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Real estate Q&A: Can condo board set $42K special assessment for structural repairs?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We bought our condo five years ago and budgeted carefully. Last month, the board sent a letter saying we owe a $42,000 special assessment for structural repairs. We are retired and on a fixed income. Can the board really do this, and is there any way to fight it? — Diane

A: I am sorry you are facing this, and you are far from alone.

The ...Read more

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

Rents continue their free fall in the Las Vegas Valley, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Rents in the Las Vegas Valley continue to decline despite most of the rest of the country starting to flatten out, according to a new study.

May’s rental report from rental marketplace Zumper shows that most all of the areas in the valley have seen declining rental rates both month over month and year over year. The biggest drop year over ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Her water bill was 'insane.' So she tore out her lawn and planted a 'wabi-sabi' wonderland

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Water-hungry lawns are symbols of Los Angeles' past. In this series , we spotlight yards with alternative, low-water landscaping built for the future.

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LOS ANGELES -- Julia Lee had no need for a new garden when she and her husband purchased their Cheviot Hills home eight years ago. The traditional 1950 home came with mature tropical ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: The Great Paint Rescue and Other Clever Reader-Submitted Tips

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

PAINT FOR PICK-UP

Most counties have Hazardous Household Material programs and collection sites where residents can drop off items that should not end up in landfills. They get all types of paint, ranging from latex, oil-based, primer, interior, exterior and stain. Sometimes the paint dropped off at the site is brand-new -- never even opened. ...Read more

David Wilson/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Malls are making a comeback in Las Vegas -- and Gen Z is driving it

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The American mall was once considered a dying relic of the pre-internet era, battered by e-commerce, shifting consumer habits and the collapse of traditional department stores.

But in Las Vegas and across the country, many malls are finding new life by reinventing themselves as destinations for entertainment, dining, fitness and community ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Saved by My Credit Card

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Have I got a story for you, and when I say "you," I refer primarily to my readers who are having a difficult time understanding why I do not use a debit card. I am careful to always pay with a credit card when making a large purchase, when I order something online or put up a deposit for goods or services to be delivered in the future.

Several ...Read more

Video

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

No body

Video

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

No body

Video

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

No body

Video

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

No body

Have a Shaded Yard? Replace Your Grass With Moss

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A shaded yard can feel like a lawn-care failure waiting to happen. Grass thins under trees, turns patchy near fences and sulks in damp corners where sunlight rarely reaches the soil. Homeowners respond with seed, fertilizer, lime, raking, watering and hope. Then the same bare spots return.

At some point, the better question is not, “How do I ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth Money in the Bank

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Today's topic is not pretty, but unless you have $8,000 earmarked for dental care, it could prevent a lot of pain -- both dental and financial.

Periodontal disease is an infection that destroys the attachment fibers and supporting bones that hold the teeth in the jawbone and the jawbone itself.

Bacteria get caught between the teeth and under ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

SpaceX surges 20% in second day to add $412 billion in value

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SpaceX shares jumped in their second day of trading, adding to gains following a blockbuster debut that instantly vaulted it into the ranks of the world’s most valuable public companies.

The stock climbed 20%, extending Friday’s 19% rally, to add $412 billion in market value. Shares closed at $192.46 on Monday, more than 42% above their $...Read more

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

SpaceX IPO stress tests crypto's bid to reinvent stocks

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For years, crypto firms have argued that blockchain technology could create markets for private companies long before they reach Wall Street. SpaceX provided the industry’s biggest test yet. The results were mixed.

Ahead of the largest IPO in history, perpetual futures tied to Elon Musk’s rocket company gave traders a live — and ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

A record number of Miamians can't make ends meet. Why that's a risk for everyone

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A record number of Miami-Dade families are living paycheck to paycheck, a new report has found.

North of a half-million county households — 563,947 to be exact — are struggling to make ends meet, according to new data from United Way. That’s 56% of all Miami-Dade households, a two-percentage-point increase from last year and the highest ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Why Concentrated Anything Makes Me Suspicious

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

It seems to me that nearly every household product has at some time decided it needed to become "concentrated." Concentrated detergent, concentrated cleaner, concentrated juice, even concentrated coffee. These days I'm half expecting concentrated throw pillows.

The promise is always the same: smaller bottle, bigger value. Less packaging, more ...Read more

Alex Kormann/Star Tribune/TNS

Minnesota AG sues cash advance app Brigit over alleged breach of state lending laws

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The app-based cash advance business Brigit is in the state’s crosshairs over small loans that officials say carry super-sized interest rates of more than 700% in some cases.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued the company on Wednesday, saying the loans violate the state’s caps on interest rates and carry terms that are not clearly...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Bay Area downtowns aren't dying – they're changing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For years, headlines have warned of downtown “doom loops” and “death spirals,” focusing on the office vacancies that have piled up since the pandemic. Take a walk through downtown San Jose, for instance, and you’ll see many once-bustling buildings quiet and mostly empty.

But while they’ve been slow to recover, the streets below them...Read more

John Konstantaras/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois is one step closer to banning 'junk fees' and hidden charges on renters

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — Sharon Gardner was paying her rent. But her Hanover Park apartment owner continued to pile up charges against her.

With eviction threats mounting, Gardner was told she owed more than $3,300 in unexpected fees — a $50 monthly charge for cable internet she never received, $5 a month for pest control, a $300 move-in fee...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can we still close home sale after low appraisal?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We are selling our home, and the buyer’s appraisal just came back $30,000 below the price we agreed on. Now the buyer is demanding that we drop the price to match the appraisal. We priced the house fairly and had multiple offers. Do we have to give in? — Carol

A: Few things deflate the excitement of an accepted offer faster than a low ...Read more

 

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