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Fires Still Raging in California The Carr Fire—the largest of the 17 currently ravaging Northern California, and the fourth most destructive in the state’s history—has claimed the lives of seven people and burned through 160,049 acres across Shasta and Trinity counties (at press time), as well as destroyed over 1,000 homes, 24 commercial buildings and 500 other structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Forty-three percent o

Tiny Houses come with Big Problems When Tom Alsani heard about plans for a tiny-home community in St. Petersburg, Fla., he got so excited he immediately wanted to know more. “Right now I have a house with three bedrooms, but the kids are gone and I’m trying to downsize,” says Alsani, a quality-control inspector for furniture companies. “To me, a tiny house is very, very attractive. It’s a state of mind; it’s not about how big you have it but the level of contentment and happi

This year is the first in five years that Seattle has been displaced from second place to fourth place. The U.S. is the top destination among Chinese millionaires looking to move their families, and money, to another country, according to a new study. More than a third of rich Chinese surveyed “are currently considering” emigrating to another country, according to a report from the Hurun Research Institute, a China-based wealth research firm, and Visas Consulting Group, an im

Rental Rates Continue to Rise! Renters nationwide are out of luck — the average cost of rent jumped nearly 3 percent in April to an average of $1,405, according to property analytics provider CoreLogic’s Single-Family Rent Index, released Tuesday. Nationwide, median rent prices surged 2.9 percent in April and rose 0.3 percent year-over-year, according to the index. Las Vegas, Phoenix and Orlando experienced the most significant hikes, with each of those metro areas tallying y

(TNS)—First-time homebuyers might well wonder: Where are all the starter houses? They’re right to ask, because starter homes are becoming increasingly scarce in many housing markets. Housing inventory is low and home prices are soaring. What’s a first-time buyer to do? Here are five tips for finding a starter home: Be realistic about today’s market. Sellers clearly have an advantage in the current market. Inventory is low, which keeps pushing home prices to record levels, acc