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
HUD can refund mistaken FHA mortgage-insurance payments, and confirmed checks typically arrive within 10 to 14 days
A mistaken mortgage-insurance payment does not have to remain trapped inside the Federal Housing Administration’s collection system. HUD recognizes refunds for overpayments, wrong case numbers,...
Mortgage rates hit a one-year high near 6.7%, raising the cost of downsizing in retirement
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed to about 6.66% in the week ending July 30, 2026, its highest level in a year....
Selling a home you’ve lived in can shield up to $250,000 in gains from tax, or $500,000 for a couple
A retiree who bought a home decades ago and sells it in today’s market can be sitting on a capital gain of several hundred thousand...
The 30-year mortgage rate sat near 6.83% in late July.
The 30-year fixed mortgage sat near 6.83% at the end of July 2026 on daily-rate trackers, while the most-watched weekly survey put the same loan...
The typical new home sold for $398,300 in June as annual prices slipped 2.7%
The median newly built home sold for $398,300 in June, 2.7% below the level reported a year earlier. That sounds like a clean sign of...
The federal reverse-mortgage lending limit jumped to a record $1,249,125 for 2026, freeing more equity for house-rich retirees.
Retirees sitting on high-value homes gained access to tens of thousands of dollars in additional equity after HUD raised the maximum claim amount for federally...
A typical existing home sold for a record $440,600 in June, even as slower sales pointed to a cooling market
American homebuyers paid more for a typical existing home in June than at any prior point on record, even as transaction volumes slowed and affordability...
Eligible veterans can buy a home with no down payment or mortgage insurance
Veterans and active-duty service members can purchase a home through the VA-backed loan program without putting any money down and without paying monthly mortgage insurance,...
A federally backed reverse mortgage now lets seniors tap up to about $1.24 million of home equity without a monthly payment
Homeowners aged 62 and older can now access up to $1,249,125 in federally insured home equity through a reverse mortgage, with no required monthly principal...
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...