It’s the season to be a little spooked with thrills and shrills! Let’s explore why some cities in America have become ghost towns, and if being drawn to the mystery piques your interest, gather with some friends and uncover some real estate mysteries this fall. Many abandoned cities in America are due to the Gold Rush and industrial sites founded in the Gilded Age. Some began as lucrative mining communities that vanished almost overnight, and some are victims of new railways and infrastructure. Others were hit with natural disasters like tornados that flattened out the entire town. Hollywood movie producers and writers have been inspired and even filmed in a few. Pennsylvania. Being one of the most populous states in the country, Pennsylvania is home to many ghost towns and abandoned cities. On the western side of the state, in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Lincoln Way is an eerie little abandoned neighborhood that has become an attraction for urban explorers. Legend states that a “Beast of Lincoln Way,” a mysterious creature with glowing eyes and a haunting howl, terrorized residents, leading to the abandonment of the homes. In reality, it’s gloomier, with most residents moving away due to pollution from the emissions of the steel plant and older residents passing on. Still, many fascinating stories date back to the early 1900s, and in its final days, it is indeed an eerie, post-apocalyptic street. In eastern PA, Centralia was a thriving coal-mining town, but now, only a handful of people live there, mainly due to the coal mine that caught fire in 1962. The coal seen fueling the fire is expected to last another 250 years. This burning ghost town would not have even been recognized had it not been the inspiration for the 2006 horror...

Seasonality and supply are tempering advertised asking rent growth but demand remains strong, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report. The average U.S. advertised asking rent decreased by $3 in September to $1,750, flat at 0.9 percent year-over-year (YoY). Occupancy stood at 94.8 percent in September, unchanged YoY. Gateway markets in the East and secondary markets in the Midwest continue to lead in YoY advertised asking rent growth, run by New York City (5.4 percent), Kansas City (4.2 percent) and Boston (3.4 percent). Supply increases continue to pressure asking rents in many Sun Belt metros, and the largest declines YoY were posted by Austin (-4.9 percent), Raleigh (-3.1 percent) and Phoenix (-2.4 percent). Post-pandemic demand has led to 1.7 million multifamily units absorbed between March 2020 and August 2024. All 132 markets surveyed experienced positive absorption, with Dallas (108,000 units) and Houston (71,000 units) in the lead. Single-family rentals advertised asking rents decreased $3 in September to $2,167, for a 0.6 percent YoY increase, with Kansas City (4.7 percent YoY) and Indianapolis (4.3 percent) posted the strongest growth. SFR occupancy declined 30 basis points to 95.3 percent in August. Gain more insight in the new Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report. Yardi Matrix offers the industry’s most comprehensive market intelligence tool for investment professionals, equity investors, lenders and property managers who underwrite and manage investments in commercial real estate. Yardi Matrix covers multifamily, affordable housing, student housing, vacant land, industrial, office, retail and self storage property types. Email [email protected], call 480-663-1149 or visit yardimatrix.com to learn...

Some observers consider radio frequencies the world’s most valuable natural resource and worry they could be depleted in the manner of other finite resources like clean air and water. Applications ranging from radio and television to cell phones, military systems, GPS and Wi-Fi use frequency bands of radio waves, a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays. The use of radio frequencies by government and private entities is governed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an international regulatory authority, and national authorities including the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Frequencies are “the very foundation of all our wireless communications, and without them our modern life wouldn’t be possible as we know it,” says Swedish tech company LumenRadio. Flexibility from new tech But with billions of wireless devices currently in use and being developed rapidly filling up the frequencies allotted for commercial usage, could we run out of space on the radio frequency spectrum?  “Yes, if you consider the number of white spaces and the limitations of existing technology to breach the high frequency barrier,” asserts ScienceABC.com, a repository of science facts. But exhaustion of this resource might not be imminent. Researchers are developing ways to utilize white spaces – frequencies that go unused to provide a buffer between radio signals that prevents interference – more effectively. New technologies for transmitting and receiving signals could eliminate both interference and the need to separate frequency bands. And some experts, such as internet pioneer and former MIT professor David Reed, are skeptical of the whole notion of a finite electromagnetic spectrum. “No single action is a silver bullet when it comes to meeting mobile capacity needs,” according to former FCC official Neil Grace. “More efficient use of spectrum, new...

