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Fall is right around the corner. Is your home fall-ready for this transition from summer to autumn? Well, there are lots of steps you can take to keep your home cozy and efficient in the fall season. These are easy and affordable everyday activities you can do as part of your annual home inspection. They include:

1. Clean, Organize, and De-clutter to get it Fall-Ready

Cleaning, organizing, and de-cluttering your home gives it a tranquil and simplified ambiance into fall. To get fall-ready, start by scrubbing all surfaces, including windows, doors, floors, and home appliances. Next, empty and organize your fridge, pantry, and storage areas. Here, check the expiration dates of your food supplies. Throw expired food, and donate the foodstuffs that won’t make it to the fall season. Third, de-clutter and donate your summer clothes and shoes. Also, clean and replace your bedding, towels, and linens.

2. Decorate Your Home

Did you know that installing cozy wallpaper or adding a vintage runner to your entryways can warm up your home for fall? And you can use your pottery and glassware to accessorize and create a fun centerpiece as a focal point in your living room. Donate your unused items in the store and turn the extra space into a hideaway room complete with accented lighting, a reading table, a lamp, a bed, and cozy pillows and blankets. Hang your woven baskets and add some fresh fall flowers for a tasteful look.

3. Make Sure Your Installations are Fall-Ready

Not only should your home be clean and attractive, but it should also be functional. That’s why you should inspect your installations to confirm that they are in tip-top shape and fall-ready. Now is the best time to scrutinize and clean the filter furnace and change the humidifier filter too. Next, check the air quality in the attic. Here, you want to confirm that the insulation is working; all the air vents are clean, dry, and mold-free. Seal any air leakages into the attic to prevent ice dams from forming in winter. Finally, check for cracks in and outside your home. Call a professional to assess and repair any rift at least an eighth of an inch wide.

4. Carry Out Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance will save you unnecessary utility bills and repair costs when getting fall-ready. Have the gutters clean, and debris-free, with water flowing freely through them. Add a drain spout extension to divert water away from the foundation. Ideally, you want water to drain 4 to 6 feet away from your home. Next, inspect and repair any visible damage on your windows, door frames, and surrounding drywall. The weather-stripping should be secure to prevent drafts responsible for escalating heating bills. Test and replace fire alarms and carbon monoxide detector batteries. And reverse the ceiling fan to push the heat down from the ceiling to the floor.

5. Work With a Professional

Some areas around your home require professional handling only to get fall-ready. For example, ask a professional to clean your chimney. And contact an HVAC professional to check the ductwork and tune up your heating system. Then, as a rule of thumb, call an expert to address any concerns you have after inspecting your home.

A savvy homeowner is proactive in preparing their home for fall. Then, use the tips above to enjoy a comfortable, safe, and cost-efficient transition into the cooler season ahead.

Another week, another round-up of the leading tech news across the world wide web. In this week’s weekly write-up, we’re talking about a new AI tool from IG, major updates with FedEx, and more! Read on and stay connected with the world of tech!!

Google News Unveils Personalized Desktop Redesign

In honor of its 20th birthday, Google News has unveiled a revamped version of its desktop design. The latest version gives more prominence to local news and personalized content. Likewise, with the latest update, users will be able to customize topics to better fit their search. In addition, users can also add multiple locations to the “Local News” section through their settings button. This change marks Google’s latest effort to become more user-friendly with a series of platform updates in the past two quarters. Of course, the biggest change is that various categories of news like world, business, and science will be more accessible. 

New AI tool being tested at Instagram can Verify Your Age through Facial Scan

A new AI tool is in the works at Instagram. The social media platform is currently testing a tool that can verify age via facial scan. Built by a third-party company, Yoti, the tool is Instagram’s latest attempt at providing a safer space for users 13 and older. Likewise, the tools are meant to aid with privacy and child safety across all users of the platform. Approved for use in the UK and Germany, Yoti is well–established in the field of the online age and ID verification. Users can even try out Yoti’s age verifying tool now directly on the company site if interested in seeing how the potential IG tool may work.

Gene-editing Technology CRISPR may be able to help combat climate change

The technology behind CRISPR and its ability to create new crops may be able to help fight climate change. Researchers recently received $11 million in funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to aid in the efforts. Likewise, the funds will go towards enhancing plants like rice and soil. The technology would be able to better trap carbon dioxide emitted through sourcing the crop. CRISPR, which was founded by Nobel laureate and co-inventor Jennifer Doudna, is led by the Innovative Genomics Institute. “[Jennifer] and I saw eye to eye on climate and how big of a problem it is in the world. And we just didn’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore,” says Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) executive director Brad Ringeisen.

