Public Policy "NEWS"

If prices follow and enter into a tailspin, many buyers struggling to afford a home would rejoice — provided it wasn’t accompanied by an economic downturn and return to high joblessness. The California housing market plateau'd in November. Despite lower mortgage payments, buyers can't afford the down payments nor find a suitable home to purchase. With listings decreasing dramatically, and the US economy and job market doing well, we might expect much higher home prices in 2020. Housing economists suggest price growth will be more moderate however. Read more...

There are different types of real estate, each with its pros and cons which you need to consider to determine which type will bring you the most profits. Real estate is real property that consists of land and improvements, which include buildings, fixtures, roads, structures, and utility systems. Property rights give a title of ownership to the land, improvements, and natural resources such as minerals, plants, animals, water, etc. For anyone looking to understand how the industry works and what each of the major categories represents, the explanations on this link will be a helpful guide.

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The consumer bureau is considering whether to shed light on this by mandating two disclosures — what the appraiser is paid and what the management company is taking. Should you care about this? Absolutely. Although banks and mortgage lenders maintain that there is no need for additional disclosure, appraisers, builders, realty brokers and others say the costs of appraisals to consumers have increased in the last few years, while the quality and accuracy of the work have declined. In a poll of its members last year by the National Assn. of Realtors, 70% reported consumers were being charged higher appraisal fees at closing — sometimes $100 more than was the typical charge previously.   House Bill To amend title 9 of the United States Code with respect to arbitration. - You Say What?  Tell Congress How to Vote

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Between 2010 and 2018, landlords filed 505,924 eviction proceedings   in Los Angeles County Superior Court, a figure that the report, titled “ Priced Out, Pushed Out, Locked Out ,” calls “shocking” and “staggering. The county has made enormous investments in addressing homelessness, but these efforts are not enough, says Nisha Vyas,   director of Public Counsel’s homelessness prevention law project. What we’re seeing is that as soon as people are housed in shelters, they’re replaced on the streets by people who are newly homeless. Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority’s 2019 Homeless Count, which found that while 24,493 homeless residents were placed into interim housing in 2018, about 37,000 homeless residents were without shelter for the first time. The report’s authors also reiterated alarming statistics on the number of residents in Los Angeles who are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. According to an analysis of

AB 1482 could expand rent control in Los Angeles and now includes a “just cause” provision AB 1482 will have to be vetted next by the senate appropriations committee. If it ultimately approved in the full Senate (it already passed the Assembly) and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, it would make it illegal for property owners to raise rents more than 7 percent, plus the Consumer Price Index, in one year. The CPI averages about 2.5 percent in California. Homes constructed in the past 10 years would be exempt, and the law would expire in 2023. The bill was heard by the committee Tuesday afternoon during a marathon session, but because several committee members were absent, it didn’t get the votes it needed until shortly before midnight. Several Los Angeles advocates, including a rep for Mayor Eric Garcetti and organizers with ACT-LA, were at the Capitol in Sacramento to register their support. California is one step closer toward having statewide rent control. I