HomeSeller: Friday, February 10, 2023

ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE

Estate planning the path to provide for adult children who have problems

Q: I am one of three sisters and my mother has been a widow for the past 17 years. Mom owns a small ranch outside of Vacaville. She turned 73 in December. Here’s our problem: My other two sisters have lived a, shall we say, hard life. Both have been drug users and alcohol abusers for most of their adult lives. They are 52 and 54 now. The older sister lives in a halfway house. The ranch is the only thing Mom owns and we figure it’s worth about $1 million. My mother has always helped my sisters out financially when they needed it, which they have on a regular basis. I, on the other hand, went to college, married a profes sional and have never been in any sort of trouble, financial or otherwise. Mom wants me to get the ranch when she dies so I can continue to help my sisters when they need it. So I guess my question is, what’s the best way to make sure I get the ranch so I can carry out Mom’s wishes?

A: Look, nothing personal, but I don’t know you and have no information other than what you’ve provided here. Based on nothing more than that limited information there are two possible ways any experienced attorney (or judge) would look at you and your request.

On the one hand, you may be a wonderful sister who has not made the mistakes in life your siblings have but are nonetheless dedicated to fulfilling your mother’s wishes and caring for your family.

Or you could be the kind of person the courts will, by default, consider you to be. That would make you a sister who is using her superior educational and economic status to coerce your poor aging mother

into giving you everything and

I’m hoping for the former but believe me when I tell you that have the family farm they will bring a lawsuit making claims capacity and that you unfairlycially and emotionally, to defend that lawsuit.

Plus, when there is an unnatural distribution of the inheritance, the courts put the responsibility of showing there was no hanky-panky on the person who got the loot.

If you and your mother are sincere in your desire to take care of your sisters, there are better ways to do it than simply getting the ranch transferred to you personally.

For example, your mother can have a trust drafted which leaves a percentage of the value of her estate in trust for each of your sisters. She can appoint you as the trustee with a mandate that a certain amount of money be given on a designated schedule to each of the sisters. There can be some discretionary provisions that allow you to give them something extra under certain circumstances, such as health care needs. That way, when your mom dies, your sisters don’t get

a huge sum of money they may blow on drugs and booze. That’s just one example. There are myriad ways to set up an estate plan to provide for adult children who can’t provide for themselves.

Frankly, this really isn’t a real estate issue. It’s an estate planning issue.

Your mom needs to sit down with a good estate planning attorney and honestly discuss this situation. Believe me, it isn’t that unique.

My best advice to you personally is that you stay as far away from your mother’s estate planning as possible. You’re trying to avoid being accused of undue influence over your mother and thus avoid being dragged into a lawsuit after Mom dies.

Tim Jones is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate issues you would like to have discussed in this column, you can send an email to AllThingsRealEstate@ TJones-Law.com.

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JERICA PENDER SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST

TURN YOUR NONWORKING FIREPLACE INTO something beautiful

If home is where the hearth is, then what happens when the fires can’t be lit? The fireplace and hearth are often symbols of home, offering warmth, light and, historically, food and protection. They have been central to our dwellings since they were first constructed.

Not all fireplaces remain sound enough to host a fire, however. And as disappointing as that may seem, an unused fireplace doesn’t have to be a missed opportunity for a grand design.

Josh Young, a D.C. artist and designer, says fireplaces not only add architectural value to a room, but they also ground and center a space. “It really allows the person who enters a room to focus in” on the center of a room, Young says, “and it’s usually through a fireplace or mantel.”

Rather than ripping your hearth out or letting it languish, read on to see how manageable DIYs, bespoke lighting and simple tweaks, such as adding a mirror, can transform your black hole of unused space into the star of the room.

1. Make it a book nook

Young filled a nonworking firebox with books in 2017, and the internet went crazy for it. West Elm invited him to style for it, and the fireplace full of books became “a whole thing on Pinterest,” he says.

Replicate his look by lining the bottom of the firebox with magazines to manage the soot-stained floor space, then stack your firebox with books of various sizes. “It can be a bit of a jigsaw as far as existing books you have or ones you may need,” Young says, but the result can act as a bookshelf. “There were many times I would reach in and pull out a book and read it,” he says. “It became almost like a library within itself.”

