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<ul><li><keyword id="19904608" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> recently ended work from home</li><li>A former AWS employee shared tricks people use to not return to office</li><li>The post has gone viral </li></ul> A couple of days back, tech giant Amazon was under the limelight for ending <keyword id="20665553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="remote-work" source="keywords">remote work</keyword> forever. The company, through a memo shared by <keyword id="21367545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CEO-Andy-Jassy" source="keywords">CEO Andy Jassy</keyword>, announced that employees will be required to be in office for all five days. Jassy had also noted that there are various benefits of working from office - something that he has mentioned in previous memos as well - and that everything will return to the way it was before the Covid 19 pandemic. <h2>Employees are not ready to return to office</h2>Amazon's RTO (return to office) mandate had sparked a lot of discussion online, and various employees were seen criticising the decision. Now, a former <keyword id="19974102" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Web-Services" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon Web Services" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Amazon Web Services">Amazon Web Services</keyword> (AWS) engineer, <keyword id="23292501" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="John-McBride" source="keywords">John McBride</keyword>, has revealed some clever methods employees have used to dodge the company's strict return-to-office policy. The Colorado-based software engineer, who left AWS in June 2023, shared his experiences in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), which has now garnered over a million views. McBride called these tactics "true ingenuity and innovation," but not in the way one might expect from a tech giant like Amazon. In the post, McBride explained that many employees were going to great lengths to avoid physically returning to the office after Amazon implemented a strict return-to-office mandate. He himself chose to resign when asked to relocate to a different city and work from the office. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113585941" title="Unfortunate incident, compassion needs to be promoted: Experts react to EY employee’s death" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> McBride listed three "wild" tricks AWS employees have been using to avoid returning to the office while still appearing compliant with the company's attendance policies. <h2>The three "wild" tricks </h2> First, he highlighted a classic approach that employees used for weeks: badging into the office during lunch breaks, grabbing free snacks or coffee, and quickly leaving. “This worked for a few weeks until they started tracking how long employees actually stayed in the office,” McBride said. The second trick involved employees renaming their home Wi-Fi network to match that of the office's network. The company's reporting software would then mark the employee as being “in the office” based on the network name. McBride admitted this was his favourite tactic but mentioned that it didn’t last long. “Eventually, the IT department made the system more sophisticated, checking more than just network names.” Lastly, McBride spoke about certain "under-the-table arrangements," where employees left their security badges with colleagues who would clock them in and out of the office. “This was risky, but I knew someone who did this for months,” he remarked, amazed by how long it lasted. <div type="image" title="amazon" msid="113620212" hostid="261"></div> Although many companies, including Amazon, have been keen to bring employees back into physical office spaces following the pandemic, the rise of remote work has sparked ongoing debates about its long-term viability. McBride’s post has sparked conversations about the necessity of office attendance for tech professionals, especially given the increasing availability of virtual collaboration tools. It’s clear that employees are not only resourceful but also determined to maintain the flexibility that remote work offers. Whether these tricks will continue or be shut down entirely as companies tighten their policies remains to be seen. For now, McBride’s account sheds light on how some are navigating the changing landscape of post-pandemic work. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/article/simply-put-founder-mode-the-secret-sauce-to-startup-success-or-fancy-term-for-hustle-and-micromanagement/articleshow/113568851.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Founder Mode — the secret sauce to startup success or fancy term for hustle and micromanagement?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-macbook-air-m1-to-be-available-under-50000-on-amazon-how-to-get-the-deal/articleshow/113617645.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Apple MacBook Air M1 to be available under ₹50,000 on Amazon, how to get the deal</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=479266566&amp;author=divyanshi%20sharma=&amp;page=1" class="artishow_author"></a>

Rename home Wi-Fi, leave badge at office: Ex-Amazon employee reveals tricks used by employees to not work from office

The Ministry of Labour and Employment recently directed the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (<keyword id="19966712" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="EPFO" source="keywords">EPFO</keyword>) to ensure the activation of UAN (<keyword id="20789489" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="universal-account-number" source="keywords">Universal Account Number</keyword>) via Aadhar-based OTP. The outreach is part of announcements made during the Union Budget 2024-25, which aim to maximize the net of beneficiaries under the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme. The central government has already directed concerned ministries and departments to ensure that payment of all subsidies and incentives under all welfare schemes occurs via the Aadhar Payment Bridge and that 100% biometric Aadhar authentication is achieved. Notably, Aadhaar-based verification eliminates the need for producing multiple documents to prove one's identity. In the first stage, all employers must complete <keyword id="24089674" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UAN-activation" source="keywords">UAN activation</keyword> through Aadhar-based OTP for all employees who've joined the company in the current financial year by November 30, 2024. Starting with their latest recruits, employers will have to finish this process for all their employees. As per the budget announcements, the government will implement 3 schemes for 'Employment Linked Incentive' as part of the Prime Minister's package. These will be based on enrollment in the EPFO and focus on recognition of first-time employees and support to employees and employers. The ELI Scheme aims to create over 2 crore jobs in the country in 2 years. This will significantly contribute to increasing employment opportunities and enhancing livelihoods. UAN activation provides employees with seamless access to EPFO's comprehensive online services, enabling them to efficiently manage their Provident Fund (PF) accounts, view and download PF passbooks, submit online claims for withdrawals, advances, or transfers, update personal details, and track claims in real-time. This allows employees 24/7 access to EPFO services from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need for physical visits to EPFO offices. For the uninitiated, UAN is a 12-digit number allotted to each member of EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organization). Think of UAN as a single-point number that brings together multiple member IDs that have been allocated to a particular employee. In September this year, EPFO added 18.81 lakh members, registering a 9.33% YoY growth.

EPFO to ensure UAN activation for employees through Aadhaar-based OTP

For most of us, heading out used to be an everyday ritual, but COVID-19 has left an unexpected impact — many people are staying home more often, and this shift might just be the “new normal.” A recent study reveals that, compared to pre-pandemic life, people are spending almost an hour less each day on activities outside the home. Additionally, people are spending about 12 fewer minutes a day on travel. Researchers analysed a survey of 34,000 Americans, finding that this trend toward staying home reflects a larger shift that had already begun but has accelerated significantly due to COVID-19. The study shows a lasting change: while some out-of-home activities have slightly bounced back since the peak of the pandemic in 2021, Americans are still spending about 53 minutes less outside the home than they did in 2019. In 2023, the amount of time people spend outside remains considerably lower than before the pandemic, with <keyword id="23763147" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="in-home-activities" source="keywords">in-home activities</keyword> taking up more of the day. <h2>The new routine</h2>This drop in out-of-home time is partly due to more people working and shopping from home. The study found a marked decrease in out-of-home activities like work and shopping. With <keyword id="20665553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="remote-work" source="keywords">remote work</keyword> becoming more popular and online shopping more efficient than in-person errands, people are finding fewer reasons to go out. The researchers suggest that cities may need to rethink their policies around commercial and residential spaces, relaxing restrictions on converting offices into housing and creating more space for delivery services rather than traditional commuter parking. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114823699" title="Uber drops after its bookings results and forecast fail to impress" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The authors of the study see this as an opportunity for cities to embrace a new role as “centers of consumption.” Since office workers are no longer essential to urban economies, central cities may focus more on their appeal as hubs for recreation, culture, and dining — areas that can attract residents who choose to live in more urban settings. This shift could also make cities more affordable by reducing housing and transport costs. Technology advancements played a significant role in this new preference for staying in. During the pandemic, people adapted quickly to working, socialising, and even exercising at home. For example, sales of <keyword id="20751231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="home-gym" source="keywords">home gym</keyword> equipment surged, and now many people are working out at home rather than visiting gyms. Meanwhile, activities like TV watching did not rise post-pandemic as much as one might expect, with only a brief increase in screen time at the height of COVID. <h2>Less commuting, fewer emissions</h2>The study also shows a continued decrease in travel time, which initially dropped due to fewer commutes. Even as the world reopens, travel hasn’t bounced back completely, indicating that people are limiting outings beyond work as well. This decrease in driving and public transport use could have <keyword id="21198065" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="environmental-benefits" source="keywords">environmental benefits</keyword>, including lower emissions and fuel consumption. However, it raises questions about the potential downsides of extended time at home, such as <keyword id="20787438" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-isolation" source="keywords">social isolation</keyword>. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114822872" title="I&amp;#39;m an American who&amp;#39;s lived in South Korea for 10 years. Here are 9 things I don&amp;#39;t miss about the US." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>As more people choose to stay in, the researchers suggest that cities may need to adapt by focusing less on peak travel demands and more on pedestrian and cyclist safety, as well as accessible services for lower-income residents. These adaptations could improve urban life, particularly in dense areas where the need for safer and more walkable spaces is high. The study’s authors point out that, although this trend toward “cocooning” at home has been growing for years, the pandemic has caused a much steeper drop than expected. Moving forward, cities and communities may need to embrace this new lifestyle by designing policies and spaces that cater to a society that prefers staying home— whether it’s about creating vibrant urban hubs or ensuring services are available to all residents. While only time will tell if this trend endures, one thing is clear: staying in has reshaped our daily lives and could change the face of our cities in the years to come. The findings of this research have been published in the Journal of the American Planning Association and can be accessed <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2024.2385327">here</a>.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made people more reluctant to go out, study finds

