California

As federal stimulus checks land in bank accounts in coming days, a sobering reality may hit many Bay Area residents — the money will cover less of their housing costs than anywhere else in the country.

Demand for San Diego County homes has waned in recent weeks as the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic ripples through the real estate industry.

Bay Area real estate agents in February eagerly welcomed big crowds packing open houses — and the renewed bidding wars and growing sale prices.

Almost all California foreclosures and evictions have been put on hold for the foreseeable future.

The government lock-down on real estate sales loosened last week — agents and other professionals were deemed essential workers — but strict Bay Area guidelines banned open houses and close contact.

San Diego County's home market started 2020 with prices rising more than any other West Coast market and much of the nation.

The real estate industry, struggling with coronavirus-linked limitations, got a boost with its sales business reclassified as an "essential" industry.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and U.S. Bancorp, along with 200 state-chartered banks and credit unions, have agreed to let borrowers skip payments for 90 days if their finances have been upended by the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is threatening to put a damper on the Marin County, Calif., real estate market as it enters its normally busy spring season, with the nation facing economic uncertainty and a "shelter in place" order forcing the cancellation of many house events.

The coronavirus pandemic has created confusion, delays and uncertainty in housing projects around the Bay Area, despite a crushing need for new homes from an industry deemed essential to work through the regional lock-down.

The California Association of Realtors told its members Friday to stop all face-to-face sales activities including showings, listing appointments, open houses and property inspections due to coronavirus concerns.

Southern California's 2020 housing market got off to a good start before the pandemic shook the economy in mid-February, CoreLogic figures show, with both prices and home sales up in the six-county region from February 2019 levels.

Real estate agents have canceled professional meetings, seen clients show up in masks, and resorted to fist bumps and elbow nudges instead of their traditional social currency — firm handshakes and longish hugs.

Ramifications of a global pandemic are starting to ripple through the Southern California housing market as virtual home tours replace in-person showings and homeowners cancel open houses to avoid coming face-to-face with potentially infected home shoppers.

Sports leagues have suspended their seasons. Organizers have canceled conferences. The coronavirus is starting to inflict economic damage as Americans hunker down to stop its spread.

Bay Area home prices have started to pick up, with cautious buyers stepping back into the market amid low inventory and steady demand.

Southern California home prices shot up in January from a year earlier, as buyers fought over a meager supply of homes for sale across the six-county region.

Corporations that own California properties could soon be fined for keeping homes vacant for more than three months under a proposed law to give tenants, nonprofits and cities more say over what happens to empty buildings.

You could easily drive through this leafy Silicon Valley suburb without realizing you were in America's richest neighborhood. From the road, it's all high brick walls and opaque gates.

Despite a healthy economy and booming real estate market, 2.2% of Orange County, Calif., mortgages were "seriously underwater" at year's end, Attom Data Solutions says.