Architects are seeing designing new public housing as a creative opportunity.
Today, most affordable housing is built by private developers or local agencies financed with a mix of public and private money as communities adopt “inclusionary zoning” ordinances. These laws require developers to set aside units in new construction that will be affordable for families of [...]

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Good home maintenance is key to creating and preserving a home’s value. Not to mention, it also impresses potential buyers.
Here are five basic steps that every home owner ought to take — before spending money on dream bathrooms or gourmet kitchens.
1. Safety. Make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are installed and in good [...]

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Existing-home sales rose slightly in November, indicating a stabilization in housing in the wake of mortgage disruptions earlier this year, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Total existing-home sales — including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — rose 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5 million units in November. That represents a [...]

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The U.S. Census Bureau calculates that the nation’s population will be 303.15 million this past New Year’s Day ‘2008′, up 0.9 percent from 2,842,103 registered on Jan. 1, 2007.
In 2008, the population will increase by one person every 13 seconds. That increase will be the result of one birth every 8 seconds and one death every 11 [...]

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A California trade group is predicting that the state’s housing slump is near bottom and business will rise steadily.
In a forecast released Thursday, the California Building Industry Association said developers will secure permits for 128,400 single-family and multifamily units this year, up from an estimated 116,250 in 2007. The 10 percent gain is in contrast [...]

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The benchmark ratio of rents to home prices is slowly returning to its long-run average but it could be at the expense of home prices, according to a study by Federal Reserve Board economists and a University of Wisconsin professor suggests.
The ratio, which compares imputed rents of home owners to the value of owner-occupied housing, [...]

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56th Annual Buick Invitational Golf Tournament     January 21-27
The Buick Invitational Golf Tournament is here! Come to the Torrey Pines Golf Course to watch professional golfing at its best. Torrey Pines Golf Course (11480 North Torrey Pines Rd.) Tom Wilson (619) 281-4653 or www.buickinvitational.com
 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March     January 25
Knox Elementary School students will proudly [...]

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Calif. median home price - November 07: $488,640
Calif. highest median home price by C.A.R. region November 07: Santa Barbara So. Coast $1,075,000
Calif. lowest median home price by C.A.R. region November 07: High Desert $262,650
Calif. First-time Buyer Affordability Index - Third Quarter 07: 24 percent
(Source: C.A.R.)  
Mortgage rates - week ending 12/27: 30-yr. fixed: 6.17%; Fees/points: [...]

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The state’s minimum wage goes up today to $8 an hour, but is still far from enough to pull a vast number of low-income families out of poverty, according to a study by the California Budget Project. The study says that an individual who works full time at the minimum wage of $8 an hour [...]

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Consumers rely more heavily on the Internet than any other source when it comes to solving issues connected to the government or for access to government-provided resolution support, according to a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
In a recent survey, respondents were asked to reveal how they attempted to resolve problems [...]

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