Every parent, myself included, who has uttered the immortal words "money doesn't grow on trees" was dead wrong. According to new academic research, money does grow on trees -- to the tune of billions of dollars!

A study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Bureau of Business Research found that, nationwide, trees collectively add more than $31.5 billion of value to private homes each year. The research, which was sponsored by the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, also says neighborhood trees provide more than $73 billion worth of environmental benefits yearly. To top it off, the business of growing, selling, planting and maintaining our trees employs more than a half-million people and has an economic benefit of $35 billion.

The study doesn't say what trees are worth to individual homeowners, but other studies say "plenty." That's why homebuilders charge a premium for wooded lots, and why some buyers will gladly pay extra for mature trees.

Whether their place came with large trees or not, one of the first things new homeowners do upon moving in -- after putting up curtains and laying down doormats -- is upgrade their landscaping. They might spruce up their flower beds, drop in some bushes and add a tree or two.

If you do it right, landscaping can pay off handsomely: The Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers says the value of mature trees runs between $1,000 and $10,000. A study from the Forest Service found that in Portland, Oregon, trees planted near houses increased their sales price by an average of $8,870.

There's an entire science behind establishing the value of individual trees. But you may not need to call in a professional to establish what yours are worth.

Casey Trees, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that is "committed to restoring, enhancing and protecting the tree canopy of the nation's capital," has developed a tool that can help. Its tree benefit calculator (treebenefits.com/calculator) can give you an idea of how much value a particular species, at various circumferences, will add to your property.

Of course, trees' value isn't only monetary: They also clean the air, provide homes for local wildlife and give us cool shade, beautiful springtime flowers and vibrant fall color. But even these can be translated into dollars, to some extent.

In its 1992 book "Growing Greener Cities," the American Forestry Association said that each year, a single deciduous tree can provide $73 worth of air conditioning, $75 worth of erosion control, $75 worth of wildlife shelter and $50 worth in air pollution reduction. Casey's tree calculator measures the value of some of these factors as well.

Generally, there are four main elements that can be measured in dollars:

-- Size. Obviously, the larger the tree, the more it's worth. And after many years of growth, trees become literally irreplaceable.

-- Species. The most valuable trees are hardy, durable, highly adaptable and won't drop debris like nuts or pods everywhere. They will have sturdy, well-shaped branches and pleasing foliage, and require little maintenance.

-- Condition. Of course, a healthy, well-maintained plant has a higher value.

-- Location. A tree in the yard is usually worth more than one growing in the woods. Ditto for one standing alone versus growing in a group. A tree near your house, or one serving as a focal point in your landscape, also tends to have more value.

If you have a hankering to do some landscaping, the American Society of Landscape Architects suggests investing about 5% to 10% of your home's value. Admittedly, that can be expensive, but it's less costly if you put in multiple trees at once, rather than adding them one at a time.

Even so, you don't have to do everything all at once, and you can save big bucks by doing some of the work yourself. Start with smaller trees, say from 5 feet to 15 feet tall, then let them grow in size and value. Anything larger than that will require professional installation.

With a realistic budget in hand, start in the front yard with the largest shade tree you can afford. One that's 4 feet to 6 feet in diameter (measured at a point 12 inches from the ground) will give your place an established look that would otherwise take a half-dozen years to create, and will give the yard a greater visual impact than several smaller trees.

When it comes to junk fees, nobody can hold a candle to landlords. Not even mortgage lenders.

The National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit based in Boston and Washington, D.C., lists 16 "gotcha" fees in a new report on the charges faced by prospective renters.

Admittedly, some are not that onerous. For example, nearly all property managers charge application fees, which they use to pay for credit reports and criminal background checks. But the charges move into the "junk" category when they are nonrefundable, and when the tenants can't use the reports to apply elsewhere.

The NCLC also found some add-ons that were questionable at best, including convenience fees, roommate fees and processing fees. Some landlords charged a "January fee" for no other apparent reason than it being the first month of the new year.

