Johns Hopkins University will fund 11 community projects focused on diversity and the environment as part of the school’s annual Idea Lab challenge. This is the third year Hopkins has hosted Idea Lab, in which students and staff can submit project proposals for consideration.

Miniature house in mousetrap of taxes, concept

Real estate development and investment continues to serve as one of the primary drivers of economic activity throughout Greater Baltimore. With one of the largest real estate practices in the region, we are able to help structure dozens of transactions every year, ranging from $100 million funds to small commercial acquisitions and sales.

If you’ve been in the market for real estate lately — or even just idly browsing your old neighborhood from curiosity — you’ve almost certainly seen the “Zestimate” splashed across a property’s Zillow listing. But now, multiple lawsuits are claiming those numbers are so far from realistic that they’re actually harmful, and Zillow itself is launching a contest, hoping to crowdsource a better Zestimate.

When does refinancing make sense? It depends on your goals and the loans available to you. Here are some scenarios in which refinancing does and does not make sense.