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☆ The world's most powerful passports in 2024, ranked
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | Mykenna Maniece | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Henley Passport Index ranks the most powerful passports in the world for visa-free travel. Passports from 23 other countries provide more global access than a US passport. US passport holders can access 189 countries globally without a visa, putting it in sixth place among world passports on the global mobility spectrum, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index. AdvertisementPassports from 23 other countries provide more global mobility than a US passport, seven more countries than 2023's ranking. Below are the countries with the most powerful passports, ranked by ascending number of visa-free travel options, based on the 2024 Henley Passport Index.

Persons: —, it's Organizations: Service, International Air Transport Authority, US Locations: Japan, China, India, Venezuela, Finland, Sweden, South Korea, Netherlands, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic

☆ Why millennials are giving up city life to start homesteading
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But behind the videos is something deeper: a skepticism of the companies and systems we rely on to sustain us. Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, have taken a shine to homesteading: Nearly half of the Homesteaders of America poll respondents were 39 or younger. Those generations are increasingly ditching city life not just for suburbs but for exurbs and rural areas, Business Insider reported earlier this month. It might be easier, people may reason, to just control what they can from start to finish. "For us, homesteading is being in a position where we can survive independently without outside resources if necessary," Chuck Anderson said.

Persons: —, homesteading, Homesteading, Millennials, Christina Heinritz, Heinritz, Christina Heinritz's, Christina Figone, Chuck Anderson, Brooke, Brooke Anderson, Tara Newby —, Sawyer —, Tara Organizations: Service, Business, Companies, Andersons Locations: America, California, distrusting, Utah, Wisconsin, Raleigh , North Carolina, Virginia, Portugal

Millennials are turning to more creative and affordable ways of getting on the property ladder, such as buying a fixer-upper. One day, while out walking, she noticed a beautiful, old house that "seemed empty and looked a wreck." A couple bought a 19th-century manor house in Ohio they saw in the Cheap Old Houses newsletterThe Angeleauxs pose in front of Walnut Hill, a house they found on the Cheap Old Houses Instagram account. In May 2022, the Cheap Old Houses newsletter advertised an 1800s manor house in the small village of Higginsport, Ohio. During the renovation, Wormann handled a termite infestation in the beams, disposing of mountains of trash, and firing unreliable contractors.

Persons: —, Betsy Sweeny, Betsy Sweeny Betsy Sweeny, Sweeny, Kayli, Angeleaux, Connor, Kayli Angeleaux, Connor Angeleaux's, We're, Farleigh, Olamide Soyemi, Cullen Farleigh Olamide Soyemi, Cullen Farleigh, Soyemi, creatives, Cullen, Anton Wormann, Anton Wormann Anton Wormann, Wormann, hadn't, akiya Organizations: Service, McClain House, Federal Housing Association Locations: Wheeling , West Virginia, McClain, Virginia, Ohio, Walnut Hill, Utah, Higginsport , Ohio, Colombus, London, East London, Swedish, Tokyo, Japan, Sweden

☆ The one thing the superrich want in their homes is simple — and it's actually cheap
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"They want to be comfortable everywhere," an interior designer told Sotheby's of his luxury clients. Folks want to be at ease in 2024, according to Sotheby's luxury outlook for the year ahead , and no one has more spending power to make that a decadent reality in their homes than the wealthiest among us. Actor David Harbour showed Architectural Digest his Brooklyn backyard sauna and cold plunge pools, by New York-based modular sauna company Swelter House, in February 2023. "I got really into sauna and cold plunge, like, three years ago," he said, standing in the doorway of the Finnish-style sauna. Eklund's own home in Beverly Hills, California has an infrared sauna and a cold plunge pool, though, he told BI, he's "not the average buyer."