FedEx to soon Photograph Packages as Proof of Delivery

If you have ever had an issue locating a delivered package from FedEx, you may soon have a solution. The company is working on creating its own tool to provide proof of delivery via photo in instances where a signature is not required. “This is something e-commerce merchants and customers have been asking for, and we are proud to be the first to announce this service will be available to residential customers,” Brie Carere, FedEx’s chief customer officer, said in a press release announcing the program this week. Likewise, the service will be free and available for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground delivery customers. The service will also serve as a good form of protection for FedEx, in instances where a package is reportedly lost. The tool will be available in select markets first before launching in the US and Canada.

Twitter to Create built-in Notes feature

Character limits may be coming to an end on Twitter. The company is currently developing a tool for long-form blogging on the popular social media platform. Aptly name Twitter Notes, the company confirmed the new tool via tweet this week. Currently only available to select users in the US, UK, Canada, and Ghana, users will be able to read notes on and off Twitter. The company showcased how the tool will work through two separate GIFs in its tweet announcement. The tool will allow users to embed a Note into their tweet for a long-form post option. Likewise, users can also mix in images and videos to the long-form posts. 

Stock markets suffered steep losses on heightened inflation fears this week – This week the May Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was released. It showed that consumer prices in May had increased 8.6% from one year ago. That was the highest reading in over forty years. It was widely felt that inflation was beginning to moderate because the CPI had decreased in April to 8.3%, down from 8.5% in March. Wages were not up as much in May as they were in April, and other core inflation indexes showed inflation was beginning to moderate. This new CPI report for May took investors by surprise as it revealed that inflation has not been tamed and that interest rate increases and other tightening measures by the Fed have not slowed inflation. Mortgage rates and bond yields which peaked in early May and had moderated over the last few weeks bounced back to their highest levels in over a decade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 31,292.79 down 4.9% from 32,899.70 last week. It is down 13.9% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 3,900.86, down 5.1% from 4,108.54 last week. The S&P is down 18.2% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 11,340.02, down 5.6% from 12,012.73 last week. It is down 27.5% year-to-date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 3.15%, up from 2.96% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 3.20%, up from 3.11% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields.

Mortgage rates – The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates as of June 9, 2022, for the most popular loan products were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 5.23%, up from 5.09% last week. The 15-year fixed was 4.38%, up from 4.32% last week. The 5-year ARM was 4.12%, up from 4.04% last week. Rates were higher on Thursday and Friday so next week’s survey will show higher rates.

Home sales data for May should be released by the California Association of Realtors at the end of next week. The National Association of Realtors will release data the following week. You can get local home sales numbers for any city or zip code in Southern California on my website now.

https://www.rodeore.com/market-trends

Stock markets dropped for a fourth straight week – Stock markets dropped further this week as fears of higher interest rates due to high inflation sent stocks lower. Comments by Fed Chairman, Jarome Powel on Thursday which included “taming inflation is absolutely essential” led investors to believe that an interest rate hike of at least ½% would be announced at the May 3-4 Fed meeting. Those comments caused the Dow, which was up for the week on Wednesday, to fall almost 1,000 points on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 33,811.40, down 1.9% from 34,451.23 last week. Its down 7.0% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 4,271.78, down 2.8% from 4,392.28 last week. The S&P is down 19.4% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 12,839.29, down 3.8% from 13,351.08 last week. It is down 18.0%, year-to-date. 

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 2.90%, up from 2.83% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 2.95%, up from 2.92% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields. 

Mortgage rates – Home mortgage rates have continued to increase. Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates as of April 21, 2022 for the most popular loan products were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 5.11%, up from 5.00% last week. The 15-year fixed was 4.38% up from 4.17% last week. The 5-year ARM was 3.75%, up from 3.69% last week. 

March 2022 home sales – Home sales figures are released in the third week of the month for the previous month.

U.S. existing-home sales – The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales totaled 5.77 million on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate in March, down 2.7% month-over-month from the annualized rate of sales in February. Year-over-year sales were down 4.5% from the annualized rate of 6.04 million in March 2021. The median price of a home in the U.S. in March was $375,300, up 15.0% from $326,300 one year ago. March marked a record 121 consecutive months of year-over-year increases in the median price. Inventory levels remained near record lows. There was just a 2-month supply of homes for sale in March, down from a 2.1 month supply one year ago. First-time buyers accounted for 30% of all sales. Investors and second-home purchases accounted for 18% of all sales. All-cash purchases accounted for 28% of all sales. Foreclosure and short-sales accounted for less than 1% of all sales remaining at a historic low. 

