What do you need to buy a house

Opendoor Labs, an online home buying platform, agreed on Monday to pay $62 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle claims that it used misleading marketing practices to persuade people to sell their homes on the site. The company, which claims it allows homeowners to sell their homes more quickly than through a broker, deceived customers into offering their properties to Opendoor for less than they would have made on the market, the F.T.C. said Monday in a news release . The agency said Opendoor had presented home sellers with charts that showed they would make thousands of dollars more by selling their properties on the platform compared with in the traditional marketplace. Opendoor said in a statement on Monday that it disagreed with the F.T.C.’s allegations, which the company said were tied to its business activities from 2017 to 2019. “While we strongly disagree with the F.T.C.’s allegations, our decision to settle with the commission will allow us to … [Read more...] about Home buying firm settles deceptive marketing claims for $62 million.

8 Real Estate DuPage PADS is hoping to repurpose a hotel at 1113 Butterfield Rd. to give homeless residents access to interim shelter. Lisa Marie Farver , Patch Staff Posted Replies DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Downers Grove hotel that became a temporary housing solution for DuPage PADS during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic may soon offer homeless residents shelter there on a more permanent basis. DuPage PADS plans to submit an application to the county for funds to purchase the Red Roof Inn at 1113 Butterfield Rd. to create an Interim Housing Center. DuPage PADS has established a purchase agreement for the property and hopes to raise an additional $1.5 million to aid buying the hotel and converting it into an Interim Housing Center. In late March 2020, the onset of coronavirus forced DuPage PADS to move from its shelters and into local hotels, which offered more space to allow for social distancing. Since then, 430 people … [Read more...] about Downers Grove Hotel Could Become Interim Housing For Homeless

87 Sports Track owner Churchill Downs Inc. anticipates closing the sale of the property in late 2022 or early 2023. Eric DeGrechie and Jeff Arnold , Patch Staff Posted | Updated Replies ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — It appears the Chicago Bears are one step closer to building a new stadium outside the city. The NFL team has signed a purchase agreement for Arlington International Racecourse. The news comes just days after the summer horse racing season concluded at Arlington. Churchill Downs Inc., the Kentucky-based group that currently owns the 326-acre property, said the Bears' bid was $197.2 million. The closing of the sale of the property is subject to the "satisfaction of various closing conditions," according to a news release from Churchill. CDI anticipates closing the sale of the property in late 2022 or early 2023. In a joint statement issued by the team Wednesday morning in conjunction with Arlington … [Read more...] about Bears Sign Purchase Agreement To Buy Arlington Park For $197M

For anyone who's dreamed of bringing their own Lego fortress to life, this structure is for you. An unfinished lakefront castle in Sagle, ID , is now available for $7 million. The owner "has a unique passion for the medieval times and culture,” says listing agent Danny Davis with Coldwell Banker. “This has been a passion project for him for a long time.” And when Davis says a long time, he means it. Construction on the structure known as Castle Von Frandsen began in 2005—and 17 years later, the castle still isn't finished. The walls are 2 feet thick and filled with concrete, conduit, and rebar. Stones for the walls were hand-chiseled on site, and wood was sourced from the nearby forest. “It was built with wood from the property by an actual castle builder, based on medieval building style and craftsmanship. No heavy equipment was utilized,” Davis explains. “It was built by hand, stone by stone, and using original medieval-style construction practices.” The idea for … [Read more...] about Still Unfinished After 17 Years, $7M Castle Von Frandsen in Idaho Needs a Royal Touch

NEW YORK CITY — On a scorching summer evening, with humidity choking the city, thousands of sweaty visitors lined up to ascend almost 1,400 feet up in the air. Children squealed in delight as they disembarked on the 57th floor Summit observatory at the One Vanderbilt tower, as all of Manhattan unfolded in front of them through glass windows, from the delicate, silvery tip of the Chrysler Building to One World Trade Center catching the setting sun, a symbol of the city’s rebirth from a 2001 tragedy. San Francisco also knows how to attract people during these bizarre times — take Outside Lands , for instance — but there’s a difference between an annual extravaganza and, in Summit’s case, a typical Monday. Lethargic downtown San Francisco lacks the energy and sheer mass of daily locals and tourists that have reinvigorated Midtown Manhattan and beyond to provide a sense of how life in this metropolis used to be. There’s always been a disparity — New York has 10 times the … [Read more...] about New York is roaring back from the worst of the pandemic. Why isn’t San Francisco?

