From the desk of #jillstonesells

July
24

A For-Profit Path to Keeping Housing Affordable

July 24th, 2026 by Elizabeth A. Harris

Image Caption: According to preservation groups, maintaining affordable housing as a for-profit entity is possible, so long as investors donâ��t need huge returns.

Housing groups attract investors with the promise of only modest returns so they can, in turn, keep rents as low as possible.

Category: Affordable Housing, Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Gentrification, Cost of Living and Affordability, Bowles, Erskine B, North Charleston (SC), South Carolina, Charlotte (NC)

July
24

Pick Your Favorite $1 Million Home in Costa Rica

July 24th, 2026 by Alison Gregor

In the running are villas in Hatillo, Punta Leona and Portasol.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Costa Rica, Travel and Vacations

July
23

Fair Housing Groups Sue HUD Over Funding Changes

July 23rd, 2026 by Elizabeth A. Harris

Image Caption: Fair housing groups say a change to HUD grants will prevent them from investigating claims.

A shift in grant requirements would curtail fair housing investigations, according to a new lawsuit.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Housing and Urban Development Department, National Fair Housing Alliance, Massachusetts, Budgets and Budgeting, Fair Housing Act (1968)

July
23

Even the Architects Said the Build Would Be Nearly Impossible

July 23rd, 2026 by Tim McKeough

An architect and his client overcame a steep site and regulatory hurdles to build a 730-square-foot house that hovers over the water in Sonoma County, Calif.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Architecture, Building (Construction), Bodega Bay (Calif), internal-open-access-from-nl

July
23

Homes for Sale in Manhattan and Queens

July 23rd, 2026 by Heather Senison

This week’s properties are in Kips Bay, the Upper West Side and Whitestone.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Kips Bay (Manhattan, NY), Upper West Side (Manhattan, NY), Whitestone (Queens, NY)

July
23

You’ve Just Won… the Chance to Buy a House

July 23rd, 2026 by Kim Bellware

Image Caption: The mayor of Elk Grove Village, Ill., Craig Johnson, left, facilitated a housing raffle. The prize: the ability to buy a house without a bidding war.

In a novel public-private partnership, a Chicago suburb raffled off the opportunity for local residents to buy houses below market rate.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Public-Private Sector Cooperation, Contests and Prizes, Affordable Housing, Cost of Living and Affordability, Chicago (Ill)

July
23

Homes for Sale in New York and New Jersey

July 23rd, 2026 by Claudia Gryvatz Copquin and Jill P. Capuzzo

This week’s properties are an eight-bedroom in Northport, N.Y., and a four-bedroom in Kingwood, N.J.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Northport (NY), Kingwood Township (NJ)

July
23

‘More Affordable’ Doesn’t Always Mean Homes Cost Less

July 23rd, 2026 by Elizabeth A. Harris

By one real estate industry metric, places like San Francisco and Manhattan have become more affordable over the last 20 years.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Income, National Assn of Realtors, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Cost of Living and Affordability

July
22

Pick Your Favorite $2.5 Million Home

July 22nd, 2026 by Angela Serratore

This week’s properties are in Santa Fe, N.M., New Gloucester, Maine, and Lake Forest, Ill.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Lake Forest (Ill), Santa Fe (NM), New Gloucester (Me)

July
22

A ‘Disgustingly Beautiful’ Glass-Brick Renovation Makes Its Mark

July 22nd, 2026 by Joyce Cohen

A historic building in TriBeCa stood out for its short stature. A glass-brick addition was the unconventional solution.

Category: Real Estate (Commercial), Restoration and Renovation, Brick and Tile, Glass, Architecture, Historic Buildings and Sites, TriBeCa (Manhattan, NY), Landmarks Preservation Commission

July
21

Renovating a Century-Old House in Forest Hills Gardens, Queens

July 21st, 2026 by Jane Margolies and Winnie Au

Image Caption: A gate opens to the backyard of the house that Kate Orff, Oded Horodniceanu and their two children share in the Queens community of Forest Hills Gardens.

The landscape architect Kate Orff and her family have created a habitat for wildlife, and themselves, in Forest Hills Gardens.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Architecture, Restoration and Renovation, Home Repairs and Improvements, Historic Buildings and Sites, Gardens and Gardening, Atterbury, Grosvenor, Olmsted, Frederick Law, Orff, Kate (1971- ), Forest Hills Gardens (Queens, NY)

July
20

How New York’s Historic Homes Freshened Up for America’s 250th

July 20th, 2026 by Aaron Short

House museums that predate the American Revolution renovated for this anniversary year.

Category: Historic Buildings and Sites, Museums, United States Semiquincentennial (2026), Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Revolutionary War, American (1775-83), Restoration and Renovation, Hamilton, Alexander, Schuyler, Philip John (1733-1804), Washington, George (1732-99), Albany (NY), Kingston (NY), New York City, New York State, Sugar Hill (Manhattan, NY), Yonkers (NY)

July
19

The biggest mistake sellers are making right now (and how you can help them avoid it)

July 19th, 2026 by Jimmy Burgess

Although you can't control rates, inventory or affordability, Jimmy Burgess writes, you can help your sellers navigate those realities.

Category: Agent, Columns, Select, Service, Video, data analysis, David Childers, jimmy burgess, keeping current matters, local data, market analysis

July
18

Why Is Syracuse, N.Y., Such a Haven for Legendary Writers?

July 18th, 2026 by Anna Kodé

In the frozen shadows of shuttered factories, icons like Toni Morrison, Raymond Carver and David Foster Wallace created some of their greatest work.

Category: Writing and Writers, Books and Literature, Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Syracuse (NY), Wallace, David Foster, Morrison, Toni, Saunders, George, Carver, Raymond, McInerney, Jay, Syracuse University

July
18

Is Post-Closing Possession a Terrible Idea?

July 18th, 2026 by Jill Terreri Ramos

Sometimes sellers want to stay in a home for a little while after the deal is done.

Category: Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Renter's Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Content Type: Service

July
17

How to Keep the Air Inside Safe From Wildfire Smoke

July 17th, 2026 by Aimee Ortiz

Image Caption: Wildfires in Ontario have led to poor air quality in major cities, including New York.

Wildfire smoke can contaminate the air inside a home, but there are measures you can take to make your indoor environment safer.

Category: Wildfires, Air Pollution, Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC), Air Conditioning, Filters, Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Content Type: Service

From the desk of #jillstonesells

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