Did you know? Hopefully Lumber pricing is an indicator of what might happen with other prices.....this week, Lumber slipped below $600, less than half of what it was priced at just 3 months ago ($1,302)…..
Did you know? China’s yearlong campaign to control runaway property prices has pummeled its biggest developers, tanking home sales 11 months straight and obliterating $65 billion in wealth for real estate moguls. (Bloomberg)
Did you know? The collective amount of money mortgage holders could pull out of their homes while retaining 20% equity rose by an unprecedented $1.2 trillion in the first quarter of this year. In total, the US’s so-called tappable equity stood at $11 trillion, or two times the previous, an average of about $207,000 in tappable equity per homeowner. (CNBC)
Did you know? The US Government has passed a 24-month tariff exemption for solar panel products from several Southeast Asian nations, and announced the use of the Defense Production Act to promote domestic production. You might think about installing solar while it's still more affordable… Yes, I am still a BIG advocate for solar even though we had our Solar battery explode in our storage area. We will get to the bottom of why it exploded but the benefits of solar is good for the environment and good for your pocketbook.
Did you know? From Morgan Stanley's co-President Ted Pick:
“It’s an extraordinary moment; we have our first pandemic in 100 years. We have our first invasion in Europe in 75 years. And we have our first inflation around the world in 40 years. When you look at the combination, the intersection of the pandemic, the war, the inflation, it signals paradigm shift, the end of 15 years of financial repression and the next era to come.”
Did you know? According to the U.N., soil erosion may reduce up to 10% of crop yields by 2050, which is the equivalent of removing millions of acres of farmland. The world relies on soil for 95% of our food production. Soil is the habitat for over a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity. Each gram of soil contains millions of cells of bacteria and fungi that play a very important role in all ecosystem services. Here are some soil improvement tips for homeowners:
- Never walk in garden beds. Stepping on garden soil compacts it, which destroys tilth as well as beneficial soil organisms and their habitat. Establish permanent beds and walkways so that the beds are clearly defined.
- Keep your garden herbicide free if possible.
- Only use organic products.
- Mulch: more in hot, dry climates than in cooler wetter climates.
- Avoid tilling the soil. Anything that encourages runoff and erosion is not good for soil.
- Cover crops like buckwheat can smother weeds in the summer.
Technology is changing farming: Soilless, hydroponic farming is very profitable, and farmland the size of an acre will yield between $200,000 and $250,000 each year, while traditional farmland gives you between $20,000 and $30,000. And hydroponic farming uses 90% less water.
Did you know? Births have been falling consistently over the past few decades in developed countries globally, but the consequences of an aging population have never been felt as acutely in the U.S. as they are now in the labor market, for example, with the situation poised to worsen. There are over 76 million Babyboomers in the US. In 8 years all Babyboomers will be 65 years or older.... In the U.S., fertility rates have been falling since the end of the 2008-09 recession, reaching an all-time low of 56 births per 1,000 women in 2020. 5 years after the end of World War II, the fertility rate was 106.2 per 1,000 women. And in the 1980s, it oscillated from 65 to 69.
Did you know? In 1949, 78.8% of all households contained married couples. In 2021, 72 years later, 47.3% of households had married couples. Both men and women are marrying later in life. The median ages of first marriage were at their youngest in 1956 (just over 22 for men and 20 for women). In 2019, those figures were at their oldest: over 30 for men and over 28 for women. About 35% of men and 30% of women have never been married as of 2019. Over 11% of US households are single people. (USA facts)
Did you know? About 25% more weddings than usual are estimated to happen this year (opposed to last year)! (Barrons)
