Category Archives: Housing

Power-up Your Policymaking

Posted on by NAWRB
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20 Jun

How to turn your passion into action from boosting your local engagement or running for office

“This woman’s place is in the House-the House of Representatives”-Bella Abzug

It’s no new news that although we comprise a little over half the human population, women are severely underrepresented in both politics and business. Although great strides have been made and new fissures and cracks appear every day in that storied glass ceiling, for the busy everyday woman, moving from awareness to engagement can seem daunting. Continue reading →

One Tough Mother: How Single Mothers are Defining the Homebuying Process

Posted on by NAWRB
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19 Jun

June is National Homeownership Month. This article is part of an ongoing series focusing on aspects of women’s homeownership.

“Despite the stereotypes that insist women care more about marriage than men do, it may actually be the single life that women embrace more than men,” says Professor Bella DePaulo, social scientist, author, and expert on elective single life, going on to say that unmarried women may be likelier than men to create a lifestyle around singledom.
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Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)s Could Help Women Meet Housing Goals

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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02 Jun

California has the highest poverty rate in the nation and we have an extreme shortage of affordable hosing. Single mothers are at a disadvantage of chosing to work an additional job to be able to afford housing for her family and still provide adequate supervision.

ADUs are small dwelling units on an existing residential property. Recent state policies, passed in 2016, have made it easier for homeowners in L.A. County to construct these additional dwelling units whether they are detached from the home or attached with a separate entrance, or even a garage conversion.

The advantages to having an ADU on your property are numerous: whether for extra rental income, a home office, or as a guest house. If done properly (up to code, enhancing rather than detracting from the aesthetic of your property), ADUs can add value to not only your residence but your life: turning unused space into a value generator.

However, the impact of building an ADU can have for an existing woman homeowner or single mother renter could be even more profound.

For a Home-Based Business

As highlighted in our 2018 Women in the Housing Ecosystem Report, Volume I that focuses on The State of Women’s Homeownership, aside from viewing a home as a secure sanctuary, women seek homeownership as a stable location to build a home-based business. An ADU provides extra space to grow that business, a safe-space to meet clients without having them directly enter into your living space and a location close enough to be super-convenient but separate enough to provide a distraction-free workspace.

An Additional Revenue Stream

There are more working mothers heading up families with children, or single-working mothers as well as women taking care of aging parents. An ADU can provide an additional revenue stream, allowing a woman to better care for children and aging adults without relying on a second income. On a side note, the homeowner could play it forward to help provide a more homebased living arrangement to single mothers. Who knows, maybe their kids would be a perfect playdate or their mother create some mommy time! There is social impact that also offsets financial impact.

Converting a Property to Rent-Controlled Status  

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved their own new rules and several cities are in the process or already have their own specifc rules for dwellings. Adding an ADU might trigger rent stabilization because it is no longer considered a single-family residence, even if you are living in the same residence.

Before building an ADU, make sure to check any guidelines or restrictions put out by your city and county. Know your options, do your homework and this includes not only detached and attached additions, but pre-fab units as well.

Renters and Homeowners Eligible for SBA Disaster Loans

Posted on by NAWRB

From the hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, to the wildfires and mudslides that devastated parts of California, the past year has been fraught with catastrophic natural disasters which have uprooted countless Americans from their stable lives. All victims of declared natural disasters—businesses, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters—are able to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help them recover. Renters and homeowners do not have to own a business to apply.

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sheCENTER(FOLD) Edie Fraser

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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21 Dec

Chairman and Founder, STEMconnector®/Million Women Mentors® (MWM)

Edie Fraser

Edie Fraser has spent her life in the service of equality with a passionate vision for a better tomorrow. Having led national poverty programs and worked to advance women’s gender equality for decades, she has a precise understanding of women’s progress. Discussing her life, Fraser alternates seamlessly between lessons learned in childhood and her biggest professional challenges, detailing her storied career and how the future is developing for women in America. 

NAWRB: In your opinion, what is the most important success women have had in the last 50 years?

Edie Fraser: Successes have been achieved and we celebrate them, and yes, we want parity. Studies show that it could take as long as 117 years to reach parity in the private sector. Let’s advocate for parity within every government institution, business, profession, organization, and in higher education.

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Nonprofit Counseling: Protecting and Preserving a Vital Service to American Homeowners and the Finance Community

Posted on by Zeeda Daniele
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05 Dec

The past decade has taught us a great deal about housing loss and preservation. Many of us were personally affected, or know someone affected, by the 2007-08 economic downturn period our country experienced.

There have been several lessons learned. Most of all, we learned that too many U.S residents have too much debt and lack the necessary reserves to weather the slightest bump in their financial lives.

History will argue about what went wrong and who to blame. There were lots of mistakes but there were several good lessons. One was the reminder of the value and need for nonprofit housing advocates, educators and counselors.

We learned that homeowners and homebuyers who took advantage of homeownership, credit and financial literacy counseling fared far better during the housing and economic crisis and avoided foreclosure and delinquency more than homeowners who did not. We learned that pre-purchase education, credit and budgeting courses prevented many homebuyers from buying more than they could afford and taught them to avoid the pitfalls of over leveraging their home and excessive debt.
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Jumpstarting Your Career & Business in the Housing Ecosystem

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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10 Oct

As a professional in the housing ecosystem, it is crucial to think outside the box and utilize the resources at your disposal to grow and advance your business and career. Analyzing your market, familiarizing yourself with the competition and crafting a superior business plan are great first steps, but pioneering decisions are what will make or break you in the market.