Yardi Aspire has grown exponentially and now offers over 1300 titled courses, much of which is due to Sam Valdés, manager for Yardi Aspire from the Santa Barbara office. Meet Sam Valdés Sam Valdés, celebrating her eighth year at Yardi in December, is a shining example of dedication. Her teams with Yardi Aspire write and produce the courses, videos and other content assets available in the Aspire product. Most videos are available in Client Central and/or product Help documentation. Valdés spends most of her time supporting team members as they work on content projects through one-on-one meetings, group brainstorming, and reviewing storyboards or course designs. Valdés enjoys working with clients on their training needs and has formed significant partnerships over the years. “It’s always a pleasure learning from the people who use our product daily,” said Valdés. In addition to working with clients, Valdés enjoys helping our clients’ employees build knowledge and skills. “What we offer can assist people with feeling more confident in their work, growing as individuals, and advancing in their careers. It’s rewarding to know we offer value not only at the organizational level but also at the individual level,” explained Valdés, underscoring the profound impact of her work. Take Care of our Employees Valdés appreciates that Yardi genuinely strives to fulfill its company motto—to take care of our clients, employees, and communities. This attitude of taking care of each other shows up in the approach to teamwork across the organization. “In my role, I’m uniquely positioned to work with dozens of product teams in multiple markets, and everyone is always willing to help each other. In the end, we know we’re team Yardi, and whatever we can do to benefit each other benefits everyone, including our clients,” said Valdés. When...

RAD Camp, a Yardi-supported nonprofit organization established in 2014 in Irvine, Calif., is a testament to the power of community support. It rises above disabilities for adults and children with developmental disabilities, serving all developmental disabilities from autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and more with its programs and overnight summer camps. This life-changing volunteer experience for the community is a collective effort that encourages independence, growth, and, most importantly, fun! “Based in Orange County, our nonprofit hosts the largest and most affordable overnight summer camps for individuals with developmental disabilities in California,” said Meghan Clem, co-founder of RAD Camp. RAD Camp owes its success to the over 700 volunteers who support this predominantly volunteer-run nonprofit. Most of its counselors, between the ages of 16 and 25, play a crucial role in providing a much-deserved break for caregivers. Their dedication and commitment ensure that RAD Camp is the only option for consecutive respite nights in a calendar year. “We believe that by offering young people this life-changing experience, we contribute to creating compassionate and capable young community members,” said Clem. Funding from Yardi goes towards the general operation of RAD Camp. The contribution helps cover access to its 24-hour on-site medical care, provides campers with three meals a day plus snack time, special diet accommodations, RAD Swag (including themed T-shirts, water bottles, and backpacks), daily programs and activities, nightly team-building exercises, housing, and security. Though the actual cost per camper is high, RAD ensures every camper receives a sponsorship and pays the registration fee. However, for those with financial constraints, RAD does not hinder families from joining and will cover the total amount if a camper cannot give the requested fee. “We could not be more thankful for the support received from Yardi! Any donation...

North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, is a beacon of hope for animals in need. As it celebrates its 80th anniversary, the organization has saved over 1.1 million animal lives, a testament to the power of compassion and dedication. North Shore Animal League America is a Yardi-supported nonprofit organization established in 1944 in Port Washington, NY. The organization finds homes for more than 6,000 pets from its adoption center in NY and facilitated over 50,000 adoptions around the country, working with a network of over 2,000 shelter partners. “Each year, our medical center performs over 43,000 exams and vaccinates 47,000 animals,” said Diane Alexander, manager of corporate relations for North Shore Animal League. North Shore Animal League has a community outreach program that helps bring awareness and support to the plight of feral cats in the community with education, TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return), assisting with the adoption of friendly cats and kittens, and supporting community cat caretakers. It also works with over 5,000 schools, libraries and after-school programs through its Muttigrees Curriculum. The program is an innovative Pre-K-Grade 12 social-emotional learning program designed to develop empathy, resiliency and an awareness of oneself and others. Additionally, North Shore Animal League has many other programs to help the community, including volunteer and corporate programs, foster care, seniors for seniors adoptions and a safe haven for surviving pet care. It also has a 40-foot mobile unit to bring adoptable animals to company locations in its metropolitan area for a four-hour adoption event. “Our vision is a future in which all companion animals find responsible, loving homes where they are free from abuse, hunger, fear and loneliness and receive the care and respect they deserve,” explained Alexander. Funding from...

The need for additional affordable housing inventory is a foundational issue for the market, a new Yardi Matrix Research Bulletin on the affordable housing sector shows. With an increasing number of households being designated as “cost burdened” across earning brackets, policymakers are pushing for more affordable stock, with an expected 69,600 units set to come online in 2024. A multi-year peak for the sector is anticipated with the 70,500 units projected for delivery in 2025. However, a looming slowdown in new inventory after 2025 could exacerbate the problem.    The primary challenge facing governments and renters alike is that market rate housing is not competitive with affordable housing in many of the country’s major metros, including markets such as Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami and Northern New Jersey. In San Francisco (where the market-rate average is $3,028 and fully affordable average is $1,982) or Boston (where the market-rate average is $2,801 and fully affordable average is $1,819), there is a big gap between market-rate and fully affordable rents. Conversely, at least 90 percent of market-rate stock is competitive with affordable properties in seven small markets, including South Dakota; Wichita, Kan.; Huntsville, Ala.; Amarillo, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Fayetteville, Ark.; and Omaha, Neb. The Yardi Matrix study is based on a dataset containing over 3.3 million units in 20,000 fully affordable housing properties. These properties are owned and operated by both private sector entities and non-profit organizations. The study compared the average maximum allowable rent of fully affordable units owned by private entities with the average advertised rent of market-rate units, broken into four levels of apartment quality. Review the levels and income required for affordability of each type in the report. In addition to the competitiveness disparity, supply growth limitations and composition of total housing...

