Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Thursday, January 23, 2025

• January 23, 2025

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

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​ Orange County Register 

Injuries, breaks and Kelly Slater’s return shake up start of pro surfing season

• January 23, 2025

The world’s best competitive surfers are gearing up for the World Surf League’s Lexus Pipe Pro, kicking off at the end of the month.

Well, most of them.

A few won’t be competing in the famed event at Oahu’s Pipeline surf break, which also starts the year’s competitive season, because of injury, while others will be missing not just from the pro, but from the entire world tour schedule.

Local standout Crosby Colapinto, a San Clemente surfer who earned Rookie of the Year after his first year on tour in 2024, will be absent from the Pipe contest following an injury.

Colapinto, younger brother of fellow World Tour surfer Griffin Colapinto, posted a few days ago about a broken elbow when a heavy wave sent his body straight onto the reef.

“So grateful that it was my elbow and not something way worse,” he wrote on social media. “What really hurts the most is the timing of it all, with the start of the year just a couple weeks away. But I am excited for this challenge that stands in front of me at this moment, and excited to see what comes out of this.”

He was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and promised to be back soon.

“This is all part of the journey,” he wrote. “I just have to trust it.”

Three-time world champion Gabriel Medina is also out for the first three events of the season due to an injury. The Brazilian had surgery for a pectoral injury.

“I am very sad to have to pull out of the start of the 2025 season,” Medina said in a WSL announcement. “I have spent the past few months training and surfing incredible waves all over the world to be ready to fight for another world title.”

Medina won his third world championship at Lower Trestles, just south of San Diego, in 2021.

He wrote that he is focused on recovering and will return to competition as soon as possible. The league gave him an injury wildcard for the 2026 season.

France’s Johanne Defay is also out for the event due to an injury.

Other big names have announced they won’t be competing at Pipe – or the entire 2025 competitive season.

Hawaii’s John John Florence, who just earned his third championship at Lower Trestles a few months back, announced on Tuesday that he will be pausing his competitive career to pursue travel and films.

“I’ll be focusing on surfing in a different way this year,” said Florence in the WSL announcement. “I am looking to explore, find new waves, and push my surfing as far as possible. I’ll be filming some new projects and sharing my adventures along the way – and intend to compete for another world title in 2026.”

Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, of Australia, is continuing her break from competition after stepping away last year. Gilmore earned her last world championship in 2022 at Lower Trestles. 

“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to take another season away from the WSL Tour,” said Gilmore. “This time will allow me to focus on healing from some lingering injuries and redirect my energy toward continuing my adventures of surfing around the globe. I’m deeply grateful for the unwavering support of my sponsors, and I wish all the athletes on tour the best of luck this season!”

So, who is in?

Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater, who retired from competitive surfing early last year, says he will put on the jersey once again for the Pipe Pro as a wildcard competitor.

Even though he is in his mid-50s, Slater is still considered one of the best at navigating the heavy barrels at Pipeline. In 2022, he won the Pipeline event just shy of his 50th birthday. 

Another surfer considered a favorite at the famous Bonzai Pipeline is 2022 event winner Moana Jones Wong, also joining as a wildcard. The North Shore charger has earned the nickname “Queen of Pipeline” due to her skill navigating the barreling surf break.

There will be several Southern California surfers in the draw to keep an eye on. San Diego’s Caitlin Simmers, who made waves as the youngest-ever WSL shortboard world champion last year at Lower Trestles, has solidified her spot as one of the best in the bombing barrels.

San Clemente newcomer Bella Kenworthy will be competing on the world tour this year, including against friend and last year’s woman Rookie of the Year Sawyer Lindblad, also of San Clemente.

Other San Clemente surfers to watch include Griffin Colapinto and Cole Houshmand. Brazilian Filipe Toledo, who calls San Clemente home, is also expected to make his return to competitive surfing at the Pipeline event. Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi is also among local surfers to watch.

The pro surfing competitive schedule has major changes this year. Lower Trestles, where the world championships were held for the past four years, will instead be a regular stop on tour in June.

There are 11 regular-season events, including a new stop at a wave pool in Abu Dhabi in mid-February. The new pool uses the same technology as the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore near Fresno.

