Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
The catastrophic weather in Texas has thrown the spotlight on the federal government’s troubled flood insurance program, which is nearly $25 billion in debt after huge payouts following Katrina, Sandy and other devastating hurricanes. But as Houston starts the long process of recovering, lobbyists in Washington have already maneuvered to slow lawmakers efforts’ to overhaul…
Debt market is booming even as building purchases plunge Many owners are eager to collect on value gains, broker says At a time when commercial-property purchases have slowed to a trickle, Manhattan landlords who can’t sell are still getting money out of their buildings — by turning to lenders. A growing chasm between what buyers…
This story is a collaboration between New York and ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom. In mid-May, Steve Preston, who served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the final two years of the George W. Bush administration, organized a dinner at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, D.C., for the new chief of that…
By RICHARD D. KAHLENBERGAUG. 3, 2017 close story-meta-footer close story-meta Photo Credit Golden Cosmos ONE hundred years ago, in a major advance for human dignity, the Supreme Court struck down a racial zoning law in Louisville, Ky., that prohibited nonwhites from moving into homes in majority-white areas. Laws like these, which existed in numerous cities…
At a time when affordable housing is a national urban crisis, we usually turn to precious, self-righteous burgs like San Francisco for the most atrocious examples of NIMBYism. But now, Los Angeles may have them all beat. On March 7, L.A. voters will vote on “Measure S,” which would impost a moratorium on all development…
A real-estate startup called Compass Inc. has hired hundreds of sales agents away from older rivals, collected $225 million from marquee investors and amassed a valuation of over $1 billion, all with the pitch that its software can make brokers more efficient. Real-estate veterans say they’re baffled by how the four-year-old firm, active in only…
A war of words between Airbnb and New York, its largest market, has escalated with the first fine issued by the city in what is expected to be a crackdown on “hosts”. Tatiana Cames, a host who advertised “shabby chic” apartments in Brooklyn to tourists and business travelers, was fined $5,000. Penalties will escalate if…
After years of rents creeping higher and higher, San Francisco is finally seeing real signs of a slowdown with several apartment listing and real-estate data companies noting lower rents and rising inventory. San Francisco rents were down 2.3 percent compared with one year ago, according to AppFolio—the biggest drop in the 20 high-population metros the…
post details byline /post details An educational presentation on San Francisco’s low population of children took place during a Planning Commission meeting Thursday, launching a discussion into what, if anything, The City can do to remedy this issue. Nationwide, the percentage of homes with children is 29 percent. In San Francisco, it’s 18 percent —…
President Donald Trump walks to his swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20 in Washington, DC. | Getty Trump blocks Federal Housing Administration plan to cut mortgage fees if this is a ‘universal’ story then the story-tag will be ‘story’ By Lorraine Woellert 01/20/17 01:29 PM EST Updated 01/20/17…