Author: josh
Key takeaways Duplexes have two separate living units, often appealing to those seeking privacy or rental income. Townhouses are connected homes within a community, offering shared amenities and lower maintenance responsibilities. Your decision should be guided by your budget, lifestyle preferences, and willingness to handle upkeep or rental management. If you’re exploring different types of housing, you might have come across duplexes and townhouses. At first glance, they may seem similar, but there are key differences in structure, ownership, and lifestyle that can impact your decision. Understanding what sets a duplex apart from a townhouse can help you choose the…
Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who built a global following through his accessible teaching style and blitz chess mastery, died unexpectedly at 29, his family announced Monday. The California-born player, who posted his first YouTube video after a nine-month absence last Friday, was found unconscious on a couch at his Charlotte, N.C., home on Sunday by club founder Peter Giannatos and grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Since his death, many in the chess community, including leadership in the International Chess Federation (FIDE), have pointed fingers at a prolonged conflict between Naroditsky and Russian former…
Keller Williams Realty, LLC is expanding across the Middle East. As momentum continues, KW has awarded a new master franchise in Qatar. “The addition of KW Qatar marks another milestone in our Middle East growth story,” said William E. Soteroff, president of Keller Williams Worldwide (KWW), the international division of Keller Williams. “Across 35 market centers and close to 4,000 agents, our presence in the region continues to accelerate as we share our culture and business models with local leaders eager to build thriving, service-driven real estate businesses,” said Soteroff. Muhammad Usman Saeed Led by Regional Operating Principal Muhammad Usman…
Contingencies are an essential part of any home purchase contract, protecting buyers from financial risk if things don’t go according to plan. The financing contingency, also known as a mortgage contingency, is especially important for buyers who need a loan to purchase a home. It gives you the right to cancel the sale and keep your earnest money if your financing falls through before closing. Without this clause, you could lose your deposit – or worse, be legally required to close on the home without financing. Whether it’s your first time buying a home in Seattle, WA or you’re looking…
If you’re selling a home, you might wonder, can sellers sign documents early? In many cases, the answer is yes. This can be helpful if you’re relocating out of town, have scheduling conflicts on the closing date, or simply want to streamline the process so funds are released sooner once the buyer signs. However, your ability to sign early depends on factors like state laws, the title company, and the buyer’s schedule. Whether you’re selling a home in Seattle, WA, Austin, TX, or Miami, FL, this Redfin guide will walk you through everything sellers need to know about signing documents…
A new open letter, signed by a range of AI scientists, celebrities, policymakers, and faith leaders, calls for a ban on the development of “superintelligence”—a hypothetical AI technology that could exceed the intelligence of all of humanity—until the technology is reliably safe and controllable. The letter’s more notable signatories include AI pioneer and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, other AI luminaries such as Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell, as well as business leaders such as Virgin cofounder Richard Branson and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak. It was also signed by celebrities, including actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who recently expressed concerns over Meta’s AI…
Nationwide, there are an estimated 37% more sellers than buyers—a near-record gap that’s giving buyers across the country negotiating power. There are seven metros where sellers outnumber buyers by at least 2-to-1, and all but one are in Texas or Florida. There are five remaining seller’s markets, the strongest of which is Newark, NJ. Sale prices are up 1.3% year over year in buyer’s markets versus a 3.8% gain in seller’s markets. It’s a buyer’s market—for those who can afford to buy. America had an estimated 36.7% more home sellers than buyers in September, meaning many of the buyers who…
Housing costs are frightful and economic jitters are in the air, leading some buyers to leave sellers in the lurch. Just over 53,000 home-purchase agreements nationwide were canceled in September, equal to 15% of homes that went under contract that month. That’s up from 13.6% a year earlier. This is based on a Redfin analysis of MLS pending-sales data. The data is seasonal, which is why we compare this September to past Septembers. Please note that homes that fell out of contract during a given month didn’t necessarily go under contract the same month. For example, a home that…
The U.S. government shutdown has halted federal economic data collection, leaving investors without official employment or inflation figures. Despite flying blind, markets remain upbeat as stocks near record highs. Gold fell sharply. And Q3 earnings estimates look strong, boosted by AI investment. S&P 500 futures were up marginally this morning after the index closed flat yesterday, near its all-time high. Markets in both Europe and Asia were up or flat this morning, too. Gold, the traditional safe-haven asset which has gained 55% year to date, lost 5.3% yesterday—its biggest decline in five years. In other words, investors appear to be…
Senate Democrats sent Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, a letter Wednesday calling for more details about his personal crypto interests. Led by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), eight senators demanded Witkoff explain why his latest ethics disclosure showed he still owned stakes in a Trump-linked cryptocurrency as well as other crypto business entities. “Your failure to divest your ownership in these assets raises serious questions about your compliance with federal ethics laws and, more importantly, ability to serve the American people over your own financial interests,” wrote the senators. World Liberty Financial, the crypto business…