A report from Fox 4 Now in Florida. "Families on Fort Myers Beach are getting ready for bigger flood insurance bills. The town lost the 25% discount from FEMA that has helped neighbors save money since 1999. FEMA put the town on probation, which means the discount is now gone. 'Insurance is already so expensive,' said George Kormos, a Fort Myers Beach resident. 'Without that 25% discount, I just can't justify the cost. I've even decided not to get flood insurance because it's too much for what you get if there's a flood. It's going to force people out who can't afford it.'"

WINK News in Florida. "According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount. Kelly Haynes is a Fort Myers Beach resident. She said that she doesn’t feel like she will be compensated. 'I think it’s another false promise, and we’re gonna be left with nothing,' said Haynes. 'It’s a way for them to have control.' Todd Kluener is a Fort Myers Beach resident. He said that it is difficult to subsidize barrier islands like Fort Myers Beach due to the flood risk. 'A barrier island that’s going to deal with constant flood risk. Why are we subsidizing an area that is constantly going to be battered by floods and have just insane claims going forward?' asked Kluener."

From WLOS. "Fifteen volunteers from Northside Church in Wilmington, North Carolina are at one local family's house with shovels in hand and determination to mud out the crawl space filled with mud and debris on Nov. 22. Aaron Buchanan works at Young's Fuel Service in Bakersville, told News 13 he is in disbelief at the outpouring of help. The couple are figuring out how to move forward with their lives one day at a time after losing their brick rancher-style home to Helene. 'We paid off our mortgage "early,' said Buchanan. 'We had a licensed contractor come in and structure-wise to fix the house not contents or anything he estimated it at $200,000 plus — FEMA has offered us $18,000,' Buchanan said."

"When they bought the home Buchanan said no one, from the brokers to his home insurance agency indicated his home was in a flood zone. Because of this, the couple was never required to have flood insurance though early on Buchanan said they had a mortgage. For now, the couple is waiting for that and is undecided on whether they’ll cut their losses on the brick home they loved or try to find a way to afford to restore it. 'The only thing I know is we’re going to have to sign our life away again,' Buchanan said. 'We're looking at another 30 years in debt and it's scary — it really is.'"

ABC 15 in Arizona. "The Phoenix City Council voted 8-1 to lessen the restrictions on accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, Wednesday night. The move comes after the state legislature passed legislation lessening the restrictions. Phoenix City Councilman Carlos Galindo-Elvira of District 7 was the sole 'no' vote to change the ADU restrictions citywide. 'Begrudgingly many voted yes. I was the first in the roll call and so I made the decision that I would vote no to protest the fact that the people were being left out of the process. Homeowners in the city would still need to meet requirements and obtain permits, but they can now put 2 or 3 ADUs on a lot, depending on the acreage. The negative is that if you want to build a casita that looks like Dracula's castle, the people have no say in that,' stated the Councilman. 'While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the property owner might like it but what about the rest of the neighborhood?'"

From CalMatters. "As California Democrats attempt to 'Trump-proof' the state and Republicans celebrate their party’s sweeping victory, the mood among some of the state’s most prominent housing advocates is glum. 'Trump’s extremist economic agenda is going to tank the housing market and housing construction,' Sen. Scott Wiener, one of the Legislature’s loudest YIMBY voices, said in an interview Friday. If those are any indication, a Trump presidency will likely make it harder for immigrants, including mixed-status households, and other low-income Californians to access subsidized housing. It could also complicate efforts to build housing in the state that’s specifically designated as affordable."

"At the same time, experts said, Trump could help ease regulations for housing construction across the board, something sought by pro-housing officials in both parties. Trump has railed that Democrats want to 'abolish the suburbs,' co-authoring a 2020 Wall Street Journal op-ed with Ben Carson that criticized elected officials in several states, including California, for promoting higher-density housing in residential neighborhoods. 'People fight all of their lives to get into the suburbs and have a beautiful home,' he said in a speech that year. 'There will be no more low-income housing forced into the suburbs.'"

Market Watch. "The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage isn’t in danger of going away, despite plans for a shake-up in housing finance under a second Trump administration, according to Michael Bright, former manager of Ginnie Mae’s $2 trillion portfolio of mortgage-backed securities. 'No. It’s not going anywhere,' Bright told MarketWatch. 'Absolutely not. The 30-year part of the equation is important. What it brings to the table is a slightly lower monthly payment.' Fed policies in the wake of the global financial crisis have focused on bolstering asset prices, Bright said. 'The downside is that not everyone is an asset-owner,' he said."

