A report from the Los Angeles Daily News in California. "The housing market continues to be slightly friendlier for buyers in the San Fernando Valley compared to earlier in the year as more homes come on the market and sales slow down, according to the Southland Regional Association of Realtors. There were1,509 active listings at the at the end of last year, a 40 percent jump from a year ago and largest percentage increase since 2014. "

"'Buyers who are in actively house hunting now understand that this is a window of opportunity,' said Tim Johnson, the association’s chief executive officer. 'Current buyers realize that they have a chance to snag a lower interest rate. Plus, slower prices increases eases some of the pressure to act quickly, and the added bonus is that they have more options as the inventory slowly expands.'"

"In the Santa Clarita Valley, the median price of homes inched up 3.4 percent to $560,000 from a year ago. Meanwhile, the condominium median price was $390,000, a 1.7 percent increase from last year. The record high median price for condominiums in Santa Clarita was posted in April at $410,000, according to the report."

"The change reflects 'pushback from buyers, forcing sellers to be more realistic, and comes as an increasing inventory gives buyers more leverage and more options to chose from,' according to Johnson. There were 603 active listings reported at the end of last month in Santa Clarita, a 44 percent increase over a year ago."

From Forbes. "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the only big piece of legislation passed by President Donald Trump, was enacted last December, but tax year 2018 is when a lot of the provisions go into effect. And it didn't just cut taxes. It also removed a lot of the perks homeowners and middle class taxpayers have relied on."

"The biggest change is the repeal of deductions for state and local taxes. Going forward, an individual can only claim up $10,000 for all state and local sales, income, and property taxes together. For example, a small house in New Jersey may pay just property taxes of $25,000. But with the $10,000 cap, taxpayers are going to be shelling out a lot more to the tax man."

"While the home mortgage interest deduction didn't disappear, it did take a hit. The deduction for a mortgage used to buy, build or improve your home taken out after December 15, 2017, will max out at $750,000. For mortgages taken out before December 15, 2017, the limit is $1 million."

"This is already having an affect on the high-end real estate market, especially blue states that have high state income taxes, such as New York, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Illinois."

"'The fact they are no longer tax deductible is causing a lot of people to look at relocating their primary residence to states such as Nevada, Texas, Florida or other states with low income taxes.' said Jeff Fishman, JSF Financial in Los Angeles."

The Boston Globe in Massachusetts. "When market rent for a modest one-bedroom apartment is twice what a minimum-wage worker takes home in a week, it’s clear that we have an affordable housing crisis. Unfortunately, Governor Baker’s 'housing choices' bill does not provide the right choice for solving it."

"We do need to change our state’s zoning laws to remove arbitrarily high thresholds for zoning approval, especially in the suburbs. But we can’t build our way out of this crisis, as the large number of vacant units in Boston’s new luxury towers can attest."