Democrats inched ahead of Republicans on FiveThirtyEight’s generic congressional ballot average on August 10 — less than four months from the midterm election night. FiveThirtyEight updated their generic congressional ballot average on Wednesday to show Democrats have a slight advantage over Republicans. The average showed generic Democrats with an average of 44.2 percent and generic Republicans with an average of 44 percent. The average from FiveThirtyEight looks at polls from Morning Consult, Rasmussen Reports, Ipsos, Data for Progress, and YouGov. Republicans, who are now slightly behind the Democrats, are trying to unseat Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from her Speakership and take back the majority in the House of Representatives. In 2018, the Democrats took the House from the Republicans. In 2020, after striving to win back the House, the Republicans left the Democrats with the slimmest majority in modern history and gave themselves the upper hand in the midterms. … [Read more...] about Poll: Dems Inch Ahead of GOP on Generic Congressional Ballot

Care for your home with 0 This post is sponsored and contributed by Home & Garden Whether you need your house cleaned, a pool built, or anything in between, Patch can help you find the right person for the job. Patch Local Businesses , Brand Partner Posted Reply If you're busy (and who isn't?), you could probably use a hand in tackling your to-do list. Fortunately, the Crystal Lake-Cary community is brimming with professionals who can deep clean your home, clear your gutters, power wash your deck and so much more. And with Patch's new Local Businesses feature, finding and hiring top-rated professionals for virtually any task is a breeze! With Local Businesses , you can search for professionals based on the task you need done, such as tile repair or pest control. You can also browse through top seasonal categories to see what other folks in the Crystal Lake-Cary community are having done this … [Read more...] about Crystal Lake-Cary Area’s Top-Rated Home Professionals Are Here To Shorten Your To-Do List

Care for your home with 0 This post is sponsored and contributed by Home & Garden Whether you need your house cleaned, a pool built, or anything in between, Patch can help you find the right person for the job. Patch Local Businesses , Brand Partner Posted Reply If you're busy (and who isn't?), you could probably use a hand in tackling your to-do list. Fortunately, the Grayslake community is brimming with professionals who can deep clean your home, clear your gutters, power wash your deck and so much more. And with Patch's new Local Businesses feature, finding and hiring top-rated professionals for virtually any task is a breeze! With Local Businesses , you can search for professionals based on the task you need done, such as tile repair or pest control. You can also browse through top seasonal categories to see what other folks in the Grayslake community are having done this time of year. … [Read more...] about Grayslake Area’s Top-Rated Home Professionals Are Here To Shorten Your To-Do List

Care for your home with 0 This post is sponsored and contributed by Home & Garden Whether you need your house cleaned, a pool built, or anything in between, Patch can help you find the right person for the job. Patch Local Businesses , Brand Partner Posted Reply If you're busy (and who isn't?), you could probably use a hand in tackling your to-do list. Fortunately, the Libertyville community is brimming with professionals who can deep clean your home, clear your gutters, power wash your deck and so much more. And with Patch's new Local Businesses feature, finding and hiring top-rated professionals for virtually any task is a breeze! With Local Businesses , you can search for professionals based on the task you need done, such as tile repair or pest control. You can also browse through top seasonal categories to see what other folks in the Libertyville community are having done this time of … [Read more...] about Libertyville Area’s Top-Rated Home Professionals Are Here To Shorten Your To-Do List

Many small and rural communities across California are vulnerable to drought and water shortages as they lack the diverse water sources and infrastructure of big cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. In some cases, these communities are forced to rely on bottled water or water hauled in from elsewhere, which experts say is costly and unsustainable . Data from the state water board’s 2022 “ Drinking Water Needs Assessment ” shows that nearly 90 water providers across the state, including six in the Bay Area, have had to resort to bottled or hauled-in water to fully meet their communities’ drinking water needs in the past three years. The report finds that California’s ongoing drought played a role in straining supply for some of these providers. There are more than 7,000 water systems in California that provide water for people through pipes or other types of connections, and they vary in size, from those serving large cities to ones built for apartment complexes or … [Read more...] about Amid drought, some California communities are forced to rely on hauled-in or bottled water. This map shows where