X (formerly Twitter) is experiencing its largest user exodus since <keyword id="6355315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> took over in 2022. The tipping point is a perfect storm of political controversy, privacy fears, and discontent with the platform’s new policies, culminating in a dramatic shift of users to alternative platforms like <keyword id="412371" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bluesky" source="Orion">Bluesky</keyword> and <keyword id="1163500" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="threads" source="Orion">Threads</keyword>. Here’s a breakdown of the recent changes and why they’ve left users saying goodbye to X. <h2>Political backlash</h2>The day after the U.S. presidential election on November 6, X saw over 115,000 account deactivations — the most since Musk's acquisition. Many users were disillusioned by Musk's perceived alignment with newly elected President Donald Trump. Musk's vocal support for Trump during his campaign, coupled with his attendance at Republican rallies, alienated users who once trusted X as a politically neutral platform. One user, Kara Wurtz, said the election was the “final straw.” After eight years on the platform, the finance director from St. Louis decided that X was no longer delivering the content she valued. “Every time I opened it, it would throw things at me that put me in a bad mood,” she said. The political fallout didn’t just affect individuals. Prominent organisations and brands, including The Guardian and former CNN anchor Don Lemon, have also bid farewell to the platform. <h2>New terms of service spark outrage</h2>On November 15, X's updated terms of service came into effect, granting the platform a sweeping global licence to use user-generated content. This includes using posts, photos, and creative works to train artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models. The backlash was immediate: <ul><li>Privacy Concerns: By continuing to use X, users implicitly agree to have their data — personal photos, creative work, and more — used for AI training. Artists and creators fear their intellectual property could be exploited to develop AI tools that might one day replace human creativity.</li><li>Legal Implications: Disputes over the new terms will be handled in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, home to Judge Reed O'Connor, a Tesla investor. This has raised questions about potential bias in legal proceedings related to the platform.</li></ul>Alex Fink, CEO of the AI-powered platform Otherweb, criticised X’s lack of transparency, stating, “Unlike other platforms with vague licensing terms, X removes any ambiguity about its intentions.” <h2>Changes to blocking and safety settings</h2>Safety concerns have also escalated due to alterations in X’s block feature. Users now allegedly receive notifications that even those they block can still view their posts — though they can’t interact. This tweak is particularly alarming for users who have faced harassment on the platform. Many feel their safety is compromised, prompting them to seek refuge in safer alternatives like Bluesky, which saw a surge of 500,000 new users in just one day following the policy updates. Initially developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky offers customizable feeds and decentralised control, which many find refreshing. With over 16 million users (and counting), it’s quickly becoming the top choice for X refugees. Threads, Instagram’s text-based app, also surpassed 275 million monthly active users by November, with 15 million new sign-ups last month alone. For many, these platforms represent a chance to escape X’s chaos while reclaiming control over their online experience. <h2>Is Fediverse the future?</h2>Experts believe the exodus from X could mark the beginning of a new era of decentralised social networks. Bluesky, built on a protocol that enables interconnected platforms, is part of the "Fediverse," which could allow users to interact seamlessly across different apps. This shift reflects growing dissatisfaction with centralised platforms that control user data, content visibility, and privacy settings. While Musk touts record-breaking engagement on X, the cracks in the platform’s foundation are evident. Critics warn that X could become a training ground for Musk’s xAI venture, leveraging user interactions to fuel lucrative AI models. Whether X can weather this storm remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the days of Twitter’s broad appeal as a space for open, inclusive dialogue seem to be fading fast.

Mass X-odus: What are the controversial changes on X that are driving users away?

