By remotely controlling heat, locks, even the sprinklers, Vivint is making the house of the future a reality. By Brian Dumaine, senior editor-at-large, Fortune FORTUNE -- The powerhouse private equity firm Blackstone recently invested in an Provo, Utah company that installs home security systems in an equity deal that valued it at $2 billion. What does [...]
by David Barista Following a mostly flat 2012, home builders are projecting higher revenue and more home sales next year. As the nation’s economy sputters back to life, home builders across the country are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel and are expecting to see solid gains in 2013. Of the 400 builders [...]
by Diana Olick Rising home prices are the foundation of today's housing recovery. They are drawing much-needed buyers back to the market. Prices would not be rising if the number of foreclosures wasn't falling. They also wouldn't be rising without underwater borrowers getting a break from their banks. Both of those are happening because banks are [...]
By John Caulfield Every year, trillions of tons of plastic-made products—the bulk of which is shopping bags, obsolete electronics, and empty water bottles—get dumped into landfills worldwide. So far, recycling efforts have made barely a dent in this waste pile. But that might change if recycled plastic were to emerge as a core structural component for [...]
By Ben Casselman There were 46.2 million people living in poverty in America last year. Unless there were 49.7 million. Earlier this fall, the Census Bureau released its annual look at poverty in the U.S. According to that report, there were 46.2 million people in 2011 living below the poverty line of about $23,000 for a [...]
By Andrea Rumbaugh, The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press 11:32AM EST November 14. 2012 - Within a span of 15 minutes, superstorm Sandy flooded the apartment Jillian Cantor rented at Holiday on the Bay in Toms River. Cantor, 33, and her boyfriend Michael Aranowicz, 36, tried to move their possessions upstairs, but they couldn't stop the water [...]
By SANETTE TANAKA, WALL STREET JOURNAL Where do home buyers from foreign countries go to hit the slopes? The British love Aspen, Colo. Canadians seek out Big Sky, Mont. And Aussies flip for Park City, Utah. Those are three of the top ski destinations in the U.S. that were searched online from abroad between July 2011 [...]
by Dianna Olick CNBC Real Estate Reporter The housing market is on the slow road to recovery. Home prices in the last three months rose in 120 out of 149 metropolitan markets surveyed by the National Association of Realtors. Compare that to just 39 rising metros a year ago. The median home price is up 7.6 [...]
The Huffington Post | By Harry Bradford You might not need a bachelor's degree to tap into some of the country's fastest growing occupations, but some construction skills and health care know-how sure would help. Why? Because it's the medical and construction industries that appear likely to provide those without a college education the greatest job [...]
by Ben Casselman The Outlook column in today’s Journal highlighted how an aging labor force is driving down the share of the population that’s working or looking for work, a measure known as the participation rate. But take a look at the charts accompanying the article, and another story jumps out: The participation rate among older [...]
