National ADA defense, Business, Real Estate Blog

Even if you are not a dog lover, you can probably still appreciate the skills trainers can teach a dog. Beyond basic obedience and circus tricks, a dog can learn to perform valuable services for humans, especially those with illnesses or injuries that leave them disabled. For many, having a dog means regaining mobility, independence and opportunities. For others, a well-trained dog can protect them from harm and allow them to live a normal life.

However, how does all this relate to you as a business owner, particularly if you are in the food services industry? Health and safety laws forbid you from allowing dogs in your restaurant, but those laws do not always apply when it comes to service dogs.

There are many myths that home buyers in California and elsewhere may believe to be true. For example, many believe that they need a 20% down payment to buy a home. However, it is possible to get a loan without making a down payment at all depending on what type of mortgage a person uses. Some also believe that they have to buy a home for the maximum amount that a lender allow them to borrow.

The truth is that buyers should only spend what they can afford. They are encouraged to discuss a reasonable price point with their financial adviser before beginning the search for a mortgage. It is usually a good idea to look for properties with the help of a real estate agent. He or she may be invaluable when negotiating with a seller or when issues arise with a home prior to closing.

Buying a home in California can always be quite a challenge. However, it's especially difficult for those who are looking for their first home. It is not uncommon for buyers to discover that homes in their price range are fixer-uppers that may need a lot of work.

It is expected that home prices will continue to rise in the spring of 2019. In March 2019, the median price for a home in the United States was $300,000. However, a buyer may be able to negotiate with a seller to get the home that they want at a price that they can afford. Another factor in a buyer's favor is that mortgage interest rates are hovering at 4.42 percent. Lower interest rates tend to make homes more affordable. Of course, interest rates don't matter if an individual can't get a loan, and the FHA has recently tightened its lending standards.

For people in California and across the country, the last financial crisis was often particularly devastating to their involvement in the real estate market. The financial crisis began with serious problems in the home mortgage market, and many people lost their homes to short sales or foreclosures during that period. However, a growing number of individuals who lost their homes due to the financial crisis are beginning to move again on the path to homeownership.

Called "boomerang buyers," these people are once again looking to expand their family wealth through owning real estate. This growing interest could help support the housing market. Sales are down in 2019 with a 6.6% decrease from the prior year. The largest group of people negatively impacted by the crisis are aged 35 to 64. So far, young people have been helping keep the housing market strong as young buyers comprised a third of all residential home sales, an increase of 30% over the year before. For people between 35 and 44 years of age, homeownership grew from 58.9% to 61.1% between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the same quarter in 2018. Some experts say that this increase was partially driven by the return to the real estate market of these "boomerang buyers."