The surfers then head to Portugal and El Salvador and then to Australia in April for three events. The mid-year cut happens just before the Lower Trestles stop, where surfers will battle for points there and the rest of the season for a chance to make it to the Final 5 and a spot at the finals, held this year at Cloudbreak, Fiji.  

The competition window for the Lexus Pipe Pro starts Jan. 27 and runs through Feb. 8. For more information, go to worldsurfleague.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Got $5,800 a month? San Diego County house payments soar 112% in 5 years

• January 23, 2025

“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market.

Buzz: San Diego County house hunters face potential house payments double what they were five years ago.

Source: My trusty spreadsheet tracked this yardstick of affordability by looking at its 37-year history of CoreLogic homebuying stats through November and swings in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Freddie Mac. Estimated payments were calculated by combining a month’s median sales price and mortgage rate.

The pain

A typical San Diego County buyer in November got a $5,800 monthly payment, assuming a 20% downpayment. That’s the seventh-highest since 1988. Yes, it’s 2% below a year ago but it’s up 112% in five years.

Adding to local homebuying’s financial challenge are the wages required to complete a purchase. If this hypothetical buyer spends 40% of their income on this payment, they’d need to earn $174,000 a year – plus have $177,600 in cash for the downpayment.

Pressure points

Why? Start with November’s $888,000 San Diego County median sales price – fourth-highest since 1988. It’s 4% above a year ago and 49% over five years.

Compound that with mortgage rate gyrations. Yes, November’s 6.8% is below 7.4% a year earlier but it’s equal to 6.8% two years ago and well above 3.7% of five years ago and a 6.2% average since 1988.

Bottom line

Stubbornly lofty prices and rates add up to dramatically slower homebuying in San Diego County.

Contemplate that buyers completed 2,310 transactions a month on average during the last two years, a pace 37% below the previous two years and 38% slower than sales counts since 1988.

Or look at the slump this way: Only 6% of all two-year periods since 1988 have fewer sales.

PS: The best news for house hunters is growing choice.

Countywide, there were 3,580 average active listings of existing homes during the past year, according to Realtor.com. This supply of residences for sale is 44% above the previous 12 months – but 44% smaller than pre-pandemic 2019.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

​ Orange County Register 

Viper Fin creator and Wedge charger Fred Simpson dies at age 86

• January 23, 2025

When Fred Simpson first stumbled upon the Wedge in Newport Beach, he noted how the crashing wave sent a “BOOM” sound across the beach.

Simpson had been a lifeguard with the city of Long Beach in his younger years and would typically bodysurf the Huntington Beach Pier. But when he first rode the hollow barrel at the Wedge, he was hooked.

“The thing hit me on the back of the neck and I thought ‘this has got power,’” he once said of that first body surf in 1962.

“And we never left.”

Simpson would spend decades mastering the world-famous Wedge and he created Viper Fins, a duck-like rubber fin that allows bodysurfers – and later bodyboarders – to get longer rides on waves.

Simpson, 86, died on Jan. 21, his health declining following a stroke last year.

While Simpson didn’t come up with the swim fin concept, he redesigned it in a way that revolutionized the sport of body surfing, a product that would earn a cult following in Newport Beach and around the world.

Simpson grew up in Long Beach and attended college at UCLA, where he was a swimmer and water polo player. After a short stint in the Army, he got a sales job with Xerox in Culver City.

He would go dressed to work in his suit with a Speedo underneath in case a big swell showed and he could slip out of the office, telling his bosses he needed to go to “an outside sales call,” he recalled in a 2014 interview.

It wasn’t long until he moved to the Newport Peninsula to be close to the Wedge, a man-created mutant wave that bounces off a rock jetty to double in size, creating a wedge that breaks onto shallow water.

Kevn “Mel” Thoman recalls seeing a photo of Simpson charging a massive wave in the book “The Art of Body Surfing,” the image luring Thoman from Culver City to seek out the Wedge.

“He literally wrote the book on staying in the tube when it was super hollow,” Thoman said.

At age 29, Simpson was on the TV show “To Tell the Truth,” where a group of celebrities would try to uncover a contestant’s identity from a choice of three possibilities. Bald at an early age with an appearance older than he was, no one guessed it was him riding the big wave.

Simpson also did a voiceover for “Thrill Seekers,” a movie about Bud Brown where the Wedge was highlighted. In the ’90s, he was featured on the show “How Did They Do That?”

