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A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That, This Friday

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Daylight Saving Time Begins This Sunday Get ready to “spring forward”! Daylight Saving Time officially begins this Sunday at 2:00 AM, when clocks move forward one hour. Unlike the old days, when we had to adjust every clock in the house, plus wristwatches and the car clocks, most electronic devices now reset themselves. Personally, even though we lose an hour of sleep, I’m really looking forward to brighter evenings, later sunsets, and the feeling that spring is just around the corner. The 2026 baseball season officially opens on March 25, but we don’t have to wait that long to see some of our favorite players take the field. The World Baseball Classic begins today and features an outstanding lineup of elite players from around the globe. The first round includes 20 countries competing in four locations: Houston, Miami, Tokyo, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The top two teams from each site will advance to the second round in Houston and Miami. Still riding the afterglow of Olympic Gold, le...
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Senate Pushes Forward Major Housing Bill with Institutional Investor Ban

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Check Out This Weeks Newsletter The Senate just took a major step toward what could become one of the most significant federal housing bills in years.  In a 90–8 vote, lawmakers advanced a sweeping package that blends two major housing reform efforts and introduces a controversial new policy aimed at institutional investors in the single-family home market.  The legislation, now titled the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, merges provisions from two major housing proposals.  The combined bill includes dozens of proposals designed to increase housing supply and make homes easier to buy, while also targeting large-scale investors that many policymakers say are worsening affordability. The vote signals rare bipartisan momentum on housing. But with new investor restrictions, as well as spending debates and competing proposals already circulating in Washington, the final version of the bill is far from settled. Here’s what we know so far.  How the 21st Century R...
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Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA
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Viz Valley

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  “Just Thinking" I’ve got a couple of things to get fired up about this week and I had to share. First things first, we’ve officially hit a major mortgage rate milestone: the 30-year fixed has fallen below 6%. After the rapid rise in rates over the past couple of years and all the uncertainty that followed, I’ve been saying that the housing market would be poised for a real comeback once we broke that 6% threshold. Well, this week, that moment finally arrived. Mortgage rates just hit their lowest level since 2022, with the 30-year fixed averaging 5.98%. That’s not just a dip, it's a turning point for buyers, sellers, and the entire industry. Improved affordability has the potential to bring a surge of pent‑up demand back into the market. Big things could be on the horizon, let’s be ready. Secondly, I’m still fired up after the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal victory on Sunday morning, especially when it is combined with the women’s team bringing home gold earlier in the w...
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Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA
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Four Years Into Higher Rates, the Housing Market Has New Rules

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  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter!  Realtor.com ® reports inventory up 142.1% since 2022, rates peaked at 7.79%, yet median list prices remain 8.1% higher as delistings surge. Higher mortgage rates have reshaped the housing market.  That’s the headline from a new Realtor.com report looking back at four years of higher borrowing costs.  Since January 2022, active inventory has climbed 142.1%. At the same time, the median list price is still 8.1% higher and price per square foot has risen 11.4%. Rates peaked at 7.79% and now sit near 6.10%.  Buyers pulled back. Listings came back in many markets. Prices didn’t collapse. More than 50% of homeowners are still locked into mortgage rates below 4%, which helps explain why so many sellers can afford to wait. Homes are sitting longer. And delistings have more than doubled as a share of active listings.  The housing “reset” a lot of folks were waiting for never showed up. What we’r...
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Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA
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Top Mistakes Homeowners Are Making in 2026 (And How To Avoid Them)

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Let’s be clear: selling your house is absolutely possible right now. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), roughly 11k homes sell every day in this country. And the sellers who are making their moves happen all have one thing in common: they’ve adjusted their strategy to match today’s market. They’re realizing inventory has grown. Homebuyers are more selective. And buyer expectations are higher. The sellers who struggle are usually approaching today’s market with yesterday’s expectations. Here are the three biggest mistakes they're making – and how to avoid them. 1. Pricing Based on What Their Neighbor Got a Few Years Back Setting your price is the most important decision you make when you sell – and the one that’s most often mishandled. Realtor.com data shows almost 1 out of 5 sellers in 2025 had to drop their price. Here’s what those sellers went wrong. Buyers have more choice and more negotiating power now that inventory has grown. And house hunters will a...
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Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA
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Renting vs. Buying: The Numbers Might Surprise You

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Renting can feel like the easier choice right now. There’s no big down payment. No dealing with surprise repairs. And no long-term commitment. But then your rent goes up again. And again. And suddenly the thing that seemed flexible starts looking… expensive, especially considering you’re not building any equity. And once that happens, it’s easy to feel a little trapped in the cycle. That’s because there’s so much chatter today about how buying a home isn’t affordable. But the truth is, the math may work out better than you'd expect based on what’s changed recently. Buying Is More Affordable Than Renting in Many Areas  In a lot of places today, owning a home actually costs less each month than renting a 3-bedroom home. And recent data from ATTOM shows that’s true in nearly 58% of counties across the U.S. ( see chart below ). And that's after you factor in things like insurance and typical maintenance costs.  In other words, even though it may feel like a bit of a shock, the nu...
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Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA
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How Your Equity Could Help Younger Generations Buy a Home

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For a lot of parents or grandparents, watching a family member struggle to buy their first home right now is hard. That's because you saw firsthand how homeownership gave your life more stability and helped grow your net worth – and you want your loved ones to have those same opportunities. But with all the affordability challenges in recent years, that can feel like an uphill battle – even though it’s slowly improving lately. Here’s what you may not realize. You may be in a unique position to help (thanks to the equity in your current house). The Equity Advantage You May Not Be Thinking About You’ve likely owned your home for years, maybe even decades. And during that time, two things happened: Home values rose Your mortgage balance shrank (or you paid it off entirely) That combination has created substantial equity for many homeowners like you. And while you may think of that equity as something you want to have in your pocket for retirement, it can also serve another purpose: he...
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Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA
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