Real Estate
Housing market coverage, home buying and selling, mortgages, rentals, and property investment. From market trends to the practical decisions involved in owning or renting.
Latest in Real Estate
Once you owe less than 80% of your home’s value, you can demand your lender drop private mortgage insurance
Millions of homeowners with conventional mortgages are paying monthly private mortgage insurance premiums they no longer owe. Federal law gives borrowers the right to demand...
Home list prices slipped about 2% from a year ago, the sharpest drop in over a year as sales cool
Home sellers across the United States are cutting asking prices at the fastest pace in more than a year, with the median listing price falling...
The average 30-year mortgage has hovered near 6.55% for nine straight weeks
Homebuyers and existing borrowers hoping for cheaper monthly payments have watched the 30-year fixed mortgage rate sit in a tight band near 6.5 percent for...
The federal reverse-mortgage limit rose to $1,249,125 in 2026, letting seniors borrow more against their homes
Seniors with high-value homes will be able to tap significantly more equity through federally insured reverse mortgages starting Jan. 1, 2026. The Department of Housing...
Homeowners 62 and older are sitting on about $200,000 in equity they can tap without monthly payments
Millions of older Americans own homes with significant equity built up over decades of payments and price appreciation, yet most never convert that wealth into...
Homeowners 62 and older hold a record $14.39 trillion in equity, and the reverse-mortgage limit just rose to $1,249,125
For many older Americans, the largest asset they own is not a brokerage account or a pension. It is the house itself, paid down over...
Once your mortgage drops below 80% of the home’s value, you can ask to cancel PMI
Homeowners paying private mortgage insurance on a conventional loan have a federal right to request its removal once their loan balance drops to 80 percent...
Inherit a home with a reverse mortgage and you owe the balance or 95% of its value, never more
Families who inherit a home tied to a federally insured reverse mortgage face a hard deadline and a specific financial ceiling. When the borrower dies,...
Fannie Mae is giving some first-time buyers a $2,500 credit toward a down payment
First-time homebuyers earning very low incomes can now receive a $2,500 credit from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to put toward a down payment or...
The 2026 reverse-mortgage limit rose to $1,249,125, letting older owners borrow more
Older homeowners who want to tap their home equity through a federally insured reverse mortgage can now borrow against a higher property value. The nationwide...
Fannie Mae is dropping its minimum credit score to help first-time buyers qualify
First-time homebuyers with limited credit histories stand to benefit from a federal policy shift that allows lenders to use a newer scoring model when selling...
A younger spouse left off a reverse mortgage can now stay in the home for life
Surviving spouses who were left off a reverse mortgage now have a federally protected right to stay in their homes after the borrower dies, a...
Putting a lump sum toward your mortgage and asking for a recast lowers your monthly payment for good, without refinancing
Homeowners who have built up savings or received a windfall are looking for ways to cut housing costs without giving up an existing mortgage rate....
Home prices are running 2.5% below a year ago as more listings hand buyers the upper hand
Buyers across the United States are gaining ground they have not held in years, as home prices run roughly 2.5% below where they stood a...
A transfer-on-death deed passes your home to your heirs without going through probate
Homeowners in California, Texas, and Washington can record a single document that sends their property directly to a named beneficiary at death, skipping the probate...
Once you owe less than 80% of your home’s value, you can demand your lender drop private mortgage insurance
Homeowners paying private mortgage insurance on a conventional loan have a federal right to demand its removal the moment their balance drops to 80% of...
A lump sum and a mortgage ‘recast’ lower your payment for good, without refinancing
Homeowners locked into mortgage rates above 5 percent are finding a way to permanently cut their monthly payments without refinancing, closing costs, or a new...
Home prices have fallen for eight straight months, giving buyers more room to negotiate
Buyers shopping for a home in mid-2026 are finding something that was almost unheard of two years ago: falling prices and growing room to push...
$429,300 was the typical existing-home price in May, an all-time high for the month
American homebuyers paid a record price for existing homes in May, with the national median reaching $429,300, a 1.3 percent increase from a year earlier....
Virginia renters can now pay by check or money order, and landlords can’t charge a fee to take rent
Virginia renters who rely on checks or money orders to pay rent now have explicit legal backing requiring landlords to accept those payment methods. The...