Photographer Ron Romanosky’s friendship with Simpson dates back to the mid-1960s. Romanosky recalled how he and a friend were jumping off the rocks onto the sand, seeing who could jump the farthest.

Simpson joined in and out jumped them by a foot, despite his small stature, Romanosky said.

At that time, there were few options for bodysurfing gear. There were the Churchill fins, created in the 1930s, and the Voit Duck Feet.

But Simpson had an idea for how to make them in a different way – instead of a regular fin that looked like a webbed foot, he’d create walls on the sides of the fin, flushing all the water downward through the center of the fin instead of out to the sides.

It was in the late ’70s when he created a prototype out of old balsa wood and at the suggestion of Romanoski showed fellow Wedge charger Don Redington. Simpson and Redington would create the company Pacific South Swell, the parent company of Viper Fins.

A friend suggested Simpson put a dot on the fins, so in contests when the judge spotted the fins, they could give extra points. That became an iconic symbol for the Viper fins, a splat of yellow and orange paint.

The fins didn’t really take off until the 1990s, when bodyboarding grew popular.

The Wedge would become the common denominator for a group of people through the years who had a shared passion for bodysurfing and later the “boogers,” as Romanosky called those on Boogie Boards, who descended upon the wave – in part due to the Viper fins.

In the water, Simpson had his own distinct style, the way his lead arm would stretch out and his palm on the face of the wave, the other tucked in a way some called “the chicken wing.” The original Wedge crew simply called it “The Fred.”

In the ’90s, Simpson would hang out on the beach catching up with old friends, Romanosky said.

“When the waves were up, he was more interested in talking to us on the sand than getting in the water,” Romanosky said.  “He just loved to talk. I would say ‘Fred, the swell is going to be gone by the time you’re done talking.’”

The Wedge Crew from the ’60s through the ’80s had a rowdy, rough reputation, but Simpson was always kind to outsiders, said bodysurfer Tim Burnham, who created the film “Dirty Ol’ Wedge,”  which featured Simpson.

“Fred meant a lot to a lot of people in the surf world,” said Burnham. “He treated everyone with respect, he was so kind. He always had time for anyone who had time for him. He was a very special guy… What he created with Viper Fins is iconic in the world of surf.”

Simpson was known for his sense of humor and fearless approach to riding waves.

There was one massive day in July 1996 when Simpson was out in the water with the “heavy hitters” of Wedge Crew riders.

Waves were in the 30-foot range and Simpson didn’t hesitate to drop into the biggest bomb of the day, Thoman recalled.

Simpson had his share of spills on the waves, fracturing his spine, twice breaking his left wrist and suffering a concussion. And blood, lots of blood, through the years.

He was known for riding a wave until it ended, never pulling out, Romanosky said.

“With the closing out coming and no possible way of making it through a mega washing machine wanting to tear you limb from limb, Fred would go on until no one could see him again,” Romanosky said. “That was admirable.”

Plans for a Hawaiian-style paddle out are pending.

​ Orange County Register 

California’s home insurance prices set to soar

• January 23, 2025

Here’s the California home insurance debacle made simple: No more bargains.

Property owners are keenly aware of the state’s numerous risks to their property, most notably wildfires. But they might be surprised to learn that California home insurance policies are among the nation’s cheapest.

How often do we say “low” regarding any Golden State housing cost?

Such thriftiness translated to California essentially asking insurers to take a high-risk gamble with low rewards. Would you make this bet?

Insurers knew it was a losing gamble, so they increased their odds of success by removing the highest-risk customers. That’s why so many Californians lost their home insurance.

Now, economics is rarely straightforward. Yet this crisis is a textbook example of what can occur when prices are kept too low: the supply of the product suffers.

How low?

It’s time for the trusty spreadsheet.

Contemplate three yardsticks of property risk in the 48 states of the continental United States – an overall hazard ranking from CoreLogic, a measurement of insurance losses from PolicyGenius, and SmartAsset’s estimate of overall potential damages.

No surprise. California’s average score translates to the nation’s second-riskiest place for property owners.

Next, contemplate five measurements of annual home insurance premiums paid last year – from Nerdwallet, Insure.com, Bankrate, Value Penguin and Insurify.

Surprise! California’s average cost ranks as the ninth lowest among the 48 states.