From Bisnow. "A decade ago, Colorado’s marijuana industry and its real estate footprint were growing like a weed — pun partially intended. But with new business creation basically halted, mergers gobbling up the area’s smaller players and a burst pandemic bubble, the consolidation faced by metro Denver’s marijuana business in recent years has come for its real estate. 'I have one client just walking away from two dispensaries and about five more about to walk away from their leases,' said John Wickens, founder of Six Chair Blue, a cannabis-focused real estate brokerage based in Denver. It’s been a year of 'nothing really selling or moving,' Wickens said. His company nearly went out of business when weed 'wholesale shit the bed' and a major Denver cannabis retailer and its properties went into receivership, he said."

"'The cannabis market in Colorado continues to drop. We’re still getting the story right about where the floor’s going to be,' Flower Union Brands co-founder and President Jon Spadafora said. His former company, Veritas Fine Cannabis, was primarily a cultivator of the plant, and it took up a lot of space: three industrial facilities nearing 100K SF. When industrywide post-pandemic-lockdown market realities hit Veritas, it had tough choices to make. Veritas owned one of the warehouses and leased the other two. 'The one we owned, we sold at a significant loss compared to the price we paid in 2018, based on the desire to get out of it quickly,' Spadafora said of his 24K SF grow."

The Vancouver Sun in Canada. "Soon after immigrating to Burnaby from a village in India, Daljit Thind found work laying tiles. From those humble beginnings, he built an empire. After learning about the construction industry, Thind took on his first project: renovating his sister-in-law’s home. He then put those profits into a larger project, and then another. Last year, when Thind earned the Order of B.C. , the province’s highest honour , his official biography said he was responsible for $4 billion in development, more than 1,000 jobs throughout Metro Vancouver, and millions in charitable donations."

"But, now, Thind’s business empire appears to be struggling, and his company and related entities are being pursued in court over hundreds of millions of dollars in allegedly unpaid debts from lenders, suppliers and partners. KingSett Mortgage Corp., one of Canada’s largest private equity real estate lenders, has gone to court demanding more than $300 million it claims Thind’s companies owe, with almost $100,000 in interest accruing every day. KingSett succeeded earlier this month in obtaining a court order placing a 1,032-unit Surrey condo project owned by Thind into receivership , and the lender has petitioned the court seeking the same fate for other Thind properties in Burnaby and Richmond. Thind Properties’ recent challenges are the latest and perhaps highest-profile example of B.C. real estate companies in trouble, as challenging market conditions have created a rise in insolvencies and receiverships."

The Globe and Mail in Canada. "5300 Huston Rd., No. 211, Peachland, B.C. Asking price: $699,000 (re-listed July 17). Previous asking prices: $769,000 (February); $739,000 (April 2); $715,000 (April 22); $699,000 (May 14). Selling price: $665,000 (Aug. 23). Days on the market: 190. This three-bedroom, three-bathroom duplex-style townhouse is part of a 26-unit strata community built on a slope in 2001, making the most of lake views and morning light. Buyers’ agent Richard Deacon said the property was listed for a long time because it was priced too high for market conditions. As a result, there was no competition for his buyers. 'In this market, you get killed when you start too high,' he says. 'It can be death by a thousand cuts, and then you end up selling for what it should have been [originally] listed at, or even a little lower.'"

The Wiltshire Times in the UK. "In what was one debate amongst a series of tense exchanges, the leader of Wiltshire Council and the leader of the council’s Liberal Democrats have clashed over the lack of progress on a Stone Circle development. The Priestly Grove site in Calne has been described by nearby residents as an 'abandoned eyesore' after progress has stalled for months on the council-owned Stone Circle housing company’s development. Cllr Ian Thorn said: 'The reputational damage to Wiltshire Council as the sole shareholder of Stone Circle amongst the poor residents, who have had to look out of their windows to not even a half-finished development for months and months and months, has been absolutely shocking.'"

Radio New Zealand. "Do you want fries with that house? If so, this Auckland real estate agent reckons he's got the property for you. Having worked in the industry for 15 years, Harcourts realtor Sanjay Kumar said all houses look the same to him. So when he was asked to market a three bedroom property on Burundi Ave in Clendon Park, he decided to lure potential buyers in with a 'grabby' listing headline. 'Close to McDonalds,' it stated. 'To all burger lovers who want to buy a house walking distance to McDonald's and walk down whenever you want, then this three bedroom is the best buy for you,' the listing continues."

"Kumar said it was a genuine selling point for the property, as he believed not everyone in New Zealand could afford to drive to McDonald's. 'There's so many properties on the market. You have to be creative,' he said, admitting he was not the best writer. It was in 'very tidy condition' - perfect for first home buyers, Kumar said. According to Auckland Council, the property has a capital value of $650,000."