For landlords, it's all about finding ways to monetize whatever they can get away with. For instance, one Tampa firm sends invoices for submetered water and sewer service. Nothing underhanded there; most places charge for utilities. But it also charged a meter reading fee and a billing fee.

The extra charges amounted to only a few bucks. But multiply that by each tenant, and you end up with a nice little profit center.

About that billing fee: Tenants were dunned electronically, not via snail mail, so it wasn't to cover the extra cost of paper and postage. But no matter how the invoice is delivered, why should anyone have to pay to be billed? How can you pay without a bill?

Pure and simple, these are the costs of doing business, and they should be borne by the property owner -- not the tenants.

Here's another ridiculous charge: A Kansas City property demands a $200 one-time fee for pets, plus $15 a month. Again, nothing unusual there; most places charge for cats and dogs. But this place also charges for fish. Not only that, but it prohibits "aggressive" breeds. Of fish.

Meanwhile, some owners are looking to save money by operating their properties without any on-site personnel: no resident manager, no maintenance people, no security staffers. One outfit reportedly already operates several unstaffed properties, and plans to add more.

The NCLC report comes in the wake of an open letter from Marcia Fudge, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who called on the housing industry to address such fees. These charges, she said, raise costs and hit vulnerable people the hardest.

"Many renters today face fees that are hidden, duplicative or unnecessary," Fudge wrote. "These fees limit options for renters and strain household budgets, particularly for renters with low and modest incomes who already face high rental-cost burdens."

In particular, the HUD secretary cited nonrefundable application fees, which she said can run into hundreds or even thousands of dollars for tenants applying at multiple places. She also noted that while landlords use the fees to pay for tenant screening reports, those reports often "have inaccurate information and questionable validity in predicting renter behavior."

Fudge also mentioned such hidden fees as move-in charges, late charges, high-risk fees, security bonds and convenience fees for tenants who pay their rents online. But the NCLC went further, noting that the vast majority of landlords impose excessive late fees and more than half charge other bogus fees.

To compile its list, the NCLC surveyed legal services and nonprofit attorneys about the types of fees they have seen. The survey took place in November and December of last year.

Of the 95 responses from 26 states and the District, nearly 9 out of 10 said landlords collect application fees, and almost 3 out of 4 said they have seen utility-related charges. So far, nothing too dubious. But 87% said landlords also impose excessive late charges. Moreover, 68% had seen processing or administrative fees, 60% noticed convenience fees and 59% reported seeing insurance fees.

A small number (7%) reported seeing fees to report rental payment information to credit bureaus. And the aforementioned "January fee" was reported by two Minnesota advocates -- "for seemingly no reason," the survey said.

Noting that some 19 million households -- nearly half of all renters in the U.S. -- spend more than a third of their incomes on housing, April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney at the law center and a co-author of the report, said, "There simply isn't room in their budgets for junk fees."

The report calls on the Federal Trade Commission and state legislatures to investigate landlords who impose burdensome fees, calling them "unavoidable and exploitative." The FTC should develop guidance to prevent this practice, it said, and states must limit or ban fees that exceed landlords' costs.

Fudge had essentially the same message in her open letter, urging all housing providers as well as state and local governments to "take action to limit and better disclose fees charged to renters in advance of and during tenancy." Fees, she said, should reflect "the actual and legitimate costs to housing providers."

The secretary's message amplifies the Biden administration's "Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights," which challenges stakeholders to commit to clear and fair leases without hidden or illegal fees.

Since the White House launched the challenge, Fudge wrote, many state and local governments and housing providers, as well as several rental platforms and small property owners, have announced policies aligned with the program. Among other things, they have agreed to limit application fees and allow applicants to reuse their applications multiple times at no extra cost.

Guess what sector is the largest contributor to inflation these days? Yup: housing.

