Real Estate

Everyone dreams of owning a home where they can create memories, welcome guests and find respite. While that dream can be difficult to achieve in California — where the need for housing is urgent — some visionary builders are paving a new path to homeownership.

As many people continue to struggle financially in the pandemic, programs in California are offering assistance to help homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments, as well as renters who are falling behind. Learn more about these programs and how they can help.

California’s real estate market is in an intriguing position right now. It is one of the most expensive areas of the world in terms of property prices, and yet this is creating a conundrum for many residents who simply cannot afford to stay put, causing the population to fall.

For most of the last decade, California has seen a steady outmigration to other parts of America, one that has somewhat outnumbered the also steady in-migration.

ATTOM, curator of the nation's premier property database, today released its 2022 Rental Affordability Report, which shows that owning a median-priced home is more affordable than the average rent on a three-bedroom property in 666, or 58 percent, of the 1,154 U.S. counties analyzed for the report. That means major home ownership expenses consume a smaller portion of average local wages than renting.