Do you see a worrisome gap? Look at what’s charged in the 10 riskiest states, by this math, and what homeowners pay to cover an average $470,000 of damages from those hazards.

Florida homeowners live at the most peril and pay accordingly. Their typical annual premiums of $6,620 are the second highest of the 48.

Contrast that risk-rate mix to California, which is No. 2 on this hazards scorecard. Premiums across the state average only $2,080 yearly, No. 40 out of 48 states.

The Golden State seems equally out of step when looking at the remainder of the Top 10:

No. 3 Nebraska at $4,780 (No. 6 cost).

No. 4 Texas at $4,990 (No. 5 cost).

No. 5 Louisiana at $5,270 (No. 4 cost).

No. 6 South Dakota at $3,890 (No. 10 cost).

No. 7 Mississippi at $4,460 (No. 8 cost).

No. 8 Kansas at $5,340 (No. 3 cost).

No. 9 Oklahoma at $6,670 (No. 1 cost).

No. 10 Alabama at $3,350 (No. 16 cost).

Note that policy costs in these high-risk states, minus California, averaged $5,040 – roughly 150% more than Golden State prices.

And the 48-state average policy of $3,200 is 50% above California’s cost.

What reform?

Insurance companies are not saints, but you want them to be profitable.

Why? You may need them to write you an enormous check one day. That’s a key reason why California and other states have regulatory powers over insurers. However, California insurance laws tied to voter approval of Proposition 103 in 1988 made it tricky for the industry to get adequately compensated for the risks they take.

Even before the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires, California’s rate-risk mismatch set the stage for soaring insurance premiums.

As insurers dropped policies, Californians rushed to the FAIR Plan, a last-resort insurer funded by the insurance industry. It protected 450,000 homes as of September – more than double its 2020 flock.

Plus, 1 in 10 Californians chose not to buy home insurance at all, according to one estimate.

This put pressure on state regulators to get more coverage from traditional insurers by letting those companies charge more.

For much of 2024, new pricing rules were debated. Numerous forces battled over the nuances of so-called insurance “reform” – head-scratching concepts like reinsurance and catastrophe models.

Yet it’s not really about “reform” – it’s about “how much?”

I know the typical California homeowner doesn’t want to hear this, but home insurance has been a relative bargain – with a potentially costly twist.

The Palisades and Eaton firestorms were the nightmare the insurance industry was trying to avoid – especially considering the limited premiums they could collect.

So the FAIR Plan is stuck with a chunk of the mammoth damage bill. Sadly, this insurance program may not have enough cash or financial backstops to pay the giant tab.

Again, surprise! The FAIR Plan could refill its financial hole by collecting a surcharge that would boost future California home insurance premiums for all property owners.

Please make sure your household budget knows what’s coming. Your insurance bill will surely rise to better reflect property risks.

Plus, you may be charged for a curious indirect cost of historically cheap policies – some of the FAIR Plan’s tab for rebuilding Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

​ Orange County Register 

Australian Open: Keys stuns Swiatek, will face Sabalenka in the final

• January 23, 2025

MELBOURNE, Australia — When Madison Keys finally finished off her 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) upset of No. 2 Iga Swiatek in a high-intensity, high-quality Australian Open semifinal Thursday night, saving a match point along the way, the 29-year-old American crouched on the court and placed a hand on her white hat.

She had a hard time believing it all. The comeback. What Keys called an “extra dramatic finish.” The victory over five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, who’d been on the most dominant run at Melbourne Park in a dozen years. And now the chance to play in her second Grand Slam final, a long wait after being the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up.

“I’m still trying to catch up to everything that’s happening,” said the 19th-seeded Keys, who will face No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, for the trophy Saturday. “I felt like I was just fighting to stay in it. … It was so up and down and so many big points.”

Just to be sure, Keys asked whether Swiatek was, indeed, one point from victory. Yes, Madison, she was, while serving at 6-5, 40-30, but missed a backhand into the net, then eventually getting broken by double-faulting, sending the contest to a first-to-10, win-by-two tiebreaker.

“I felt like I blacked out there at some point,” Keys said, “and was out there running around.”

Whatever she was doing, it worked. Keys claimed more games in the semifinal than the 14 total that Swiatek dropped in her five previous matches over the past two weeks.

Sabalenka beat good friend Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 earlier Thursday. Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, can become the first woman since 1999 to complete a threepeat.

