Real Estate

Dire news from two iconic Chinese property developers, Country Garden Holdings (2007.HK) and China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), hit the press this month. Country Garden missed a scheduled bond payment, its bonds stopped trading and it was de-listed from the Hang Seng Index. Evergrande declared bankruptcy seeking Chapter 15 protection on USD 31.7BN of obligations to

Aerial photo shows a rural residential area in Chengdong town of Hai ‘an City, East China’s Jiangsu Province, April 1, 2023. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images China’s real estate troubles are accelerating. Prospective home buyers are holding back on making purchases, leading to weak sales that compound the urgent need for policymakers

The idea of a Hawaii paradise can mean many things to many people. Maybe it’s immersion in a lush tropical setting. Being close to nature, great surfing or a top bird-watching destination. Living in privacy on a secluded, amenity-filled estate. Perhaps, it is all of the above. The property lies within the Kalihiwai Ridge neighborhood,

A residential complex constructed by Evergrande in Huai’an, Jiangsu, China, on July 20, 2023. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images China’s heavily indebted property developer Evergrande group on Thursday filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in a U.S. court. In a filing to the Manhattan bankruptcy court, the firm sought recognition of restructuring

A potential buyer walks in to view a home for sale during an open house in Parkland, Florida, May 25, 2021. Carline Jean | Tribune News Service | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates soared across the board last week, with the rate on the government’s low-down-payment option increasing to the highest level in 21 years.

Pictured here are residential buildings developed by Country Garden Holdings Co. in Baoding, Hebei province, China, on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images BEIJING — Two years after Evergrande’s debt troubles, worries about China’s real estate sector are coming to the forefront again. Country Garden, one of the largest non-state-owned

A man enters a Bank of America branch in New York. Scott Mlyn | CNBC As if higher mortgage rates weren’t enough, it was harder even to qualify for a mortgage in July than it has been in a decade, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Its monthly index measuring credit availability dropped in July

At the beginning of August, CrowdStreet CEO Tore Steen stepped down amid fire after more than $50 million went missing, as reported in Bisnow. The funds had been raised for deals in Atlanta and Miami by New York real estate firm Nightingale Properties, and they never closed. Both the Atlanta and Miami entities filed for

Japan’s salary and benefits packages for expats remained the highest in Asia, a new report has found.  The average expatriate package in Japan costs employers $370,183, according to “MyExpatriate Market Pay” survey by data company ECA International.  That’s however 12% lower than last year, due to the weak Japanese yen, which has fallen 9% this

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump looks on as he speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, July 29, 2023. Lindsay Dedario | Reuters The independent financial monitor for the Trump Organization told a New York judge she identified issues of incompleteness and inconsistency in certain disclosures to lenders and others

A ‘For Sale’ sign is posted in front of a single family home on October 27, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Mortgage rates have been holding at high levels for several weeks now, and that is taking its toll on homebuyers. The Mortgage Bankers Association reports the average contract interest rate

Tourists at the Bund on July 11, 2023 in Shanghai, China. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images Chinese stocks soared Tuesday as Beijing pledged to ramp up measures to bolster China’s sputtering economy. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index surged more than 3%, China’s tech-heavy ChiNext rose 1.8% and the Shanghai Composite Index increased

A residential complex constructed by Evergrande in Huai’an, Jiangsu, China, on July 20, 2023. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s housing ministry has announced plans to make it easier for people to buy property. The news, out late Thursday, indicates how different levels of government are starting to act just

Construction on a real estate project in Yantai, Shandong province, gets under way on July 8, 2023. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images BEIJING — China is changing its tone on the struggling real estate sector, paving the way for policy support. Beijing’s crackdown on the once-hot property market has focused on financial risks of

The interest rate on your mortgage determines your monthly mortgage payment as well as how much you’ll pay in interest. A good interest rate can save you thousands upon thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. However, this doesn’t mean that you should agree to a mortgage simply because the lender can offer

Prospective home buyers arrive with a realtor to a house for sale in Dunlap, Illinois. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage rates didn’t move at all last week, and are still sitting near a recent high. With home prices continuing to rise, that pushed more potential homebuyers to the sidelines. Total mortgage application

A house is for sale in Arlington, Virginia, July 13, 2023.  Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Home prices in May rose for the fifth straight month on the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index, but regional differences are widening. The gains come despite a sharp jump in mortgage interest rates during the month.

China has announced in the past week a series of measures aimed at boosting its economy ahead of a key Politburo meeting later this week focused on reviewing the first half performance of the world’s second-largest economy. Str | Afp | Getty Images China is ramping up measures aimed at boosting its economy ahead of

Roll the opening credits of the 1969 John Wayne classic True Grit and you’ll see a scene largely unchanged today. It’s the rugged barn and old school at a ranch for sale in Placerville, Colorado. The San Juan Mountains stretch along the distant horizon. Called True Grit West, the scenic property encompasses 336 acres on

Private apartments are seen against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Singapore Flyer observatory wheel in Singapore on March 23, 2022. Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images Rents in prime residential areas increased the most in Singapore, Lisbon and Berlin in the first half of the year, according to a