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This holiday advice is not the best recipe for wanna-be homebuyers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

Question: We are conflicted. My wife and I want to buy a Bay Area home. When home loan interest rates drop, we will home shop. The loan officer says, “Buy now.” Our realty agent wrote, “Do not postpone.” Family members instruct us to wait. Holiday gatherings are upon us. We’re facing more homebuying advice. Realty professionals stand to gain. Family members gain nothing. Experience favors our realty team. Our family members rarely buy homes.  First-time homebuyers receive conflicting advice. We have known this for years. It must be commonplace. If so, which group of advisers do we follow in our situation? Answer: First-time homebuyers are awash in solicited and unsolicited advice. That is a fact. It pays to take the conversation up another level. Real estate economists and housing trackers share thoughts and statistics thanks to the World Wide Web daily or weekly.The housing ecosystem has an overabundance of statistical harvesting. Let me prune a few words of wisdom from the housing...

¿Qué es el “fast fashion” (la moda rápida) y por qué es tan controversial?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

(CNN) — Para mantenerse al día con las tendencias siempre cambiantes propagadas por las pasarelas, los influencers y las redes sociales, los conocedores de la moda y los ávidos compradores de ropa pueden recurrir rápidamente a las opciones más convenientes —y económicas— que existen.A menudo se trata de ofertas de “moda rápida” (fast fashion) que provienen de minoristas electrónicos con sus interminables ofertas amables con el bolsillo o de grandes almacenes que ofrecen esa gabardina hasta la rodilla o esa franela oversize a precios de rebajas.Pero aunque la moda barata pueda parecer la mejor opción, lo cierto es que el sector de la moda rápida produce prendas a una escala demasiado grande para la mayoría de los consumidores. Además, los materiales utilizados pueden durar tan solo entre siete y diez usos, según la plataforma de datos medioambientales sin ánimo de lucro Earth.org.¿Por qué es tan popular la moda rápida?La moda rápida es un modelo de negocios que se c...

Egyptian officials say Hamas to free 14 hostages Saturday for 42 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in second swap

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian officials say Hamas to free 14 hostages Saturday for 42 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in second swap.Source

What to expect on DC’s roads after Thanksgiving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

Thanksgiving may be over, but that certainly doesn’t mean traffic in the D.C. area is.While Friday was comparatively light in terms of vehicles on the road — unless you were headed out to do some shopping, the same cannot be said of what’s anticipated this weekend, according to WTOP Traffic Reporter Dave Dildine.“Homebound traffic starts heating up on Saturday afternoon and peaks Sunday afternoon,” Dildine said. “Southbound evening volume delays are commonly observed on I-270 near Frederick, Maryland. The stragglers can also lead to slower traffic on I-95 through the metro area. The stragglers can also lead to slowing on I-95 on Monday and Tuesday as well.”Dildine said that means Saturday morning is normally quiet and a good time to be on the road.Sunday afternoon usually marks the peak of the homebound rush but, unlike the getaway, it’s not infused with commuters and “anxious errand-running, so it’s mostly focused on I-95, I-270...

US teenager Ziegler surges to first with a near-flawless free skate to win the NHK Trophy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Ava Marie Ziegler performed a near-flawless free skate Saturday to win the NHK Trophy and lead a U.S. 1-2 finish on the podium.Fifth after the short program, Ziegler landed all of her jumps cleanly to score a personal-best 138.46 points in the free skate for her first title in the Grand Prix series with a total of 200.50, also a personal best.Lindsay Thorngren, who led after the short program, fell on a double salchow but was solid with all her other jumps and placed second with 198.73 points.Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium was third with 194.66, a result that allowed her to secure a place in the Dec. 7-10 Grand Prix Final at Beijing. South Korea’s Lee Hae-in was fourth with 188.95 points.The 17-year-old Ziegler, skating to “Liberation” and “Bound to You” by Christina Aguilera, landed a triple flip-double axel-double axel sequence as well as six more triple jumps.“I really used my fifth-place result yesterday to motivate me because I know that I could do better ...