“If she plays like this,” the 11th-seeded Badosa said, “I mean, we can already give her the trophy.”Keys might have something to say about that.

Still, Sabalenka won her first major trophy at Melbourne Park in 2023, and she since has added two more — in Australia a year ago and at the U.S. Open last September.

The last woman to reach three finals in a row at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament was Serena Williams, who won two from 2015-17. Martina Hingis was the most recent woman with a threepeat, doing it from 1997-1999.

“I have goosebumps. I’m so proud of myself,” Sabalenka said.

Swiatek had not lost a single service game since the first round, but was broken three times by Keys in the first set alone and eight times in all.

That included each of Swiatek’s first two times serving, making clear right from the get-go this would not be her usual sort of day. And while Swiatek did eke out the opening set, she was overwhelmed in the second, trailing 5-0 before getting a game.

This was the big-hitting Keys at her very best. She turns 30 next month and, at the suggestion of her coach, former player Bjorn Fratangelo — who also happens to be her husband — decided to try a new racket this season, an effort both to help her with generating easy power but also to relieve some strain on her right shoulder.

It’s certainly paid immediate dividends. Keys is now on an 11-match winning streak, including taking the title at a tuneup event in Adelaide.

She was good enough to get through this one, which was as tight as can be down the stretch.

“At the end, I feel like we were both kind of battling some nerves. … It just became who can get that final point and who can be a little bit better than the other one,” Keys said. “And I’m happy it was me.”

Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, trailed 2-0, 40-love at the start but quickly figured things out, especially once Rod Laver Arena’s retractable roof was shut in the first set because of a drizzle. She straightened her strokes and overpowered Badosa, who eliminated No. 3 Coco Gauff to reach her first major semifinal.

“She started to be very, very aggressive” said Badosa, who thought about retiring last year while dealing with a stress fracture in her back. “Everything was working.”

Sabalenka and Badosa did their best to avoid any eye contact for much of the evening, whether up at the net for the coin toss or when they crossed paths at changeovers.

When their match was over, they met for a lengthy hug.

During Sabalenka’s on-court interview, she joked about taking Badosa — who by then was sitting in a hallway, her head bowed — on a shopping spree to make things up to her, paying for whatever the Spaniard wants.

Told what Sabalenka said, Badosa noted: “It’s going to be something really expensive.”

​ Orange County Register 

Buying a manufactured home? Ask these 4 questions first

• January 23, 2025

By Abby Badach Doyle | NerdWallet

With stylish features and floor plans, many of today’s manufactured homes break the old “mobile home” stereotype — without breaking the bank.

On average, new manufactured homes cost about a third of the price of site-built homes, reports the Manufactured Housing Institute, a trade group. Factory construction lowers material and labor costs, and a federal building code makes inspections more efficient.

Lesli Gooch, CEO of the MHI, says manufactured homes are an attractive choice for many buyers, from entry-level buyers to retirees.

“It’s affordable, but it’s also turnkey,” she says.

However, obstacles remain. In some cities, zoning restrictions limit or ban where manufactured homes can be placed. And it’s harder to find a mortgage for amounts below $150,000, so buyers have fewer lender choices for traditional financing.

On Jan. 6, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance, alleging that the company trapped some borrowers in manufactured home mortgages they couldn’t afford. Vanderbilt Mortgage is a unit of Clayton Homes, the nation’s largest manufactured home builder.

In a statement, Vanderbilt Mortgage said their lending practices exceed legal requirements, and this lawsuit will deprive creditworthy borrowers of owning a home. “The CFPB’s lawsuit is unfounded and untrue, and is the latest example of politically motivated, regulatory overreach,” Vanderbilt said in the statement.

If you’re shopping for a manufactured home this year, ask these questions to shop smart and stay informed.

How much can I afford?

Manufactured homes are one of the lowest-priced home types on the market. In December 2024, the median listing price for a manufactured home was $159,500, compared to $420,000 for an existing single-family home, reports Realtor.com.

When it’s time to set your budget, no one knows your cash flow better than you do. It’s your responsibility — not a lender’s — to determine a monthly payment that works for you. Start with an online calculator to estimate how much house you can afford. For free or low-cost advice, find a housing counselor sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Pro tip: The onsite lender at the manufactured home dealer isn’t your only option to finance your home. It’s OK to shop around, and when you talk to a loan officer, you shouldn’t feel rushed or pressured to buy. Alys Cohen, senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, says to trust your gut.