In February, overall house prices registered their smallest year-over-year gain since September 2021. Even so, housing's share of the Consumer Price Index rose at an accelerated pace and was the largest contributor to the overall inflation rate, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Housing inflation, aka the shelter index, accounted for more than 70% of the increase in the CPI in February, the NAHB says.

The shelter index makes up more than 40% of the "core" CPI and is driven by higher house prices, which, in turn, are driven by supply constraints and higher development costs. And economists at the builders' group say the Federal Reserve Board's efforts to corral interest rates won't have an impact on these costs.

"The Fed's tools are limited in addressing shelter inflation," read the NAHB report.

Still, housing inflation is predicted to cool as additional supply becomes available.

There haven't been any big mortgage company failures such as those in the banking industry this year -- at least not yet. But a number of lenders have merged, filed for bankruptcy or simply shuttered their doors. All of which begs the question: What happens to your loan if your lender is suddenly no longer your lender?

The answer: You would probably be unaffected. Most likely, an investor would take over your mortgage. The rate and other terms would not change.

It isn't quite as simple if your mortgage isn't yet finalized, however. If your loan is in the pipeline and your lender simply merges with another, your application should continue to closing without incident. If your lender is closing its doors entirely, your loan officer will likely try to place you with another company. The terms could change a bit, but at least you'll still be in the queue. However, you may be left out in the cold and have to start all over again with another lender.

People who already have a mortgage are unaffected by mergers, acquisitions and failures unless the company that administers loans on behalf of investor-owners -- the loan servicer -- changes. In that case, the law says both the new and the old servicers are required to notify you of the switch and tell you when you should stop paying the old one and start paying the new.

The terms of your loan will not change. Sometime thereafter, though, your payments could go up if the new servicer decides you haven't been paying enough every month to cover your insurance and property taxes.

Tip of the Day: Trying to find a home's listing agent on sites like Zillow, Homes.com and others can be difficult. The key is to find the digits labeled "MLS#" in the listing. Copy and paste those numbers into the search bar at Realtor.com (the official site of the National Association of Realtors).

When it takes you to the property's page, scroll down until you see small letters that read "presented by." That's the listing agent 99% of the time, Miami broker Terry Brewer tells me.

Here's one reason for the dearth of houses for sale: According to the latest government report, 84% of all outstanding mortgages have a mortgage rate at or below 5%. And 63% have a rate at or below 4%.

Some call the phenomenon "golden handcuffs" -- golden because the low rates are unbeatable, but handcuffs because the rates keep many people locked into their current homes.

The median age of owner-occupied houses hit 40 years in 2021, according to the Census Bureau.

Because of the modest supply of new houses added to the rolls between 2010 and 2021, the share of new construction has dipped to just 10%. At the same time, the share of places at least 42 years old -- built prior to 1979 -- jumped to 49%.

The aging housing stock "signals a growing remodeling market," says Na Zhao, an economist with the National Association of Home Builders, as the components in older structures need to be repaired or replaced. Add in the fact that new houses are priced beyond the reach of many would-be buyers, and Zhao suggests the remodeling sector is poised to grow faster than new construction.

Not only is the number of for-sale houses dwindling, so is the number of homebuilders.

In 2021, national builders boosted their market share to almost 54%, according to trade publication BUILDER. In the 50 largest markets studied, four heavyweight builders had a combined 43% market share on average (though it was not always the same four builders in each market).

The concentration is twice that in some locales. The country's 10 largest builders owned 95% of the market in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2021, and they had an 87% share in Las Vegas and Indianapolis.

They also seem to own most of Florida. The 10 largest builders had 87% of the market in Miami, 81% in Jacksonville, 79% in Fort Myers, 78% in Orlando, 77% in Tampa and 75% in Sarasota.

About half of all homeowners are using some form of surveillance technology in or around their properties. Or, as Humphrey Bogart once said in "Casablanca," "Here's looking at you, kid."

According to a survey by LendingTree, nearly two-thirds of those who use security cameras say their equipment has prevented potential criminal activity, and almost half report reviewing their footage on a daily basis.