Forget the Open Floor Plan--It's Time to Bring Back Walls

Following a week of closures,  cancellations  and quarantines, Los Angeles and New York City announced they will be putting a  halt on evictions  until further notice as a result of the spread of coronavirus. Last week, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez declared a state of emergency in the county. As a result, the Miami-Dade County police will temporarily suspend eviction notices until further notice. San Jose, California will also be moving forward with a moratorium on evictions. Sunday evening, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti  issued a moratorium  on evictions and bans on dine-in restaurants and entertainment facilities in the city, according to LAist. “I hereby order that no landlord shall evict a residential tenant in the City of Los Angeles during this local emergency period if the tenant is able to show an inability to pay rent due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Garcetti said in his order. “These circumstances inc...

The  Federal Reserve  made its second emergency cut in two weeks, slashing 1% off its benchmark rate, and renewed a program to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds in an effort to bolster the economy as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spreads in the U.S. “The coronavirus outbreak has harmed communities and disrupted economic activity in many countries, including the United States, ” the Fed said in a statement issued on Sunday at 5 p.m. “The effects of the coronavirus will weigh on economic activity in the near term and pose risks to the economic outlook,” the statement said. “In light of these developments, the committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate.” The bond-buying will take the form of $500 billion in Treasury bills and $200 billion of agency-backed mortgage securities, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said on a conference call with reporters on Sunday night. The Fed said the purchases will begin Monday with a $40 billion installment. T...

Many new tile products in 2020 feature geometric and floral patterns, a continuing trend. And recent overall design trends like dark walls, muted tones and the color blue have made their way into tile design. “We are seeing lots of large-format tiles. They offer a new, fresh look with an easier installation,” says Cindy D’Alessio, director of special projects at Emser Tile. “Also, metallic finishes or accents, the addition of textures in traditional pieces like the subway [tile], and designed or patterned tiles.” The latest tile trends have been on display at recent design and building trade shows, such as The International Surface Event, the International Builders’ Show and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas. Some of these products will be available later in the year. Here is a look at three top trends for tile in 2020. Julie Sheer Photo from Emser Tile 1. True Blues The color blue is definitely having a design moment. A denim-like blue was chosen by both Panton...

If you're searching for a home this spring, get ready for a fight.  Bidding wars are likely because mortgage rates are low, demand is strong, and the amount of homes for sale is down – way down. "January has already been strong with prices up, home sales up, (and) listings ...down quite a bit,'' says Daryl Fairweather, chief economist with RedFin. "So homebuyers are more likely to face competition." She thinks sales will still be strong, simply because more buyers will pull the trigger on buying homes.’ Fewer homes mean higher prices  Last spring, buyers had more of an upper hand as more properties came on the market and sellers tried to woo back house hunters turned off by high prices and higher interest rates.  Now buyers have fewer choices.  At the end of January, there were 1.42 million units, including condos, co-ops and single-family homes on the market, up 2.2% from December, but down ...

More than three quarters of homeowners across 20 large metro areas agree local governments should do more to keep housing affordable, and most agree that allowing more building would help, according to a new Zillow® survey. But while there is meager support for new large multifamily buildings, more than half of homeowners say they and others should be allowed to convert their homes to create additional housing. That's according to the latest  Zillow Housing Aspirations Report , which asked homeowners for their feelings about how best to help quell affordability issues by allowing more homes into their neighborhoods, and comes as in-law suites and backyard cottages gain attention as possible solutions to  sharply rising housing costs . Previous Zillow research has shown that  even modest rezoning  to allow for more accessory dwelling units -- creating two, three or four dwellings where only one sits now -- could spur the creation of millions of new homes nationwide...

he situation with COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”) continues to evolve and markets are down sharply for a second straight week. The California Association of REALTORS® has processed all of the recent data and will likely revise its forecast lower in the coming weeks. However, based upon our current expectations for the trajectory of the virus, the revisions will be modest unless the outbreak accelerates beyond current expectations. This week, we follow up with the top 10 reasons why we expect the market to be softer as well as the offsetting effects that will mitigate some of the downside risk to our industry. C.A.R. Likely to Revise 2020 Forecast Downward, But Not Dramatically:  The situation remains fluid, and conditions could deteriorate beyond what is currently envisioned depending on the severity and duration of the outbreak, but if current economic forecasts of modest declines in GDP growth are realized, the effects of lower rates should help to offset the effects of a slower econ...