Persons: Sotheby's, —, Loro Piana, Kendall Roy, Robert Stilin, Stilin, Michael Gabellini, Gabellini Shephard, Kendall Jenner, Kardashian, Fredrik Eklund Bravo, Fredrik Eklund, John Gomes, David Harbour, Eklund, luxuriating, Liliya Krueger, Jenner Organizations: Service Locations: Los Angeles, Brooklyn, New York, Beverly Hills , California

☆ The 7 cheapest places to live in beautiful, tranquil Montana, one of the country's fastest-growing states
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Dan Latu | Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Montana, known for its stunning natural beauty, is one of the US' fastest-growing states. People who move to Montana in search of tranquility may also find that life can be less expensive. Data analytics site Niche ranked the most affordable places to live in the Big Sky state. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Montana realtor Airika Lakkala, who's based in the southwestern mining hub of Butte, said a "sense of tranquility" draws newcomers to the Big Sky state.

Persons: —, clamoring, Airika Lakkala Organizations: US, Big Sky, Service Locations: Montana, Norway, Japan, Butte

☆ The great wealth 'realignment': Affluent people keep moving from NY and SF to cheaper, warmer places
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-07 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Wealthy people are moving to states including Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Florida, Texas, and North Carolina are popular destinations for more than just the wealthy. The reshuffling of wealth is making historically cheaper states more expensiveIn Miami, in particular, this reshuffling of wealth has ushered in an era of unaffordability. "Miami and most of Southeast Florida have rebranded into more luxury markets," housing expert Jonathan Miller told BI in September.

Persons: They've, —, SmartAsset, Ken Griffin, Jeff Bezos, Alexander Tamargo, Indxx, AllianceBernstein, Charlotte, Goldman Sachs, Griffin, plunked, Jeffrey Greenberg, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Carl Icahn, Elon Musk, he's, Jonathan Miller, Bezos, Kushner, Trump, Dina Goldentayer, Dina Goldentayer Dina Goldentayer, Zillow Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Austin, Citadel, Amazon, Allspring Global Investments, Oracle, Tesla, Dallas ., Company, Universal, Getty, Miami Locations: Florida , Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Miami, Florida, New York, California, Florida , Tennessee, New Jersey , Massachusetts, Dallas, Nashville, Charlotte, New York City, Texas, Miami Beach, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, Coconut Grove, Southeast Florida

William Cahill, 30William Cahill, an associate director at Aventuur. AventuurCahill was on a rowing trip on the Zambezi River in Zambia surrounded by crocodiles and hippos when he met his future boss. Cahill followed suit, leaving behind a job touching on mergers and acquisitions and data and analytics at the management-consulting firm L.E.K. Aventuur's parks allow paying customers to surf in wave pools with artificial beachfronts dotted by amenities such as restaurants and beach clubs. The systems Cahill creates make him indispensable to the growing recreational-real-estate sector.

Persons: William Cahill, Aventuur Cahill, Nicholas Edelman regaled, Cahill, Aventuur, — Zoe Rosenberg Organizations: Deutsche Bank, L.E.K, Consulting Locations: Zambia, London, Australia, New Zealand, North America, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Jacksonville , Florida, Los Angeles, South Africa

☆ Homebuyers struggling to score a house right now have a glimmer of hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Josée Rose | Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Taylor Morrison's COO said builders can often offer homebuyers better rates on a newly built house. High mortgage rates, home prices teetering near an all-time high, and historically low inventory are keeping many buyers — and sellers — on the sidelines. The larger share of new homes on the market means paying a mortgage rate around 7% isn't the only way into a home. During its third-quarter earnings call , Taylor Morrison explained that it's attracting "well-qualified consumers even among our first-time homebuyers" and 88% of its buyers are using its financing assistance. As Business Insider previously reported, would-be buyers may have more luck securing a lower rate if they buy a new-construction home.

Persons: Taylor, Erik Heuser, Heuser, —, homebuilder Taylor Morrison, Taylor Morrison, Freddie Mac, Tawn Kelley, It's, they're Organizations: Service, Finance Locations: Florida , Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Washington, Nevada

☆ Why the housing market sucks for both buyers and sellers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Buyers and sellers alike complain of a market that only gets worse the longer they wait. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementThe slowed-down market could have impacts across the economy, forcing some potential buyers to continue renting and influencing some potential sellers to stay put. The bank remained hopeful for a turnaround but warned of more turbulence for buyers and sellers brave enough to face the market. AdvertisementAdvertisementSellers are also forced to wait and for decreasing offersMeanwhile, sellers are left waiting as well.