“If you feel like you’re being talked into a mortgage you can’t afford, then you’re being talked into a mortgage you can’t afford,” she says.

Which type of loan is best for me?

Compare at least three lenders to understand your options and get the best interest rate. Want to delegate? Have a mortgage broker shop around on your behalf. (Brokers charge a fee, but can often negotiate a lower interest rate than you can find on your own.)

To finance a manufactured home, the two most common options are traditional mortgages (like conventional loans or FHA loans) and personal property loans. A traditional mortgage has stricter qualifications: Usually, the home must be titled as “real property,” which means you need to own the land underneath and attach the home to a permanent foundation. But average interest rates are lower with a mortgage, and you’ll have more options if you struggle to make payments.

Personal property loans, sometimes called chattel loans, aren’t secured by the land. Since most manufactured homes come titled as “personal property,” chattel loans can be more convenient to get. But with higher interest rates, the cost of borrowing is generally more expensive. FHA Title I loans, backed by the Federal Housing Administration, are a type of personal property loan to finance a manufactured home, lot or both.

With a traditional mortgage, a lender must send you a copy of your Closing Disclosure at least three days before your closing date. If numbers on the final paperwork look different than what you agreed to, that’s a red flag, says Cohen.

“It should be worrisome if they say, ‘Oh well, we’ll just fix that later,’ or, ‘We didn’t really mean that,’ or, ‘We can just get you a new loan later to fix that problem — just sign here today,’” she says.

Will I own or lease the land underneath?

You may have heard that all manufactured homes lose value over time, like a car. But today, that’s not always the case. When you keep up with maintenance and repairs, a manufactured home can grow in value similar to a site-built home. In 2024, the national median price per square foot for a manufactured home climbed 1.2%, while the median price per square foot of a single-family home climbed 2.5%, reports Realtor.com.

However, a manufactured home can lose value when you don’t (or can’t afford to) keep up with maintenance — especially if you don’t own the land underneath. While land ownership is a strong predictor of appreciation, there’s less upfront cost to buy a unit in a land-lease community, says Dave Anderson, executive director of the National Manufactured Home Owners Association.

“Leasing land instead of buying it can hugely increase the affordability,” he says.

Affordable housing can be hard to find in rural areas or small towns, so a land lease might be the best option. For low-income families, owning a home on a leased lot can offer more stability than renting an apartment.

If that’s the best fit for your financial situation, do your research to make sure the community is well-managed. Are the roads and public utilities in good shape? Is there a history of tenant complaints or lawsuits? Your state attorney general’s office should have a consumer guide on your rights as a tenant of a manufactured home park, Anderson notes.

Am I ready for the responsibility of homeownership?

The cost of homeownership doesn’t end with the mortgage. Leave some wiggle room in your budget for ongoing expenses like taxes, insurance and maintenance.

One plus, Gooch notes: With their excellent energy efficiency, manufactured homes tend to have a shorter to-do list when you move in.

“People today don’t have time to go buy the fixer upper that’s old and drafty and really expensive,” she says. “And in the end, they don’t have the money to fix it up.”

If you do your research and stick to your budget, a manufactured home can be a smart way to get well-crafted construction at a lower cost.

“It’s not Grandma’s trailer, right?” Gooch says. “These are quality, resilient homes.”

Abby Badach Doyle writes for NerdWallet. Email: abadachdoyle@nerdwallet.com.

The article Buying a Manufactured Home? Ask These 4 Questions First originally appeared on NerdWallet.

​ Orange County Register 

Elevate your listening experience with these top Sony headphones

• January 23, 2025

Which Sony headphones are best?

Music is everywhere. With the rise of technology, it is now infinitely easy to listen to your favorite tunes from the convenience of your smartphone. With so much music at our fingertips, it is only natural to want the best quality headphones to listen along to our bumpin’ tracks. Headphones give us the ability to listen to music anywhere we want, whenever we want.

Finding a good pair of headphones can be stressful, especially with so many options from which to choose. However, one of the most consistent and leading brands of the headphone industry is Sony, which has been delivering quality audio products since 1946. Now, with their definitive line of wireless, noise-canceling and Bluetooth headphones, it has become easier than ever to jam out.

