The founder of The Oppenheim Group and star of Netflix's "Selling Sunset" told Yahoo! Finance that potential changes to the commission structure could result in an exodus of real estate agents.

The number of active real estate agents in LA decreased by 27 percent year over year, falling from 4,800 agents in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 3,500 agents during the same period in 2022.

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Renting your first apartment is a huge milestone—an exciting time to celebrate, for sure. But as a first-time renter, finding the perfect rental for your circumstances can be an ordeal. How do you ensure a smooth process and minimal (or no) snags along the way?

The good news is that many resources are available to guide you through the apartment-renting process. To get you started, here is some advice to keep in mind as a first-time renter.

1. Determine how much rent you can afford

One very important first step to finding the right apartment is deciding how much you can comfortably spend, based on your income.

According to Manisha Thakor, director of Wealth Strategies for Women at the BAM Alliance, one rule of thumb is that rent should not exceed one-fourth of your take-home pay. If you follow this method and have a monthly income of $4,000, you’ll want to find rentals that charge no more than $1,000 per month.

Photo-Illustration by Realtor.com; Photos: Getty Images (5)

Homeownership has long embodied the American dream. But for many, it isn’t the most affordable option these days. Or the one that ultimately makes the most financial sense.

Brass tacks: In most of the country, it remains cheaper to rent than to buy the same square footage. But, of course, renters are at the mercy of their landlords and aren’t building wealth that can be tapped in an emergency or passed down to future generations. And when you factor in the current tsunami of extreme real estate price fluctuations on both sides and economic uncertainty across the board, the eternal rent vs. buy decision has become a whole lot trickier in 2023.

Whether it makes more financial sense to rent or buy depends a lot on where in the U.S. someone lives. So the Realtor.com® economics team identified the places where folks can save the most money by renting—and where it makes more sense to buy.

In areas where it’s better to buy, mortgage payments are often lower than market rents if buyers can cobble together the needed down payment and closing costs.

To outside analysts, it appears Zillow got out of iBuying just in time. Now the company is looking ahead to a post-downturn world. Here are the biggest challenges Zillow will face in 2023.

Now, although price growth through the pandemic period was clearly excessive, writes economist Matthew Gardner, fundamentally speaking, the two periods cannot be considered to be similar at all.

Yaakov Bloom says he has learned a lot about himself after living in six apartments in the last decade, including one with an unruly pet.

A 1911 Craftsman house in Oakland, a stylish retreat in Lake Arrowhead and a two-bedroom condominium in Malibu.

We’re at the very front end of changes that will forever alter almost every aspect of our lives, according to trainer Bernice Ross. While AI isn’t likely to replace agents any time soon, those who fail to embrace these powerful tools will lose significant market share to those who do. 

Modern homebuyers don’t want to get a loan during banking hours — they want to be able to access the calculators to help them shop confidently, and then text a loan expert if they have questions. And that’s exactly the kind of support a great digital lender can provide.

The social media ecosystem is complex, and established platforms are facing challenges. In this fraught landscape, which social media channels can luxury agents rely on? Two leading agents weigh in.

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It may sound like something straight out of “Star Wars,” but radon is actually a dangerous radioactive chemical that lurks far closer to home—in fact, it could be in your home right now. (Cue Darth Vader theme music.)

And there’s very good reason to learn more about this silent threat: Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America, claiming about 21,000 lives each year. As it happens, January is National Radon Action Month. To acknowledge this month, let’s review the steps on how to check your home for this deadly substance, and what to do if you find it (don’t worry, there’s no need to don a hazmat suit just yet).

What is it?

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the decay of uranium found in nearly all soils, says Bruce Snead, director of National Radon Program Services at Kansas State University. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above, but it can also enter your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation, where it can become trapped and build up.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some regions are more prone to radon than others, but there is no way to project whether your particular home may have an elevated level of radon, no matter where you live.

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What is a foreclosure? When a homeowner doesn’t pay their mortgage for an extended period of time, a lender will take possession of the home—which means the current owner must move out.

Foreclosure is a scary word and it’s become a real concern for homeowners as the economy continues to fluctuate. According to CoreLogic, the foreclosure rate (meaning the percentage of loans in foreclosure) currently hovers just under 3%.

If you’re struggling to make your mortgage payments, you’ll want to know what foreclosure means and how it works. Here’s what you need to know.

1. What is pre-foreclosure?

If you’re a few days late on a mortgage payment, don’t panic—the bank isn’t going to confiscate your house. In fact, most mortgage contracts have a 15-day grace period, with a late fee of 5% on payments made thereafter, says Jack Guttentag, author of “The Mortgage Encyclopedia.”

Half a century ago, Marc Harrison built a prototype for a home that would accommodate people of all ages and abilities. Now his daughter has restored it.

Half a century ago, the industrial designer built a prototype for a home that would accommodate people of all ages and abilities.

When the building itself is making noise, it’s not as simple as telling it to quiet down.

Your clients will always surprise you with questions that you may not know the answer to, but it is our duty to be educated, knowledgeable, and a source of information and value to our clients. 

Photos by @charleygreyantiques / @houseonthecorner_16 / @_colorfulhome_ via Instagram

If your dining room decor is looking as drab as a January day— we feel you. If you live in an open-concept home, the dining room can easily become a dumping ground for bags, bills, and other odds and ends. And if you have a separate dining room, you know that designing it can take lower priority than some of the higher-traffic areas in the house.

Which is why we’ve deemed it the perfect time to offer up five playful dining room decor trends we recently spotted on Instagram. The following inspiration photos don’t shy away from colors and patterns, and they epitomize joyful charm in the eating area.

So, if you’re ready to rethink your dining room—read on. We’re confident these captivating flourishes will lighten up even the dullest of dining spaces.

1. Mix-and-match crystal chandeliers

Installing a pair of crystal chandeliers in your dining room, like the ones seen here from @charleygreyantiques, will really stir up some happy glam.

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An eclectic Pittsburgh home has landed on the market again, and its wild design has already caused quite the social-media buzz.

At first glance, the 1,475-square-foot brick home looks like an average abode. But the trippy interior tells a different tale.

“When you walk in the front door, it seems like it’s a ranch-style house; but the previous owner cut the floor out to lower it to the basement level, so it’s all open,” says listing agent Chads Mullinary, of Berkshire Hathaway The Preferred Realty.

Mullinary explains that all of the unique changes were made by the home’s previous owner, and that the current owners loved the quirky spaceship theme.

Powered by an advanced natural language technology, homebuyers can enter longer, detail-rich requests, as they would on Google, to unearth more accurate inventory matches.