California existing-home sales –  The California Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales totaled 426,970 on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate in March. That marked a 4.4% year-over-year drop from the number of homes sold in March 2021. Existing-home sales in the first quarter of 2022 are down 7.0% from the number of homes sold in the first quarter of 2021, which pretty closely matches the drop in the number of new listings. The median price paid for a home in March was $849,080, up 10.1% from February’s median price of $771,270. Year-over-year prices are up 11.9%. There was a 1.7-month supply of homes for sale in March, down form a 2-month supply of homes for sale in February, and unchanged from a 1.7-month supply of homes in March 2021. 

The graph below shows regional figures by county in Southern California.

Stock markets dropped this week following a high inflation report – Stock markets were on track for a relatively good week as more companies reported strong corporate profits. Unfortunately, on Thursday the January inflation report was released. The January CPI (Consumer Price Index), which represents the broadest measure of inflation, showed that consumer prices rose 7.5% from January 2021, a 40-year high. Bond yields and mortgage rates immediately began to rise and stocks fell on the news. It is widely felt that the Federal Reserve could make a 1/2% rise to their key interest rates in the coming weeks, and at least two more increases this year in order to slow the pace of inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 34,738.06, down 1.0% from 35,087.74 last week. It is down 4.4% year to date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 4,418.64, down 7.3% from 4,500.94 last week. The S&P is down 5.6% year to date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 13,751.19, down 2.5% from 14,098.01 last week. It is down 12.1% year to date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 1.93%, unchanged from 1.92% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 2.24%, unchanged from 2.23% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields.

Mortgage rates – The February 10, 2022, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 3.69%, up from 3.55% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.93%, up from 2.77% last week. The 5-year ARM was 2.80%, up from 2.71% last week.

California housing affordability improved in the fourth quarter of 2021 – The California Association of Realtors published their third-quarter housing affordability report this week. They found that 25% of California households could afford to purchase an $797,470 median-priced home. That is up from 24% in the third quarter of 2021, but down from 27% in the fourth quarter of 2020. A minimum income of $148,000 was needed to qualify for the monthly payment of $3,700 which included principal, interest, and taxes on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at a 3.28% rate. Condominiums were more affordable. The report found that 36% of California households were able to afford a $610,350 median-priced condo or townhouse. A minimum annual income of $113,200 was needed to qualify for the monthly payment of $2,830.

January home sales numbers from the California Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors will be released next week. You can find January statistics now on my website. Just look for market trends and enter your city or zip code!

Economic Update For The Week Ending December 11, 2021

 Stock markets recovered this week – News that the Omicron COVID variant is causing more mild symptoms than previous variants has helped stocks recover some of their steep loses suffered after the variant was first discovered. The November CPI, a key index of inflation, showed that consumer prices were up 6.8% year over year, their highest increase in 39 years.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 34,970.99, up 1.3% from 34,508.08 last week. It is up 14.3% year-to-date.  The S&P 500 closed the week at 4,712.02, up 3.8% from 4,538.43 last week. It is up 24.6% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 15,630.60, up 3.6% from 15,085.47 last week. It is up 20.7% year-to-date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields  – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 1.48% up from 1.35% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 1.86%, up from 1.69% last week. Bond yields dropped sharply on fears of the new Omicron variant. They have risen from those steep drops but are still lower than they were two weeks ago. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields.

Mortgage rates – The December 9, 2021, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 3.10%, unchanged from 3.11% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.38% unchanged from 2.39% last week. The 5-year ARM was 2.45%, almost unchanged from 2.49% last week.

The November home sales reports will be released by the California Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors next week. Rodeo Realty has its reports up on the ninth of each month. You can get a November home sales report now for your city or zip code by visiting RodeoRe.com.

Stock markets closed the week at record highs – Stocks rebounded in October as investors were encouraged by a number of factors. Among the most notable was a drop in COVID-19 cases across the country, third quarter corporate profits mostly exceeding expectations, and a proposed increase of the corporate tax rate was removed from the latest spending plan. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 35,819.56, up 0.4% from 35,677.02 last week. It is up 16.9% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 4,605.38, up 1.3% from 4,544.71, last week. It is up 22.7% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 15,498.39, up 2.7% from 15,090.20 last week. It is up 20.3% year-to-date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 1.55%, down from 1.66% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 1.93%, down from 2.08% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields.

Mortgage rates – The October 28, 2021, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 3.14%, up from 3.09% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.37%, up slightly from 2.33% last week. The 5-year ARM was 2.56%, almost unchanged from 2.54% last week. Rates dropped at the end of the week. The 30-year was close to 3% on Friday.

The October jobs report will be released next Friday. It is widely felt that job gains will rebound from their disappointing levels in August and September. Those numbers will be included in next week’s update.