Casa Pacifica is the largest nonprofit provider of children’s and adolescent mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, specializing in treating children and youth who struggle with mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and emotional dysregulation. Established in 1994, Casa Pacifica is committed to helping children and youth achieve success in school, home and in life through its life-changing mental health programs and services. “We work with more than 2,000 at-risk children, families and young adults annually in outpatient, residential, home and community-based settings. We are everywhere they need us,” explained Roya Alt, communications director for Casa Pacifica. Thanks to the generous funding from Yardi, Casa Pacifica can realize its vision of a future where every young person facing a mental health challenge can survive and thrive. This support has allowed it to maintain and improve some of its most beloved campus features, including an organic teaching garden, a weekly equine therapy program, and a newly renovated baseball diamond. “We are so grateful to Yardi for their longtime support,” expressed Alt. She continued, “We are deeply thankful for Yardi’s enduring partnership and commitment to our cause.” Meet Norah Suicidal ideation, low self-esteem and persistent depression brought Norah to Casa Pacifica. The fifteen-year-old was being bullied and was withdrawing from friends, classmates and things that previously brought her joy. She frequently expressed a desire to harm herself. Her family was growing distraught over Norah’s low self-esteem and her tendency to spend hours alone in her room glued to her computer. “We felt powerless to help her,” said her father. A large part of every child’s journey at Casa Pacifica is a comprehensive assessment to determine what’s behind challenging behaviors and provide appropriate, individualized treatment. In Norah’s case, Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) was identified...

Coming in October: ENERGY STAR® Day (Oct. 9) and Energy Awareness Month, which offer businesses and individual consumers an array of money-saving tools and tactics. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which administers ENERGY STAR, announced these designations to showcase how “using energy more wisely reduces your impact on the climate, providing a healthier and cleaner environment for all.” With ENERGY STAR, the EPA notes, “you can save today with incentives on energy-efficient products, save tomorrow with lower energy bills, and save for good for your family and the environment.” Bountiful incentives How can you use the resources highlighted during ENERGY STAR Day and Energy Awareness Month to make a meaningful difference on and off the job? Several options are available, including: Looking for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing household products. It signifies adherence to strict energy-efficiency specification for products ranging from refrigerators, dishwashers and television sets to laptops and ceiling fans. Researching utility providers’ rebates and discounts on ENERGY STAR-certified products. Seeing if you qualify for Inflation Reduction Act income-based assistance that combines ENERGY STAR-certified products with utility rebates for home improvements. Amplifying ENERGY STAR Day themes and activities through social media and employee outreach platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. Becoming an ENERGY STAR Day participating partner with EPA, which will feature participating partners on its landing page, track all tagged social and share messages with its followers. Adopting Yardi Energy Solutions, which automates data entry into ENERGY STAR, ensures on-time reporting that keeps properties compliant with relevant regulations, reduces operational costs and more.  Supporting educational and community service projects. As the recipient of the 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award from the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy for the sixth consecutive year since 2019, Yardi is...

It often seems that smartphones and other technology items have become inseparable from our business, personal and leisure lives. Is it possible to renounce tech, even temporarily? “Technology is very much a part of us now. We bank with an app, read restaurant menus on phones and even sweat with exercise instructors through a screen,” says consultant Emily Cherkin, a screen-time specialist in Seattle. “It’s so embedded in our lives, we’re setting ourselves up for failure if we say we’re going to go phone-free for a week.” That means that “short of running to the remote wilderness for a few phone-free days, experts say a ‘digital detox’ isn’t feasible anymore for most people,” as the BBC said in 2023. But some have tried, taking temporary breaks from screens, social media and videoconferences in a search for less stress and a restoration of personal connections. Some may have ecological motivations as well, aiming to disassociate themselves from the energy expended in device production, marketing and consumption. New habits for healthy results According to some experts, the goal shouldn’t be to cut off technology completely but to use it in moderation. Some encourage even those determined to make a full break to make exceptions for things like researching recipes and completing work deadlines. Others, such as anthropologist Amber Case, use a plugin that delays access to apps and forces users to pull themselves out of “autopilot mode” before becoming engrossed online. Case also recommends avoiding scrolling through a phone as a leisure break and leaving it elsewhere when it isn’t needed. Meanwhile, British author Johann Hari locks his phone in a time safe for several hours a day and removes himself from social media at least half the year. A week after reducing his personal tech...