2. Make a faux log stack

The styled log stack is a popular way to decorate an unused

See Fireplace, Page 11

Thin plywood, leftover chalkboard paint, log rounds and glue are what Morgan Spenla used to create her faux log stack facade. To keep everything secure, she nailed each round to the board from the backside.

MORGAN SPENLA/THE WASHINGTON POST PHOTOS

Morgan Spenla wanted the look of a log stack inside her nonworking fireplace – without the bugs. She instead created a facade that is easily removable.

KELLY-JEANNE LEE/THE WASHINGTON POST Kelly-Jeanne Lee added a bookcase to the defunct fireplace in her child’s bedroom.

SOLANO REAL ESTATE SCENE

No need to fear today’s foreclosure headlines

If you’ve seen recent headlines about foreclosures surging in the housing market, you’re certainly not alone. There’s no doubt the stories in the media can be pretty confusing right now. They may even make you think twice about buying a home for fear that prices could crash. The reality is, the data show a foreclosure crisis is not where the market is headed, and understanding what that really means is mission critical if you want to know the truth about what’s happening today. Here’s a deeper look.

According to the Year-End 2022 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report from ATTOM, foreclosure filings are up 115% from 2021, but down 34% from 2019. As media headlines grab onto this 115% increase, it’s more important than ever to put that percentage into context.

While the number of foreclosure filings did more than double last year, we need to remember why that happened and how it compares to more normal, pre-pandemic years in the market. Thanks to the forbearance program and other relief options for homeowners, foreclosure filings were down to record-low levels in 2020 and 2021, so any increase last year is – no surprise – a jump up. Rick Sharga, Executive vice president of Market Intelligence at ATTOM, notes:

“Eighteen months after the end of the government’s foreclosure moratorium, and with less than 5% of the 8.4 million borrowers who entered the CARES Act forbearance program remaining, foreclosure activity remains significantly lower than it was prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It seems clear that government and mortgage industry efforts during the pandemic, coupled with a strong economy, have helped prevent millions of unnecessary foreclosures.”

Clearly, these options meant millions of homeowners could stay in their homes, allowing them to get back

Real estate transactions

These are the local homes sold recently, provided by California Resource of Lodi. The company can be reached at 209.365.6663 or CalResource@aol.com.

DIXON

TOTAL SALES: 1

LOWEST AMOUNT: $567,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $567,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $567,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $567,000

1830 Margurite Drive - $567,000

SUISUN CITY

TOTAL SALES: 2

LOWEST AMOUNT: $490,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $536,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $513,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $513,000

906 Anderson Drive - $536,000

on their feet during a very challenging period. With home values rising at the same time, many homeowners who may have found themselves facing foreclosure under other circumstances were able to leverage their equity and sell their houses rather than face foreclosure, and that trend continues today.

And remember, foreclosures today are far below the 2.3 million in 2008, the 2.8 million in 2009 and the recordhigh 2.9 million that were reported in 2010 when the housing market crashed.

So, while foreclosures are rising, keeping perspective in mind is key. As Bill McBride, founder and author of Calculated Risk, noted just last week:

“The bottom line is there will be an increase in foreclosures over the next year (from record low levels), but there will not be a huge wave of distressed sales as happened following the housing bubble. The distressed sales during the housing bust led to cascading price declines, and that will not happen this time.”

Bottom line

Right now, putting the data into context is more important than ever. While the housing market is experiencing an expected rise in foreclosures, it’s nowhere near the crisis levels seen when the housing bubble burst, and that won’t lead to a crash in home prices.

Don McDonald (DRE License No. 01436448) is a founding partner of Re/Max Elite Partners (License No. 01215931) in Fairfield. Reach him at 707-495-0774, don@remax elitepartners.com or www.remax elitepartners.com. Locally FocusedGlobally Connected.

