Real Estate

Thanks to the run up in housing prices, homeowners now have more than $32 trillion in home equity as of the first quarter of 2024, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve — an all-time high. “It’s one of the very few things we can say about today’s housing market that is, more or less, positive,” said

Rgstudio | E+ | Getty Images Owning a home makes some people feel more confident about their prospects for retirement — but that may be misguided, some experts say. About 37% of polled workers — including those with part- or full-time jobs, or who are self-employed or business owners — say they are “ahead of

We started buying Home Depot shares last week as a play on housing and interest rates. Our initial 50-share buy was around $362. We bought 50 more shares Wednesday a few dollars higher. The Dow stock is having a mixed year — up about 7% compared to the S & P 500 ‘s more than

Recent signs of cooling inflation are paving the way for the Federal Reserve to cut rates when it meets next week, which is welcome news for Americans struggling to keep up with the elevated cost of living and sky-high interest charges. “Consumers should feel good about [an interest rate reduction] but it’s not going to

People walk along London Bridge past the City of London skyline. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images LONDON — The U.K. is leading a recovery in Europe’s long subdued office real estate market, with overall investment in the sector expected to pick up further in the second half of the year. Britain recorded 4.1

MISSOULA, Mont. — In a subdivision near the northern edge of town, a number of condos and duplexes have popped up in the past three years. It’s part of a larger effort, including new zoning laws, to help provide affordable housing to Montanans who have found themselves priced out of the market, said DJ Smith,

A home with a “Sold” sign from a real estate company in North Patchogue, New York. Steve Pfost | Newsday | Getty Images Mortgage rates came down again last week, and with the expectation that they could fall further, mortgage demand suddenly jumped, especially for refinancing.  The Federal Reserve is expected to make its first

Shu Matsuo Post, 38, built a $2 million real estate portfolio, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It. Courtesy of Shu Matsuo Post The idea of financial independence can mean different things to different people, but one common way to define it is having enough money that you no longer need to rely on

Chris Wattie | Reuters The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will lower its benchmark rate bya half percentage point, or 50 basis points, paving the way for relief from the high borrowing costs that have hit consumers particularly hard.  The federal funds rate, which is set by the U.S. central bank, is the interest rate

Andresr | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is poised to make its first interest rate cut in years on Wednesday. But homeowners shouldn’t bet on the move as an opportunity to immediately refinance their mortgage. That’s because “a lot of these rate cuts are already priced in,” Chen Zhao, the economic research lead

Shaunl | E+ | Getty Images Consumers in the market for a home have been patiently waiting for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates — a move it seems poised to make in September. But without action from Congress, there could be another change at the end of that month that makes it temporarily

Last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell all but confirmed that an interest rate cut is coming soon. “The time has come for policy to adjust,” the central bank leader said in his keynote address at the Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges, a likely

A recent CreditNews Research study ranked the slowest-selling metro areas in the U.S. The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images Even as mortgage interest rates were rising, home prices reached the highest level ever on the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. On a three-month running average ended in June, prices nationally

Mortgage rates fell last week for the fourth straight week, but neither current homeowners nor homebuyers seemed particularly impressed. Total mortgage application volume rose just 0.5% last week compared to the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances

The median price per square foot in Manhattan, NY is $1,500, according to My Dolce Casa. Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images Manhattan, New York is infamous for being expensive. The city consistently ranks as one of the world’s most costly places to live in. Purchasing a 500-square-foot condo in New York City can

Vm | E+ | Getty Images Owning isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. For many reasons — including affordability — more Americans are choosing to rent everything from cars and apartments to clothing and furniture these days, according to a report by Intuit Credit Karma. Far beyond the traditional tuxedo, the rental industry

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images Despite being a hallmark of the American Dream, buying a home is less affordable for many these days. Higher mortgage rates and a shortage of houses on the market relative to demand have kept prices elevated and created a financial crunch for many would-be buyers. The median

Rupert Murdoch, chairman emeritus of media empire News Corp. Axelle/bauer-griffin | Filmmagic | Getty Images LONDON — Rupert Murdoch-owned REA Group said Monday it is contemplating a takeover offer for U.K. property portal Rightmove in a bid to create a global digital real estate business. The Australian property listings company, which is controlled by Murdoch’s

China’s troubled housing market will continue to see softness as a slew of government stimulus and support measures have not been “satisfactory” in propping up the sector, according to a JPMorgan economist. The “housing market crash is still not over yet,” Haibin Zhu, chief China economist at JPMorgan told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” Monday, adding

File photo Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage demand is now heavily skewed toward refinancing, as interest rates declined for the fifth straight week. Total mortgage application volume rose just 1.6% last week, compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate