Last July, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a landmark law shielding apartment and residential projects from lengthy environmental review processes to boost the state’s housing supply and improve affordability. It’s working – but not without a fight. Developers wasted no time seizing the opportunity. A growing list of housing developments are securing exemptions from reviews under the 1970...

A high-profile proposal to borrow $1.5 trillion and invest the money in stocks to salvage Social Security’s finances would likely leave taxpayers saddled with enormous debt, even under optimistic market conditions, according to a new analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The brief is critical of a plan championed by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who...

It’s not unusual to see curbless showers in large primary bathrooms. But designers of these four baths found ingenious ways to add no-threshold showers and other accessibility and aging-in-place features in spaces that are between 55 and 72 square feet in size. Additionally, the...

There’s a lot to consider when designing or renovating a kitchen. To ensure your kitchen meets your storage goals, I recommend researching and budgeting for custom storage during the planning stages. While storage products can be added after construction, working with your pro team and...

Dogs fill our lives with love, entertainment and much more — but also with ongoing mess. Whether you have a new dog or a longtime canine companion, introduce these small touches to help you cohabit harmoniously and keep your home...

We all know how important it is to step away from work every now and then — not just for your mental and physical well-being, but also to gain some perspective on how you’re doing things. But when you’re an architect, designer, builder or contractor running your own business, the idea of taking a...

A decade ago, luxury home buyers asked about wine cellars, fitness rooms, and chef's kitchens. In 2026, those features still matter -- but they have been quietly displaced at the top of the buyer checklist by something less visible: the property's audio-visual stack. Integrated AV is no longer marketed as a premium add-on alongside climate control or smart lighting. It now sits in the same baseline tier....

Surging investment in artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the U.S. office market, driving a new wave of leasing demand from technology firms and helping stabilize some of the nation's hardest-hit urban business districts. Technology companies accounted for nearly 23% of all U.S. office leasing activity in the first quarter of 2026, the highest share among all industries, as aggressive expansion by...

The forecast for the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits has risen sharply to 3.9%, driven by persistent inflation in housing, utilities and energy, according to new data released by The Senior Citizens League. The projection — up from a steady 2.8% estimate just one month ago — would raise the average monthly benefit for retired workers to roughly $2,162, up from the...

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would like to review its anti-flipping rule and reforms to automated valuation models (AVMs), according to Matt Jones, deputy assistant secretary for the FHA’s Office of Single-Family Housing. “We think our AVM, our valuation technology, has improved significantly since that rule was put in place a couple decades ago,” Jones said. “We’d like to take a...