A report from WBAL in Maryland. "Howard County officials are holding an open house Wednesday night for federal government employees in jeopardy of losing their jobs. 'People are afraid, and they don't really know what their next move is. They're concerned. How are they going to pay their mortgage?' said Stephanie Abide, executive director of the Howard County Workforce Development Board. 'Some are unsure. 'They haven't been given any official notice as of yet. There are still a lot of angst.' There's also food bank assistance, which is not based on income, county officials said. The Foreclosure Prevention Assistance Program has historically been based on income, but Howard County Executive Calvin Ball's office is encouraging federal workers to apply regardless because a change in job status is a factor in applications. Officials said they're working with a unique sector of job seekers. 'They have not had to apply for jobs in, you know, 10, 20, some even 30 years, and (they're) having to navigate the digital landscape of applying for jobs. So, we are providing those workshops as well,' Abide told 11 News."

From KOCO. "An undocumented woman living in Oklahoma said she is terrified as each new deportation development rolls out under President Donald Trump. Vero has lived in Oklahoma for three decades. She said her story is now one of uncertainty and fear. 'Mi casa es mi carcel,' the undocumented resident said. The sentence translates to 'my house is my jail.' That's how Vero describes her life as news of mass deportations spread. She said life is much different than when she arrived in the United States at 16. 'I had recently married my husband, and they told me I could come here to work. So, they passed us through in a car. They didn't ask us anything,' Vero said. Now, she said she feels her luck is running out. So, she is preparing to leave at any moment. 'We canceled our bank accounts, took out my money so that I wouldn't leave it, and we've even signed powers of attorney for our kids,' Vero said. 'I know other people who are selling their homes.'"

The Wall Street Journal. "Nearly 73,000 homes were pulled from sale after they failed to find a buyer in the final month of last year, data from CoreLogic show. Delistings tend to spike in winter when fewer people are actively looking for a home. But the trend last December was unusually strong, representing almost one in 10 properties on the market, and a 64% increase from the same month of 2023. The jump in delistings indicates that much of the extra inventory that hit the housing market throughout 2024 sat unsold, so had to be pulled in higher numbers come winter. It also suggests there is a bit more pent-up desire to sell than headline inventory figures would indicate. If delistings and unsold house-builder inventory remain high over the coming months, it will be a bad sign for sellers. The share prices of single-family housing landlords Invitation Homes and American Homes 4 Rent already trade at 33% and 22% discounts to their net asset values, respectively, according to real-estate analytics firm Green Street—an indicator that investors think U.S. home prices are vulnerable to a correction."

ABC Action News in Florida. "For many homeowners in the Tampa Bay area, they feel insurance is not coming through for them. Chad Zalva is a single dad who lives in a modest 2-bedroom home in Riverview. It's where he decided to start over after a divorce, purposely choosing the lowest insurance premium he could find. 'I did go for the lower amount,' Zalva said. Not realizing that meant his deductible at $7200 dollars would be so high — it would be out of reach when he went to put in a claim after Hurricane Milton. 'Unfortunately, my deductible is outrageous,' he said. 'I was like this is insanity.' His damage was quoted by his insurance company at around $2500 dollars. A contractor told him it would cost about $4500 dollars to repair. 'Do you have that kind of money laying around,' News Anchor Nadeen Yanes asked. 'No, not at all,' Zalva laughed. 'They're just making straight profit. It's definitely frustrating and they need to do something about it.'"

"On the flip side, Tampa single mom Liz Ann purposely increased her coverage with Citizens Property Insurance and paid a higher premium. She also wanted to keep her deductible low. 'Now, they're denying my claim, saying it's under deductible, I don't know what I'm going to do,' she said. 'They're saying it's under like, 3,000 whatever mine is, I'd have to look it up exactly. They're not going to cover it.' Her deductible was just over $3700 dollars. 'Our evaluation shows the cost to repair or replace the front porch screen, roof repairs to shed will not exceed policyholders $3,774.00 calendar year Hurricane deductible. Therefore, no payment will be made regarding this claim,' her denial letter read. 'So it's like you're paying for this insurance for what purpose?'"

From WFLA. "Condo owners are waiting for answers on whether lawmakers will do anything to ease concerns over rising fees. The News Service of Florida reported that State House Speaker Daniel Perez has ruled out 'bailouts' for condo owners facing high fees. Tom Schoeller is the condo association president for Casa Del Mar 1 in St. Petersburg. He pushed back on the use of 'bailouts,' saying that condo owners never wanted free money. 'I would ask them what their definition is of a ‘bailout’,' Schoeller said. 'They’re not necessarily looking for a handout, so to speak. They’re looking for some relief through insurance, the way the insurance rates have skyrocketed. They’re looking for a little bit of relief on possibly some loans, low interest or no interest.'"

