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☆ A real-estate listing in Michigan went viral for its $1 price tag — the agent expects the rundown house to sell for closer to $40,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

A two-bedroom property in Pontiac, Michigan, was just listed on the market for $1 — and it's a real fixer-upper. The $1 house in Pontiac, Michigan, has a worn exterior. Chris Hubel/Good CompanyThe 724-square-foot property was listed for sale on Tuesday, and the listing agent, Chris Hubel, says he's already been inundated with calls. "As far as response goes, I've had hundreds of phone calls, hundreds of texts, hundreds of emails," Hubel told Insider. "My phone will not stop ringing."

Persons: Chris Hubel, he's, I've, Hubel Locations: Pontiac , Michigan

☆ Forget Italy's 1 euro homes. You can buy a crumbling, 2-bedroom fixer-upper for $1 in Michigan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chris Huber/Good CompanyDespite feelings of shock or intimidation that these images could stir up, the listing urges potential buyers to stay open. That's an "avant-garde 'floor hole' art installation" that gives you "an authentic, unfiltered glimpse into the crawl space," according to the listing description. Chris Huber/Good CompanyOutside, the exterior of the house looks weathered and old, with an overgrown lawn. Chris Huber/Good CompanyAccording to the listing, the 724-square-foot house was constructed in 1956 and last sold for $4,092 in February 2022. There are currently 153 single-family homes for sale in Pontiac, and this $1 fixer-upper is the cheapest listing in the area.

Persons: Italy —, Chris Huber, Joanna, Chip, Joanna Gaines Organizations: Service Locations: Pontiac , Michigan, Wall, Silicon, Italy, Pontiac

☆ Burger King in India says tomatoes 'need a vacation' too — they have been removed from the menu due to inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Burger King in India has taken tomatoes off the menu due to food inflation, per Reuters. Tomatoes prices have shot up drastically due to India's food inflation, which is at its highest since January 2020. "Even tomatoes need a vacation... we are unable to add tomatoes to our food," signs posted outside these two outlets said, per Reuters. Following McDonald's, Subway in India also dropped tomatoes from its menu that same month, the Times of India reported. Like McDonald's, notices outside a few Subway outlets in New Delhi attributed the unavailability of tomatoes due to quality issues.

Persons: Burger, Burger King Organizations: Service, Reuters, CNBC TV18, India's Department of Consumer Affairs, The, Cooperative Consumer's Federation of, India, New York Times Locations: India, Wall, Silicon, McDonald's, Subway, New Delhi, of India, Cooperative Consumer's Federation of India

☆ Meet Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, a retired television host, a certified yoga instructor, and the mother of Justin Trudeau's 3 children
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Grégoire Trudeau reconnected with Trudeau when they were co-hosts of a charity event in 2003, but the pair only started dating a few months later. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau speak at the 2017 Juno Awards at Canadian Tire Centre. But I sent him an email the next day, and he never replied," Grégoire Trudeau recalled in her October 2011 interview with Diamond. I didn't delete it, I just decided, 'No, I'm better off not starting anything that I'm not willing to go through with,'" Trudeau told the Canadian magazine Maclean's in June 2005. The couple ended up getting engaged in October 2004, on what would have been Trudeau's late father's 85th birthday, per Maclean's.

Persons: Grégoire Trudeau, Trudeau, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Canada Justin Trudeau, George Pimentel, Michel, Diamond, Trudeau wasn't, I'm, Mclean's Organizations: Canadian Tire Centre, Canadian Locations: Canada

☆ How one dad went from building a glamping pod for his kids to turning his backyard into a booming rental business that can fetch over $2,400 a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

British dad Derry Green started building a glamping pod in his backyard with his kids during the lockdown in 2020. And by the end of the first lockdown, I had created what I now know to be a glamping pod," Green said. The Secret Garden GlampingThe glamping pods can be booked on Green's website, and they range between £195 to £285 per night. The cheapest glamping pod is the first pod that Green ever built, and it's a yurt called "The Retreat," per The Secret Garden Glamping site. The Secret Garden Glamping

