The debate over renting vs. owning has long posed a challenge for households in California. Arguments have morphed in recent years as home prices and mortgage rates soared beyond the increasing rents. To illustrate the complexities, we’ve created a hypothetical rent vs. buy scenario to track housing

A beacon of opportunity when it opened in 1985, the former Horton Plaza mall now finds itself the symbol of a serious downtown slump. A 7-year-old promise — that the mall’s conversion into a mixed-use office campus would bring new life to the city’s center — is within view but firmly locked away beh

Founded by Shamine Linton in 2006, Sharia’s Closet provides free, emergency clothing to those experiencing financial hardship or crisis. The idea first began after Linton first immigrated to the US. Along with her family, she began taking clothes, food, and household items back to Jamaica twice a ye

After losing their son Emilio to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2000, Richard and Diane Nares chose to honor his memory by creating an organization to help families in similar situations find support. In 2003, the Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF) was founded as a way to help low-income underserved fam

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — It pays less and less to buy and flip a home these days. From April through June, the typical home flipped by an investor resulted in a 25.1% return on investment, before expenses. That’s the lowest profit margin for such transactions since 2008,

To Californians who think their homeowner association fees are too high: take a dash of solace in knowing it could be worse. My trusty spreadsheet examined one housing cost the Census Bureau hadn’t previously broken out: dues paid to homeowners’ association or other condominium fees. The recent rele

California lawmakers approved a bill in mid-September that would override local zoning to build housing near transit hubs. Senate Bill 79 allows for taller, denser housing near transit corridors such as bus stops and train stations: up to nine stories for buildings adjacent to certain transit stops,

To celebrate Jimmy Buffett Day, Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hosted a long weekend of fundraising events to benefit the San Diego Music Foundation. Parrotheads and parakeets enjoyed tropical cocktails, performances from local artists, and bid on exciting prizes in a travel-themed s

Dragonfly Music Festival Benefitting TERI October 4 Local musicians will take the stage at the Dragonfly Music Festival on the TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos. The benefit concert will raise money for TERI, a nonprofit that serves San Diegans with autism and other developmental disabilities.  Feed

Three years in the making, the Midway Rising project seeking to redevelop San Diego’s 49.2-acre sports arena site with thousands of apartments, a replacement arena and new shops is nearing a climactic decision point, even as proposed lease terms with the city remain undisclosed. Thursday, the city o

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage ticked up this week, ending a four-week slide that brought down borrowing costs for homebuyers to the lowest level in nearly a year. The rate rose to 6.3% from 6.26% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A y

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes remained sluggish in August, even as a late-summer slide in mortgage rates brought home loan borrowing costs to a 10-month low. Existing home sales slipped 0.2% last month from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 mi

Fall in San Diego means crisp evenings, festive décor, and of course, pumpkin patches. Whether you’re looking for a full farm experience with hayrides and corn mazes or just a quick spot to pick the perfect pumpkin and snap a few photos, San Diego County has plenty of options for families. Here are

Fall is here and the smell of beer is in the air. While flights to Munich are a bit pricey and will set you back 12 hours, San Diego’s Oktoberfest celebrations offer a much cheaper alternative—minus the jetlag. If you needed an excuse to drink beer, listen to live music, and dig your lederhosen and

Fall has officially arrived and while some may be mourning the end of summer, the city is ensuring you have plenty of ways to get out and about and enjoy the new season. The menu for this weekend includes a pair of eco-friendly festivals at the second annual Wasted event and the inaugural San Diego

Roughly 1-in-5 California households have housing expenses gobbling up more than half of their incomes. My trusty spreadsheet identified numerous affordability challenges by analyzing 2024 Census Bureau housing data for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These latest figures detail swings i

A mansion in the Coronado Cays went for $24.1 million at a Hong Kong auction last week after years of struggling to find a buyer. The newly built mansion at 3 The Point went on sale in November 2023 for $43 million, but had its priced reduced to $37.5 million a year later. The sellers then turned to

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Two of the nation’s biggest real estate services companies are combining in a deal that will bring Century 21, Compass and several other major brokerage brands under the same umbrella. New York-based Compass has agreed to acquire rival Anywhere Real Estate in an all-s

San Diego leaders are promoting a new way to help solve the local housing crisis: apartment complexes fully constructed inside factories and then transported to a city neighborhood for quick installation. Such apartments can rent for less than units in new apartment complexes constructed traditional

How divided are America’s feelings about California? Ponder a curious poll of 1,000 American adults conducted for Clever Real Estate, which asked about various traits of the 50 states. My trusty spreadsheet’s review of this popularity contest dug into the nation’s love-hate relationship with the Gol