01-06-23 [3 Bdrms - 1969 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 02-14-13, $289,500

FAIRFIELD

TOTAL SALES: 5

LOWEST AMOUNT: $453,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $905,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $545,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $603,000

2889 Cypress Circle - $545,000

01-06-23 [4 Bdrms - 1773 SqFt1978 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-15-00, $190,000

1719 Elm Street - $487,000

01-05-23 [3 Bdrms - 1296 SqFt - 1962 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-28-05, $370,000

5289 Gather Way - $905,000

01-06-23 [4 Bdrms - 3040 SqFt2018 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-15-20, $735,000

262 Holly Drive - $453,000

01-05-23 [3 Bdrms - 1276 SqFt - 1969 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 02-18-09, $165,000

5090 Rowe Drive - $625,000

01-04-23 [4 Bdrms - 2109 SqFt2003 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-26-04, $405,090

RIO VISTA

TOTAL SALES: 2

LOWEST AMOUNT: $417,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $425,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $421,000

01-05-23 [3 Bdrms - 1759 SqFt1990 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-28-16, $375,000

420 Canvasback Drive - $490,000

01-06-23 [4 Bdrms - 1440 SqFt1976 YrBlt]

VACAVILLE

TOTAL SALES: 13

LOWEST AMOUNT: $310,500

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,510,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $535,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $630,462

297 Aaron Circle - $530,000

01-06-23 [3 Bdrms - 1671 SqFt1993 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 10-18-18, $400,000

625 Blossom Oak Court$583,000

01-06-23 [3 Bdrms - 1733 SqFt1998 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-20-13, $395,000

273 Colonial Circle - $310,500

01-03-23 [3 Bdrms - 1334 SqFt1977 YrBlt]

155 Foothill Drive - $862,500

01-06-23 [3 Bdrms - 1919 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-28-15, $475,000

309 Grape Street - $425,000

01-03-23 [3 Bdrms - 945 SqFt - 1954 YrBlt]

181 Isle Royale Circle - $405,000

01-06-23 [2 Bdrms - 1152 SqFt - 1964 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-10-04, $299,000

05-14-18, $1,071,000

348 Sun Valley Way - $560,000

01-04-23 [3 Bdrms - 1413 SqFt - 1994 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-16-99, $189,000

2024 Truckee Court - $835,000 01-06-23 [3 Bdrms - 2550 SqFt2019 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-27-19, $711,500 521 Wellington Way - $620,000

[4 Bdrms - 1802 SqFt1973 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-05-98, $153,000

Woodridge Drive - $535,000 01-03-23 [3 Bdrms - 1602 SqFt1983 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-24-17, $350,000

Yosemite Circle - $530,000

[2 Bdrms - 1614 SqFt2003 YrBlt],

VALLEJO

[4 Bdrms - 2622 SqFt2000 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-24-00, $335,500

360 Echo Summit Road - $470,000 01-03-23 [3 Bdrms - 1088 SqFt1972 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-24-22, $390,000

142 Malaga Street - $689,000 01-03-23 [4 Bdrms - 2117 SqFt - 1980 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-03-21,

Don McDonald

REAL ESTATE SCENE

Time is now to revamp expensive FHA mortgage insurance requirement

Diversity is where everyone is invited to the party.

Inclusion means everyone can contribute to the playlist. Equity means everyone is given the opportunity to dance/experience the music.

I found these definitions on Google recently and hope this column is somehow read by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, our Democratic Party U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, and Democratic Party Housing and Urban Development Secretary Martha Fudge.

Porter

The “left” has been campaigning for years about how unfair it is for the poor in our country and the “right” has been campaigning for years about how spending and higher taxes is not the solution to our poverty

See Porter, Page 11

Single story home in Vanden Ranch! Built in 2015, this turn key home comes complete with all of the upgrades including appliances. The open floor plan has a great room concept and is perfect for entertaining as well as everyday living. The entire home has tile and LVP flooring with no carpet making the home perfect for anyone with children, pets, or allergies. The kitchen features quartz countertops with upgraded backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an under mount sink, and an island with a bar. Outside there is low maintenance drought resistant landscaping in both the front and rear yards along with an oversized side yard just right for parking toys or a dog run for your furry family members. The covered patio in the backyard is the perfect place to relax and offers additional privacy with the rear neighbors having a deep setback from the shared fence. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own a newer single story home with everything already included and no HOA or Mello Roos!

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Acapulco Sun is one of three Proven Winners Recipe of the Year. It features Supertunia Bermuda Beach petunia, Superbells Coralina calibrachoa and Superbena Peachy Keen verbena.