Persons: Derry Green, Little, I'd, Green, —, we've, It's Organizations: Service, Derry Green, Facebook, eBay Locations: Wall, Silicon, Lancashire, England, France, Spain

☆ A Montana couple spent $20,000 building a 2-bedroom house, and now they're debt-free. There's just one catch: The house is made of clay, sand, and straw.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Daniel Ray, the owner, estimates that they spent less than $20,000 on the entire construction. Daniel Ray/Spiritwood Natural BuildingBut it wasn't until a couple of years later that the couple finally had a chance to turn it into reality. They saw their first cob house as practice for the new space they had in mind. "We both had full-time jobs and then would also work about 40 hours a week on building the house," Ray said. It's also going to reduce the amount of effort that you have to put into building the house," Ray said.

Persons: Daniel Ray, Daniel, Katherine Ray, Ray, they'd, that's, it's, didn't, It's, Katherine Organizations: Service Locations: Montana, Wall, Silicon, Wales, Vancouver, British Columbia, Bitterroot, Victor , Montana, Mexico, India, Moroccan, Victor

☆ An Israeli man spent 50 years carving an underground home into a cliff. Now the government wants to evict him. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Over a period of 50 years, Nissim Kahlon chiseled a sprawling cave home out of sandstone cliffs in Herzliya, Israel. Kahlon's cliffside home as viewed from above the Mediterranean Sea. AP Photo/Ariel SchalitThe cave home is almost like a labyrinth, with multiple rooms connected by tunnels and staircases, per AP News. Colloquially known as the "Hermit House," the exterior of the house is covered in rocks, pebbles, and other recycled materials, per Atlas Obscura. A photo of the house shows the property spans multiple levels and can be accessed via a ladder that leads from the beach.

Persons: Nissim Kahlon, Kahlon's, Ariel Schalit Organizations: AP Locations: Herzliya, Israel

☆ Thousands of French Swifties have bad blood with Ticketmaster after it abruptly halted, then rescheduled the sale of the Eras Tour tickets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Swifties in France are furious after Ticketmaster abruptly halted Eras Tour ticket sales for Taylor Swift's Paris shows. The company abruptly suspended ticket sales for the star's Eras Tour in Paris and Lyon shortly after presales started on Tuesday, leaving thousands of fans hanging. "The Taylor Swift sale | The 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Eras Tour for Paris La Défense Arena has been put on hold. The Eras Tour ticketing situation got so bad that it even prompted a group of Swifties to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. In March, the Ticketmaster platform also crashed during the ticket sales for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

Persons: Taylor, Taylor Swift, presales Organizations: Ticketmaster, Taylor Swift's, Lyon, Paris, Twitter, Paris La Défense, Federal Trade Commission, Eurovision, Coldplay Locations: France, Taylor Swift's Paris, Paris, Lyon, Mexico City, Singapore

☆ A mortgage broker spent 3 months turning an abandoned shed in his backyard into a cozy traditional pub. See how he did it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Davey Pearson, a mortgage broker, turned an old, empty shed in his backyard into a cozy pub. Davey Pearson"The most expensive part of it was getting the electrician in to run power to the building," Pearson said. Have you got any old pub stuff you don't need anymore?'" So when they come and visit, obviously we make a big deal about spending the time here in the pub," Pearson said. Davey Pearson inside his backyard pub with his father.

Persons: Davey Pearson, Pearson, I've, Pearson doesn't, haven't, it's, We've, we've Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Sussex, England, Lincolnshire, plasterboard

☆ I'm a 25-year-old South Korean and still live with my parents. I'm ready to move out, but can't afford it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Reena Koh | Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Due to South Korea's skyrocketing real-estate prices, she can't afford to leave her parents' home. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Park Su-Ah, a 25-year-old accounts manager in South Korea. The average cost of buying a 1,174-square-foot apartment in my city was 789.36 million Korean won, or about $606,570, in 2022. Right now, I'm an accounts manager at a publishing house where I make 2.2 million won, or about $1,690, a month. In June 2022, the average jeonse deposit for an apartment in Seoul was 680 million won, or about $522,642.