Persons: —, Chen Zhao, Redfin, Lawrence Talej, Yonatan Hochstein, they've, We've, Desiree Edgington, She's, Edgington, Zoe Rosenberg Organizations: Service, Wall Street, National Association of Realtors, Bank of America Locations: Richmond , Virginia, New Jersey, Kansas, zrosenberg@insider.com

☆ We're seeking nominations for our Rising Stars of Real Estate 2023 list. Here's how to apply.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Insider is putting together its fourth annual list of the best young talent in real estate. We want to spotlight standouts in the worlds of commercial and residential real estate in 2023. We're looking for standouts, the leaders of tomorrow who are making notable contributions and setting themselves apart from their class in commercial and residential real estate. The nominations are open to professionals working in real estate as well as those in other industries who have a focus on real estate. Please make your submission below or through this form by October 20, 2023 to have your selection considered for the list.

Persons: Zoe Rosenberg Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, zrosenberg@insider.com

☆ Restorative justice can be cheaper and more effective than jail time at preventing reoffences. An innovative Philadelphia program for youth has a 100% success rate.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Healing Futures is a Philadelphia restorative-justice-diversion program for people under 18. Harvey got a call a few weeks later from Kempis "Ghani" Songster, the program manager for Healing Futures, Philadelphia's first pre-charge program for youth restorative-justice diversion. AdvertisementNone of the youths who have completed the Healing Futures program have recidivated, he said. He's also now one of the 33 youths who've completed the Healing Futures program. September 6, 2023: This story has been updated to include the name of the parent organization of Healing Futures, the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project.

Persons: Janelle Harvey, Harvey, Kempis, Ghani, Songster, Philadelphia's, hadn't, Felix Rosado, Cheyenne Wade, Daniel, He's, who've, Kendra Brooks, Brooks, Queen, Rosado Organizations: Healing, Youth, Futures, Community Works, SEPTA, Charles Foundation, Philadelphia City Council, Kendra Brooks Healing, Healing Futures Locations: Philadelphia, Chicago , Washington, Queen, Oakland , California, Alameda County

☆ Late to book your Hamptons summer rental? You're in luck — there's still hundreds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Hamptons are facing a summer rental glut, with over 1,000 available in August as of Wednesday. Real-estate agents said an uptick in travel and lower Wall Street bonuses are behind the glut. A glut of available properties and sky-high rental prices are adding up to a slow summer rental season, worrying real-estate agents counting on tenant demand. The hot Hamptons summer rental market, it seems, has caught a chill. "I have a summer rental that's listed for $150,000 for a month and it got an offer of $80,000.

Persons: —, Dana Trotter, Trotter, Enzo Morabito, Douglas Elliman, aren't, KENA BETANCUR, Anthony Rosina, they've, Judi Desiderio, Rosina, We're Organizations: Service, Hamptons, CNN, The Agency Hamptons, Agency, Sotheby's, Town, Country, CNBC Locations: New York, New York City, Southampton, East Hampton

☆ Walt Disney's Los Angeles home, where he created 'Cinderella' and 'Pinocchio,' is on the market as a $40,000-per-month rental. See inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

There are five homes that have rented for between $20,000 and $64,000 per month in the area over the last six months, Campen said, and there are currently 20 homes in the area on the rental market seeking $20,000 or more. A bathroom. Joel Danto of TheLuxLevel

Persons: Campen, Joel Danto, TheLuxLevel

☆ We bought a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Kansas that dates to 1885 and have found antique jewelry, silver coins, and Civil War memorabilia. We still have so much more to explore.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Thad and Robin Krasnesky bought a 140-year-old Victorian mansion in Kansas in 2021. They document their explorations on their Facebook page, Krasnesky Manor For Wayward Cats. He and his wife Robin, 49, document their adventures at the house on their Facebook page, Krasnesky Manor For Wayward Cats. A peek inside the Krasneskys' home, which they chronicle on their Facebook page, Krasnesky Manor For Wayward Cats. We've got 14,000 people on our Facebook page now.

