Nationwide protests against data center construction, the expense of living in older houses, and two movie stars stuck with mansions no one wants to buy. From the wild and wooly world of real estate, here are our Hits and Misses for the week of July 13-17.
Miss: Data Center Haters, Unite? Tomorrow should be an interesting day as hundreds of protests are planned across the country to protest the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The organizing group Humans First is calling on demonstrators to “protect our hometowns, our wallets, and our way of life” and to “end the corporate welfare, sweetheart deals, and taxpayer bailouts.” However, Humans First is also insisting that it doesn’t “support a national data center moratorium, or even state moratoria, but each community must be able to decide what sort of life they want for themselves, and whether or not to have a data center built in them.” Doesn’t that sound a bit contradictory? Ultimately, it won’t matter. Not unlike any other politically motivated protests we’ve seen in recent years, it will mostly be a bunch of shrill people calling attention to themselves without making impact on future data center construction.
Miss: Keeping Up This Old House. Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies had an interesting report this week on the increased costs of maintaining aging homes. The report found the nation’s housing stock is the oldest on record – in 2023, it reached a median age of 44 years, up from 39 years in 2013, and 28 years in 1993. And the upkeep for these older homes is costing their owners a pretty penny. “Among owners of homes built before 1960, those in the highest income quintile spent three times as much on improvements and repairs in 2023 as those in the lowest,” said Sophia Weeden, senior research analyst. “Though the oldest homes need significant investment, they are disproportionately occupied by owners with the least financial capacity to make repairs.” If you have a few minutes, check out the report here – it’s quite an eye- and wallet-opener.
Hit: A Very Good Deed. Earlier this week, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Good Deeds Foundation announced a $10,000 emergency grant to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which provides financial assistance and other resources to the families of wildland firefighters who have been injured or killed in the line of duty. Active wildfires are continuing to burn across several states, and three wildland firefighters recently lost their lives. “This emergency grant reflects the title insurance industry’s commitment to helping communities in times of urgent need,” said Chris Morton, CEO of ALTA. “Through the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation, our industry is proud to stand with the brave men and women who protect communities across the country and to support the families behind them.” Thank you, ALTA, for honoring heroes whose courage and sacrifice is often overlooked.
Hit: A Ghostly Fundraiser. Devotees of the prominent paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren are in for a treat – there is a fundraiser with a grand prize that enables winners to spend the night of Halloween Eve (Oct. 30) in their home in Monroe, Connecticut. That property is now owned by comic Matt Rife and online influencer Elton Castee and comedian Matt Rife, who turned the house into an Airbnb. According to The Monroe Sun, that famous duo restored the house to be as authentic to the Warrens’ time. “We kept as many original pieces in the home as we could — and if they’re too scared to sleep in the house, they can sleep in the apartment upstairs,” said Castee. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit multiple local charities and community events. Raffle tickets are $50 each and sales are limited to 666 tickets, with an Aug. 1 deadline. You can buy tickets at this link.
Hit: An Unhappy Ending, Part 1. The saga of the Hollywood mansion where Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez lived during their ill-fated marriage took a sour turn. TMZ reports an in-contract deal on the 46,000-square-foot, 12-bedroom, 14-bathroom mansion the couple bought in May 2023 for $60.9 million was abruptly canceled by the would-be buyer, who reportedly made a “substantial” deposit toward Lopez’s $50 million asking price before changing his mind. The property has been on the market for two years and underwent three price cuts from its original $68 million list price. It is unclear why the unnamed buyer got cold feet. Sorry, J.Lo.
Miss: An Unhappy Ending, Part 2. Lopez isn’t the only Hollywood star stuck with a mansion no one wants. Alec Baldwin withdrew his Hamptons estate from the market one month after cutting $1 million from its listing price. Baldwin first listed the five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom residence in Amagansett, New York, for $29 million in 2022. The price was reduced over time to $18.9 million before being withdrawn from sale. In January 2024, Baldwin tried to drum up buyer interest by posting a YouTube video of the property, only to delist nine months later. It was relisted in December 2025 at $21 million but was cut to $19.9 million last month. No explanation was given on why Baldwin delisted the property, but we suspect it will be back for sale again in the near future.
Phil Hall is editor of Weekly Real Estate News. He can be reached at [email protected].
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