Projects that recoup most or all of their cost, owners should think smaller, according to the newly released 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, conducted by the National Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

The report revealed the following home remodeling projects may offer the highest returns, based on their estimated cost recovery at resale:

* New steel front door: 100% (estimated return based on upfront cost)

* Closet renovation: 83%

* New fiberglass front door: 80%

Streamlined approval process:

California law allows eligible housing developers to go through a streamlined approval process — including bypassing a review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — permitting projects which meet local administratively objective zoning and design standards, provide a minimum percentage of low-income units and follow labor and wage requirements. [Calif. Government Code §65913.4]

Newly enacted legislation revises aspects of the streamlined approval process.

Housing Shortage Hits Younger Generations Hard.

Homeowners stay put in California because they’re locked into low property taxes.

California homeowners tend to hold onto their houses for a long time because a state tax law incentivizes them to do so. Proposition 13, adopted in 1978, mandates that homeowners pay property taxes of 1% of their home’s assessed value, and strictly limits tax increases.

As the spring home buying season gets underway, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage saw the largest weekly decline since mid-September. The decline in rates increases prospective homebuyers’ purchasing power and should provide a strong incentive to make a move. Additionally, this decline in rates is already providing some existing homeowners the opportunity to refinance. In fact, the refinance share of market mortgage applications released this week reached nearly 44%, the highest since mid-December.

Primary Mortgage Market Survey®

A damning conclusion comes from a surprising source: A new report by YIMBY Law, a pro-development nonprofit that would very much like to see these laws work.

The analysis, released today, studied five state laws passed since 2021 that have swept away regulatory barriers to building apartment buildings and other dense residential developments in places where such housing has been historically barred.

The laws under review include:

California Proposition 19, a constitutional amendment for property tax transfers and exemptions, was approved by voters during the November 2020 election and took effect on February 16, 2021. This is the most dramatic change to property tax protections since Proposition 13 was passed in 1978. Property owners need to understand the property tax consequences of Proposition 19 and how it will impact families across California.

The Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471) was brought forward to the 119th Congress by Bruce Westerman of Arkansas and supported by El Dorado County representatives Tom McClintock and Kevin Kiley.

The bill establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land, which include minimizing wildfire threats, expediting review processes for forest management projects and forest restoration and stewardship.

Buying your first home may feel out of reach in today’s market. But it is still possible if you have the right team of pros and the right resources on your side. 

Connect with a local real estate broker and their partnering, trusted lender. We'll help you with home loans and other homeownership assistance programs. You may find out you qualify for more help than you’d expect.  

Our objective is to stay current on real estate news and to provide professional assistance. 

Have a seat and buckle in. The real estate industry is already in a whirlwind — and the year has barely kicked off. To put it simply, the industry appears to be in its “rapid evolution” era. What does this look like? Firstly, real estate professionals are facing an unyielding storm of new challenges. For example, changing agent commission guidelines and emerging lead contact regulations.