TikTok has finalized a deal to form a new U.S. entity with investors that include Oracle, Silver Lake and Emirati firm MGX, easing the threat of a nationwide ban and allowing the social media app to continue operating for more than 200 million American users. The company said Thursday that the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will operate with safeguards aimed at addressing national security concerns,...

California has become a test lab for housing reform. The state stands as an ongoing experiment-in-process for how far lawmakers will go to legalize the development of more homes and how hard local officials and neighborhood activists will fight to stop it.​​ The latest flashpoint struck on Thursday, as the Los Angeles transit agency board voted against implementing a landmark transit-oriented...

There’s a certain kind of modern exhaustion that doesn’t really have a name yet — but everyone knows it when they feel it. It’s that drained, twitchy feeling after too many notifications, too much scrolling, too many “just checking one thing” moments that somehow turn into 45 minutes. Even downtime can start to feel like work when the internet follows people into every room of the...

Some Los Angeles listings are impressive because they’re new. Others because they’re enormous. Others because they have the right views, the right pool, the right zip code. And then there are the rare ones that hit the market carrying something money can’t manufacture: historic gravity. That’s exactly what’s happening in Mt. Washington, where a 1905 hilltop estate known as the Nickel-Leong...

Laundry rooms may be hardworking spaces, but these seven projects show they can also be polished, calming and smartly organized. Here, designers, many of whom use Houzz Pro software, share how they paired stylish details with things like floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, pullout hampers,...

Construction and design professionals are heading into 2026 with a cautiously optimistic perspective, according to the Q1 2026 U.S. Houzz Pro Industry Barometer. Many firms anticipate stable demand and growth opportunities for the year, but ongoing cost...

The low, beamed ceiling in this room in a centuries-old English house presented a challenge for kitchen specialist Chisholm Design. The firm had been tasked with creating a kitchen here where there once was none. In doing so, they needed to incorporate plentiful storage without the space feeling...

U.S. home builders pressed lawmakers on Tuesday to roll back what they describe as a growing web of federal regulations that they say is exacerbating the nation's housing affordability crisis by constraining supply and inflating construction costs. Appearing before a congressional panel focused on housing affordability, National Association of Home Builders Chairman Buddy Hughes argued that regulatory...

President Donald Trump has floated proposals to make it easier for Americans to pull from their 401(k) retirement accounts to buy a home — framing the idea as a way to boost homeownership and financial stability. But financial experts say the strategy could undermine long-term financial security, particularly as housing costs rise and retirement savings gaps widen, according to a recent report from...

The federal tax bill passed in mid-2025 includes a provision marketed as “no tax on Social Security,” but it does not eliminate taxes on benefits. Instead, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands deductions for older Americans, potentially reducing federal taxes for many retirees, a finance leader recently explained. A blog post by Luke Delorme — director of financial planning at Tableaux...