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Courtesy Eli Lilly and Company/TNS/TNS

Eli Lilly & Co. is opening a Lilly Gateway Labs biotech incubator in Philadelphia

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Philadelphia is the newest destination for Lilly Gateway Labs, an incubator for early-stage biotech companies backed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co., the company announced Wednesday.

The Center City incubator will be Lilly’s fifth in the United States. Biotech hotbeds Boston, South San Francisco, and San Diego already have them. (...Read more

Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS

In 'freedom-loving' Idaho, investors look to gold as government distrust grows

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Dylan Tinklenberg readily admits that some would consider him to be a “prepper” for the end times. Like many of his customers at Idaho Pawn and Gold in Meridian, Montana, he doesn’t trust the banks — and he invests in gold as a “backup asset” in case “something were to happen.”

“I’m not, like, zombie apocalypse, full-out,”...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Do I need to move concrete fence before selling my home?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: When we bought our house almost 20 years ago, it had a concrete partition wall running along the property line between our house and our neighbors. We’re getting ready to move, and our neighbor told us that the fence is actually a foot onto his property, and we needed to move it before we sold the house. Is this something I need to be ...Read more

Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register/TNS

Commentary: 50-year mortgages won't fix the affordability crisis

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, recently floated the idea of offering people a 50-year mortgage instead of the more conventional 30-year financing option. It sounds attractive at first because stretching out repaying of a mortgage would lower the borrower’s monthly payment, but this wouldn’t fix the homeownership ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Simple Solutions for 3 Common Laundry Problems

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

STINKY TOWELS AND CLOTHES

No matter how many times you wash those items, you just cannot get rid of the disgusting sour, mildewy odor. The problem is clear evidence of bacteria that continues to live in those items, despite having been previously laundered and dried.

Place the offending items in the washer, and set it to the hottest wash cycle...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Tips to Make Cooking Fun and Rewarding

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

I remember my grandmother saying, "If we didn't need food, we'd all be rich!" This may be true, but then, a life without food would be a little less pleasurable. Still, there are so many ways to make great food cheap, make perishable food last and the grocery budget stretch like nobody's business.

Enjoy today's tips, filled with practiced ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Home Depot cuts outlook amid housing slump and consumer uncertainty

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A slow housing market and increased consumer uncertainty is weighing on home improvement giant Home Depot.

The Georgia-based retailer on Tuesday said it missed expectations in its fiscal third quarter. The company also lowered its full-year profit outlook.

Home Depot is an economic bellwether and its financial results are closely watched as a ...Read more

CHRIS DELMAS/Getty Images North America/TNS

Editorial: Fifty-year mortgage plan ignores real issue

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Members of the Trump administration have floated a new proposal to address the nation’s housing crisis. It’s a dud. They should stick to the basics.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social last weekend to advocate for the creation of a 50-year mortgage loan. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, then called the ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Everything You Need to Know About How to Select, Store and Freeze Avocados

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Avocados are fickle. Sometimes they seem to be ready for consumption but then hard as a rock when cut into. Other times avocados look like they'll be rotten before you get them home. This unpredictability isn't just expensive ($1.25 each for medium, $2.50 each for large at my local supermarket, as I write); it also contributes to wasted food.

...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Is mobile banking safe? How to actually protect your money

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Mobile banking is how a majority of Americans manage their money. But it’s also a growing target for fraud. The good news: when done right, it can actually be safer than swiping your debit card at a store.

Here’s what experts say about how to keep your money — and your data — safe, plus how to choose banks that prioritize your security....Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Cheap Hobbies With Rich Rewards

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Some hobbies require a second income just to afford them. Golf, skiing, photography with professional gear -- those can run into the thousands before you've even broken a sweat. But the best hobbies? They're often the ones that cost very little, or nothing at all, and leave you richer in ways that have nothing to do with your bank balance.

Here...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Los Angeles builders launch portal to make fire rebuilds faster and more affordable

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — People who lost homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires can now go online to pick vetted residential templates that could save them money and be ready as early as next year.

Builders Alliance, a nonprofit organization formed in response to the fires, on Friday launched a portal that offers survivors a selection of homes, filtered...Read more

Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Real estate Q&A: Can HOA stop us from feeding the ducks?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We enjoy feeding the ducks behind our house. Our community association is telling us that we can no longer feed them because it’s causing problems in our community. Can they stop us from doing it? — Graham

A: Feeding ducks and other wildlife can be a relaxing and enjoyable activity that brings you closer to nature. However, it is common...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

US mortgage rates rise slightly, sending 30-year loans to 6.24%

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Mortgage rates in the U.S. increased for a second week, adding to costs for homebuyers already facing a precarious economy.

The average for 30-year, fixed loans rose slightly to 6.24%, up from 6.22% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday.

Homebuyers have been reluctant to jump into the market, even with rates now well below year-...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Zillow pressures homebuyers into using its mortgages, lawsuit claims

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Zillow has been slammed with yet another lawsuit — this time for allegedly incentivizing its affiliated agents to pressure homebuyers into using Zillow’s mortgage business.

The Seattle-based real estate giant is most known for its real estate listing website, but it is also a brokerage and lending agency.

In a lawsuit filed last week with ...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Homebuilders bet on 1% mortgage rates to wake up US buyers

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With the average mortgage rate near 6%, U.S. homebuyers are looking at the most affordable monthly payments in a year. But San Antonio real estate agent Tavyn Weyman knows how to get them lower — much lower.

The trick is simple: buy new.

In markets across the U.S., homebuilders sitting on unsold inventory are subsidizing mortgage rates so ...Read more

Maryna Konoplytska/Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

What first-time homebuyers need to know before buying a fixer-upper

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you’re a first-time homebuyer with a tight budget, should you consider a fixer-upper? It depends whether you’re willing to be uncomfortable — possibly for a long time.

For some, buying a fixer-upper is a great way to build equity and customize their home. For others, it’s a source of inescapable stress.

“Maybe they’ve never even...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 4 Ways to Make Safe Problem-Free Homemade Fabric Softener

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Fabric softeners are designed to reduce the amount of static in synthetic fibers and make laundry come out feeling soft and smelling great. These products contain lubricating ingredients that help coat and "soften" fibers in fabrics when added to your laundry load in the form of liquid, powder or dryer sheets.

So why would anyone opt to go to ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

In historic vote, LA caps rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments at 4%

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Los Angeles strengthened its rent stabilization law for the first time in 40 years Wednesday, setting a 4% ceiling on annual rent increases for a massive portion of the city’s housing stock.

The historic vote by the L.A. City Council will help set rents for decades to come for tenants who live in units built before 1978 — nearly half of the...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Los Angeles may cap rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments at 3%. Landlords cry foul

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Valerie Valentine bought a triplex in South Los Angeles two weeks ago, and already she wonders whether she made a terrible investment.

Bills are immediately adding up for the small-time landlord, from $1,000 to get the water turned on to $6,000 in annual property taxes. She worries that the amount she collects in rent will not be enough to ...Read more

 

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