A report from Denver 7 in Colorado. "A Nov. 2024 report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors shows November was a good month to be a buyer in Denver. Of the homes sold, roughly 50% had at least one price reduction before going under contract, and about 60% of sellers provided concessions to buyers. Lori Abbey, a Compass realtor in Denver, told Denver7 that the median number of days gave buyers more options and more time to decide. 'That gives buyers some time to be a little more picky than they've been able to be in the last little while. It gave them a few more choices,' she said. 'They have not had a lot of choices for the past bunch of years. It was whatever house was there in the area they were going, that's what they're buying. Now, they had choices.'"

The Sun Sentinel in Florida. "The months’ supply of inventory increased in both Palm Beach and Broward counties this year in comparison to 2023, according to the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors. 'If you can put your buyer hat on or your shoes on, you could say, ‘Oh OK, I went out and looked at three homes this week, and I didn’t really like any of them, but I’ve been noticing there’s more properties coming on. I see more signs up,' said Whitney Dutton, the residential sales director for Native Realty. 'It completely removes a sense of urgency and fear of loss from the market. And when you remove sense of urgency and fear of loss, the buyer gets to be a little more picky.' This 'pickiness' can lend itself to more negotiating power for a buyer or renter, Dutton said. 'I’m telling a lot of our buyers, don’t be afraid to make offers,' he said."

"Interest rates have lowered slightly in recent months, and are hovering around the 'low-to-mid sixes,' Dutton said, and what it’s led to is houses taking longer to sell. 'Whenever houses are taking longer to sell, sellers get more motivated and buyers get better deals,' he said. For the next several months, Dutton doesn’t see the market changing much for sellers. 'I don’t think waiting right now is going to help sellers out. I think if you cannot sell your house today in this market, I don’t necessarily know that in six months it’s going to be worth 5% more,' he said. 'If you can sell now, sell now.'"

The Bradenton Herald in Florida. "According to the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee’s November report, Hurricanes Helene and Milton were followed by a slowdown in local home sales. Manatee County townhouses and condos saw a decrease in closed sales and a drop in the median sales price. There were 162 townhomes and condos in closed sales, marking a 24.7% dip compared to October 2023. The median sales price also fell, dropping 11.4% to $327,990. Active listings rose 39.5% to 1,285, which amounts to six months supply of inventory. The median sales price in Sarasota fell to $490,000, a 5.8% decrease, with closed sales dropping 4.3% to 515 in October compared to the preceding year for single-family homes. 'The latest marketing reports continue to show a stabilization in the market, month after month,' RASM president Tony Barrett said in a news release. 'A decrease in median home prices or longer days on the market shouldn’t be seen as a setback, but rather as an opportunity for adjustment.'"

From WFAA TV. "Three North Texas women, including one known as the 'Short Sale Queen,' have been indicted on mortgage fraud allegations, according to federal authorities. Nicole Espinosa, 35, of Plano; Stephanie Smith, 44, of Midlothian; and Selena Baltazar-Hill, 28, of Dallas, face two counts in the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured financial institution."

"Prosecutors say the three suspects researched and found properties that were going through the foreclosure short-sale process. They would then approach the owners about listing the properties for sale, according to prosecutors. After signing an agreement with the owners, prosecutors say, the suspects would submit 'various fraudulent documents' to financial institutions and mortgage companies to stop the foreclosure process. Prosecutors say the suspects fraudulently submitted documents for at least 88 properties, which totaled more than $8 million in sales. The suspects obtained at least $390,000 in commissions and processing fees, causing a loss of at least $2.5 million to financial institutions. The suspects face up to 30 years in federal prison, according to the release."

KSWB in California. "The City of Escondido passed regulations on short-term rentals for the first time in the city’s history. The proposal has generated strong feelings from both sides of the argument. 'I live next-door to an Airbnb and it’s a nightmare. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life,' said a man named Michael during public comment. Part of the ordinance creating some controversy involved not allowing STRs within 500 feet of a school, which would affect almost 30 current rentals. 'By targeting one or two homes, you’re saying that those are party homes. You’re effectively impacting 24 other families,' said Sky Management owner Mo Rashid."

"Right now there are an estimated 181 short-term rentals within Escondido that have gone unregulated. 'We never know who’s going to be there. There are 10 trash cans out at one time, they’re parking in the street, they’re making a lot of noise. My concern is for the children in our community,' said Carolyn Rangel."

Los Angeles Daily News. "The bag of tricks that California politicians are using to con voters into approving higher taxes and spending would impress David Copperfield. Twice this year we’ve seen politicians pledge 'accountability' for massive spending on homelessness in order to win votes for more massive spending on homelessness, while delaying the release of critical audits until after the election. The county auditor-controller’s report on spending by LAHSA, which is a joint powers authority created by the city and county of L.A. in 1993, reveals serious lapses in management."

"For example, LAHSA handed out more than $50 million in cash advances to 'various subrecipients' starting in Fiscal Year 2017-18 without establishing formal agreements for repayment. As of July 8, LAHSA has recovered only 5% of that money. Needless to say, LAHSA did not develop 'an adequate contract monitoring plan' for the contracts they couldn’t even list accurately. The salaries that taxpayers provide for LAHSA executives are very generous. In 2023, the CEO, CFO and Executive Director all took home more than $300,000 in pay and benefits. Will anybody be fired? The L.A. County Board of Supervisors now plans to study whether a new county agency should take over some of the functions of LAHSA. But there’s no plan to shut LAHSA down. So taxpayers may end up with double the bureaucracy."

