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

Starter home prices have more than doubled in Las Vegas in 10 years, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Starter home prices in the Las Vegas Valley have more than doubled in the past decade, according to a new report from Zillow.

The latest numbers from the online real estate marketplace paint a bleak picture for potential first-time homebuyers, as the price of a starter home in the valley sits at $312,141 in July, down 3.2 percent from the same ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Under 'as-is' contract, is buyer responsible for water damage seller hid?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We bought our first house two months ago and signed an “as-is” contract. After the first heavy rain, water poured in around a bedroom window. When we pulled up the new laminate, we found the subfloor was already rotted and had been painted over. The sellers must have known. Do we have any recourse, or did we give that up when we agreed to...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: In a Pinch, You Can Use This for That

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Have you ever discovered you're all out of a certain ingredient when you're in the middle of preparing a recipe? I hate when that happens. And I don't want to run to the store.

For me, an unscheduled trip like that could easily cost $40, maybe more. That's just how impulsive I can be. I've learned that when I'm in a pinch, I need a pinch hitter...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Have More Money

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

You need more money, and you need it now. What are your choices? You have two: You can increase your income, or you can reduce your spending.

There are several ways you can increase your income:

INCREASE INCOME

Get a bigger paycheck. Ask for a raise; land a new job that pays a lot more; or get a second (or third) job to supplement your income...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Which Is Better: Fresh or Frozen?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Frozen fruits and vegetables take a lot of heat because most people assume that, if it's frozen, it must be of a lesser quality and nutritional value than the same items fresh in the produce department.

Is it true? Is fresh really better than frozen? And if so, is the difference great enough to spend more money to make sure we're always eating ...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California bill targets abandoned funds. When can state seize your forgotten stocks?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SACRAMENTO, California — Proposed legislation to streamline California's ability to seize abandoned stocks and mutual funds is drawing opposition from business groups and dividing Democratic lawmakers.

State Controller Malia Cohen sponsored Assembly Bill 1447, which seeks to define the process for California to take custody of securities when...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Want a lower credit card interest rate? Just ask

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you have a credit card, you have a relationship with your card issuer. Your card issuer values that relationship and wants to keep it. There are many types of offers your issuer can make to ensure you stay (and don’t default on your debt), but it won’t advertise them — since they don’t exactly make the banks more money. It’s like a ...Read more

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mark Zuckerberg buys an Irish castle

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's latest home purchase appears fit for a billionaire who runs the world's largest social media empire.

Zuckerberg, who is married to Dr. Priscilla Chan and has three children, bought the Strancally Castle in Waterford, Ireland, a spokesman for the tech executive confirmed Friday.

"Mark and his family look ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Thrift Store Donation Etiquette

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dropping off a box of donations always feels good. You clean out a closet, gather up things you no longer use, and drive away with that wonderful sense of accomplishment. The house is less cluttered, someone else may benefit from your generosity, and everybody wins.

Well ... almost everybody.

The people who sort donations at thrift stores will...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

US housing affordability gauge worsens for first time since 2023

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A key measure of U.S. housing affordability worsened for the first time in almost three years, as higher borrowing costs soaked up a bigger chunk of earnings for new homebuyers.

Monthly payments on a median-priced $410,700 home accounted for 34% of a typical family’s income in the second quarter of this year, according to data published ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Should I consider getting a reverse mortgage?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I am 71 and retired. My house is paid off, but money is tight every month, and I keep seeing ads for reverse mortgages. My son says they are a scam, and that the bank will end up owning my home. Is that true, or is this something I should actually consider? — Patricia

A: A reverse mortgage is not a scam, nor is it a miracle. Like any loan,...Read more

Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle area doesn't have 'enough family-sized units to go around'

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Seattle renter’s search is always a struggle — some alchemy of budget constraints, need for space and tolerance for the grueling process of scouring listings. For families with children, that search can be even harder.

Fewer than half of available rentals in the Seattle area have two or more bedrooms, the smallest share among major metro ...Read more

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/TNS

How to save $2,000 a month in Los Angeles: Rent

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Some Los Angeles-area renters may feel a secret shame of not owning their homes, but maybe they should be bragging. Right now, renting is a much better deal.

People in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area looking to get into a smaller home on average would save more than $2,000 a month by renting rather than buying, according to...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: When the Ship is Sinking, Get Everybody in the Lifeboat

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: My wife and I made a terrible mistake and bought a house that I don't think we can afford. We dumped all of our money from the sale of our last home into it and now we have run out of money. It is not even close to being done. My wife is a stay-at-home mother of three and I work full time. I bring home about $5,500 per month with a ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: What to Do When You're Too Tired to Cook

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If money is leaking out of your household and you aren't quite sure where it's going, I have an idea: fast food. Busy households mean tired parents, and that can easily result in getting takeout two or three times a week. Does anything here sound familiar?

The last thing you need is for someone to tell you to get a grip and plan ahead! So I won...Read more

Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Rents dropping across Las Vegas Valley, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Rents are dropping across the Las Vegas Valley, according to a new report from Zumper.

One-bedroom apartment rents dropped 18.8% in July year over year, the biggest drop in the valley, in Winchester, which includes the north end of the Strip and to the east, according to the apartment rental platform.

The second biggest decline was in North ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: When Less Is Best

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

The dishwasher was crammed full of dirty dishes, company would be arriving shortly and (wouldn't you know it) I had only enough detergent to fill one of the two dispensers in my dishwasher. I decided to use what I had and hope for the best.

Amazingly, my dishes got just as clean as when I previously would fill both receptacles. To my disgrace, ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

CD ladder: What it is and how to build one

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A CD ladder spreads your savings across multiple certificates of deposit (CDs) with staggered maturity dates, so you capture the higher rates of longer-term CDs while still getting access to part of your money every six to 12 months. It’s a solution to the classic CD dilemma of choosing between better rates and flexibility.

That said, top ...Read more

Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

College is still worth it, parents say. They just want more options

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For parents looking at the rising cost of college, there’s a reality that keeps some of them up at night: 71% expect to take on debt to help their children pay for higher education.

Nearly half — 46% — expect to use education loans. Another 21% of parents say they may turn to credit cards or cash advances. Eleven percent of parents ...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

With gas prices back on the rise, some Chicagoans are reconsidering how they get around

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

CHICAGO — Forty hours a week used to be enough for Christopher Dever, 42, to make a living as a Lyft driver. But as the cost of a full tank of gas crept up from $60 to $80, he found himself living in what he calls “a cycle of scarcity,” working 60-hour weeks to scrape by.

Although Lyft offered a temporary fuel relief program for eligible ...Read more

 

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