California Housing Is Becoming More Affordable—Relatively, Anyway

You Still Get More House for Your Money in Austin or Boise Than L.A. or San Francisco, But the Difference Is Dwindling

California housing prices have soared during the pandemic. The California Association of Realtors reports that the median selling price of a single-family house here increased 11 percent, to $796,000, between December 2020 and December 2021.

Skyrocketing home prices and their impact on affordability are often cited as reasons for net domestic migration out of California. In the early 1960s around 250,000 Americans moved to California each year. In 2020 close to the same number left. Is this the beginning of a mass exodus from the Golden State or a more temporary …

by JERRY NICKELSBURG | April 6, 2022

Will Granny Flats Replace Green Lawns in California’s Backyards?

Historic Deregulation Is Freeing Homeowners to Build in Hopes of Easing the Growing Housing Crisis

by Joe Mathews | October 12, 2021

A snarky reader, annoyed at some praise of California’s governor in this space, recently asked: Where exactly do I keep my shrine to Gavin Newsom?

My answer: In the same place …

The Zombie Building That Ate San Diego

Can the Rest of California Learn From the City Losing Millions on an Empty Office Tower?

by Joe Mathews | November 3, 2020

As Californians figure out what to do with thousands of buildings made empty by pandemic and recession, we should hold ourselves to a baseline standard: Let’s not be as scared …

Will Anyone Ever Be Able to Afford to Live in California?

Housing Affordability Is a Long-Term Problem, but COVID Could Help Reset the Conversation

by Sara Suárez | June 30, 2020

On June 24, the UCLA Anderson Forecast predicted a difficult economic future for California and reported that the U.S. economy is in a “Depression-like crisis.” What does this mean for …

Is Downtown L.A.’s New Center?

It’s Got the Hype, the Hot New Restaurants, Growing Political Clout, and More and More People on the Streets—and Its Growth Shows No Sign of Slowing Down

by Sarah Rothbard | October 15, 2014

This year, GQ called downtown Los Angeles “America’s next great city” and “the cool capital of America,” and The New York Times included downtown on its list of “52 Places …

I Loved DTLA Before It Was Cool

Ten Years Ago, Downtown Was Dead at Night and Didn’t Even Have a Grocery Store. Today, It’s a Destination for People Across Southern California.

by Brigham Yen | October 14, 2014

I fell in love with downtown Los Angeles on a warm summer night in 2004. I had parked my car on 7th Street and Grand Avenue, where the restaurant and …

real estate