"Just two weeks ago, Condo Owner Diana Summer explained the impact of that law is causing a dent in her wallet. 'I’ve been here about three years,' Summer said. 'My assessments have doubled, my HOAs have doubled, and I’ve paid about $20,000 in additional assessments.'"

The San Fernando Valley Sun. "Local and national law firms are now clamoring to gather clients in mass tort lawsuits against Southern California Edison (SCE), alleging that a malfunction in its equipment was the source of the Eaton Fire that decimated entire neighborhoods in Altadena and Pasadena. 'What we are doing here is righteous litigation,' said LA Fire Justice attorney Mikal Watt. 'It’s not frivolous lawsuits, it is righteous litigation backed up by the facts. The bad news is you’re all tragically underinsured. [Insurance companies] are not going to pay you the cost to rebuild, they’re going to pay what it’s worth, which is about 40% less than the cost to rebuild.' Additionally, many of the homes in Altadena have been passed down through generations. If insurance is tied to the mortgage, that means fire victims get paid out based on what the homes were bought for, not what the home is now worth."

From KSAT. "Rental rates are cratering in the San Antonio and Austin markets, with no indication of when they will bottom out. Both cities' construction pipeline began to swell during the pandemic, with developers eager to cash in on the frenzied demand for more housing. Since 2022, mounting interest rates and return-to-office mandates tempered demand, and market conditions quickly shifted. Over the past year, San Antonio delivered 14,500 units in the past year, only absorbing 7,630 according to MRI ApartmentData, a real estate analytics firm. That’s spelled troublesome news for the 9,000 units currently under construction in San Antonio, and serves as a potential warning for the 16,700 units proposed. The problem is similar in nature but more compounded in Austin, where the current average rental rate is $1,435, down a shocking 12.5% from the $1,640 two-year high it posted in June 2023. The city has recently opened 36,000 units opened over the past year in Austin, only around 19,000 have been absorbed. The Texas capital is also looking at 16,500 units currently under construction with another 36,000 units proposed."

The Globe and Mail. "The tentative recovery in the Toronto-area real estate market has given way to another bout of the jitters. Listings are surging in February and buyers are pulling back, industry players say. The anxiety surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump and his threat of imposing hefty tariffs on imports from Canada has smothered the positive signs that were beginning to emerge, says John Pasalis, president of Realosophy Realty. 'The sellers are there, but the buyers are on the sidelines. It’s leading to a very sluggish market, and now we have this massive cloud of uncertainty.'"

"In January, sales in the Greater Toronto Area fell 8.9 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. Active listings, meanwhile, ballooned 70 per cent last month from January, 2024. Mr. Pasalis cautions that some aspiring sellers are still more optimistic than they should be, given the current mood. He reminds sellers that they need to be realistic and patient. 'Even if you’re priced well, it will take longer,' he says."

From BBC News. "Seana Quinn had never heard the term 'unadopted' being used to describe a housing development until the issue arrived at her door. The County Tyrone homeowner is only one of thousands of people across Northern Ireland impacted by the issue. A housing development is defined as being unadopted when the roads or sewers are not maintained by the government, this often happens when they fail to meet a certain standard. NI Water said that it can offer advice but that it is not funded to 'make repairs to defects left by the poor workmanship of developers.' Concerns are being raised about what homeowners do when the money put up by developers will not cover the repairs or they have gone bankrupt. Figures seen by BBC News NI show that there are more than 1,800 unadopted housing developments across Northern Ireland, with the largest percentage in Mid Ulster."

"A County Tyrone solicitor who represents a group of affected residents has described the problem as 'a ticking time bomb' that needs to be addressed. 'It's been a build-up of failures to properly regulate this issue for decades, to the point now where thousands of homeowners are left with a defective legal title and are unable to sell their houses,' said Conal McGarrity from PA Duffy solicitors. 'You have people with their life savings invested in these properties, and there's currently no long-term solution, so it's a very serious public interest issue.'"

"'To be honest, things have been getting worse because some of the land is deteriorating to the point where the ground is sinking and falling away from the house,' said Darren Kearney, who owns a house in Hunter's Mill. 'It's having a huge effect on our lives; we feel trapped.' Kildrum in Galbally, County Tyrone, is one of hundreds of unadopted developments in Mid Ulster. Some residents said they feel left in limbo as part of the development remains unadopted. Ms Quinn has lived there for more than 20 years and said the unadopted part of the development has crumbling kerbstones, potholes and looks run down. 'The place can look unsightly and unfinished, and it's unfair when people have invested so much money into their family homes,' she said."