Cloudy and Gloomy Start to Weekend as we Await a Cooling Front

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

Following clouds and showers on Friday, more of the same is ahead this Saturday courtesy of a front stalled across South Florida. That will allow for a continuation of the partly sunny skies paired with the chance for random, passing showers, especially in the afternoon. Temperatures will be slightly above normal, topping off into the low to mid 80s.For those of you traveling this Saturday across the country, the only possible weather-related slowdowns looks to be across the central Plains with snow in the forecast.By Sunday, that front will lift north as a warm front, allowing for brighter, drier and warmer conditions. Temperatures will reach the mid 80s but will feel more like 90F with the high humidity. Besides a spotty shower or two, conditions will be dry.Then on Monday, a cooling front will arrive by the evening, with warm and mostly dry conditions ahead of the front followed by milder and cloudy conditions behind it.The midweek time period will be dominated by below normal te...

Israel and Hamas prepare to exchange more prisoners, hostages on second day of truce

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

Israel and Hamas were set to exchange more prisoners and hostages on Saturday, the second day of a four-day truce in fighting in the Gaza Strip.The exchange between the Israel Defense Forces and the militant group is expected to take place around 4 p.m. Saturday. It will involve Israeli citizens kidnapped during the attacks by Hamas on October 7 and Palestinians held in Israeli jails.Egyptian security forces, into whose hands Hamas is expected to release the Israeli hostages, said they had received a list of 14 names of Israeli women and children, Reuters news agency reported. Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli prison services received a list of 42 Palestinian prisoners to be released. Al Jazeera television reported the same figures.“Another 220 people are still held by Hamas,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Doron Spielman said in an interview posted on X on Saturday. During the first day of the truce, humanitarian aid reached Gaza more easily, ...

Cold start to chilly day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

It feels like winter this morning! This cold start will lead to a chilly day. Luckily, we’ll have a lot of sunshine and light wind. Tomorrow temperatures are closer to average before rain arrives at night and lingers into Monday morning. How about those temperatures this morning? Temperatures fell into the teens and 20s. That cold and very dry air rushed in overnight. Dew points are near 10 degrees. You might be reaching for more chapstick this morning!High pressure is nearby so that will bring us a lot of sunshine and light wind today. We’ll see some high clouds later on. High temperatures only recover to the mid/upper 30s.Join us from 8-11 am on 7News for the full forecast!-Meteorologist Melanie Black

Police investigating shooting in Allston that left 1 dead, 1 injured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

Boston police are investigating a shooting in a parking lot in Allston early Saturday morning that left one man dead and another injuries, officials said.Officers responding to a report of two people shot at 85 East Newton St. around 2:30 a.m. found the two men suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Boston police. One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene, his name has not been released.The other victim was taken to a nearby hospital with what were considered non-life-threatening injuries.An investigation determined both men had been shot in a parking lot across from 12 Glenville Ave., behind 161 Harvard Ave., in Allston. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Community members wishing to assist in this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for t...

Patriots-Giants preview: How Bill Belichick and Mac Jones can end their losing streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:36 GMT

It used be the Patriots played their best football down the stretch, gaining steam toward an annual playoff run.“Real football,” they said, started after Thanksgiving.Well, here we are.The Patriots (2-8) likely cannot salvage their season, but they can begin to string solid performances together Sunday. The Giants (3-8) are plagued with more problems than even Bill Belichick’s bunch, including a third-string rookie quarterback, poor weapons and a defense that can’t stop anyone. That doesn’t mean the Pats should waltz into a win, even if they are 3.5-point favorites.But if they intend to start playing their best football, Sunday is the ideal place to start. Here’s what to watch for:When the Patriots runAs well as the Patriots ran the ball two weeks ago against the Colts, racking up a season-high 167 yards in Germany, there’s a chance they build on that performance Sunday.The Giants’ run defense ranks among the league’s worst by mo...