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Michele Lerner

Michele Lerner is a freelance writer, editor, and author covering real estate, personal finance, and business topics for such publications as the Washington Post, USA Today, and others.

The city of Baltimore has approximately 13,000 abandoned houses and 20,000 vacant lots that create health, safety, and financial hazards for nearby properties. Although it might seem simple to fix and flip these homes, the math doesn’t easily compute.
How urban planners are turning public places into vibrant centers for living, working, learning, and socializing.
Cities facing affordable housing challenges are becoming more open to making zoning changes that affect density.
The natural reaction to hearing that a product or material has been made with the assistance of modern slavery is to flinch in horror and perhaps disbelief. Unfortunately, the construction industry is ranked second—just behind domestic service—as a problematic industry in terms of its risk of relying on forced labor, according to the 2022 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, Forced Labour and Forced Marriage report from the International Labour Organization in Geneva.
Developers, nonprofits, and advocates for homeless services believe that now is an ideal time to raise awareness of Title V.
Property owners received new protection for their equity from a unanimous Supreme Court decision in the Tyler v. Hennepin County case in May. The decision affirms that owners must be reimbursed for any remaining equity after a property seizure to pay tax debts. The decision is likely to trigger new legislation in numerous states.
Whether a simple energy efficiency upgrade or a larger overhaul is needed, retrofitting is becoming an important component of the real estate industry.
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