#urban-real-estate-crisis

#urban-real-estate-crisis

Megan Keithly's experience reflects a growing trend where new homeowners prioritize living near working farms, engaging in activities like making homemade diaper cream from local ingredients.

Molina's job is to keep sidewalks clear of people sitting or lying down on the pavement. If he sees people using drugs in the open, he tells them to move along.

In 2025, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center logged 1,008,597 cyber-enabled crime complaints, with losses surpassing $20.8 billion, marking a 26% rise from the prior year.

The Renters' Rights Act has been described as the 'biggest change to renting in history', with significant reforms such as banning 'no-fault' evictions and ending fixed-term tenancy contracts.

The proposed 'pied-à-terre tax' will allow New York City to levy a yearly surcharge on luxury second homes valued at $5 million or more, targeting wealthy out-of-towners.

The cost rose a lot following the pandemic. And some of that was supply chain issues that really increased the costs, and then they didn't quite come back down. And now tariffs are also impacting some products. These costs are part of the reason the amount of new rental housing stock is shrinking.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, rents have jumped nearly 28% in past five years. Companies such as Flex, Livble and, more recently, Affirm, say breaking rent into multiple payments can help renters manage cash flow. But consumer advocates warn the products typically function like short-term loans, layering fees onto already strained budgets and, in some cases, carrying triple-digit effective interest rates - raising questions about whether they ease financial pressure or deepen it.