NORMAN WINTER/TNS

Life’s a beach with Acapulco Sun

he Garden Guy always gets a smile when I present a beautiful mixed container on my Facebook page and the first response is, “Can those flowers hang in partnership with my Bubblegum?”

By that they mean, will their Supertunia Vista Bubblegum, the winner of 323 awards, cover up all

the flowers I am presenting? The answer is most likely yes, and it’s time to head to the beach, or more precisely, Supertunia Bermuda Beach.

This doesn’t mean you should stop growing Supertunia Vista Bubblegum, which will bloom all summer while leaping over tall buildings (just

kidding). It does mean that if you want to grow the Proven Winners Recipe of the Year, Acapulco Sun; the dazzling Bermuda Skies; or the delectable Cherryade, you need to know and grow Supertunia Bermuda Beach.

James, my color design

See Winter, Page 8

Norman Winter

This recipe called Cherryade looks delectable indeed with Supertunia Bermuda Beach petunia, Superbells Pomegranate Punch calibrachoa and Sweet Caroline Raven ornamental sweet potato.

From Page 7

guru son, recently discovered Supertunia Bermuda Beach and told me about this great new variety. I kind of chuckled as I told him this award-winner came out when he was in high school. The salmon coral color of the blooms fits the “Bermuda” name perfectly. Notice its name does not have the word “Vista” in it, telling you right away it is easier to work in smaller designer containers. James used Bermuda Beach with Supertunia Mini Vista Violet Star, which was a beautiful partnership. Supertunia Bermuda Beach, called “The Best Petunia. Period.” at its debut, reaches 12 inches tall with a potential spread of 30 inches. It doesn’t need deadheading, but at some point, usually around Aug. 1 for us, it will need cutting back.

Regular feeding needs to be part of the regimen. We are partial to using a dilute water-soluble mix every other week.

Acapulco Sun, one of the Recipe of the Year winners, is the ultimate for those of you who love salmon, coral and peach.

It features Superbells Coralina calibrachoa, Superbena Peachy Keen verbena and of course, Supertunia Bermuda Beach. It is perfect for baskets and small to midsize containers.

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More millennials leaving the nest to form their own households

TIM HENDERSON STATELINE.ORG

From 2016 to 2021, nearly every state saw a spike in the number of young adults between the ages of 25 and 44 forming new house holds, a development with far-reaching implications for state populations, economic growth and infrastructure.

For many millennials, the economic fallout of the Great Recession a decade and a half ago postponed what for many is a major milestone: leaving their parents’ house or housing shared with roommates to form their own household. But millenni als began striking out on their own at a rapid clip starting about seven years ago, according to a new Stateline analysis of census data from the American Commu nity Survey.

For some couples, setting up a household feels like a pre requisite for having children. Housing purchases fuel housing construction. And when people buy furniture, appliances and the countless other items needed to keep a home, those purchases support sales and jobs in manufacturing and retail.

However, high housing prices and rising interest rates in the past year might be cooling the trend.

Florida and New Jersey were among the states that saw big increases in young households between 2016 and 2021 as many millennials reached their 30s.

New England states, where births to 30-something parents have been booming, also saw some of the biggest increases in households headed by people ages 25-44, compared with the previous five-year period, 2011-2016.

“We saw just a massive return

to New Jersey in 2020 and 2021. Millennials had been fleeing the state for New York City and downtown Philadelphia, but they found that living in a shoebox in Brooklyn was not very attractive when there’s a pandemic, and you’re raising children,” said James Hughes, a professor of urban planning at Rutgers University.

In New Jersey, the number of households headed by people ages 25-44 grew 13% between 2016 and 2021, after shrinking 7% between 2011 and 2016. Households are defined as any single person or group living together,

including families and couples.

The number of Maine households headed by millennials grew 21% between 2016 and 2021, after shrinking 12% the previous five years. In Florida, the growth rate was 18% after no growth in the previous five years.

An analysis released last month by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University found the biggest growth in new millennial-headed households occurred between 2019 and 2021, contributing to high demand for housing that drove up home prices and rents.