Persons: Thad, Robin Krasnesky, —, Thad Krasnesky, Robin, we'd, A.J, Angell, there's, There's, Robin's, Rachel, we've, We've Organizations: Wayward, Service, Broadway, Union, Facebook Locations: Kansas, Texas, Leavenworth , Kansas, It's, England

☆ A real-estate agent might have bought Ken Griffin's cell phone number from a former FBI employee to facilitate the $240 million sale of a New York City condo
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In 2019, real-estate agents and brothers Tal and Oren Alexander sold a $240 million condo. That's the Alexander brothers' unofficial mantra. In 2015, Griffin dropped $46.4 million on an abstract painting by Gerhard Richter, putting him in the Alexanders' crosshairs. Tal wouldn't reveal how he acquired Griffin's cell phone number, Clarke noted, but one of the writer's sources said he bought it from a former FBI agent. But Griffin wasn't interested in the penthouse Tal had in mind for him.

Persons: Tal, Oren Alexander, Ken Griffin, —, Alexander, Katherine Clarke, Clarke, it's Tal, Oren —, Oren, Douglas Elliman, Griffin, Gerhard Richter, Tal wouldn't, Griffin wasn't, — Griffin, Shlomy Alexander, They've, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Leon Black, Tommy Hilfiger Organizations: Service, Wimbledon, Rollers, Penguin Random, Citadel, Old, FBI, Alexander Team Locations: Aspen, Saudi, United States, Central Park, Miami, Miami Beach

☆ These 5 home upgrades are the secrets to a better sale price
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's a seller's real-estate market, meaning the demand for homes exceeds supply. Homesellers can fetch more at closing if their property has a few key upgrades that buyers want. A refreshed kitchen and primary bathroom can help boost the sale price, agents said. It's a seller's real-estate market. The latter is a truth that's existed for a while, despite the predictions of a real-estate market crash or impending comedown of home prices.

Persons: —, Jen Patchen, Opendoor Organizations: Service

☆ See inside Wave House, the legendary Malibu beach home once owned by Rod Stewart that just listed for $49.5 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A house that juts out over Malibu's coveted beach hit the market for the first time in 36 years. Rod Stewart bought it in the 1970s and sold it to record executive Mo Ostin in 1987. The house was designed to look like a set of cresting waves by California architect Harry Gesner. The Coopers were friends with California architect Harry Gesner, and commissioned Gesner to design a house for their family that encapsulated their affinity for the outdoors. The estate of Mo Ostin, the home's most recent owner and onetime record executive who's known for signing Jimi Hendrix and The Kinks, listed the property in early June for $49.5 million.

Persons: Rod Stewart, Mo Ostin, Harry Gesner, —, Gerry Cooper, Gesner, Glenn Cooper's, Cooper, Lisa Germany, Jimi Hendrix Organizations: Service, Glenn, Coopers, Malibu Colony Locations: California, Malibu, Mo

☆ A hunter paid $100,000 for 4 old grain bins in the middle of nowhere, then transformed them into a secret home. See inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

An avid hunter converted four unassuming grain bins into a fully automated smart home. The house, which sits on 386 remote acres in rural Washington, is on the market for $1.6 million. Realtor Anna Van Diest said it would be "heaven" for a doomsday prepper because of its privacy. Loading Something is loading. The property hit the market in late April asking $1.6 million.

Persons: Anna Van Diest, — Organizations: Service Locations: Washington

☆ Parents in a town in Ireland came together to voluntarily ban smartphones for kids as old as 13
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Parents in Greystones, Ireland, have implemented a smartphone ban for primary school-aged kids. The hope is that the ban will help prolong childhood by lessening the anxiety and exposure to adult materials that smartphone usage often eggs on. It makes it so much easier to say no," Laura Bourne, whose child is in primary school, told The Guardian. The impacts of smartphone usage on kids is becoming an increasing concern as ongoing studies seek to analyze any lasting effects on the brain. Meanwhile, a town in India has banned smartphone usage for all under the age of 18, according to the Times of India.