Philadelphia Inquirer in Pennsylvania. "A long-planned apartment project in the Italian Market appears to be shelved, with the developer instead planning a low-slung retail complex on the southeastern corner of Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. Since 2015, New York-based Midwood Investment & Development had planned an apartment building for the property. The company declined to comment on the rationale behind their change of plans. The plans have been paused for years, even as Philadelphia experienced an apartment building boom that resulted in a glut of market-rate units that developers have struggled to fill at their asking rents. Midwood itself recently completed a 376-unit tower to the north in eastern Center City."

Blog TO in Canada. "Developers have been scrambling to draw attention to the dire state of Ontario's new condo market, in which many projects have been postponed, fully cancelled or have been put into receivership as sales have waned and construction activity plummets as a result. The latest casualty to dwindling buyer interest appears to be a 37-storey tower from high-profile Canadian firm Broccolini, which was slated to rise from the corner of Queen and River Streets in downtown Toronto. The Riv, as it was dubbed, would have brought some 400 units to the Regent Park neighbourhood by 2028. But, it looks like the developer has recently axed the project and taken down its dedicated website."

"As one person aptly noted in the comments, Toronto's persistently unrealistic housing prices, even for the smallest of condos, are likely what's keeping so many people — investors included — out of the market at current. 'MAYBE it's the $500k studio unit that's beyond overpriced that's the problem,' they wrote. 'No one but an Airbnb marketer wants that sh*t. Please, please build for end users in mind. What? End users won't wait 3-4 years? Don't they wait for other products?'"

Insauga in Canada. "The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board said 5,875 homes were sold in November throughout the Greater Toronto Area, up 40.1 per cent compared with 4,194 in the same month last year. The board says lower borrowing costs made properties more affordable for buyers. But for those who purchased homes at record-high prices in early 2022, the lowered costs may have come too late. Homes have been selling at a loss and for under the asking price recently. A Brampton home sold for a $487,000 loss in September, and a home sold for $700,000 under the asking price in Mississauga in October. In a more recent example, the home at 5 Bassett Cres. in Brampton sold for a $520,000 loss in November."

"'This one is going to hurt. Bought for $1.8M just days after it hit the market in 2022. The lender took over and just sold it for a mind-blowing $520K LOSS,' said real estate commentator Shazi on X. Sadly, the home was listed as a power of sale in November. Power of sale a mortgage clause that permits the lender to foreclose on and sell a property when the borrower defaults on the loan. Online real estate records show the home sold on Feb. 7, 2022 for $1,800,000 — it was listed for $1,799,913. It was listed for $1,399,000 in July 2024 and listed again on Nov. 19 for $1,283,999. It sold for $1,280,000 on Nov. 27."

From BBC News. "Robbie Anderson told the BBC he felt 'taken advantage of' after his house sale fell through despite having the insulation fitted under the previous government's Green Homes Grant scheme. Estimates suggest as many as 250,000 homes in the UK have this type of insulation, with much of it installed under the previous government's official scheme. But some of the UK's biggest mortgage firms are reluctant to deal with homes with spray foam insulation due to concerns over poor fittings leaving moisture trapped and roof timbers at risk of decay. When they put their house on the market this summer, they quickly received an offer at asking price. But Robbie said he was 'shocked' when the buyers' lenders rejected the property and they pulled out of the purchase."

"He told the BBC he felt a 'little bit betrayed' and confused over what to do next, with 12 months remaining on their current mortgage. Philippa from Wiltshire also had open cell spray foam fitted in her loft in 2021, with the £8,662 cost covered by the Green Homes Grant scheme. She recently accepted an offer from first-time buyers on her property, but said Nationwide would not lend to them without further paperwork on the insulation. Philippa said she cannot afford to remove the insulation and has reduced her asking price to cover the cost on any future buyer’s side. 'I feel like I've been conned by the government,' she said."

ABC News in Australia. "Shortly before its abrupt collapse in August, Queensland battery manufacturer Redflow Energy appeared to be riding high. The 19-year-old company was capitalising on global demand for large-scale battery systems, with multi-million-dollar contracts in California and a growing list of prominent customers at home. But, largely out of public view, the company was in trouble. Batteries sold with 10-year warranties were sometimes failing within months of installation. According to financials in a recent administrators' report, the company was spending more on repairing and replacing batteries than it earned selling them. Redflow's assets are now being liquidated after the administrator was unable to find a buyer for the business."

"Not even Redflow staff saw the end coming. John, a former Redflow employee whose name has been changed to protect his identity, says the news came as a shock on August 23. 'At no point was there any hint that we were in financial strife,' he says. 'It's a lot of money people are going to lose.' Some of Redflow's customers say they are now stuck with broken batteries covered by warranties that are probably worth little. On August 22, Calvin Melen paid Redflow (through his installer) $25,000 for three ZBM3 batteries to be delivered to his Brisbane home on August 26. 'After they took my money, it wasn't even a business day before they went into administration,' Calvin's installer, who asked to remain anonymous, says."

"Calvin's paid-for batteries are now sitting in a Redflow warehouse, part of the company's assets to be liquidated. To make matters worse, Calvin's other three Redflow batteries died in September, six months after installation. 'We've lost $60,000 on three dead batteries and three we never saw,' Calvin says. 'If you didn't laugh about it you'd cry.' Simon Hackett served as Redflow's CEO until 2018 and was employed by Redflow as a technical consultant at the time of the collapse. 'It was always a high-risk investment,' Mr Hackett, an investor in the company who stands to lose $11 million, says. 'It's just the way the cookie crumbles. Notwithstanding it was a very bloody expensive cookie for me.'"