Persons: —, it's, We've, that's, aren't Organizations: Service, Wonkwang University Locations: Wall, Silicon, South Korea, Goyang, Seoul, Iksan

☆ A New Jersey couple bought a 116-year-old house for $435,000. They spent 5 years renovating it, finding new parts of its history as they ripped up carpet and restored floors — take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The couple's 1907 Dutch Colonial home with a mint green facade. Wilfred House"I was in our apartment in Jersey City, scrolling Zillow, when we saw our current home come up," Rogers said. "It was just an outside photo of the house and looked like a photo from someone's phone — it wasn't even a professional photo." The couple agreed that if he liked it, then Rogers would take the train from work to the house to see what the commute was like. I get off the train, I walk two blocks down the street and I see the house.

Persons: Wilfred House, Rogers, Gesualdo Locations: Dutch, Jersey City

☆ A millennial couple in Singapore spent $40,000 renovating a 4-room public housing apartment and turned it into a modern Scandinavian-style home. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Amanda Goh/InsiderThe couple's apartment is part of the new Bidadari housing estate that was launched for sale in November 2016. Amanda Goh/InsiderThe couple designed their home in a modern Scandinavian style, with plenty of wood accents. It's also kind of expanded — we moved a wall inside just to open up the space," Teo said. Amanda Goh/InsiderThe couple collected the keys in June 2022 and started renovations a month later. Amanda Goh/InsiderThe couple also created a pie chart of the cost breakdown so they knew how much they spent on each room.

Persons: Vanessa Tan, Shannon Teo, —, It's, Tan, Teo —, they're, Teo, Amanda Goh, they'd, we're Organizations: Service, Board, Housing Locations: Singapore, Woodleigh, —, Instagram

☆ A Delta flight carrying 96 passengers made a dramatic emergency landing after its front landing gear failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Delta Air Lines plane carrying 96 passengers made an emergency landing in North Carolina on Wednesday. A Delta Air Lines flight made an emergency landing in North Carolina on Wednesday after its front landing gears failed to deploy. The Boeing 717, which departed from Atlanta, was approaching Charlotte Douglas International Airport when it experienced an issue with its landing gears, WCNC Charlotte reported. A Delta Air Lines plane landed nose-first at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 because of missing front landing gear. The cause of the landing gear failure is still under investigation, WCNC Charlotte reported.

Persons: Charlotte, WCNC Charlotte, WCNC, Jeff Siner, Chris Skotarczak, Skotarczak, I've, we've, Ed Bastian, Bastian Organizations: Delta Air Lines, Boeing, Charlotte Douglas International, Charlotte Observer, Tribune, Service, Getty, AP News, Twitter, Breaking Aviation, Air Lines Locations: North Carolina, Atlanta, Charlotte , NC

☆ He turned his childhood home in the Japanese countryside into a multipurpose property with 12 round, wooden houses. Now he's trying to sell it for $1.58 million — check it out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A Japanese couple spent over two years building a cluster of round, wooden houses in the countryside. ArchangelEnaThey started with a model of the propertyInspired by traditional Japanese architecture, Mizuno decided that he wanted to build a cluster of round, wooden houses on the property instead. Not only are wooden buildings a big part of Japan's architectural heritage, but some of the country's longest-surviving buildings are made from wood, Mizuno said. ArchangelEnaThere's a functional reason why Mizuno chose to make his buildings round — they're better at withstanding earthquakes. In one of the wooden domes.