Types of headphones

When it comes to Sony, there are primarily three distinct types of headphone options, including headband, in-ear and truly wireless options.

Headband headphones

Headband headphones are classic headphones that encompass your whole ear to provide the most in-depth auditory sensation. Headband headphones are for those looking for true immersion with their music listening, with full detachment. Most often, these kinds of headphones will have built-in noise-canceling and Bluetooth capabilities.

In-ear headphones

In-ear headphones usually sit snugly in the ear canal, in-ear and can come either wirelessly or wired. Sony has a particularly great line of wireless noise-canceling in-ear headphones that are great for working out at the gym or running.

True wireless headphones

True wireless headphones have gained a lot of steam in the last few years. These are your Apple AirPods or your Samsung Galaxy buds, always connected via Bluetooth and usually paired with a charging case for storage. Sony has a solid line of wireless noise-canceling earbuds that are great for casual use or more intense use for sports.

Features of Sony headphones

Noise cancellation

Noise-canceling headphones are becoming more and more common, especially for students and people alike who want to unplug from the world around them fully. They are perfect for studying in libraries, coffee shops or even quiet listening on your local train commute or flight. Having a noise-canceling feature can allow you to fully immerse yourself in the joys of music without being interrupted by background noise.

Bluetooth

Also, a now much more common feature, Bluetooth headphones allow you the luxury of listening to your favorite music without having to struggle with the cord. How many times has a cord gotten stuck on a door handle, bag/purse or even dangling limb or passing stranger? With Bluetooth headphones, you do not have to worry about any of that and enjoy your music without worrying about your headphones getting yanked off of your head.

The best Sony headphones

Top Sony headphones

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Industry Leading Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones

What you need to know: The 1000XM4 is Sony’s top-of-the-line headphones that get up to 30 hours of battery life and has Alexa voice control, making it one of the best on-the-go headphones out there.

What you’ll love: They come in three distinct colors, have wireless Bluetooth pairing and touch sensor controls for pause play and volume control.

What you should consider: Wind can come through on phone calls even with noise canceling on.

Top Sony headphones for the money

Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones, White MDR-ZX110

What you need to know: These give the same Sony quality while being much more affordable.

What you’ll love: Sony’s ZX series provides all the comfort of more expensive headphones at a fraction of the cost.

What you should consider: Only available with wired connectivity, and the standard option does not come with a mic.

Best headband headphones

Sony MDR-Z7M2 Hi-Res Stereo Overhead Headphones Headphone

What you need to know: It has high-res audio compatibility to provide one of the richest soundscapes for listeners.

What you’ll love: Ergonomic earpads ensure quality comfort for long listens, perfect for commutes or long flights.

What you should consider: This is one of Sony’s most expensive headphone models.

Best in-ear headphones

Sony WI-XB400 Wireless in-Ear Extra Bass Headset/Headphones with mic for Phone Call

What you need to know: These wireless in-ear headphones provide quality audio paired with a clear mic quality, perfect for listening on the go.

What you’ll love: Its wireless design rests around your neck and is great for active use, especially in places like the gym.

What you should consider: There are some reports of lower noise-cancellation capabilities.

Sony Extra Bass Earbud Headphones/Headset with Mic for Phone Call

What you need to know: Super affordable wired earbuds perfect for casual listening during work and on the go.

What you’ll love: Compact and portable, these extra bass earbuds have an integrated mic and a y-type cord slider to prevent tangles in the wire.

What you should consider: Requires a headphone jack to plug into most smartphones.

Best true wireless headphones

Sony WF-1000XM3 Industry Leading Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds

What you need to know: Portable in a stylish case, these true wireless earbuds have all the capabilities of Sony’s headband headphones without the bulk.

What you’ll love: Up to 24 hours of battery life with the carrying case and uninterrupted left and right simultaneous Bluetooth transmission, allowing you to connect to several devices at once.

What you should consider: A few reviews mention that the noise cancellation could be better.

Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless Sports In-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones

What you need to know: These noise-canceling sport headphone buds are sweat and splash-proof, making them great for working out.

What you’ll love: They have 9 hours of battery life per charge, up to 26 hours.

What you should consider: The shape and fit may be uncomfortable for some and will require switching out the buds to find the right ear shape for you.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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