If your broadband connectivity faltered recently, the cause may be far above the Earth. On October 19, 2024, the <keyword id="23654638" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Intelsat-33e" source="keywords">Intelsat 33e</keyword> satellite experienced a catastrophic event in <keyword id="20509348" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="geostationary-orbit" source="keywords">geostationary orbit</keyword>, breaking into at least 20 pieces. This fragmentation was later confirmed to have generated over 57 pieces of <keyword id="20715750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-debris" source="keywords">space debris</keyword>. The satellite’s sudden disintegration impacted certain broadband and connectivity services in Asia, Europe and Africa. While the satellite wasn’t widely used for everyday home broadband, its services were vital for specific sectors. <keyword id="21479073" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Intelsat" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Intelsat" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Intelsat">Intelsat</keyword> 33e was a critical part of Intelsat’s EpicNG network, delivering high-throughput broadband for inflight Wi-Fi, maritime connectivity, and business communications. It even supported broadband for airlines in India through a partnership with Tata's Nelco. However, the incident that occurred on October 19 resulted in a loss of power and service to Intelsat’s customers. In a statement released by the company, Intesat said that they were assessing their fleet’s capacity as well as working with third-party providers to mitigate service interruptions. Intelsat representatives were in direct communication with all affected customers, it further said. <h2>What caused the satellite to break apart? </h2>Instances of deliberate satellite destructions, accidental collisions and violent solar activity have all been documented in the past. But the exact cause of the satellite's breakup is still under investigation. Notably, Intelsat 33e, designed and manufactured by <keyword id="23663703" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boeing-Space-Systems" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Boeing Space Systems" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Boeing Space Systems">Boeing Space Systems</keyword>, has had a history of propulsion problems. Soon after its launch in 2016, the satellite faced thruster issues, which reduced its operational lifespan. Such malfunctions may have contributed to the satellite’s structural failure over time. In fact, the Boeing-built EpicNG 702MP satellite bus has experienced failures in the past, including one in 2019. At the moment, it remains unclear whether this was an isolated incident or part of a larger mechanical failure. Regardless of the root cause, the most pressing issue left by the incident is the generation of space debris, which presents risks for other operational satellites. <h2>Growing pile of space junk </h2>The breakup of Intelsat 33e adds to a growing concern: space debris. With over 57 pieces of the 6,600 kilogram satellite now floating in geostationary orbit, the risk to other satellites and space assets has increased. Space junk can cause significant damage to operational satellites by colliding with them at high speeds. Each collision generates even more debris, creating a dangerous cascade effect known as the Kessler syndrome, where space becomes increasingly congested and hazardous for future missions. While steps are being taken to track and mitigate space debris, incidents like this one highlight the growing urgency for better space traffic management and debris removal solutions. As we rely more on satellite infrastructure for global communication, the safety and sustainability of space have never been more critical. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114292761" title="The sun is at its 11-year maximum. That means another year of eruptions that can endanger satellites, ground flights, and spark stunning auroras." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Did you experience wonky broadband service recently? A broken satellite in space might have something to do with it!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Six moms say they spend $500 to $2,600 a month to create their <keyword id="23551039" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="paid-village" source="keywords">paid village</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="20826057" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="childcare" source="keywords">Childcare</keyword> is the most substantial cost, while many also hire cleaners.</li></ul>Amy Johnson, a mom of two in <keyword id="19991752" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cleveland" source="keywords">Cleveland</keyword>, can count on both her mother and mother-in-law to help with the kids and with domestic chores every month. Despite having that unpaid support, Johnson and her husband pay $2,600 a month for childcare and cleaning — the sort of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grandparents-cant-look-after-grandkids-still-work-full-time-2024-9">paid village</a> that Johnson says is essential when both <keyword id="19987662" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="parents" source="keywords">parents</keyword> are working. "Life is currently a juggle between time and money," said Johnson, whose kids are 2 and 3. Johnson and her husband both work full-time, and Johnson also runs a website,<a target="_blank" href="https://amybabys.com/"> Amy Baby</a>. "I feel if we don't use the time wisely to create more revenue streams, we're just going to sink," she told BI. Parents around the country are struggling to pay for <keyword id="23417837" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="childcare-costs" source="keywords">childcare costs</keyword>—which are often higher than a mortgage or rent. In 2018 (the most recent year for which data is available), median childcare costs ranged from $4,800 in small counties for a school-age kid at home to $15,400 for an infant at a center, <a href="https://blog.dol.gov/2023/01/24/new-childcare-data-shows-prices-are-untenable-for-families" target="_blank">according</a> to the Department of Labor. Adjusted for inflation, that was $5,000 to $17,000 in 2022 money. In addition to childcare, many families find they need to pay for other domestic services, like transportation for their kids, grocery pickup, or cleaning—essentials that parents say they simply don't have time for while juggling their careers. That leaves families like Johnson's "trying our best to keep our heads above water," she said. It's a familiar refrain for many parents around the country. Here's what five other parents are paying to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/family-tiny-house-village-kids-have-own-homes-3-years-later-2023-5">create the village</a> they need to survive. <h2>A mom of 3 in rural North Dakota: $1,300+ a month</h2>Katie Nostrum relies on unpaid childcare from her three kids, who are 9, 2, and 6 months old. When the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/school-start-times-in-conflict-dont-mesh-with-work-2023-9">kids aren't in school</a> or at day care, Nostrum's grandparents watch them as Nostrum works as a postmaster and her partner works in a welding shop. Day care for the two younger kids costs $650 every two weeks, or over $1,300 a month. Nostrum's town is very rural — about 45 minutes away from the nearest store. Like many rural Americans, she has limited options for childcare and other support. "There are not a lot of options to create a village, no after or before school programs, etc," she said. <h2>A Texas mom of 3: $1,090 a month</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/notastarvingartistgirl/?hl=en">Jessica Lemmons</a> lives in Bryan, Texas, with her husband and three kids, ages 10, 5, and 2. She pays about $1,090 a month for childcare, which includes day care tuition for her youngest and occasional babysitting for all three. The costs would be a lot higher if Lemmons couldn't count on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/having-children-pushed-me-away-from-my-career-2022-4">unpaid help</a> from friends and bartering the skills of her husband, who is a chef. "I am very fortunate in that I have close friends here who are childless by choice, who genuinely love spending time with my kids," she said. "I do make sure I have the capacity to feed them tasty meals whenever they're doing so." <h2>Mom of 1, outside Chicago: $2,000+ a month</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.lorealthompsonpayton.com/">L'Oreal Thompson Payton</a>, a freelance writer who lives outside Chicago, pays $497 each week to send her 3-year-old to preschool. On rare occasions, she <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-saved-childcare-costs-by-swapping-babysitting-with-a-mom-2021-10">uses a babysitter</a>. She and her husband also pay $25 an hour for a cleaner and hire one occasionally if they have guests coming to stay. While she pays for some of her village, Thompson Payton also cultivates unpaid support by connecting with day care parents and neighbors who also have young children. While the costs are high, Thompson Payton said the benefits are well worth the money. "I think there's a lot of unnecessary guilt and shame that can come up with having a 'paid' village,'" she said. "As much as I love being a mom, it's important for me, my sanity, and our marriage that I have an identity outside that, which would simply not be possible if we didn't have paid support." <h2>Mom of 2 in Tennessee: $520 a month</h2>Miriam Udy was paying $1,600 a month for childcare in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intergenerational-living-benefits-for-kids-free-babysitting-2024-10">the San Francisco Bay Area</a> when she got pregnant with her second. She and her husband relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, in part because they couldn't afford to pay more than $3,000 a month in childcare costs. After moving, she paid $520 a month for care for her daughter. Her son qualified for free preschool because he has special needs. Now that both kids are in school, Udy is looking for a helper to get the kids off the bus, do homework with them, and drive them to activities. She also budgets for summer camp costs, which exceeded $4,000 last year. <h2>A mom of 2 in New York: $500 a month</h2>Aghogho Oluese quit her job when she got pregnant with her second. "The cost of childcare was so high that I would've only netted $500 a month if I had stayed in my former job," she said. Since then, she's launched<a target="_blank" href="https://blwforbusymoms.com/"> Baby-Led Weaning For Busy Moms</a>. She provides the bulk of childcare for her two children but still pays to build her village. Her older child goes to aftercare which is $15 an hour, and the family has a weekly cleaner at $30 an hour. Occasionally, Oluese pays a babysitter $30 an hour to watch both kids. Overall, she spends about $500 a month on paid help. "I wouldn't be able to do all that I do during the day without it," she said. Correction: October 2, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated which year the Department of Labor's childcare-cost figures came from. They're from 2018, not 2022. They also were the median costs, not the average costs.