Persons: Laura Bourne, Rachel Harper, Stephen Donnelly, — Organizations: Guardian, Irish Times, National Institutes of Health, Times Locations: Greystones, Ireland, Dublin, India, Times of India

☆ A family makes over $100,000 tax-free renting out their home to billionaires for one week in April. Welcome to the Masters housing frenzy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Masters Golf Tournament doubles the population of Augusta, Georgia, for one week every April. "There's not a lot of homes in this area that look like ours and rent for Masters," Hayley Mack told the outlet. We obviously get a very big number for Masters week." On a normal week, the home rents for about $2,500, but during the Masters, that sum swells to about $30,000. "The area is just pandemonium," Williams told Golf Digest.

Persons: —, Mack, Hayley Mack, Justin Timberlake, Mack wouldn't, Ralph Lauren Polo, Tipton Sholes, Tipton, Kathie Williams, Williams, She's, Sholes, Elizabeth Thacker, NJ.com, Herman Organizations: Service, Golf, Ralph Lauren Polo Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings, Tipton, Masters, Augusta National, Hilton Head, Golf Digest, Wall Street Journal Locations: Augusta , Georgia, France, Augusta, Italy, Hawaii

☆ No, there aren't more cash buyers in real estate these days
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Buyers who need a mortgage are waiting for rates to fall, causing the share of cash buyers to rise. "It disproportionately enlarges the share of cash buyers making it look like more cash buyers are coming into the market." Mortgage rates have been edging lower over the past month and a half, but experienced a small uptick this past week. Researchers at Fannie Mae predicted that 30-year fixed mortgage rates will trend down throughout 2023 and 2024. "There were fewer cash buyers to leave the market than purchase mortgage buyers."

☆ A Floridian is leaving for Portugal because he said pollution, traffic, and overcrowding have turned his home of 20 years into a rotten paradise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Victor Zubriski, 74, is leaving the Boca Raton area after 20 years and moving to Portugal. According to Redfin, the median sale price in Boca Raton is $585,000, an increase of nearly 17% from this time last year. The median rent in Boca Raton has increased $339 from the same time last year to a median of $3,675, according to Zillow. That's 75% higher than the national median rent of $2,097. Miami Herald/Getty Images"The essential factor down here in Boca Raton is overcrowding," he said.

☆ 3 people share why they're paying as much as $4 million to live on a cruise ship all
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Storylines MV Narrative luxury cruise ship is poised to set sail in 2025. StorylinesBut like a commercial cruise ship, residents of the MV Narrative will have plenty to do. Holt said when he signed on in 2021 to live aboard, the annual fee for a single guy like himself was $72,000 a year. Holt plans to give up his Virginia rental and live aboard the ship full time. Angela NuranThe MV Narrative won't set sail until 2025, but Angela Nuran and Paul Cosentino are ready.

☆ A home flipper who helps sellers get up to 30% more for their properties shared 5 easy upgrades that help boost resale value — and 5 design choices that turn buyers off
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Her company, Homegirl, advises clients on the interior design trends that boost resale value. She spoke with Insider about what trends buyers want right now that will help sellers get up to 30% more when listing their homes, and what styles are no longer in their favor. Minimalist art, right, is out of style. Unlacquered brass hardware, left, adds a sense of age to a room while black hardware, right, has fallen out of favor. Nadav Havakook/Homegirl, Wachirawut Priamphimai/EyeEm/Getty ImagesStatement-making, sculptural lights that double as art pieces are what buyers are looking for these days.

☆ The 10 most powerful passports in the world in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Henley Passport Index ranks the most powerful passports in the world for visa-free travel. US passport holders can access 186 countries globally without a visa, putting it in seventh place among world passports on the global mobility spectrum, according to the 2023 Henley Passport Index. The US shared its seventh place ranking with Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland. Of the top 50 best passports for international travel in 2023, only eight countries offer citizenship-by-investment programs, in which applicants can obtain passports in exchange for an approved investment within the country, Insider reported. Below are the countries with the most powerful passports, ranked by ascending number of visa-free travel options.

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