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Joe Biden has big plans to increase the amount of affordable housing throughout America and help lower-income renters and would-be homeowners.

The president released his proposed 2024 budget on Thursday, which outlines his administration’s plans to increase the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget by 1.6%. This would bring HUD’s funding to $73.3 billion in 2024. But this budget is regarded as more aspirational as it is unlikely to pass through a Republican-controlled House of Representatives in its current form.

“The Budget invests in Americans at every station in life—from those seeking to purchase a home to those who receive HUD rental assistance—and will ensure families across the country can live in communities that are safe, affordable, and resilient,” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said in a statement.

The budget prioritizes helping lower-income renters, helping more people from underserved communities become homeowners, and increasing the supply of affordable housing. Biden also is putting more money toward ending homelessness and preventing and addressing housing discrimination.

The new franchises add to the brand's presence across the globe in more than 400 offices in 49 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada and several other countries.

It’s April, and that means homeowners across the country are throwing open their doors for strangers to enter their homes, test the water pressure of their showers, and judge the quality of the magazines displayed artfully on their coffee tables. Yes, it’s open house season.

Why April? Well, as the spring and summer home-buying season begins, our society enters into this weekend ritual in which we scour the latest home listings and set aside our Saturdays and Sundays for open houses—all in the hope of finding that dream home we can close on and move into before summer’s end.

It would seem strange, were it not part of what feels like an age-old tradition.

That got us thinking—how did weekend open houses become a standard in American real estate? Was there ever a time when they didn’t exist? Whose idea was it anyway?

A ‘Wild West era’ for real estate

It turns out, the open house is a tradition that started over a century ago.

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Churches converted into houses are often a decorator’s dream. But the work can be daunting.

The seller of this sacred space in Savannah, GA, already started transforming it from a 1970s church into a contemporary home. The midrenovation structure is on the market for $695,000 and could be ideal for someone motivated to finish the job.

“He was going to make it a family compound and an arts studio,” says listing agent Staci Donegan, of Seabolt Real Estate.

But the owner changed course and halted construction, “so the next owner could do what they want,” Donegan says. “It’s basically a blank slate for the buyer.”

Watch the new Inman Access class featuring Michelle Berman, CEO of Berman Media PD, as she walks through best practices and pitfalls to avoid when using ChatGPT to generate social media content.

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The innovative former owner of the Blantyre luxury resort in Lenox, MA, has purchased a Gilded Age estate in the Berkshires.

Originally built for Emily Vanderbilt and husband William D. Sloane in 1886, the spectacular mansion on 89 acres is the largest shingled-style residence in the country. The space clocks in at 55,000 square feet and has a staggering 106 rooms.

When the estate first hit the market in October 2020, it was listed for $12.5 million.

“I have had my eye on Elm Court, as it was known, for about seven years and know the market very well,” says Linda Law of Law & Associates.

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As the housing market correction continues, certain parts of the country have become more vulnerable to the real estate downturn than others.

California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Delaware are home to the most at-risk housing markets, according to a Special Housing Risk report released by real estate data firm ATTOM.

“Some parts of the country remain considerably more exposed to housing market declines than others,” says Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM. “While pockets of the country have popped on and off the lists of most or least vulnerable markets, the top 50 list has consistently included the New York City and Chicago areas, as well as Delaware and inland California, over the past two years.”

The report looked at nearly 600 counties with sufficient data across the country in the fourth quarter of the year to determine which ones were most exposed to a potential decline in home prices.

Paul Austin and wife Tenisha Tate-Austin sued appraiser Janette Miller in 2021 after a lowball quote prompted the couple to pose a white friend as the homeowner for a second appraisal.

HGTV

On “The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project,” Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent might live in New York City, but many of their clients have fled to the burbs, buying fixer-uppers that turned out to be too much to handle.

That’s definitely the case on the latest episode, “Family Comes First,” where clients Brad and Courtney moved out of New York City to buy a house in Westchester County. The house needed a lot of work, and the couple soon knew they needed professional help and called in Berkus and Brent.

They have a budget of $110,000 to fix up the primary suite, as well as the bedrooms for their 4-year-old son, Fin, and their newly adopted infant son, Anders.

As Berkus and Brent get to work, they pass along some sage advice on how to get a high-end look that doesn’t cost too much—and that will also grow with the kids. Check out what we learned this week.

Jimmy Burgess sits down with Noah Escobar, a 22-year-old real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida closed and contracted over $16 million in sales volume in his first full calendar year as an agent.

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Talk about a big parcel!

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is famous for his work in such movie franchises as “Fast and the Furious” and “Jumanji.”

But judging from his latest purchase in Virginia, he’s quickly becoming known as a real estate tycoon, too. He also has bought and sold homes in Florida, Georgia, and California, among other places.

Johnson’s latest coup, located next to a farm he already owns outside Charlottesville, is a seven-bedroom mansion with nearly 8,000 square feet of living space. But it’s the outside property that’ll take your breath away.

Compass is not alone in needing to cut costs during a significant market downturn — and its future depends on it.

The partnership will allow agents at more than 800 brokerages access to post-close software, providing new owners the ability to monitor the financial and operational state of their home.

Tune in to hear experts discuss the merging of AI and social media, hiring mistakes to avoid, and how agents can nurture their databases.

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Lee Daniels, the Academy Award-nominated writer, director, and producer, has finally found a buyer for his metal-clad compound in Beverly Hills, CA.

Daniels, who is responsible for many film and television hits, bought his Los Angeles pied-a-terre for $4.9 million in 2018.

While he’s a committed New Yorker, Daniels has many Hollywood projects that bring him to the West Coast often. He bought this place after realizing he needed something more permanent than a hotel suite, according to Architectural Digest.

Four years later, the “Empire” co-executive producer is selling. Daniels listed the sleek space for $7.24 million in September 2022. The price was recently cut to $6.24 million and is pending sale.

Jennifer Wauhob, who leads a 7-agent team for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene in Houston, will take up the role of VP of association affairs following the death of Margo Wheeler earlier this year.

This week’s properties are four-bedroom houses in Larchmont, N.Y., and Bernardsville, N.J.

This week’s properties are in Williamsburg, the Financial district and Gramercy Park.

The most popular houses from the movies, based on internet search interest.