Parents are turning to a 'paid village' to handle childcare and cleaning. Costs range from $500 to $2,600 a month.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-residents-moving-leaving-climate-change-refugees-hurricanes-flood-2023-2">climate crisis</a> is an often-hidden financial risk when buying a house.</li><li>A few online tools can help you assess that risk and possible costs by address.</li></ul>If you're <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-man-refused-leave-hurricane-proof-home-basically-unharmed-milton-2024-10">shopping for a house</a>, you're probably thinking ahead and planning for your future.Here's the thing, though: By the end of a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/mortgages/will-mortgage-rates-go-down-this-year">30-year mortgage</a>, you'll be living on a pretty different planet.Even if companies and governments across the world make some drastic changes — and that's a big "if" — humanity's carbon emissions have already locked in some additional warming for decades to come. That means more intense and sometimes more frequent floods, wildfires, hurricanes, winter storms, and other forms of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-outlook-analysis-prices-rising-extreme-weather-risk-jpmorgan-2024-2">extreme weather</a>.You and your house could suffer everything from headaches and declining <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-higher-home-prices-climate-change-air-quality-impact-2024-2">property value</a> to giant bills and life-threatening events.That's why it's important to take stock of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-housing-market-prediction-sun-belt-climate-change-zelman-2024-7">climate risks your home faces</a> in the coming decades.It's impossible to know exactly what will happen, but a few <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tool-determines-home-climate-risk-heat-wind-bad-air-2024-3">online tools</a> can give you an idea of the risks — as well as the costs you could incur and what you can do about it — depending on which house you buy.<h2 id="f72716a3-6428-4f34-94f8-2f3ebf4d7693">Learn about the possible damages</h2>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zillow-gone-wild-weird-unique-houses-homes-hot-homebuying-selling-2024-7">most popular real-estate website</a> in the US, Zillow, has a new feature to peer into the potential climate future of each listing. The new "climate risks" tool shows <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-united-states-extreme-heat-belt-study-2022-8">how many days of extreme heat</a> and unhealthy air quality a property is expected to see over the next 30 years, assuming humanity is on track to stabilize climate change by 2100. The tool also shows the likelihood of more destructive events: floods, wildfires, and windstorms.<div type="image" title="group of people watch wildfire burning home in the hills with palm trees" height="1771" width="2500" msid="114374425" hostid="261" sizebytes="281278"></div>These assessments come from First Street, a former nonprofit that became a for-profit company this year, which uses computer models to quantify certain weather and climate risks for individual properties. First Street says it incorporates a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maui-wildfires-lahaina-wooden-house-spared-among-rubble-2023-8">building's specific structural characteristics</a>, as well as local infrastructure like roads and utilities."If you don't take stock of the climate risk specifically, you could be in over your head," Jeremy Porter, the head of climate implications research at First Street, told Business Insider.For example, if the cost of flood or wildfire insurance spikes as it already has in places like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homeowners-california-florida-insurance-issues-natural-disasters-wildfires-hurricanes-2023-10">Florida and California</a>, "all of a sudden your household budget doesn't make any sense for the property that you ended up buying," he said.The new Zillow tool also makes recommendations about insurance based on First Street's analysis.To dive even deeper, you can go to First Street's website and get a free trial of its paid service, which shows ballpark estimates of how much a flood or fire could cost you, expected cooling costs, and projections of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-insurance-hurricanes-extreme-weather-relocate-to-ocala-2023-10">insurance prices</a>. You can also toggle certain renovations to see how they impact those costs.<h2 id="0eef8ad3-480e-4072-aadf-cb64222742c5">Remember those estimates aren't a crystal ball</h2>Climate-science experts outside the company have some reservations about First Street's flood and wildfire estimates, though.Michael Wara, a senior research scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://heatmap.news/guides/zillow-climate-risk-flooding-fire">Heatmap News</a> to take First Street's calculations with "a lot of grains of salt."Heatmap reported that First Street probably underestimates <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-wildfire-burns-multimillion-dollar-homes-in-california-orange-county-2022-5">wildfire risk</a> in wildfire-prone areas and that flood risk is very difficult to accurately model. You can try to cross-check flood risk with other sources like seeing if the town or city has flood maps available."Everything that we're offering are probabilistic risk estimates," Porter said."I think that just in general, the models give you a pretty good indication of which properties are riskier than other properties," he added.<h2 id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">Then check local building codes…</h2>Once you know the climate risks, you can assess <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-why-some-homes-survive-hurricanes-lessons-homeowners-2024-10">how well a property is built</a> to withstand them.<div type="image" title="slumping one-story grey and wood panel house with panels ripped away next to a standing yellow house" height="1500" width="2249" msid="114374424" hostid="261" sizebytes="407800"></div>A good indicator of that is the local building code and whether the house is built to its standards. The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes has a tool for checking that at <a target="_blank" href="http://inspecttoprotect.org">inspecttoprotect.org</a>.Not only does FLASH rate the local building code, but the tool also shows information about the area's past <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-how-profit-natural-disasters-hurricanes-wildfires-storms-investors-2023-8">natural disasters</a> and suggests upgrades.<h2 id="03112be6-cab7-49c5-9eed-55cc34037179">... and consider renovations</h2>In the FLASH tool, you can select the year a house was built to see what <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiny-home-renovation-old-abandoned-cottage-scotland-before-after-photos-2022-7">renovations</a> would strengthen it against different natural disasters. Each upgrade has a cost and impact rating.Taking matters into your own hands could make a big difference because, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/bcat#:~:text=FEMA%20tracks%20the%20building%20code,simply%20by%20its%20acronym%2C%20BCAT.">according</a> to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, only about one-third of US jurisdictions have adopted up-to-date codes to match their natural hazards.Even then, building codes are often designed to protect the lives of people inside the house, but not necessarily to prevent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-homeowner-milton-tearing-through-neighborhood-cant-sleep-2024-10">expensive property damage</a>."You got to at least have a good building code, but that's a starting point. It's not your gold standard, it's your minimum," Leslie Chapman-Henderson, FLASH's president and CEO, told BI.In some cases, renovations and upgrades can even help lower your insurance costs.