The overall percentage of first-time buyers – 26% – was an all-time low, during the Realtors survey period, down from 34% the previous year. Racial disparities also worsened: Homebuyers were 88% White from mid-2021 to mid2022, up from 82% the year before.

Rising rents are making it difficult for people to save for a down payment, “further holding back Black buyers, who are also more likely than others to be first-time buyers,” the Realtors report concluded.

In a report last year, Daniel Garcia Molina, a senior economist for the Federal Reserve System, also pointed to especially high rates of household formation between 2019 and 2021. But more recent data suggests a reversion to lower rates, he said.

DREAMSTIME/TNS

“Maybe they wanted to be out on their own earlier, but they were just not able to,” said Daniel McCue, a senior research associate at the center and the author of the Harvard analysis.

A record 27% of first-time homebuyers moved from a family home directly into ownership between July 2021 and June 2022, according to a National Association of Realtors survey.

However, the barriers to new household formation have grown higher as rents, home prices and mortgage rates all soared last year.

“We had seen in 2021 what seemed like a strong rebound from the early pandemic days, when many younger people moved in with family,” Garcia Molina said. As of last year, however, new households had declined again to 2019 levels: “Absent a rebound, it does not look like we’re seeing much make-up of previously postponed households following the Great Recession,” he said.

Rick Harrison, 33, a real estate agent and construction worker, moved to the Fort Myers, Florida, area from Connecticut five years ago. He and his wife recently bought a house, but he wishes they had done so when they first arrived.

“For millennials and Gen Z right now, a house has to be something you can comfortably afford, and there’s a lot of uncertainty about the economy now,” Harrison said. “Job security isn’t a real thing anymore. You don’t want to end up house-rich and money-poor.”

Millennials began forming new households at a rapid clip starting about seven years ago. =

Solano County Listings: Homes for sale

LOTS & LAND

Bermuda Skies is a recipe that will put spring into your step as it features Supertunia Bermuda Beach petunia, Superbells Yellow Chiffon calibrachoa and Laguna Sky Blue lobelia. NORMAN WINTER/TNS

MOBILE/FLOATING

MULTI UNIT 2-4

Winter

From Page 8

As I was looking at Supertunia Bermuda Beach recipes, I also fell in love with one called Cherryade. The partners are Superbells Pomegranate Punch calibrachoa and the dark purple Sweet Caroline Raven sweet potato. This is, simply put, dropdead gorgeous.

The recipe called Bermuda Skies is magical and a feast for the eyes. It is light and like the first breath of spring. It features Superbells Yellow Chiffon calibrachoa, which is a soft yellow. The “sky” in the name no doubt comes from Laguna Sky Blue lobelia. Southerners may say lobelia disappears with the heat. That is perhaps more so when growing as a monoculture, but

in a mixed container with other plants, you will have that touch of blue scattered throughout much longer than you anticipate. The Laguna series is new and introduces heat tolerance to a most-loved plant.

We are all ready for spring; we are all ready for our Bubblegum, as the throngs of gardeners would say. But The Garden Guy urges you to head back to the beach, Supertunia Bermuda Beach, for designs of salmon coral color like Acapulco Sun.

Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy. He receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.

Fireplace

From Page 3

fireplace, but Morgan Spenla, founder of craft-kit company Crafter, came up with a brilliant way to fake it: the faux stacked facade.

Spenla chose not to fill her firebox with logs, she says, because “we didn’t want bugs or critters creating a home in a warm space full of wood.” Instead, she painted a thin piece of plywood with leftover chalkboard paint and glued wooden rounds of varying thickness.

She says her fireplace had a channel inside that kept her board upright, but there are countless ways to get the board to stay vertical depending on your fireplace’s design. She used a nail gun from the backside to secure the glued rounds, because they kept sliding down.

When complete, it had the look of a firebox filled with logs, but it still had space to store items. Little pieces such as holiday decorations or even a safe would work well. A few woven baskets filled with throw blankets to create warmth and coziness completed the makeover.

3. Re-tile with style

Re-tiling your firebox is an immediate way to enliven and

update the look of your fireplace. Rachel Lovell, a dried flower artist in Bristol, England, chronicled the process on her Instagram. She had a professional remove the gas fireplace, then re-tiled the firebox on her own. Through YouTube, she learned to tile in a herringbone pattern, using paper to mock up her space beforehand to ensure her cuts were exact. The result was a fresh and modern firebox, perfectly suited to her style.

