Black Label Newsroom
News & Insights
The stories moving real estate nationally and across San Diego and Chicago, with our take on what they mean for buyers and sellers.
Southern California
Altadena Rebuilds After the Eaton Fire With 3D-Printed Concrete Homes. What Fire-Resistant Construction Means for San Diego Buyers and Sellers
Altadena builders are 3D printing concrete homes after the Eaton Fire. Why construction method now matters to San Diego buyers and sellers.
Southern California
California Voters Reject the 'Billionaires Tax.' What the Result Means for San Diego's Luxury Buyers and Sellers
California voters turned down a proposed wealth tax. Here is what that added certainty means for the top of the San Diego market.
National
Condo Sellers Now Outnumber Buyers More Than Two to One. How San Diego and Chicago Condo Buyers Should Use the Leverage, and How Sellers Should Respond
Redfin counts 123% more condo sellers than buyers, the widest gap on record. What that means for condo buyers and sellers in San Diego and Chicago.
Chicagoland
Chicago Home Prices Are Outpacing New York, but Buyers Are Chasing Only the Best Homes. What Chicagoland Buyers and Sellers Should Do
Yahoo Finance reports Chicago prices are rising faster than New York's. Buyers are competing hard for the best homes, and that changes how you should buy and sell.
Southern California
A Mission Hills Architect Lists the Minimalist Home He Built for Himself at $3.5 Million. What Design Pedigree Means for San Diego Buyers and Sellers
Patrick McInerney's own Mission Hills home, Villa K, lists for $3.5 million. Here is how architect-built homes are priced, marketed, and bought.
Southern California
San Diego Now Takes About $256,700 a Year to Buy a Typical Home, More Than Los Angeles. How Buyers and Sellers Should Read That Number
A new Voronoi map ranks San Diego above Los Angeles for the income needed to buy. Here is what that figure means, and what it leaves out.
National
The Median Homebuyer Is Now 58 and Owners Stay 12 Years. What an Older, Equity-Rich Market Means in San Diego and Chicago
Buyers are older and owners are staying longer than ever. Here is how that shifts strategy for sellers, move-up buyers, and long-time owners.
National
Mortgage Rates Fall for a Third Straight Week While Purchase Applications Drop. Why That Gap Is an Opening in San Diego and Chicago
Borrowing costs eased again, but fewer buyers applied for loans. Here is what that short window means for buyers and sellers in our markets.
Chicagoland
Scottie Pippen Buys a $2 Million Streeterville Condo. What a Bulls Legend's Move Says About Chicago's Downtown Condo Market
A Bulls icon chose a $2 million Streeterville condo. Here is what that signals for Chicago condo buyers and sellers right now.
Celebrity
Meg Ryan's Former Montecito Home Sells for $18 Million in Four Months. What a Well-Executed Flip Teaches Luxury Sellers
Meg Ryan bought on Picacho Lane for $9.5 million in 2021. It just sold for $18 million. What the result says about preparation, pricing and timing.
Celebrity
Sandra Bullock Sells Her San Diego County Avocado Ranch for $5.6 Million. What a Long Hold Teaches Owners of Rural and Acreage Estates
Sandra Bullock's organic avocado ranch sold for $5.6 million after she bought it for $2.725 million in 2007. Here is what acreage owners can learn from it.
Southern California
San Diego's $2 Million-Plus Market Cools After a Hot Summer. How Luxury Buyers and Sellers Should Adjust This Fall
Pending sales above $2 million in San Diego County slowed sharply in October. Here is what the shift means for luxury sellers and buyers.
Celebrity
Kylie Jenner Pulls Her $38 Million Holmby Hills Mansion Off the Market. What a Delisting Teaches Luxury Sellers in San Diego and Chicago
Kylie Jenner withdrew her $38 million Holmby Hills home. Here is when pulling a luxury listing helps a seller and when it only delays the inevitable.
Southern California
San Diego Prices Fell 6.3% While Insurance Rose 12.4%. Why Buyers Should Budget for the Whole Monthly Payment
Softer San Diego prices are real, but rising insurance is eating into the savings. How buyers and sellers should plan for it.
National
Parents Are Saving for a Child's Down Payment Before Kindergarten. What Early Planning Means for Families in San Diego and Chicago
Most parents of young children are now saving for a future down payment. Here is how families in San Diego and Chicago can plan that help well.
Chicagoland
Chicago Sellers Are Offering Rate Buydowns Instead of Price Cuts. When the Tactic Works for Buyers and Sellers
Chicago sellers are paying down buyers' mortgage rates instead of cutting price. Here is when a buydown helps, and what buyers should check first.
Southern California
San Diego's $61 Billion Military Economy Keeps Housing Demand Steady. What It Means for Buyers, Sellers, and Investors
Military activity anchors San Diego's housing demand, according to GlobeSt. Here is why that matters in a slower season.
Chicagoland
Cook County's Likely Next Assessor Promises Stability. What That Could Mean for Chicagoland Property Tax Bills
Patrick Hynes, the favorite for Cook County assessor, pledges stability and a truce with the appeals board. Here is why homeowners should care.
Southern California
San Diego Prices Slip From June's Record High. Why a Summer Cooldown Is Not a Falling Market
San Diego's median price eased after a June record. Here is how buyers and sellers should read a seasonal pullback, and how to act on it.