Before buying a home, check this hidden financial risk

The experience of lying in bed late at night and scrolling through a nearly infinite feed of homes is a modern miracle — not merely because of all the tech packed into your iPhone, but for the simple reason that all those houses are gathered in one place. Open up Zillow, Redfin, or any of their competitors, and you'll have a clear picture of almost all the homes up for grabs around the country.That may be about to change. Real estate's power players are engaged in a bitter standoff over who exactly gets to see the millions of homes listed for sale in the US each year. At the center of the debate are the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-agents-lawsuits-buy-sell-homes-forever-housing-market-2023-6">multiple-listing services</a>, or MLSes, local databases that gather pictures and details of homes for sale. Almost as soon as a real-estate agent starts touting a home publicly — via an email blast, a post on their website, or a sign in a front yard — they'll throw the listing on the MLS to be fed to other agents and aggregator sites like Zillow. Smart business move? Sure. But agents also don't have a choice, thanks to a rule handed down five years ago by the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuits-verdict-realtors-brokerages-real-estate-agents-home-buying-selling-2023-11">powerful National Association of Realtors</a> called the "clear-cooperation policy," which requires them to list a home on the MLS within one business day of marketing it to the public.Some of the industry's high-profile figures are pushing for the NAR to loosen the rule or get rid of it, which they say would give sellers and their agents more freedom to choose where — and to whom — they advertise their properties. The NAR's top brass are set to consider the change in the coming months.The cynical take is that those in favor of a shake-up — including the leaders of some of the country's largest real-estate brokerages, like Compass and Anywhere Real Estate, the owner of big-name brands like Coldwell Banker and Century 21 — just want to hoard listings on their own websites. As gatekeepers, the thinking goes, they'll be able to lure agents and clients with exclusive access to these properties, growing their businesses and padding their bottom lines. The result would be a more fractured market; instead of going to just Zillow or Realtor.com, a buyer might have to comb through individual brokerages' websites. Agents might be emboldened to share listings among private networks of in-the-know brokers rather than market them to everyone. More homes could trade hands out of view of the average homebuyer."If you were to ask people, 'Should houses be hidden?' most people would say no," Brian Boero, the CEO of 1000Watt, a brand and marketing agency for real-estate companies, told me. "If you asked people, 'Should everybody be able to see the houses that are for sale on the market at any time and have, at least, access to them?' I think most people would say absolutely."It's not quite so cut-and-dried. Opponents of the rule say sellers should be able to market their homes however they see fit, arguing that there are all kinds of reasons someone might not want to list their home on the MLS. And if the goal is a transparent market that prioritizes consumers, the clear-cooperation policy is a flawed tool. It contains a glaring loophole that critics say may have actually pushed more home sales into the shadows.This latest conflict pits Goliath against Goliath, but the stakes are highest for the millions of Davids just trying to put roofs over their heads. The typical buyer wants to see all the homes available, while the typical seller wants a quick sale and a good price. Which kind of housing market will get them there? Both sides claim to know the answer, but their visions for the future of homebuying are miles apart.In the not-so-distant past, MLSes distributed home listings via books — thick, unwieldy tomes that were outdated by the time they made it into a real-estate agent's hands. The introduction of the online MLS around the turn of the century was a revelation, providing a central repository of reliable info on an area's available homes. The system isn't perfect: Access to the MLS is often restricted to licensed agents who pay hundreds of dollars in dues each year to belong to their local, state, and national Realtor associations, on top of MLS fees. Since there are more than 500 local MLSes in the US, an agent might have to pay dues to several of these groups just to see all the homes within an hour's drive of their office. But the databases are still widely considered a model for the rest of the world.While an agent doesn't technically have to participate, the MLS's trove of data is practically a necessity to do the job. And in order to play in the MLS sandbox, you have to follow the MLS rules. About 97% of local MLSes are effectively controlled by the NAR, a trade group with roughly 1.5 million members who pay for the "Realtor" designation and agree to abide by the organization's ethical and professional guidelines. The NAR doesn't own the MLSes directly, but it sets the rules for most of them. Five years ago, the organization's leaders pinpointed a growing problem: Some agents weren't playing fair. They were keeping select listings off the MLS and marketing them on their own websites or among clubby groups of brokers known as private listing networks. The prevalence of so-called pocket listings has always been hard to quantify, but pretty much everyone agrees they were on the rise in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. Redfin estimated that in the second quarter of 2019, about 1.7% of listings, or some 18,000 homes, were likely pocketed. Those homes were marked "sold" or "pending sale" the same day they were put in the MLS — a sign that the transaction may have already been wrapped up in private. Agents promoting pocket listings might argue that they were acting in the best interests of their clients; a seller going through a messy divorce, for example, may prefer a quiet sales process rather than the fanfare of a public listing. The MLS also displays information that may not be favorable to a seller. It shows the number of days a home has been on the market and keeps track of price cuts, offering buyers leverage points that would never be found on a listing broker's website. There are, of course, self-serving reasons an agent might prefer to advertise a home off the MLS. If they find an unrepresented buyer, they may be able to pocket the portion of the commission that would have otherwise gone to the buyer's agent, upping their haul from the sale to, say, 6% instead of the typical 3%. Belonging to private listing networks could also help drum up business: Work with me, an agent could tell a buyer, and you'll get access to all these listings that Joe Schmo at XYZ Brokerage doesn't even know about. Indeed, Top Agent Network, a destination for high-achieving brokers to share "not-yet-on-MLS properties" with each other, claims on its website that agents can help buyers find their dream homes "by staying ahead of the market."The whole point of the MLS, though, is to have all listings in one place for everyone to find — the system falls apart if agents get to pick and choose which ones to contribute. The NAR's answer to this chaos was the clear-cooperation policy. The rule, which went into effect in May 2020, tightened the screws on agents by requiring them to put a listing on the MLS within one business day of marketing it to the public. For-sale sign in the front yard? Better get it on the MLS pronto. Gush about it on your Facebook page? Clock's ticking. Teasing homes in a private listing network without also posting on the MLS was a no-go.The idea was that any alternative to the MLS would harm both consumers and their agents. A seller risks getting a lower price if there are fewer eyeballs on their listing. A buyer might know of only a fraction of homes for sale at any time, limiting their options. Agents can't make money off shadow listings that they don't even know about. MLSes are also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bad-real-estate-agents-realtors-homebuyers-sellers-housing-market-2023-7">huge sources of revenue</a> for the many local Realtor associations that own and operate them — the NAR has a direct interest in making sure they remain valuable."Everybody benefits when we all pool our listings, and we do so in a timely manner," Saul Klein, a longtime real-estate executive who's the CEO of the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, told me. "And people are hurt, potentially, when we don't do that."The new rule, however, included a loophole. It allows agents to market a home to other agents within their brokerage without sharing it on the MLS, a practice known as "office exclusives." The carveout effectively allows for private gardens within each brokerage, filled with homes you can't find anywhere else. Large brokerages like Compass, which has more than 30,000 agents across the country, can make a pitch to a seller like this: "We'll maintain your privacy by keeping your home off Zillow and test your chosen price across our huge network. We can limit the showings so you don't have random people traipsing through your home. And if you're not satisfied, we can always turn to the MLS later."Today, many large brokerages tout offerings that attempt to capitalize on this state of play. Compass, for instance, will offer to list your home as a "private exclusive" within its brokerage before launching it to the public. Howard Hanna's "Find It First" program allows sellers to "benefit from broad exposure without compromising on control," the company's CEO, Howard Hanna IV, said in a statement. In a lawsuit after the unveiling of the rule, Top Agent Network accused the NAR of privileging large brokerages (which belong to the association) while stamping out the competition from alternatives to the MLS. It complained that the organization's rule was "a transparent attempt at protecting its turf, not helping consumers."The clear-cooperation rule faded into the background as the pandemic upended the industry. But as the market settled and other big changes, like the class-action lawsuits over agent commissions, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homebuyers-real-estate-revolution-nar-lawsuits-new-rules-realtors-agents-2024-4">reached a resolution</a>, a group led by Compass' CEO, Robert Reffkin, began publicly pressuring the NAR to reconsider clear cooperation. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-housewives-mauricio-umansky-agency-daily-schedule-2022-8">Mauricio Umansky</a>, a celebrity agent and brokerage CEO known for appearing on "Buying Beverly Hills," "Real Housewives," and "Dancing with the Stars," was already part of the opposition to the rule, having sued the NAR over his attempts to start an MLS alternative known as the PLS, or the Property Listing Service. Executives at Anywhere Real Estate, one of the largest brokerage companies in the country, have pushed for the rule to be loosened but not eliminated — one suggestion is to give agents more time to market a home publicly before listing it on the MLS. On the other side, executives at Zillow and Redfin decried the potentially disastrous consequences of a fractured housing market. In a recent op-ed article, Redfin's president and CEO, Glenn Kelman, argued that the end of clear cooperation would allow large brokerages to control more inventory, forcing buyers, sellers, and their agents to flock to big players rather than smaller outfits."The goal in weakening Clear Cooperation is to make being bigger matter — more than being better," Kelman wrote. "That is the law of the jungle, masquerading as freedom."It's not clear, though, that the clear-cooperation rule made things much better for consumers. In a hot market, it's easier for brokers to market a home off the databases and still get it sold. Redfin estimates that in the second quarter of 2021, the share of listings that were likely pocketed increased to 2.8%, or almost 35,000 homes. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-ice-age-higher-home-prices-fewer-sales-inventory-2023-5">The market has since slowed</a>, and Redfin's estimation of pocket listings was down to 1.8% of sales in the second quarter of this year, roughly in line with the same period in 2019. These are imperfect estimates; it's possible for a home to debut on the MLS in the morning and have a sale pending by the end of the day without anything unscrupulous happening. They could also be undercounts, since some homes may never be listed in the MLS at all. Ultimately, the data from one of clear cooperation's biggest advocates doesn't prove that the rule has actually reduced off-MLS sales. What has changed since the rule went into effect is brokerages' eagerness to control access to home listings. Home sales volume has plummeted since the heady days of 2021, which means <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/compass-layoffs-robert-reffkin-housing-market-2023-1">less revenue for the businesses that make their money by taking a cut of their agents' sales commissions</a>. Without clear cooperation, brokerages could drive more traffic to their own websites by publicly advertising homes that aren't available in the MLS or on sites like Zillow. And they could continue to tease office exclusives that are accessible only if you work with their agents.Both sides of this debate can reasonably claim that the industry will face legal trouble if they don't get their way. The Department of Justice, which has been fighting to reopen a wide-ranging investigation into the NAR, has signaled that the organization's control of the MLSes could be anticompetitive, stifling the development of alternative databases. What incentive is there for someone to start an MLS rival, the thinking goes, if basically everyone who uses the new database would still have to put their listings on the MLS anyway? On the other hand, proponents of clear cooperation argue that not showing homes to everybody could run afoul of fair-housing laws designed to ensure that buyers have equal access to the market."The fact that every listing is contributed to the MLS and that every consumer has access to that information is an enormous and overwhelming benefit to support fair housing," Victor Lund, a founder and managing partner of Wav Group, a consulting firm for real-estate companies, told me. "There is too much opportunity for housing discrimination without it."There are a lot of ways this could go. The final call will rest in the hands of top leaders at NAR, whose board will likely mull over the issue at its annual convention in the second week of November. It could be months before a decision, however, especially since it's not clear what kinds of actions the DOJ may take against the organization. NAR leadership could keep clear cooperation as is, repeal it entirely, or revise it in ways that might not even be obvious right now. Several people I spoke with, including Kelman, told me they'd like to see the office-exclusive loophole closed — no more exceptions for agents marketing homes within their brokerages."If you haven't bought a home yet," Kelman told me, "there is nothing more unsettling than seeing a moving van outside a house that never showed up in any of your searches." An imperfect rule, he argued, is better than no rule. Those in Kelman's camp say a housing market without the current version of the MLS would be more divided and more difficult to parse. At the same time, it's impossible to brush aside the criticisms of the rule. There's no guarantee it will remain as it is when the dust settles.The lawsuits over agent commissions last year were seismic, but they were ultimately about the practical matter of consumers' wallets: how much they were paying agents and what they were getting in return. The debate over clear cooperation strikes me as much more existential. Its result will determine the kind of housing market we have in the future. Buckle up.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/james-rodriguez">James Rodriguez</a> is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Discourse team.