Persons: Kodawari Mizuno, —, Mizuno, Mizuno —, ArchangelEna, ArchangelEna Mizuno, I'm, they're dodecagons, Kero, it's Organizations: Service, Google Locations: Ena, Gifu, Japan, Nagano, Nagoya, Kyoto, Magome

☆ Ticketmaster issued more than 1 million queue numbers for Coldplay's Singapore concert. Rumbles of fury at the platform are rolling through Twitter as people say they got frozen out of purchases.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Amanda Goh | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ticketmaster issued more than 1 million virtual queue numbers for Coldplay's "Music of the Spheres" concert in Singapore. This is not the first time Ticketmaster has fumbled the ticketing experience for a big concert. Pre-sales for the concert started on Monday at 10 a.m. SGT, per a tweet from the concert organizer, Live Nation Singapore. About 1 million virtual Ticketmaster queue numbers were issued in total, local newspaper The Straits Times reported. Coldplay and Ticketmaster Singapore did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

Persons: — bev ng, Taylor, Swift stans, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez Organizations: Ticketmaster, Twitter, Morning, Coldplay, National, of Singapore, Live Nation, The Straits Times, Nation Singapore, New York Rep, Eurovision, BTS Army, Ticketmaster Singapore Locations: Singapore, Live Nation Singapore, Alexandria

☆ A Sydney home that's been abandoned for 7 years and is completely covered in vines is going up for auction at $1.7 million, and the agent says it's 'not habitable.' Check it out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

An abandoned Sydney home overrun by plants is set to be auctioned with a guide price of 2.5 million Australian dollars, or $1.7 million. The house is barely visible underneath all the plants. BresicWhitneyWhat's more surprising: The house's appearance, or its hefty price tag? Located on a quiet back street in Redfern — an inner suburb of Sydney in Australia — the abandoned property has been completely reclaimed by nature, listing photos show. The house itself is barely visible under all that foliage; Nearly every exterior surface is covered by overgrown vines.

Organizations: Australia — Locations: Sydney, Redfern, Australia

☆ Inspired by his favorite bar, a Missouri man spent 30 years covering his 3-bedroom home in mosaic tiles and funky art. Now, he's putting it on the market for $499,900 — see inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

When Robert Ferd Frank bought his Fenton house 30 years ago, he had one interior design inspiration: Venice Cafe, his favorite St. Louis bar. The plain, unassuming exterior of the house. Vils PhotographyThe local haunt was known for its eclectic decor comprising statues, curios, and mosaic tiles, per photos found on the bar's Facebook page. "That's why I bought this house — so I could turn it sort of into my favorite club." Although the exterior of the three-bedroom home is plain and unassuming, the rooms inside are filled with bright colors, funky patterns, and mosaic tiles.

Persons: Robert Ferd Frank, Fenton, Louis, Frank Locations: Venice

☆ We're a millennial couple in Singapore. It took 2 years, 17 apartment viewings, and some negotiation, but we managed to find our forever home.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After being together since 2015, Joy Oh and Eddy Kur were looking to settle down. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 31-year-old Joy Oh, a digital-content producer who works in a creative agency in Singapore. Joy Oh and Eddy Kur/Ohkur HouseThat aside, we had a pretty long list of requirements for our future home. Joy Oh and Eddy Kur/Ohkur HouseAfter our down payment, we took out an HDB housing loan of SG$389,100 to finance the rest of our home. Joy Oh and Eddy Kur/Ohkur HouseWe decorated the place and signed the papers in our living room.

Persons: Joy Oh, Eddy Kur, —, Indonesia —, Eddy, Oh Organizations: Service, Board Locations: Singapore, Jakarta, Indonesia, Yishun, Khatib —

☆ A Los Angeles house that's badly in need of repairs and sits over a public bridge is on the market for $250,000. The agent said more than 40 groups showed up for an open house.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An LA apartment that sits over a bridge — or under, depending on where it's viewed from — is for sale for $245,950. Compass Real EstateThere's only one way to enter the one-bedroom, one-bathroom property, and that's via a staircase from the street. Compass Real EstateThis is the first time in 18 years that the house is on the market, per listing history. Compass Real EstateLee added that the owners are choosing to sell the property now "for personal reasons." There are currently 34 single-family homes for sale in the neighborhood, and the bridge house is the cheapest listing in the area.

