Power of House Talks by The Cerdafied Development Group

July 19, 2018 Amid Rising Costs of Housing, Harris Introduces Bill to Provide Rent Relief WASHINGTON, D.C.  - With the cost of housing continuing to rise in California and across the country, U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris today introduced legislation to provide rent relief for working families struggling to pay their bills. The  Rent Relief Act  would create a new, refundable tax credit to put more money in the pockets of families at a time when renters’ wages have remained stagnant and housing costs have increased rapidly. Harris was joined in the introduction by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH). “America’s affordable housing crisis has left too many families behind who struggle each month to keep a roof over their head,”  said Senator Harris . “This bill will ensure no family is priced out of the basic security of a place to live. Bolstering the economic security of working families would strengthen our country and increase

SEATTLE, July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rental options for black renters were far fewer than what Asian or white renters could choose from last year. Black renters could afford less than a third of the rentals that white or Asian renters could afford in 2017. A renter making the median black household incomei ($39,647) in 2017 could afford 16.2 percent of the available rentals on Zillow® without putting more than 30 percent of their pre-tax income toward housing costs, according to a  new Zillow analysis . If they spent 45 percent of their income on rent, they could afford 42 percent of the listed rentals – the same amount as a renter earning the median U.S. income ($59,250) could afford while only spending 30 percent of their income on rent. High rent burdens limit the financial freedom renters have. Those with the highest rent burden are often unable to put aside any savings on a monthly basis, and are also more likely to make other sacrifices such as dental careii. Most Americ

Breathing in toxic air is known to cause asthma, heart attacks and lower life expectancy.  Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Click here for online Article   Environmental justice advocates have long maintained that people of color live in communities with high pollution or toxic air contamination in much higher numbers than Whites. And a new study is now revealing one reason why: Because real estate agents encourage them to move into these areas. “Sorting or Steering: Experimental Evidence on the Economic Effects of Housing Discrimination” was released this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, an independent economic research group. It examined what discrimination people of color face as they work with real estate agents to find homes and found that these agents are much more likely to show them houses in high-pollution areas. Per ThinkProgress: The researchers of the new study looked at data on White, African American, Asian and Hispanic households. Infor

 Summer 2018 Real Estate Bulletin from the California Bureau of Real Estate is now available from the link below. http://www.bre.ca.gov/files/pd f/reb/rebsum_18.pdf   This issue and prior issues of the Real Estate Bulletin can be downloaded from the Bureau's web site at: http://www.dre.ca.gov/Publicat ions/RealEstateBulletin.html

The Summer 2018 Real Estate Bulletin from the California Bureau of Real Estate is now available from the link below. http://www.bre.ca.gov/files/ pdf/reb/rebsum_18.pdf   This issue and prior issues of the Real Estate Bulletin can be downloaded from the Bureau's web site at: http://www.dre.ca.gov/ Publications/ RealEstateBulletin.html

Old Town Clovis becoming a hot spot for tiny homes. Others come to see how it's done BY ROBERT RODRIGUEZ rrodriguez@fresnobee.com LINKEDIN GOOGLE+ PINTEREST REDDIT PRINT ORDER REPRINT OF THIS STORY June 24, 2018 09:05 AM Updated June 24, 2018 09:06 AM The tiny home trend is taking off in downtown Clovis. Last year, the city launched an incentive program aimed at encouraging builders, homeowners and do-it-yourselfers to build compact cottages in the city's downtown core. And so far, it's worked. Since August, 10 permits have been issued with seven of those under construction. One project is nearly complete. "The response to the program has really been tremendous," said Maria Spera, a city planning technician who is overseeing the project. "The citizen a s part of the program, the city provides, for free, a choice of three building plans, saving the homeowner nearly $10,000. The homes vary in square foot