Realtors are fighting over hidden listings. Their battle could make it harder to find a home.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-depot-business-size-facts-sales-employees-store-locations-2019-5">Home Depot</a> now requires corporate employees to spend one day each quarter working in a retail store.</li><li>The move revives a long-standing practice that was suspended during the pandemic.</li></ul>The next orange-aproned employee who helps you <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-target-kroger-in-labor-hoarding-war-for-workers-2023-3">match a paint swatch at Home Depot</a> might spend their typical work days programming hex code colors for the retailer's app.Beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, Home Depot will require corporate employees to spend a day each quarter working in a retail store to better understand what customer-facing roles entail."It's critical that we all spend time in the aisles engaging directly with customers and understanding the unique opportunities and challenges that our frontline associates face every day," a Home Depot spokesperson told Business Insider. "We've had many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-depot-ben-hill-arthur-blank-good-company-customer-service-2020-9">similar programs in the past</a>, and this newly launched effort is the latest such program."The policy applies to corporate employees, including senior management and remote workers. According to a memo from CEO Ted Decker, employees must complete an eight-hour shift four times a year, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-08/home-depot-ceo-orders-corporate-staff-to-work-in-stores-four-times-a-year">Bloomberg</a> reported.The spokesperson said the move revives a long-standing practice suspended during the pandemic as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-depot-chartering-cargo-ships-started-as-a-joke-2021-10">safety concerns and operational challenges</a> took priority.Software developers on social media <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/1fycv29/home_depot_software_devs_to_start_having_to_spend/">reacted</a> favorably to the move, saying it would give programmers a better understanding of how actual users — rather than imaginary — interact with the apps and software they build."More firms ought to give their developers systematic exposure to the business end of things," programmer Eric S. Raymond <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://twitter.com/esrtweet/status/1843423420677030258">posted</a> on X in response to the news.Home Depot isn't the only company using the undercover boss strategy.Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi made headlines last year when he revealed his takeaways from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-company-should-have-paid-attention-drivers-2023-9">driving for the service</a> the year before."It showed me, literally, that we as a company culturally were very much focused on the rider and the eater product because we used them ourselves — we took a lot of pride in it all the time," he told a conference hosted by General Electric. "But we didn't take pride in the driver product because very few of us drove."If you are a Home Depot worker who wants to share your perspective, please <a target="_blank" href="mailto:dreuter@businessinsider.com">contact Dominick via email</a> or text/call/Signal at 646.768.4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out

Home Depot is requiring its corporate employees to do shifts at the company's stores

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding in Asheville, leaving many without necessities.</li><li>Previously, Asheville attracted Gen Z for its climate, business scene, and community.</li></ul>Sierra Isley was still unpacking boxes when the storm hit. The 24-year-old and her partner moved to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-asheville-furniture-business-founders-lost-everything-2024-10">Asheville</a>, North Carolina from Philadelphia a few weeks ago and signed a lease on their new apartment. The couple was thrilled. They're recent college graduates beginning their careers and loved browsing the shops and art galleries in downtown's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2024/10/01/rad-businesses-in-shambles-we-definitely-underestimated-everything/75457465007/">River Arts District</a>."We wanted to go somewhere that was newer to both of us, and Asheville had what we were looking for," she told Business Insider. "We wanted to be somewhere with more nature."The morning the power went out, Isley knew something was wrong. The wind was rattling the windows, as broken power lines and tree branches began to litter the sidewalks. The flooding and sirens came next, as Category 4 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/before-after-satellite-photos-hurricane-helene-destruction-florida-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a> made its way up from the Gulf Coast.Helene's damage in western North Carolina has been catastrophic. Asheville and its surrounding small towns are almost completely flooded — despite their location near the Blue Ridge mountains, about 300 miles inland. Residents and local businesses have been left without electricity, running water, cell service, and access to essentials. As of October 3, Buncombe County reported that 72 people have died, and hundreds more are missing. And, across the Southeastern US, the death toll is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/helene-death-toll-remote-areas-hit-by-storm/3527054/?os=io__&amp;ref=app">above 200</a>.<div type="image" title="A picture of debris and flooding in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene." height="683" width="1024" msid="113961510" hostid="261" sizebytes="36620"></div>Before the storm, Asheville was experiencing a renaissance with young people, especially Gen Z. Many, like Isley, relocated to the city because of its temperate climate, thriving business scene, and cozy neighborhoods. Others who grew up in the area returned from their college towns to work and buy homes.With a long road to recovery on the horizon, these Gen Zers are wondering if they will stay.Isley has temporarily relocated to Atlanta, where her sister lives. Her Asheville apartment sits empty: kitchen utensils, clothes, and decorations are still taped in cardboard boxes. She isn't sure when it will be safe to return."I want to help as much as I can," she said. "But I feel like, right now, it's best that I don't go back immediately so that the people who are there have the water and food they need."<h2 id="519d7f98-c9db-48c5-8a84-850f6eb1bced">Gen Zers moved to Asheville for work opportunities and community</h2>Over the past decade, Gen Z has been flocking to the Asheville area. Most loved the amenities of living in a city, while still being a short drive from a camping trip or mountain hike. The local brewery and tech industries offered plenty of jobs, and young people were attracted to the affordable (<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-07-02/asheville-will-need-14-000-new-homes-by-2050-to-keep-pace-with-population-growth-affordable-housing-draft-projects">but rising</a>) housing market.The US Census Bureau estimated in 2023 that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S0701?q=Residential%20Mobility&amp;g=310XX00US11700">31,218</a> young people ages 18 to 24 moved to the Asheville metro area — a figure similar to a city like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S0701?q=Residential%20Mobility%20durham&amp;g=310XX00US11700">Durham</a>, which is more than twice the size of Asheville's population.<div type="image" title="a young man standing in front of a christmas tree" height="4032" width="3024" msid="113961511" hostid="261" sizebytes="1456176"></div>Hector Hernandez-Arroyo, 24, grew up in an Asheville suburb called Weaverville. He moved a few hours away to Greensboro for college but decided to return after graduation. The city is "very inclusive, very welcoming," he said.He ran downtown while training for his half-marathon and is settling into his project manager role at a construction company. He's currently living at his parents' house but is saving for a down payment on his own home.Hernandez-Arroyo's life was hurt by Helene: He has to boil the limited water he has access to if he needs a drink or shower. And, for the past few days, he's been clearing out debris from various yards and city streets with his coworkers. Even so, he's still hoping to buy a home in Asheville someday.Iliana Villatoro's family moved to the area when she was young. But, no matter where she traveled, the now-28-year-old always wanted to go back. She and her husband bought a house, run a local fencing business, and have found a group of friends to join for dinners and weekend activities.Villatoro said it means a lot that the community is coming together to care for one other: Collecting donations and organizing help for the under-resourced <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article293248659.html">rural areas</a> surrounding the city."We own a business in Asheville, and we just want to support the community that's given so much to us, and we're not leaving," she said. "We're going to stay for the rebuild."<div type="image" title="a young woman smiles in a sunflower field" height="3112" width="4668" msid="113961513" hostid="261" sizebytes="1266646"></div>Outside of boomerang residents like Hernandez-Arroyo and Villatoro, Asheville has welcomed a crop of movers from all over the country. Scott Pridemore of Pridemore Properties at Compass, a real-estate brokerage in North Carolina, told BI that many people go to nearby universities like Appalachian State University or University of North Carolina Asheville and never leave."Post Covid, we definitely saw a lot of people opting for life in the North Carolina Mountains," Pridemore said. "And they moved from places like California, the Northeast, Texas, or Florida."Seventh-generation western North Carolina resident and Asheville real-estate agent Marilyn Wright sees Asheville as a special city that doesn't take much to fall in love with."We're such a unique place," Wright told BI. "I have a lot of clients who just drive through one time and move here."Wright was worried that after the storm, homebuyers already in contract would get cold feet and back out. But, she said, every one of her clients who were in contract before Helene still has plans to go forward with their purchases."Right now, we sort of have a black eye, but we're still the same place," she said. "We just got to get back up."<h2 id="9b22365b-8ba1-4c11-9085-549b245308bd">Natural disasters could shape where Gen Z settles</h2>For locals, the hurricane's damage came as a shock. And, for some Gen Zers building their lives in Asheville, it's making them reevaluate the future. The impacts of natural disasters could continue shaping where people move and live. Asheville had previously been dubbed a climate "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.theassemblync.com/environment/climate-haven-wildfire-western-nc/">safe haven</a>.""If this becomes a normality, where any tropical storm that hits the Gulf makes its way up here and causes the same sort of damage," Hernandez-Arroyo said, "then maybe there's room for conversation as to where else I could go."Makenzie Rink, 23, was raised in an Asheville suburb and moved back after attending college in Raleigh, a nearly four-hour drive away. She's been working for her family's consulting business, and started a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the.realistic.runner">TikTok page</a> to document her running and nature adventures in the area. This week, she's been posting videos of the floods to raise awareness and connect residents with resources.<div type="image" title="A young woman yells excitedly into a megaphone" height="2048" width="1365" msid="113961509" hostid="261" sizebytes="395884"></div>Even prior to Helene, Rink knew she wouldn't stay in Asheville forever. She's in her early 20s, and wants to "experience a different part of the world," she said. Her next stop might be Lexington, Kentucky, but she's staying in the city right now to help collect food, water, and clean clothes for her fellow residents. Once she moves away, Rink is confident she'll come back to visit."For those that were born here, have generations of their family here, or have moved here from somewhere else, Asheville — and western North Carolina as a whole — is such a special place," she said, adding, "that's why so many people visit, right?"Isley also hasn't given up on Asheville, even though she has barely moved in. She and her partner might even settle there for the long-run."It's a different city than it was two months ago," Isley said. "The people that I met during the two or three days that I was there without cell service — having other people around to talk to made it a lot less scary. It made me feel like this deep connection to the city."Is climate change impacting where you choose to live? Have natural disasters impacted your finances or small business? If you're open to sharing your story, reach out to <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:allisonkelly@businessinsider.com">allisonkelly@businessinsider.com</a>.<h3 id="e7da498f-1140-4fe6-8b92-dfb933d8fd7c">Related stories</h3><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-hits-asheville-beer-microbreweries-north-carolina-floods-2024-9">Hurricane Helene devastates Asheville's small beer breweries: 'It's quite heartbreaking.'</a><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-didnt-hear-from-daughter-asheville-for-days-2024-9">My daughter lives in Asheville, and I lost contact with her for 3 days as the hurricane hit. I imagined the worst.</a><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-flood-insurance-2024-10">A majority of North Carolina homeowners didn't have flood insurance. Then Helene hit.</a>