4. Stage a serene scene

Pillar-candle-filled fireboxes are popular, but Kymberly Glazer, director of marketing and sales for the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Association, had a fresh idea for adding an element of drama, dimension and height. She found a maker on Etsy who could create the custom candle risers she had in mind – and for less money than the mass-produced items she found.

Glazer says she and her husband renovated their first floor when they bought their place, but purposefully kept the nonworking fireplace as a focal point. She says it doesn’t make economic sense to install a gas insert in their New Orleans climate, but she loves the fireplace nonetheless.

5. Create a fairy-light fantasy

Hattie Kolp, an interior design content creator in New York City,

used fairy lights, or small string lights, in her firebox to achieve the ambiance of a roaring fire. “My apartment is from 1890, and my [gas] fireplaces have these really gorgeous original tile and iron inserts,” she says. Though the fireplaces no longer work, Kolp wanted to emulate the coziness they once provided and highlight their original features, such as the faux logs. Her solution was to wrap a “very long” strand of string lights around the logs

and up to the top of the firebox to create the look of licking flames. To achieve some height with the strand, “I wrapped them around a hook I stuck up inside the chimney,” she says.

6. Add a shelving unit

A fireplace makeover should take its cues from the room and from your functional needs.

Kelly-Jeanne Lee, an urban homesteader in Atlanta, nailed this

concept in her child’s bedroom by installing a perfectly sized shelving unit into the unused fireplace. “Adding this bookcase felt like the best use of the space,” she wrote in an Instagram post, “and then filling it was a joy.”

7. Add mirrors

Mirrors can have a big effect on a room, especially in a small space. Young used customcut mirrors to line his firebox, but stick-on mirror tiles are an easy DIY option, too. He says mirrors not only reflect light but also reflect the next room in open-concept designs. They add interest and make it seem as if there’s something beyond the fireplace niche.

You can style with mirrors when something is in the fireplace, too. Young chose natural wood, but statement pieces such as the stone slab or oversize vase that Emma Lee of London photographed would also complement a mirror-lined firebox.

“Just have fun with it,” Young says. He has long loved fireplaces and mantels; he and his husband bought a 1730s home that was once called Hearth House because of the large number of fireplaces, and his forthcoming book features nine of them. “They just speak to me,” he says, “and I don’t care if they’re functioning or not functioning, because I’ll find a way to make them interesting.”

From Page 5

problems. One thing both sides agree on is homeownership is the key to a strong middle class. Fifty-two percent of all Americans older than 55 have no pension plan, 401(k) or IRA. This fact is horrible for the “haves and the have nots” because advancements in health care have all these folks living to an average of 89 years old. The elderly retired “haves” will

be taxed to pay for the elderly retired “have nots” and the “have nots” will suffer living on Social Security and government assistance unless they are lucky enough to own a home free and clear, or lucky enough to have financially successful adult children to support them.

The FHA home loan program is not welfare. As a matter of fact, it’s the opposite of a handout; it’s a hand up.

The FHA loan program is a federally owned mortgage insurance company that has made huge profits over the past few

years and is sitting on four times the amount of capital reserves required by the statute, because they have been overcharging low- to middle-income families with expensive mortgage insurance premiums for years. Every private mortgage insurance company in America moved to risk-based pricing 10 to 15 years ago and yet the government program that many of my firsttime homebuyers desperately need because they don’t quite qualify for the conventional loan options via Freddie and Fannie is still charging one price for all

at a much higher price.

It’s almost unconscionable that Congress, politicians and HUD all talk about homelessness, poverty and housing affordability while they do nothing about this government ripoff happening to the people who need an FHA loan for the long-term financial security that homeownership provides.

The FHA loan program is a non-issue in areas like Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Newport Beach and Silicon Valley, where all the big political donors live, but in places

like Solano County, FHA is a way for people who work hard to climb up into the middle class and avoid retiring in poverty with a home free and clear when they turn 70.

Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.

HATTIE KOLP/THE WASHINGTON POST

Hattie Kolp used string lights to create the look of flames.