June 2024

U.S. home prices are growing at their slowest pace in nearly a year and a half, according to Redfin‘s home price index that was published on Tuesday. Home prices rose 0.26% month over month in May, down from a monthly increase of 0.44% in April. Last month’s reading marked the smallest monthly increase on a seasonally adjusted basis since January 2023. National home prices were up 7.16% year over...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed that lender and servicer Freedom Mortgage Corp. pay $3.95 million for alleged violations of a 2019 consent order and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) when it submitted incorrect mortgage data. The proposed order was filed on Tuesday in a U.S. district court in West Palm Beach, Florida, following setbacks in recent months for both...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) on Tuesday announced its submission of a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which urges the department to avoid reprimanding mortgage servicers for compliance lapses with the new National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) system until it is “fully accessible and usable to each participant.” The...

Members of Generation X are more concerned about their post-retirement ability to support the lifestyles they’ve grown accustomed to when compared with other generations — including baby boomers and millennials — according to the results of a recent survey conducted by Allianz Life. In the company’s 2024 Annual Retirement Study, respondents indicated that 62% of Gen Xers “feel confident about...

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) this week announced a proposed Mortgagee Letter (ML) that would add fraud and misrepresentation to its defect taxonomy list for Title II FHA-sponsored mortgage financing. The defect taxonomy includes a list of attributes that FHA can use to identify potential defects at the loan level based on policy requirements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...

Now that Jeff Lewis and his talented team of designers have finished revamping Christina Ricci’s home, the actress is listing her Woodland Hills pad for sale. Fresh off the heels of a Hollywood Houselift appearance, where Lewis brought the team in to renovate the kitchen and primary bathroom for season two of the celebrity home reno show, the 4-bedroom home popped up for sale with a $2,249,000 asking...

These flowers, herbs, and other plants for sandy soil don’t mind less-than-perfect growing conditions. Edward Gohlich Sandy soil can be a challenge for gardeners. It has a reputation for being one of the poorest soils for growing plants because it’s low in nutrients and doesn’t hold much water. It also warms and cools quickly in response to air temperature, causing some plants to go dormant...

Everyone will want to steal your paddles with this limited-edition collaboration. Rifle Paper Co. Florals are coming to pickleball courts this summer—and probably not in the way you'd expect. Stationery and lifestyle brand Rifle Paper Co. teamed up with elevated pickleball brand Tangerine, to create the most aesthetically pleasing equipment you've ever seen. Two new limited-edition printed...

From marble to butcher block, discover the best material for your kitchen aesthetic and cooking style. ' title='White kitchen '> Meghan Beierle-O'Brien Kitchen countertops provide far more than aesthetics: They are hardworking surfaces that should reflect your cooking and entertaining style just as much as your design preferences. When renovating a kitchen, choosing the countertop may seem like...

A new report from Thumbtack reveals that a well-maintained lawn is of the utmost importance. Marty Baldwin According to the 2024 Curb Appeal Trends Report by Thumbtack, it's officially “The Year of the Backyard.” Homeowners are heavily investing in outdoor improvements this year—but creating a little oasis extends to the front yard too.Published June 11, the report—which is based on a...