Sami Sparber

reporter @axios. past @WSJ @TexasTribune @dallasnews @NBCPolitics + @UTAustin

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

👋 I’m thrilled to step into a new role @axios — real estate reporter!

Say hi + ping me with story ideas: [email protected]

[Arianna Huffington @ariannahuff]

The iPod is making a comeback. Though in my house, it never left!

As @samisparber reports for @Axios, people are buying iPods again. And it’s not just the oldsters. As one Gen Z fan said, "The act of playing my music, with the sole purpose of listening to music — no ads, no apps, no distractions — makes my brain feel brand-new again.”

I couldn’t agree more. I love my iPod and use it for music during the day and sleep meditations (with no doomscrolling possible) at night.

Read more here: https://t.co/BxuaBgsyK8

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

@EllynBriggs Sorry to hear this, Ellyn! I really enjoyed working with you.

[Arianna Huffington @ariannahuff]

Our homes are getting dumber.

In @Axios, @samisparber writes that “‘Dumb homes’ are the latest flex,” with more people ditching high-tech smart homes and appliances for things with buttons and knobs.

Some are creating digital detox spaces, as part of the “analog wellness” movement. For example, reading nooks are now being mentioned 48% more in Zillow listings than a year ago. And landlines are gaining new fans among parents who want their kids to have more connection and less screen time.

As architect Yan M. Wang put it, a home where “technology is always in the background, working and listening, feels anxiety-producing” instead of restorative.

So maybe it’s not just that homes are getting dumber, but that the humans inside them are getting smarter about their relationship to technology.

You can read more here: https://t.co/69WKS59fcd

[Axios @axios]

"Dumb homes" are the latest flex https://t.co/rqTizBOktv

[Dan Diamond @ddiamond]

Not shocking if you live in DC, but the data backs it up:

the average age of people in a first marriage here is 32 years old — oldest in the country, per @mimi_montgom @samisparber in Axios’s morning newsletter

[Axios Comms @AxiosComms]

🎃 WATCH: @samisparber's reporting on "pumpkin concierges" was featured on @TODAYshow.

https://t.co/or8N9nFTsj

[Jake Wilkins @JakeWilkns]

@samisparber and @EmilyRPeck: It's a homebuyer's market — if you can afford one https://t.co/Sdyonup42A

[Axios @axios]

No one's buying vacation homes https://t.co/jOmUKzV01S

[Jake Wilkins @JakeWilkns]

A wave of newly built apartments helped curb rent hikes over the past few years.

For many renters, that break is fading, per @samisparber.

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

New for @axios: It's (micro) wedding season.

Ballrooms are out. Courthouses, Vegas-style chapels, restaurants and backyards are in.
https://t.co/4spy31ptfu

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

There are now 233 U.S. cities where a typical starter home costs at least $1 million.

That's nearly triple the number from March 2020, per @zillow.
https://t.co/PxCwacVhO4

[Axios @axios]

You need to earn over $50K more a year to buy a home versus renting one https://t.co/CPT7IDwRIS

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

New for @axios: As the creator economy booms, more life moments have become "content" to share.

But please don’t film your workout. (People are begging.)
https://t.co/fesWaOTptd

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

New for @axios: Engaged couples are bracing for price hikes on flowers, dresses, cakes, invitations and more because of President Trump's roller-coaster tariffs.
https://t.co/VK62SjGOtx

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

Mortgage rates sink on Trump tariffs, but other costs may deter buyers
https://t.co/d7nfQ4JE3t

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

New for @axios: Some Canadians are ditching their winter homes in the U.S. as tensions between the two countries simmer.
https://t.co/s47S8b5yaS

[Axios Comms @AxiosComms]

Sami Sparber joined @CBSNews Bay Area to discuss the rise of "travel rings" – fake engagement rings worn on vacation.

📺: @KPIXtv | @samisparber | @axios

[Jake Wilkins @JakeWilkns]

“Reality check: Lab-grown diamonds are just as real as mined ones.”

Effin preach

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

@JakeWilkns @axios Trendsetters!

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

My latest Gen Z dispatch for @axios: People are buying engagement ring "stunt doubles" to wear on vacation.

Backup bling is booming as diamond rings get bigger and bolder.
https://t.co/CoL8qtNZxs

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

And, speaking of newlyweds, they probably don't have space for that stand mixer or barista-grade espresso machine.

Wedding registries are shrinking to fit into cramped apartments and starter homes.
https://t.co/NjvrPGmloF

[Sami Sparber @samisparber]

Lab-grown diamonds have made it cheaper for jewelry lovers to score looks they've always wanted.

But not everyone is sold on the trend.

Naysayers compare sporting lab-grown gems to carrying a knockoff designer bag.
https://t.co/wFY9OB8RkG