Celebrity
Nick and Vanessa Lachey Cut $500,000 From Their Tarzana Asking Price in a Month. What a Fast Reduction Teaches Luxury Sellers
The Lacheys trimmed their Tarzana home from $8.1M to $7.6M a month after listing. Here is what an early price cut says about luxury pricing.
Southern California
California Will Vote on a $25 Billion Homebuyer Program. What It Could Mean for San Diego Buyers and Sellers
A $25 billion homebuyer program and a billionaires tax are on California's Nov. 3 ballot. Here is how San Diego buyers and sellers should think about it.
National
Washington Revisits Portable Mortgages. What It Would Mean for Locked-In Homeowners in San Diego and Chicago
Portable mortgages are back in the conversation as rates climb. What locked-in owners in San Diego and Chicago can do now instead of waiting.
National
Bloomberg Philanthropies Bets on Faster Permits and ADUs. What Local Housing Reform Means for San Diego and Chicago Homeowners
A new national push on permitting, ADUs and zoning could reshape what homeowners can build, and what their property is worth.
Chicagoland
A Chicago Bungalow Lists at $2.25 Million, Possibly a First for the Style. What It Says About Value in the City's Classic Homes
A Chicago bungalow priced at $2.25 million shows buyers pay for the renovation and the location, not the architectural label.
Chicagoland
Zara Founder Amancio Ortega Buys a $550 Million Chicago Tower. What Global Money in the Loop Means for Downtown Homeowners
A $550 million bet on a downtown Chicago skyscraper says a lot about where serious capital sees the city heading, and what it means for condo owners nearby.
National
More Millionaires Are Choosing to Rent. What That Means for Luxury Buyers and Sellers in San Diego and Chicago
Seven-figure households are renting in growing numbers. Here is how that shift affects high-end buyers, sellers, and landlords in San Diego and Chicago.
National
Asking Prices Slip for the First Time Since March. How San Diego and Chicago Sellers Should Price This Fall
Redfin says asking prices fell for the first time since March. What a softer pricing environment means for sellers and buyers in San Diego and Chicago.
National
Sellers Outnumber Buyers by 63%, the Widest Gap Since the Post-2008 Crash. How Buyers in San Diego and Chicago Can Use the Leverage
Redfin says sellers outnumber buyers by 63%, the widest gap since 2008. Here is how buyers can negotiate and sellers can still win in San Diego and Chicago.
Chicagoland
Wheaton Is One of the Nation's Hottest Markets, and Most of Its Buyers Are Local. What That Means for Chicagoland Buyers and Sellers
Most of Wheaton's buyers already live in the Chicago area. Here is what local, informed demand means for how you buy and sell across Chicagoland.
National
Pending Home Sales Fall Near a 12-Year Low. Why a Quiet Market Rewards Prepared Buyers and Realistic Sellers in San Diego and Chicago
Contract signings fell in every major metro, led by Southern California. Here is what a slower market means for buyers and sellers in San Diego and Chicago.
National
Have Mortgage Rates Peaked? Why San Diego and Chicago Buyers Should Plan for Volatility Instead of Trying to Time It
HousingWire asks whether mortgage rates have topped out. Our take: plan for a range of rates instead of betting on one number.
Celebrity
Former Bull Coby White Sells His Lincoln Park Home for $5 Million. What It Signals for Chicago's Upper-Tier Market
Coby White's $5 million Lincoln Park sale shows how athlete-owned homes trade when a career moves on, and what it tells North Side luxury sellers.
National
Quartz Countertops Face a Reckoning. What It Means for Kitchens, Remodels, and Resale in San Diego and Chicago
A worker health crisis tied to engineered quartz could reshape kitchen design. Here is what owners, remodelers, sellers, and buyers should know.
National
The Condo Next Door Is Not Always Your Comp. How Smart Pricing Works in San Diego and Chicago
A nearby condo sale can mislead buyers and sellers. Here is how we define the real market for a home in San Diego and Chicago.
National
Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Are Back as Fixed Rates Climb. Who Should Consider One in San Diego and Chicago
Buyers are turning to ARMs as fixed rates rise. Here is who they fit, who should be careful, and what to ask a lender first.
Chicagoland
SERHANT. Opens in Chicago With 40 Agents. What a New National Brokerage Means for Chicagoland Buyers and Sellers
Ryan Serhant's firm launches SERHANT. Illinois. Here is what Chicagoland sellers and buyers should ask any brokerage, new or established.
National
The Silver Tsunami Could Free Up 13.9 Million Homes. Why It Helps Move-Up Buyers in San Diego and Chicago More Than First-Time Buyers
Aging owners may release millions of homes, but most will land in the move-up tier. Here is what that means for San Diego and Chicago.
Chicagoland
Chicago Leads the Nation in Rent Growth. Why That Changes the Rent-or-Buy Math for Chicagoland
Chicago posted the country's biggest rent gain in September. Here is what rising rents mean for would-be buyers and for owners thinking about selling.
Celebrity
Tyler Perry Lists His Beverly Hills Megamansion at $57 Million. What Top-Tier Pricing Tells San Diego Luxury Sellers
Tyler Perry's $57 million Beverly Hills listing is a test of the ultra-luxury market, and San Diego sellers can learn from how it plays out.
Southern California
Midway Rising Becomes a Statewide CEQA Fight. What It Means for San Diego Housing Supply
A $3.9 billion, 4,000-home San Diego project is now a test case in Sacramento. Here is what that means for buyers and sellers.