A report from the West Volusia Beacon. "West Volusia in 1924 was a dynamic place, perched on the edge of a transformative decade. The Florida land boom was reshaping the county. Investors flocked to DeLand and nearby areas, lured by the promise of rich real estate opportunities. New subdivisions sprouted overnight. But the speculative frenzy was unsustainable. As property values soared, the bubble grew more fragile. In two years, the land boom would collapse. This would halt much of the development that had fueled the county’s growth."

The Herald Tribune in Florida. "An 'exclusive garage condominium' located east of Interstate 75 in Sarasota County near Lakewood Ranch's Waterside Place will be completed early next year, according to a news release from the listing agent for the remaining units. Car Collective was the brainchild of Sarasota auto enthusiast Scott Elsbree as he wanted additional vehicle storage while also hoping to create a car-centric community. Seven of the units have been sold, with Michael Saunders & Co. agent Joanna Benante leading the sales effort. Benante said luxury car garages have been wildly successful since one of the first local upscale car garages opened in 2019. The least expensive, 800-square-foot unit sold for $317,000, she said. Currently, the least-expensive option is a 1,243-square-foot unit that's available for $495,000."

From WRLN. "Florida’s ongoing condo crisis is not only affecting older residents on fixed incomes, but also young professionals in Palm Beach County who are feeling the financial strain and are weighing up whether they can afford to stay in their units or will be forced to sell. One young condo owner told WLRN the 'super overwhelming' future assessment fees — jacked up to several hundreds of dollars per month — has already pushed him out, forcing him and his fiancé, a nurse, to put their unit in West Palm Beach on the market. The condo owner said the estimated increase in assessment for his unit at the Whitehall Condominiums of Palm Beach Lakes is about $800, which is on top of his already $600 in Homeowners Association payments. It 'suddenly makes it feel like an additional rent on top of a mortgage,' said the 25-year-old firefighter, who did not want to be identified to discuss freely his condo finances."

"The West Palm Beach owner voiced concerns to WLRN that even without immediate fee increases, future assessment fees could become simply unaffordable. And he feels like the vote is simply just kicking the can down the road. 'We were happy, we were living, we were managing things. We just started planning our wedding and taking on the finances and the normal stress that comes with that,' he said. 'And now suddenly we are house-hunting and thinking about what we're going to do and kind of put the wedding on the back burner and figure out our finances — in the sense of, we need to be saving up for a house, let alone a wedding,' he said. His fiancée is 'overwhelmed' and 'hates the situation as much as I do.' He said they've decided to leave despite the vote to hold off new assessment fees. 'We just simply can't afford to pay that additional $1,400 a month on an already tight budget and tight economy.'"

Minnesota Public Radio. "Homeowners across Minnesota are facing a bump in their property taxes for the next year, after some cities and counties increased their tax levies. That’s the case in Minneapolis, where the city council approved a levy increase of about 7 percent. But owners of land trust houses in Minneapolis are facing a bigger shock: property tax bill increases of more than 40 percent. It’s the result of a change in state law that’ll bring taxes down for land trust homeowners in the rest of the state. Charlie Zieke bought a land trust house in south Minneapolis in 2018. They had been renting in the neighborhood for several years, but rent prices kept going up. They wanted the stability of owning a home."

"Zieke was in their 20s, working at a school — not making enough money to buy a house on the open market. But they qualified for help from the City of Lakes Community Land Trust. They said it’s the reason they stayed in Minneapolis. But early in December, Zieke got a surprising notice in the mail: their property taxes are going up more than 40 percent. 'I used to be able to save money living here,' Zieke said. 'Between the property tax increase and my insurance for the house, I’m not able to save at the same amount, or really at all.'"

Essentially Sports on California. "All talk and no show—that’s what San Francisco Giants fans are feeling at the moment. Fans had hoped that under Buster Posey’s regime, the team would start going in the right direction. And for once, there was a flicker of hope where Posey, who said he needed a great shortstop, went all out for Willy Adames. But here comes the kicker: that was it! Since then, the Giants haven’t delved any further into big-ticket players. The Giants aren’t able to get marquee players and the reason might be the ownership’s money being stuck in real estate. The Giants seem to have a 'baby' by the name of the Mission Rock project. This 28-acre development across McCovey Cove is set to feature 11 buildings and have a million square feet of office space and restaurant space. It will also include 1,000 rental units, and 40% is designed for affordable housing. However, San Francisco’s real estate market has taken a hit. The mid-tier condo prices have dropped 14.7% from their peak in May 2022. With multifamily condos flooding key locations, the housing boom has reversed by 30%."

The Globe and Mail. "Two decades ago, I wrote: 'Sometime, not too long ago, while no one was watching, Canada became the world’s most successful country.' I’m not sure that’s still true. We are a less-accommodating country within a less-accommodating world. We confront internal and external challenges that place our future at risk. The Canada I celebrated two decades ago is still around. But it’s getting harder to find by the day. So why are Canadians experiencing a crisis of faith now that they did not feel then? Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted trauma on Canadians. Yes, social media encourages polarization of attitudes that is reflected in our politics. But there is more to it than that. Canada’s aging society has placed a serious burden on the young. Many of them lack income security and can’t afford to buy or even rent their own place. They’re angry, and who can blame them?"

"Western anger at an intrusive federal government dominated by central Canadian political elites is even greater today than it was thirty and forty years ago. Governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan speak openly of sovereignty for their provinces within Confederation. Meanwhile, the separatist Parti Québécois is favoured, according to polls, to win the next Quebec election. We have surrendered some of our most precious public spaces – sidewalks and parks and neighbourhoods – to troubled people struggling with homelessness and dependence."

"The Western alliance in which Canada is imbedded appears to be in decline. Russia has brazenly invaded Ukraine, China rattles its formidable sabres and the United States, this country’s closest ally, is acting more like an antagonist, as president-elect Donald Trump threatens Canada with crippling tariffs and derisively refers to us as a 51st state."

Domain News in Australia. "Melbourne’s multimillionaire mansion buyers had their pick of homes for sale in 2024, as long as they had deep pockets. By the year’s end, several high-end listings remained available and looking for the right buyer. Top-end buyer’s agent David Morrell described the year as a tale of two halves. 'Those [sellers] that went to the market in February, March, looked like heroes, and those that went to the market late in the year have got doughnuts,' he said. 'It’s not to do with interest rates at the top end – there’s global uncertainty, general instability. I’ve never seen the gap so wide between what a vendor will accept and what a buyer will pay, and I think that gap is getting wider.' He is making offers, but not willing to overpay. Buyers were mindful of vacancy taxes and the state government’s land tax on secondary properties, he said."

"Marshall White’s Marcus Chiminello said the year had begun with optimism, transitioned to pessimism and ended with a level of acceptance, when several transactions took place as buyers and sellers wanted to get on with life. Blocks of land for sale had been more challenging because of build costs, compared with highly sought turnkey properties that let buyers avoid a renovation, he said. 'In 2025, I think we are going to see pretty much the same – vendors have taken a step in the market’s direction and the market has taken a step in the vendors’ direction,' he said."

"Kay & Burton’s Jamie Mi also noticed a change in sentiment.'The market started really well, so lots of activity … there were lots of buyers looking,' she said. 'It’s really from Melbourne Cup, you can really see the confidence shifted. Second half of the year, we are … seeing deals are really taking longer to complete.'"