Gen Z found a home in Asheville. Hurricane Helene swept it away.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two hurricanes hit Florida in recent weeks, exacerbating a home insurance crisis in the state.</li><li>Insurance experts said the back-to-back hurricanes could signal rising insurance rates nationwide.</li></ul>Two back-to-back hurricanes in Florida in recent weeks will likely raise <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-real-estate-worth-it-home-prices-insurance-hurricane-helene-2024-10">home insurance rates</a> even higher in a state that is already grappling with prices nearly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/01/business/florida-homeowner-insurance-rates/index.html">four times</a> the national average, insurance experts told Business Insider."Florida represents an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-category-four-storm-real-estate-market-insurance-damages-2024-10">outsize amount of risk</a> compared to other areas of the world," Kyle Ulrich, president and CEO of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, told BI. "And we pay commensurately for it."But it's not just Florida.The compounding financial crises of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-milton-tampa-florida-desantis-clean-disaster-dangerous-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-landfall-florida-housing-market-insurance-fema-2024-10">Hurricane Milton</a> could also point to looming hikes in insurance rates nationwide, the home insurance experts said. They pointed to the recent Florida storms as examples of the increasingly severe and frequent climate catastrophes wreaking havoc on the global insurance market.<h2 id="25940b76-9ef6-4385-94a3-eb8903a79169">Florida's battered home insurance market</h2>Home insurance rates are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-its-expensive-to-own-a-home-mortgage-insurance-interest2024-4">up across the board</a> in recent years due to a combination of natural disasters and inflation, according to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://insurify.com/homeowners-insurance/report/home-insurance-price-projections/">recent report</a> from insurance comparison shopping site Insurify. Between 2021 and 2023, overall home insurance costs rose nearly 20%, the report found.And, for mortgaged single-family residences specifically, the average monthly property insurance payment has increased 52% nationally since 2019, according to a 2024 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://static.icemortgagetechnology.com/pdf/ICE_Mortgage-Monitor-Report-October-2024.pdf">mortgage report</a> from financial services company Intercontinental Exchange.That number is even higher in regions more at risk of environmental disasters. California has seen <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homeowners-california-florida-insurance-issues-natural-disasters-wildfires-hurricanes-2023-10">several top home insurance agencies</a> pull out or limit their business in the state amid a growing risk of destructive wildfires, while tornado-prone states such as Illinois and Arkansas have seen an uptick in premiums as cyclones become more frequent, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/storms-homeowners-insurance-oklahoma-texas-tornado/">according to CBS News</a>."Certainly, areas that are chronically hit by storms, you're seeing either rates increase or insurers pull out completely," Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, a research scholar and director at Columbia Climate School's National Center for Disaster Preparedness, told Business Insider.But nowhere in the country is the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-home-insurance-prices-premium-effect-from-hurricanes-2024-9">home insurance crisis</a> more acute than in Florida. The state has, in recent years, been battered by a wave of costly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-ian-photos-videos-destruction-in-florida-2022-9">hurricanes</a>, seen an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-are-people-moving-florida-home-prices-cost-of-living-2023-12#:~:text=Florida's%20population%20jumped%20by%201.9,growing%20state%20in%20the%20country.">influx of new residents</a>, and dealt with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.renaissanceins.com/blog/florida-personal-lines-crisis/">fraud</a> over the state's assignment-of-benefits loophole, said Oscar Miniet, regional executive vice president, Southeast for Renaissance, a nationwide network of independent insurance agencies.Miniet said the number of insurers willing to write policies in parts of the state most exposed to hurricanes is shrinking, primarily because the potential risk outweighs the possible financial reward. Meanwhile, those that have stuck around, he added, have implemented extremely tight underwriting practices, which leads to homeowners paying far more in premiums, especially in at-risk areas.Florida cities like Deltona, Jacksonville, and Cape Coral saw the average property insurance payment for mortgaged single-family residences skyrocket 90%, 86%, and 85%, respectively, since 2019, according to an analysis by financial services company Intercontinental Exchange.Tampa — which sustained severe <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-flooding-damage-photos-2024-10#winds-of-up-to-120-mph-ripped-through-the-state-shredding-the-roof-of-tropicana-field-home-of-the-tampa-bay-rays-baseball-team-8">wind damage when Milton</a> landed near Sarasota on Wednesday evening and a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-milton-tampa-florida-desantis-clean-disaster-dangerous-2024-10">deadly storm surge when Helene</a> touched down last month — has seen insurance payments go up 71% since 2019, Intercontinental Exchange found.And Helene and Milton are likely to make matters even worse for Florida homeowners, the insurance experts said.The majority of Helene's damage in the state was flooding-related, which isn't included in most home insurance policies. But Helene also caused wind damage and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-homeowner-milton-tearing-through-neighborhood-cant-sleep-2024-10">Hurricane Milton's gusts</a> were fierce enough to tear the roof off Tampa's Tropicana Field and spawn several tornadoes that tore through Central Florida. Unlike flooding, wind damage is typically covered by home insurance."That is clearly going to have an impact on premiums in the state, said Shahid Hamid, a finance professor at Florida International University and director of the school's Hurricane Research Center's Laboratory for Insurance, Financial and Economic Research. "They're going to go up quite significantly."<h2 id="66cc80ec-e36b-4d1c-9df6-0fbbad2a8fb5">Increased home insurance prices nationwide</h2>While Floridians will bear the brunt of Helene and Milton's insurance-related pains, homeowners across the country could also soon feel the pain in their pocketbook thanks to the recent storms and other climate disasters like them.Milton and Helene are one-time events, but storms like them can end up <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soaring-home-car-insurance-rates-hurting-americans-finances-us-economy-2023-11">impacting the larger insurance industry</a>, said Jeremy Porter, the head of climate implications research at climate risk evaluation company First Street."When insurance costs get increased, they get increased not only in the places where we're seeing the exposure but they get increased across the industry," he told Business Insider.Large insurance companies such as Allstate or State Farm typically take major losses after big storms and, as a result, need to find ways to make up for those loss payouts, Porter said."So you're going to end up seeing people in Kentucky and Idaho and other places that just aren't anywhere near this event that may see a spike, an increase in their insurance costs, just due to the company's overhead and the additional payouts that they're having to make given climate risk in other areas," Porter said.But the primary reason homeowners around the country could see their rates rise post-hurricane season is thanks to the global reinsurance market, three insurance experts said.The reinsurance market, with hubs in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lloyds-london-firms-face-billions-claims-baltimore-bridge-collapse-2024-3">London</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.abir.bm/why-bermuda/">Bermuda</a>, is where insurance companies can offload some of their risk to a reinsurance company — a kind of insurance company for insurance companies.An uptick in reinsurance rates in recent years has been a driving force behind climbing insurance rates nationwide, said Kyle Ulrich, president and CEO of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents.Reinsurance rates are determined by worldwide losses, and when prices increase, insurance companies pass financial responsibility to customers who end up paying higher premiums, Hamid said.Those increases are, in part, because of climate change. The global reinsurance market has to assess risk against catastrophic events around the globe, from hurricanes in Florida to tsunamis in Japan, Ulrich said.But as catastrophic climate events become more common worldwide, homeowners everywhere are bearing the risk."There used to be five storms a year. Now there are 30 storms a year. There used to be one strong one and nine weak ones. Now there are nine strong ones and one weak one," said Oscar Seikaly, CEO of NSI Insurance Group, one of the largest privately owned insurance firms in Florida. "So the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-helene-economy-gdp-damage-cost-rebuilding-florida-climate-2024-10">frequency and severity</a> have been the factors that set the reinsurance industry off guard and put them in panic mode a bit."With Hurricanes Helen and Milton shaping up to be massive loss events, reinsurers could be on the hook for paying out billions of dollars of claims, which would, in turn, shrink the reinsurance industry's capacity to supply capital when it comes time to renew contracts next year, thus driving up premiums in the primary market, Yanjun (Penny) Liao, an economist and fellow at nonprofit research institute Resources for the Future, said."Because primary insurers rely on reinsurance everywhere, this could happen even in places that are not hit," Liao added.

