Real Estate

Record inflation may have people questioning whether homeownership is still a good investment. Home prices have been rising faster than incomes, which can be a problem for homeowners because as the value of a home rises, so does the cost to maintain it. More than 1 in 4 homeowners with mortgages are considered “cost-burdened,” meaning

A for sale sign in front of a home in Arlington, Virginia, on August 22, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped 22 basis points to 6.4% Friday, according to Mortgage News Daily. That is the lowest rate since April 2023. The 15-year fixed

Sdi Productions | E+ | Getty Images Home affordability has slightly improved for buyers this summer, according to a recent report.  The median new mortgage payment was $2,167 in June, a 2.4% decline from $2,219 in May, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The index measures how new monthly mortgage payments change

A development towers over the Lyric Theater in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. Greg Iacurci MIAMI — Nicole Crooks stood in the plaza of the historic Lyric Theater, a royal blue hat shielding her from the midday sun that baked Miami. In its heyday, the theater, in the city’s Overtown neighborhood, was an important cultural hub for

An aerial view shows a subdivision that has replaced the once rural landscape on July 19, 2023 in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates eased very slightly last week, but not enough to get today’s potential homebuyers off the fence. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with

Courtney Keating | Getty Images Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level since March last week, sparking swift demand in refinancing. Homebuyers, however, seemed unimpressed. Applications to refinance a home loan jumped 15% last week, compared with the previous week, to the highest level since August 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted

Recent signs that inflation is easing has paved the way for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates as soon as this fall. The consumer price index, a key inflation gauge, dipped in June for the first time in more than four years, the Labor Department reported last week. “With abundant signs of a cooling economy, the

Housing inflation has remained stubbornly high even as inflation in the broad U.S. economy has cooled significantly from peak levels during the pandemic era. Its painfully slow decline is the main impediment keeping the consumer price index from falling back to policymakers’ target, economists said. “We see it as the last remaining leg” before CPI

Prospective home buyers leave a property for sale during an Open House in a neighborhood in Clarksburg, Maryland on September 3, 2023. Roberto Schmidt | AFP | Getty Images It’s no secret that the housing market looks far different than it did a few years ago. While surging mortgage rates and housing prices have taken

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Inflation fell further in June as lower gasoline prices combined with other easing price pressures to bring relief for consumers’ wallets. The consumer price index, a key inflation gauge, rose 3% in June from a year ago, down from 3.3% in May, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday. The

The Third Plenum, set for July 15-18, is one of the most important political meetings of the Chinese Communist Party. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s real estate problems may be massive, but analysts expect the upcoming Third Plenum to focus on other areas — such as high local government debt levels and a

Thianchai Sitthikongsak | Moment | Getty Images The recent run-up in home prices, a staggering increase of more than 40% from pre-pandemic levels, should have current homeowners rushing to refinance. But for most, pulling that cash out simply costs too much now that interest rates are more than twice what they were just two years

A townhouse for sale in the Upper East Side neighborhood of NYC.  Adam Jeffery | CNBC Some of the heat is coming out of home prices, even though they’re still higher than they were a year ago. Several new reports show the price gains are shrinking and home sellers are starting to give in after

Sales of previously owned homes are sitting at a 30-year low and didn’t move much in May as prices hit a new record and mortgage rates remain high. So-called existing home sales in May were essentially flat, down 0.7% from April to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 4.11 million units, according to the National

File photos: “For Sale” sign Brandon Bell | Getty Images Consumers seemed unimpressed by the latest drop in mortgage rates. Total mortgage application volume rose just 0.9% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550

The S & P 500 and Nasdaq extended their record rallies this week following cooler-than-expected consumer inflation data Wednesday morning. While Fed rate cuts would likely benefit the overall stock market, several names in the CNBC Investing Club portfolio — from housing plays to autos to biotech — could really get a boost. Connecting the

Cultura Rm Exclusive/twinpix | Image Source | Getty Images Home equity is near all-time highs. But tapping it may be tough due to high interest rates, according to financial advisors. Total home equity for U.S. mortgage holders rose to more than $17 trillion in the first quarter of 2024, just shy of the record set

A home available for sale is shown on May 22, 2024 in Austin, Texas.  Brandon Bell | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates last week moved to the highest level since early May, and that pushed mortgage demand lower for the second straight week. Total mortgage application volume fell 5.2% last week, compared with the previous

Homes in the Issaquah Highlands area of Issaquah, Washington, US, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.  David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes fell 1.9% in April from March to 4.14 million units, on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. The forecast had been for

A real estate construction site in Wanxiang City, Huai ‘an City, East China’s Jiangsu province, May 17, 2024.  Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s sweeping moves on Friday to increase support for real estate will take time to show results, analysts said. Despite the news, S&P is still sticking to