Adapting to the changing times, leveraging your differences, preparing for the future of the market and surrounding yourself with people invested in your success will help you seize opportunities for advancement.

Balancing New School and Old School
If you consider your favorite products, are they the “best” or the most inexpensive choices on the market? Or, have you developed a relationship with a particular brand that you buy because it has done right by you? Similar to your preferred items, your business can become the go-to for customers.
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The Movers & the Shakedown

Posted on by Stephanie Hughes
Pg1
15 Jun

America has long been crowned as the land of dreamers, the land of opportunity, and if you work hard enough and remain diligent, there is nothing you can’t achieve. The wealth is in land and labor, and it’s that which accumulates, you can control, and pass on to the next generation. Black people are not very active in the home buying market today and the likelihood of changing this outlook is bleak. As the Pew Research Center reports, in 1994, 42.3 percent of black households owned their homes; in 2016, their homeownership rate is 41.3 percent. The dream of homeownership is fleeting for black households stemming from being a historically disadvantaged group. As we look at the effects of the foreclosure and unemployment crisis resulting from the Great Recession, an optimistic outlook is hard to find.

In examining the contributing factors and consequences of the 2007-2008 foreclosure crisis, the ramifications of housing discrimination against black householders, then and now, remain virtually unchanged. With the influx of stable employment and easily accessible mortgages, many Blacks were able to participate in the American dream of homeownership. But with the ease and accessibility of ownership came subprime loans, manipulated interest rates and overpayment of homes. It was a ticking time bomb.

Across the nation, black homeowners were disproportionately affected by the foreclosure crisis, with more than 240,000 of them losing their homes. In a 2014 article investigating the foreclosure crisis, Nathalie Baptiste presents staggering facts regarding the deterioration of black wealth. She states that the foreclosures affected blacks of all income brackets, and high-earning blacks were 80 percent more likely to lose their homes than their white counterparts.
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Women’s Housing Growth: Winning in Heels

Posted on by Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja

Globally, women are finally entering into boardrooms without having to knock, and they are not just there to serve the coffee. We are managing businesses, large or small, employing multiple solutions without trepidation, and jack hammering every glass ceiling in our way, or at least taking a shot at it. We are standing up for our truths, flaunting our power suits, high heels and unique personalities without apology. In 2015, according to the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), 44 percent of the graduates in its accredited college program were women. The 2016 National Association of Realtors (NAR) Member Profile reveals that women comprise 62 percent of Realtors in the U.S. market, 21 percent also hold broker licenses and 16 percent hold broker associate licenses. Additionally, women in real estate are no longer limited to salesperson roles, but are builders, welders, roofers, plumbers and environmental assessment experts. It is important to explore just how difficult the journey has been, and to celebrate the fact that we continue to face our challenges head on, impacting our industry sectors positively just by taking up and owning our spots.

At birth, three words determined your life for the foreseeable future—“It’s a girl”—and your journey began. Do you get an education? Do you attend the same schools, participate in the same activities and take the same classes as the male siblings in your family, or do your parents provide you with less, expecting you to grow into a docile young woman who should be seen and not heard? Hopefully the former applied in your case, and off to school you went, pink backpack, pretty dress and all, and life as you knew it changed forever.

According to a study conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project, the “glass ceiling” concept is identified as early as middle school, with girls being
multiple times less likely to gain acceptance into leadership
positions, even by other girls in their grade. One of their most surprising findings was that 23 percent of girls preferred a male student in leadership, and only 8 percent preferred a female leader. Conversely, male students were 40 percent more likely to prefer a male leader, and only 4 percent were more likely to prefer a female.
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Ready to Expand/Move or Renovate? Be Prepared for Common Construction Pitfalls

Posted on by Rosemary Swierk
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15 Jun

The thought of expanding your business is exciting. Facilities can have a dramatic positive impact on bottom lines. However, if the end result does not meet your desires and needs, buyer’s remorse can be significant and the reparations costly. There are many common, yet often avoidable, pitfalls that affect construction-related projects. Being aware of these pitfalls in advance and putting the right team, processes and procedures in place, can minimize the opportunity for negative results.

Integrated approach: Each construction-related professional provides a particular strength and unique understanding within their field. Hiring experienced companies with a strong background of collaborating with other professionals to provide integrated delivery is critical to a successful project. Ensure a fully required scope is covered and proposals accurately reflect the required scope.

Stakeholders: Commercial facilities projects involve many different players including business owners, officers, owner’s representatives, architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, government entities and, in many situations, real estate brokers. Strong, clear leadership that communicates the scope, budget and schedule early on, defines job rules and expectations, and is prepared to make changes as needed, will facilitate the continued alignment of your project. As the list of stakeholders grows, it can be increasingly difficult to keep everyone in the loop—with the coordination of schedule requirements, the budget and scope changes—and moving toward the same goal.
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