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
Comparing three mortgage lenders can save a borrower thousands over the loan
Homebuyers who accept the first mortgage rate they receive can end up paying thousands of dollars more than borrowers with identical credit profiles who collect...
A reverse mortgage lets homeowners 62 and up borrow against equity, payment-free
Homeowners who are at least 62 years old can borrow against the equity they have built in their homes without making monthly mortgage payments, a...
First-time buyers made up 35% of May home sales, the highest share since 2020
First-time home buyers grabbed their largest slice of the housing market in five years during May, accounting for 35 percent of existing-home sales as overall...
A 15-year mortgage costs more each month but saves tens of thousands in interest over a 30-year loan
Homebuyers who opt for a 15-year fixed mortgage face monthly payments that can run hundreds of dollars higher than a 30-year alternative on the same...
Existing-home sales rose 3.2% in May to a 4.17 million pace, with the median price at $429,300
Buyers who had been sitting on the sidelines pushed existing-home sales up 3.2% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.17 million units,...
Buyers had 4.5 months of homes to choose from in May, the most in nearly a year
Home shoppers across the United States had more room to browse in May than at any point in nearly a year. The National Association of...
Once you owe less than 80% of your home’s value, you can demand your lender drop private mortgage insurance
Homeowners who have paid down their mortgage balance to less than 80 percent of their home’s value hold a legal right to demand that their...
Home sales climbed to a five-month high in May as listings rose to their highest level since last summer
American homebuyers got more options in May, and they responded. Existing-home sales climbed 3.2 percent from April to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of...
Paying your mortgage every two weeks adds one extra payment a year and can shave years off the loan
Homeowners who split their monthly mortgage into two payments every two weeks end up making the equivalent of one extra full payment each year, a...
Getting estimates from three lenders can save thousands, and a rate lock holds the number while you close
Nearly half of all mortgage borrowers apply with just one lender, according to federal survey data, even though collecting three or more Loan Estimates can...
More than 162,000 Florida homes are now for sale
Florida now has more than 162,000 homes on the market, a sharp turn for a state that spent the pandemic years defined by bidding wars...
The typical Texas home lost 2.2% of its value this year
Texas homeowners watched a slice of their equity disappear over the past year as the state’s typical home value fell by 2.2 percent, according to...
Home prices around Cape Coral and Fort Lauderdale are forecast to fall 10.2% by mid-2026, the steepest drop in the country
Homeowners and prospective buyers in two of Florida’s fastest-growing metro areas face a sharp correction. Prices in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise...
In a slower market a buyer can ask the seller to cover closing costs, often worth thousands
Homebuyers shopping in markets where listings sit longer and competition cools are finding a concrete advantage at the negotiating table: they can ask sellers to...
Putting a lump sum toward your mortgage and asking for a recast lowers the monthly payment without refinancing
Homeowners sitting on savings from a bonus, inheritance, or property sale can reduce their monthly mortgage payment without touching the interest rate on their existing...
Refinance applications are running 62% higher than a year ago as 30-year mortgage rates slip back toward 6.3%
Homeowners with mortgages locked in above 7 percent now have a widening window to cut their monthly payments. Refinance applications are running 62 percent higher...
Home prices nationwide are up just 2% over the past year, with several big metros now falling
American homeowners watched their equity grow at the slowest pace in years during the first quarter of 2026, as U.S. house prices rose just 1.7%...
Drop private mortgage insurance once you owe under 80% of your home’s value
Homeowners paying private mortgage insurance on conventional loans can request its removal once their principal balance drops to 80% of the home’s original value, a...
Home sales just climbed to their highest level since October 2022, even with the typical 30-year mortgage near 6.57%
Buyers closed on more existing homes in May than in any month since October 2022, according to two separate industry trackers, even as the average...
San Francisco home prices jumped 10.9% in a year while neighboring San Jose fell 5.6% — the widest split among big metros
Homebuyers in the Bay Area are living through two sharply different markets separated by fewer than 50 miles. San Francisco home prices climbed 10.9% over...