The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a surge of Americans moving to new regions, sometimes sight unseen, lured by lower costs or the ability to work remotely. But house hunters or those who uproot can be surprised by what they find, from pea-soup fog on coasts to relentless snowstorms in the mountains.

In response, a new genre of videos is populating YouTube, in which real-estate agents get brutally upfront about the potential downsides of moving to their area. They say the blunt talk helps them stand out, sets realistic expectations and reduces buyer’s remorse. The agents say it also prevents them from having to assist needy homeowners who may be out of their depth when they move to a new locale.

The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a surge of Americans moving to new regions, sometimes sight unseen, lured by lower costs or the ability to work remotely. But house hunters or those who uproot can be surprised by what they find, from pea-soup fog on coasts to relentless snowstorms in the mountains.

In response, a new genre of videos is populating YouTube, in which real-estate agents get brutally upfront about the potential downsides of moving to their area. They say the blunt talk helps them stand out, sets realistic expectations and reduces buyer’s remorse. The agents say it also prevents them from having to assist needy homeowners who may be out of their depth when they move to a new locale.

For Tina Garrity, the decision to relocate from Chicago to Paradise Valley, Ariz., in the early months of the pandemic was an easy one. 

Ms. Garrity, 57, who has a management consulting business, has been visiting the Phoenix area for decades to see family. In March 2019, she bought a roughly 6,400-square-foot home for $1.85 million in Paradise Valley to stay in a few times a year. But when the pandemic hit, she began working remotely and decided to make it her primary residence.

In contrast to her two-bedroom Chicago rental with no outdoor space, Ms. Garrity’s Paradise Valley property spans just over an acre with a guesthouse, tennis court and putting green.

For Tina Garrity, the decision to relocate from Chicago to Paradise Valley, Ariz., in the early months of the pandemic was an easy one. 

Ms. Garrity, 57, who has a management consulting business, has been visiting the Phoenix area for decades to see family. In March 2019, she bought a roughly 6,400-square-foot home for $1.85 million in Paradise Valley to stay in a few times a year. But when the pandemic hit, she began working remotely and decided to make it her primary residence.

In contrast to her two-bedroom Chicago rental with no outdoor space, Ms. Garrity’s Paradise Valley property spans just over an acre with a guesthouse, tennis court and putting green.

Facebook parent Meta lost more than $237 billion in value Thursday. That’s the biggest one-day drop in value in the history of the U.S. stock market.

Meta’s plunge, based on a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast, topped the prior record set by Apple, when it lost $182 billion in market value in September 2020.

The seven biggest drops in stock market history have all occurred in the last two years, as Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Amazon have ballooned in valuation. Prior to 2020, the largest drop was from Facebook — a $119 billion decline in 2018. That also occurred after Facebook forecast revenue below analyst estimates.

Facebook parent Meta lost more than $237 billion in value Thursday. That’s the biggest one-day drop in value in the history of the U.S. stock market.

Meta’s plunge, based on a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast, topped the prior record set by Apple, when it lost $182 billion in market value in September 2020.

The seven biggest drops in stock market history have all occurred in the last two years, as Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Amazon have ballooned in valuation. Prior to 2020, the largest drop was from Facebook — a $119 billion decline in 2018. That also occurred after Facebook forecast revenue below analyst estimates.

Art collectors and cryptocurrency investors went wild last year buying art that exists only in the digital world. Now, Desiree Casoni, a collector in Key Biscayne, Fla., is trying to figure out how to hang all her new purchases on the wall.

Ms. Casoni owns more than 500 digital artworks with her investor husband, Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile. Bored of swiping through their collection on a cellphone or laptop, the couple initially retooled a few television sets throughout their home, but that meant downloading files onto thumb drives and plugging them in. Ms. Casoni said they next dabbled with digital picture frames designed to run looping slideshows of family photographs, but said some of these models didn’t allow them to resize or crop images.

“I don’t want to look like we live in Best Buy, with chunky black screens all over,” said Ms. Casoni.

Art collectors and cryptocurrency investors went wild last year buying art that exists only in the digital world. Now, Desiree Casoni, a collector in Key Biscayne, Fla., is trying to figure out how to hang all her new purchases on the wall.

Ms. Casoni owns more than 500 digital artworks with her investor husband, Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile. Bored of swiping through their collection on a cellphone or laptop, the couple initially retooled a few television sets throughout their home, but that meant downloading files onto thumb drives and plugging them in. Ms. Casoni said they next dabbled with digital picture frames designed to run looping slideshows of family photographs, but said some of these models didn’t allow them to resize or crop images.

“I don’t want to look like we live in Best Buy, with chunky black screens all over,” said Ms. Casoni.

A few hours after Toby Robicelli first strapped on the $300 virtual-reality headset he got for Christmas, the Baltimore teenager, who was playing a shooter game called “Superhot VR,” lost his balance and fractured his kneecap.

“We set it up around 2:00,” said Toby’s mother, Allison Robicelli, of the tech gadget, “and by 8:00 we were on our way to the ER.” She fainted when she saw his leg, she said, and Toby, 14, is now using crutches.

Sales of VR headsets rose more than 70% last year from 2020, according to International Data Corp., to 7.9 million units. Demand is driven in part by rising hype around the metaverse, a term proponents use to describe a future 3-D version of the internet, comprising virtual worlds where people will get together to work, learn and play.

A few hours after Toby Robicelli first strapped on the $300 virtual-reality headset he got for Christmas, the Baltimore teenager, who was playing a shooter game called “Superhot VR,” lost his balance and fractured his kneecap.

“We set it up around 2:00,” said Toby’s mother, Allison Robicelli, of the tech gadget, “and by 8:00 we were on our way to the ER.” She fainted when she saw his leg, she said, and Toby, 14, is now using crutches.

Sales of VR headsets rose more than 70% last year from 2020, according to International Data Corp., to 7.9 million units. Demand is driven in part by rising hype around the metaverse, a term proponents use to describe a future 3-D version of the internet, comprising virtual worlds where people will get together to work, learn and play.