What are building codes and why are they necessary? Building codes are regulations that apply to architects, builders, owners and others involved in a structure’s construction and maintenance. Adopted and enforced by state, local, tribal and territorial entities, they ensure that buildings conform with safety and public health standards. They encompass standards for everything from the arrangement of doors and windows, minimum and maximum room ceiling heights, exit sizes and locations, room sizes and locations and structural integrity to lighting, water, ventilation, fire prevention and control, hazardous material handling, energy efficiency, drainage, occupancy limits, and parking and traffic impacts. Disasters spur action The Great Fire of London in 1666 prompted the first significant attempts to reduce building density and ensure that construction had some degree of fire resistance. Almost two centuries later, the London Building Act of 1855 provided the first systemic national building standard for room height, construction notifications, fireplace and drain placements and other provisions. In the U.S., building codes proliferated in the mid-19th century during heavy Industrial Revolution-inspired population growth in urban centers. Massive fires in Chicago and Baltimore in 1886 and 1904, respectively, along with the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, spurred additional codes and construction changes nationwide. Building codes are heavily influenced by the International Code Council (ICC), an association of building safety professionals whose members work with other interested parties to develop a consensus set of model codes, which are updated every three years. Policy at the local level Regardless of the recommendations the ICC might make, it is “at the state or local level whereby a building code in the US actually becomes law,” with it being common “for the final adoption authority to be left to an individual township,” according to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction...

Apple launched and revealed its latest products last week with its latest announcement of Apple Intelligence. Let’s explore these innovative products that keep us healthy, connected, productive and entertained. Apple Watch has a new design that is even more useful, essential and intelligent. Series 10 has the most advanced design and the biggest wearable display ever built. It has 30 percent more screen area than the Series 6. With increased font size and easy type messaging, its rounded corners are softer and sleeker with a wider display and 40 percent brighter when viewed from an angle. Apple Watch Ultra 2 has new aluminum finishes and comes in Jet Black—the first ever glossy black aluminum finish, along with rose gold and silver. It is more comfortable and is the thinnest/lightest Apple Watch ever at just 9.7mm. Nearly 10 percent thinner than Series 9. A new sleek speaker lets you play music directly when you don’t have AirPods handy. Polished grade 5 titanium replaces stainless steel, weighing 20 percent less than the stainless-steel Series 9. With custom Apple silicon, it is carbon neutral and energy efficient. For phone calls on series 10, the new neural network is used to suppress background noise to make it sound clear and crisp. AirPods According to Apple, Apple AirPods are the most popular and loved headphones in the world! They are magically easy to use, and the new generation of AirPods 4 has 3D photogrammetry and laser topography to build an unparalleled data set. AirPods 4 is the most comfortable yet. It has an H2 chip unlocking only what Apple silicon can deliver—the best-sounding AirPods ever, including hands-free personalized spatial audio. When interacting with Siri, you can shake your head yes or nod to say no. Voice isolation removes all...

For over fifty years, Interface Children & Family Services (ICFS) has become Camarillo, Calif.’s most comprehensive nonprofit social services agency, providing direct and responsive services to address the complex needs of its clients and local communities. As a critical safety net for children and families, ICFS provides 30 distinct programs across seven core program areas: Mental health and trauma treatment Domestic violence and child abuse prevention Youth crisis and homelessness Human trafficking prevention and intervention Justice services 211 information and assistance in 31 California counties Today, ICFS serves tens of thousands of local individuals annually, assists 250,000+ callers through the 211-call center across the state, and continues to earn the respect of individuals, businesses, and foundations. Their support, through grants, donations, and in-kind services, is crucial in ensuring that the work of ICFS is sustained and the community’s needs are met. ICFS continues to seek innovative solutions to respond to the needs of its dynamic communities. ICFS aims to increase the accessibility of mental health and trauma treatment services for children and youth, specifically in Simi Valley, Moorpark and Fillmore and reduce the number of homeless youth by expanding its street outreach program into the Conejo Valley region. ICFS also hopes to expand the delivery of emergency and disaster-related information during high call volume through 211 text and 211NOW online video streaming services. Funding from Yardi is directed to support the Interface Runaway & Homeless Youth Shelter. This funding empowers ICFS to successfully engage youths throughout the region who are traditionally underserved and experiencing homelessness (often with mental health challenges) with culturally competent, person-centered social services. “Youth homelessness is a critical challenge facing Ventura County. By providing emergency shelter, case management, family mediation, and supportive housing assistance, we aim to reduce (and eventually eradicate)...