.66% from 6.58% a week earlier, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday. The rate was the highest since July 31, 2025, when it was 6.72%...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye @bizutesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Fewer Californians are moving to Nevada, DMV data shows

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Fewer out-of-state residents, especially Californians, moved to Nevada last year, according to Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles driver’s license surrender data obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The DMV collected approximately 82,072 surrendered out-of-state or country driver’s licenses or IDs in 2025, a 14 percent drop from 2024 ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Victorian parlor meets Candyland: Inside the maximalist apartment of a Los Angeles stylist

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

"More is more and less is a bore." ― Iris Apfel

LOS ANGELES -- After spending decades collecting clean-lined Midcentury Modern furniture and accessories, stylist Wendi Weger felt it was time to give her Silver Lake apartment a playful update.

"Everything was brown," Weger says as she sits on a plush sofa covered in pink and chartreuse ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Bounce Back From Bankruptcy

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: Please give me some pointers on bouncing back from bankruptcy. Will this have any effect on future employment opportunities? -- Henry, email

Dear Henry: Live on cash. Have only one credit card, and if you use it, pay it in full every month. Refuse all other offers of credit, and take on no unsecured debt. Pay all of your bills early;...Read more

Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

A property manager used rent price-setting algorithms that were banned in Philly last year, lawsuit says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A West Philadelphia renter has filed a class-action lawsuit against his property manager and a national company that sells property management software, alleging that his landlord used price-setting algorithms that Philadelphia has banned.

Since early 2025, Philadelphia has prohibited rental home providers from coordinating to set prices and ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 7 Habits of the Rich (which only apply to the rich)

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

A habit is defined as a behavior repeated so often it becomes almost automatic. I am in awe of the power of a habit. It's a force to change your life, and it is available to anyone, no matter their situation or circumstances... mostly.

For five years, author Tom Corley observed the daily habits of the rich and the poor, and documented his ...Read more

Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Nvidia's $750 billion deals revive fear of AI circular financing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Nvidia Corp. is working on a fresh round of AI deals worth more than $750 billion, accelerating investments that skeptics have warned are artificially inflating demand and valuations across the industry.

A partnership with South Korean conglomerate SK Group unveiled late Friday means the companies will be doing more than $500 billion in ...Read more

L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Could Las Vegas become the Wall Street of the West?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Ken Winans has a bold idea: turn Las Vegas into the Wall Street of the West.

The president and chief investment officer for Winans Investments, a local investment management firm, said the valley could actually be the perfect place given its environment, geography and current rules and regulations. Wall Street is a colloquial term for the ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Here's what $1,500 in rent can get you in Philly, Miami, Boston, and other cities across the country

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Apartment renters with $1,500 a month to spend can get the equivalent of one or two bedrooms in Pittsburgh, a studio in Philadelphia, or a dorm room in Manhattan.

That’s according to an analysis by RentCafe, a national apartment search website, based on average price per square foot for apartments in properties with 50 or more units.

A ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Half Moon Bay voters to decide fate of farmworker housing as state pressure mounts

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Voters in Half Moon Bay, California, will decide in November whether to allow a 40-unit affordable housing development for older farmworkers to move forward, extending a years-long fight that has drawn threats from Gov. Gavin Newsom and could exacerbate an ongoing confrontation between city and state officials over housing mandates.

The City ...Read more

Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Nvidia's $750 billion deals revive fear of AI circular financing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Nvidia Corp. is working on a fresh round of AI infrastructure deals potentially worth more than $750 billion, accelerating a streak of investments that skeptics warn is artificially inflating demand and valuations across the industry.

An artificial intelligence initiative with the parent of South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. unveiled late ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Smart Saving Tastes Like Chicken

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

With the price of beef skyrocketing, chicken is becoming the backbone of the frugal kitchen. And why not? Chicken costs far less than beef and often less than pork too. Better yet, it's useful right down to the bones.

DON'T PAY FULL PRICE

Chicken is always on sale somewhere. If you don't want to store-hop, watch for specials at your favorite ...Read more

Alex Kormann/Star Tribune/TNS

Meet the Minnesota man winning your prediction market wagers

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Caleb Davies holds a rare title in the prediction market world: Millionaire winner.

The middle-aged suburban dad relies on a skilled background in finance and tech, plus computer forecasting tools he personally developed, to put real stakes on some of his biggest interests. These days he primarily plays in so-called culture markets, which let ...Read more

 

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