Persons: Douglas Lee, —, Lee, he's, We've, hasn't Organizations: Service, Compass, — Locations: Angeles, Alhambra, Alhambra , California, LA

☆ For Gen Z in Japan, a smile is worth $55. Hour-long classes aim to teach students how to smile again without a mask.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Amanda Goh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After getting used to wearing masks, Gen Z Japanese students are taking classes to learn how to smile. A private, hour-long smiling lesson with Kawano costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon"People have not been raising their cheeks under a mask or trying to smile much," Kawano told the New York Times in early May. "People train their body muscles, but not their faces," Kawano told the Times. A private, hour-long lesson with her costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55, per Reuters.

Persons: Gen, Keiko Kawano, —, Himawari Yoshida, Kim Kyung, Kawano, Yoshida, Yamaguchi Organizations: Service, Reuters, Sokei Art School, REUTERS, New York Times, Kawano, Smile, IBM Japan, Times, NHK, Chuo University Department of Psychology Locations: Japan, Tokyo

☆ We're a millennial couple in Singapore, where real-estate prices are skyrocketing. House hunting was surprisingly easy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For about a year, he lived with me and my family in our five-room Housing Development Board flat in Holland Village. Housing Development Board flats are public housing, and they're home to about 80% of the country's resident population. The seller's agent told us the Housing Development Board valuation was SG$430,000, and we ended up making an offer of SG$445,000, which was accepted. After the down payment, most people either take a Housing Development Board loan or a bank loan to finance their homes. The Housing Development Board interest rate is fairly stable and has stayed at 2.6% a year for a few years now, though the Housing Development Board acknowledges that it may be adjusted over the year.

Persons: Vanessa Tai, —, They're, hadn't, It's, we're, it's, We're Organizations: Service, Board, Housing, Google, Central Provident Fund Locations: Europe, Singapore, Croatia, Holland Village, Holland, Sengkang, we're

☆ A North Carolina couple renovated a crumbling 118-year-old manor with an attached chapel in 11 weeks. Finishing touches were being made on the day of their wedding — see how they did it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

What happens when your dream wedding venue is a crumbling chapel next to your childhood home? Joe and Becky Davis did the unthinkable and renovated it in 11 weeks — in time for their wedding. Becky and Joe Davis on their wedding day, standing outside the entrance to the chapel. "My parents bought it in the '80s, so I spent my whole childhood there until I was a teenager, and then went off to school," Joe told Insider. Joe's parents bought the place in 1988 for around $80,000, Becky told Insider.

Persons: Joe, Becky Davis, Becky, Joe Davis, Maddy Harwell Locations: Washington , North Carolina, Florida

☆ A New Jersey couple bought a 116-year-old house for $435,000. They spent 5 years renovating it, finding new parts of its history as they ripped up carpet and restored floors. Now, they're listing the
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

☆ 2 divorced moms went halves on an $835,000 house in Maryland and now refer to each other as platonic spouses. It's part of the rising trend of 'mommunes.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two single moms in Maryland bought an $835,000 fourplex during the pandemic and moved in with their kids. The women support each other by sharing the burden of childcare and owning a home post-divorce. The economic linchpin of that is real estate," Hopper told the New York Times. Harper and Hopper, who refer to each other as platonic spouses, also have a tenant who rents the basement unit, per the New York Times. Harper told the Washington Post.

☆ A California-based woman bought 3 abandoned houses in a Sicilian village for $3.30, cashing in on Italy's desperation to repopulate its fast-emptying ghost towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Amanda Goh | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rubia Daniels flew to the town of Mussomeli in Sicily after hearing about its cheap homes. Many Italian towns have introduced similar schemes in an attempt to repopulate rural Italy. Rubia Daniels standing in front of one of her Mussomeli properties Rubia Daniels. Rubia Daniels. She currently splits her time between San Francisco and Mussomeli and spends at least a month in the Italian village each time.

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