Back-to-back Florida hurricanes signal trouble for home insurance prices nationwide

<ul class="summary-list"><li>As a stay-at-home mother for 11 years, I did my fair share of cleaning.</li><li>I've also owned two professional cleaning services and cleaned hundreds of homes.</li></ul>I was fortunate enough to be a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/husband-paid-me-stay-home-mom-heres-what-i-learned-2019-9">stay-at-home parent</a> to four children for 11 years. As you can imagine, I did a lot of cleaning. I previously owned a traditional <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/having-cleaning-person-takes-up-budget-but-its-worth-it-2022-4">cleaning service</a> with over 300 residential and commercial clients.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-mom-adult-kids-life-back-pros-upside-2024-1">My children are now adults</a>. I'm a grandmother who owns a second cleaning business, this time as an empty nester and solopreneur. I cater to those who desire luxury cleaning care. My clients are primarily executives.As someone who's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/professional-airbnb-cleaner-favorite-cleaning-supplies-2023-10">cleaned professionally</a> her whole life, I've seen firsthand what works and what won't to clean a house. I've seen what products and methods get houses to sparkle and shine and what is a waste of time.As a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/palm-beach-housekeeper-earning-high-salary-2024-6">luxury cleaning service</a> owner, here are five things people get wrong when cleaning.<h2 id="01aac258-6a7f-4ab5-9df0-0d567f0f739b">Smelly clothes, sheets, and bathroom rugs need to be washed</h2>If you have to smell an article of clothing to see if it is clean, it's dirty. Same with bed sheets and bathroom rugs. Bed sheets should be washed weekly. Depending on how much traffic is in each bathroom, the bathroom rugs may need to be cleaned weekly — they should be fluffed in the dryer on a delicate cycle at least once a week.<h2 id="584b60c1-dee9-4b51-a790-6e4ada47ccd6">The cycle you put your washer on matters</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-everyone-does-when-doing-laundry-from-a-laundry-expert-2024-9">If you wash all of your clothes</a> on the same cycle, you are probably wasting more time, water, and energy than necessary and possibly ruining your clothes.If you're washing sheets, blankets, or even towels, I highly recommend using the setting for each. However, if you're doing a mixed load consisting of a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, a couple of towels, and a sheet, I recommend putting on the bedding/bulky cycle.You can also use the quick wash option as well. However, the items inside may get a shorter wash cycle than is needed. Some clothes need a longer wash cycle — for example, your family's sports choices.<h2 id="eb8317b4-8a94-417b-a2c1-6be13a35945a">Here's a checklist of dryer do's and don'ts</h2>Some items can and should be dried using a drying rack.Not all items washed in the washing machine need to go into your dryer. For example, if you'd like the jeans to last longer, you have them hung dry or brought to a dry cleaner, especially if they are black; you don't want the colors to fade.Some items, especially those with embellishments, need to be hand-washed. Bathroom rugs need to be refreshed in the dryer or shaken outside, at minimum, weekly.When washing a comforter, quilt, blanket, or event sheets, you can let them air dry as soon as they come out of the washing machine. Then, refresh in the dryer to give it a soft feel to save energy and save on your electric bill.<h2 id="9e3d21a4-a0c6-4471-9e94-5e6ab8c5f4b7">Do this to leave your floors sparkling</h2>Hand- and foot-washing your floors helps keep you fit and your home clean. Cleaning a home is a full-body workout. The more you clean, the cleaner your home will be, and your body will thank you for the exercise. The closer you are to the floor, the more you will see with hand washing. The dirtier the floor is, foot washing will help make cleaning easier and offer a deeper clean due to the strength of your legs.Mops are only sometimes necessary. Should you use a traditional mop to wash your floors, you could miss quite a bit of debris, and you'll need to clean the mop head, which creates more laundry items. <h2 id="f9a7d2dc-721e-4d90-aa92-fc710ab75234">Don't forget to clean kitchen cabinets and shelves</h2>If your kitchen cabinets aren't flush with the ceiling and you have an air conditioning vent just over the top of the cabinet and just underneath is your stove, the air blowing out of the air conditioning is not only spreading the dirt around the house. It is also getting in the food that you are serving your family. I recommend this type of cleaning quarterly, semi-annually, and, at the very least, annually.

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