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
Rents just fell behind inflation for the first time — here’s where renters have the most leverage in 2026
Across a band of Sun Belt cities (i.e., cities in southern states such as Texas or Florida) that spent the past few years building apartments...
Should you tap your home equity right now? Here’s how to decide without regret
A homeowner who bought a modest three-bedroom house in 2019 might open a mortgage statement today and see something startling: six figures of equity that...
30-year fixed mortgage drops to 6.30% — Fannie Mae revises year-end forecast upward to 6.1%
Spring homebuyers caught a small break this week: the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.30%, its second consecutive weekly decline and...
30-year mortgage drops to 6.30%, lowest in 4 weeks — Fannie Mae forecasts under 6% by year-end
Mortgage rates fell for the second straight week, with the average 30-year fixed rate dropping to 6.30% for the week ending April 16, 2026, according...
Home price growth slows to 1.1% nationally — slowest since 2012; Sun Belt crashes while Rust Belt surges
A homeowner in Cape Coral, Florida who closed on a house in 2022 has likely lost a significant chunk of equity since then. Based on...
The states where property taxes, insurance, and HOA fees make ownership most expensive in 2026
A homeowner in suburban New Jersey can easily spend $9,500 a year in property taxes, $2,400 on insurance, and $4,200 in HOA dues before making...
Trump’s $200B Fannie/Freddie mortgage-bond order — did it actually lower rates?
On January 8, 2026, President Trump posted a blunt promise on social media: he was directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion...
Existing home sales hit a 9-month low in March at 3.98M annualized pace
The spring housing market stumbled before it could find its footing. Existing-home sales dropped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units in...
30-year mortgage drops to 6.12%, lowest in 4 weeks on Iran-ceasefire bond rally
A homebuyer borrowing $400,000 this week will pay about $85 less per month than one who locked in a mortgage just two weeks ago. The...
2.6M U.S. homeowners now pay $500+ per month in HOA fees; condos in major metros push $350–$700/month
A homeowner in a mid-rise condo outside Miami might pay $650 a month in association fees. A retiree in a Chicago high-rise could owe $475....
AEI projects US home prices will end 2026 about 1% lower than they started
The American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center is projecting something the U.S. housing market has not seen since the pandemic boom began: a calendar year that...
Cape Coral leads price declines at -9.6%; Kansas City leads gains at +8.6%
In Cape Coral, Florida, a three-bedroom house that sold for $410,000 in early 2023 might list for under $370,000 today. In Kansas City, Missouri, a...
New Fannie/Freddie loan-level buydown disclosures take effect April 20
For the first time, investors buying mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will be able to see exactly which loans in a pool...
30-year fixed mortgage averages 6.15%, down 7 bps week-over-week
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.15% this spring, dropping 7 basis points from the prior week and hitting its lowest...
30-year mortgage rate holds near 6.5% as buyers stay cautious
Spring is supposed to be when the housing market comes alive. This year, it has barely flinched. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has spent...
Home prices slide in Sun Belt as Rust Belt markets heat up
A three-bedroom ranch in suburban Detroit sold for $212,000 in February, roughly $35,000 more than a comparable home on the same block fetched two years...
Housing market enters a “psychological freeze” as confidence drops
The University of Michigan’s preliminary April 2026 consumer sentiment reading came in at 47.6, a 10.7% drop from March and a level rarely seen outside...
30-year mortgage rate slips to 6.37% as inflation jump risks reversal
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.37% this week, snapping a five-week streak of increases that had rattled the spring housing...
Home prices now falling year over year in 13 U.S. states
A $400,000 home in South Dakota is worth roughly $12,000 less than it was a year ago. In Washington, D.C., the math is similar. Across...
Key income and debt ratios to gauge the house price you can afford
A $90,000 salary sounds like solid footing for a home purchase, until you realize that the same income can qualify you for a $340,000 house...