Video tours? Suburbs? Coronavirus changes how and where we buy homes
By Charisse JonesJessica Menton USA TODAY Jessica Chamorro’s dream of owning her first home was upended in March after she was furloughed from her catering job at a hotel chain in Tampa, Florida. She and her husband, who have three children, had just started their...
California homeowners: Can’t pay your mortgage because of the coronavirus? Here’s what to do – SFChronicle.com
By Kathleen Pender SF Chronicle, May 12, 2020 Mortgage payments loom as many homeowners face a loss of income during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what those in financial distress need to know. Q: What should I do if I can’t pay my mortgage? A: The federal...
Why you should think twice about delaying your mortgage payments.
By Anna Bahney, CNN Business Rob Allen and his friends used to talk about sports all the time. These days, the main topic of conversation is mortgage forbearance. Forbearance, an agreement with your mortgage company that allows you to reduce or delay payments for a...
Millions of homeowners are now delaying their mortgage payments.
By Anna Bahney, CNN Busines As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the US economy, millions of homeowners have taken advantage of a government program that enables them to reduce or delay their mortgage payments. The payment relief, or forbearance, enables...
Why it’s suddenly more difficult to get a mortgage
Some banks are now requiring a credit score of at least 700 and a 20 percent down payment. April 14, 2020 By Martha C. White, NBC News Even with historically low interest rates, buying a house or refinancing a mortgage is getting tougher, and some consumer...
Good news for Bay Area: Tech hiring despite the coronavirus.
by Chase DiFeliciantonio and Roland Li , April 7, 2020, SF Chronicle With the coronavirus pandemic confining many to their homes, it’s a boom time for video streaming. Collaboration software. E-commerce tools. While much of the American economy falters...
Want to refinance? Make sure you understand the new tax laws.
By Kathleen Pender San Francisco Chronicle, March 7, 2020 Updated: With mortgage rates hitting record lows, some homeowners may be looking to refinance their mortgage for the first time since new federal tax rules took effect after Congress passed the Tax Cuts and...
Insurance companies and lenders are responding to climate change — by shifting risk to taxpayers.
Grist / Feverpitched / ucpage / Getty Images COVER STORY Holding the Bill Insurance companies and lenders are responding to climate change — by shifting risk to taxpayers. By Naveena Sadasivam on Mar 4, 2020 In a pair of little-noticed letters sent...
What landlords and tenants need to know about California’s new rent-control law
by Kathleen Pender , San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 4, 2020 Associations representing tenants and landlords are getting flooded with questions about the statewide rent- and eviction-control law that took effect in California Jan. 1. The most common one is: “Does this...
Californians’ home mortgage deduction would be capped under new bill
By Alexei Koseff Jan. 9, 2020 SACRAMENTO — California homeowners with big home loans and vacation properties would owe higher taxes under new legislation to raise money for programs to get the state’s homelessness crisis under control. The bill by Assemblyman David...