Filtering through this weeks headlines...

Top Headlines: Delivered by Advisory | Leonard Steinberg

December 05, 2025

01  Existing home sales in October were 1.7% higher year over year. The median price of a home sold in October was $415,200, an increase of 2.1% from a year earlier. Homes are staying on the market longer, at an average of 34 days.

(CNBC)

02  Good things grow quietly. Keep going.

03  More reasons to love rain?

Rain reduces air pollution by washing pollutants like dust, pollen, and soot out of the atmosphere through a process called wet deposition. While rain helps, its effect on smaller, more dangerous particles like PM2.5 is less significant, and any improvement is often temporary as long as pollution sources continue to emit. Without rain, ecosystems would collapse, freshwater would become scarce, and biodiversity would decline, as it is a fundamental part of the global water cycle that sustains life on Earth.

04  Starting in April 2028, a new mansion tax will introduce a new annual surcharge on properties valued at over £2 million (US$2.64 million) in the UK, starting around $3,500 per year up to around $10,000 per year.

(Mansion)

05  The least combustible home facade materials are solid metals like aluminum and steel, along with non-combustible minerals like brick, stone, and stucco.

06  What might we learn from some great hotels to apply to home design?

1. Monogramming things - napkins, towels, etc can personalize things.

2.  Books. Yes, hotels use books wisely as accessories, but often those books are actually used and are great sources of useful information.

3.  Mix patterns: wallpapers, bed linens,pillows, upholstery with a mix of patterns can make a hotel room feel more like a home.....and a home feel more like a home too!

4. A monotone color palette.

Other things many love about luxe hotels:  amazing bathrobes and slippers, super-comfy ‘ultra’ beds, reading lights next to beds, a sofa in a bedroom.....

(FT)