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Real Estate

30-year mortgage rate holds steady at lowest level in nearly 10 months

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage held steady this week at its lowest level in nearly 10 months, an encouraging sign for prospective homebuyers who have been held back by stubbornly high home financing costs.Recommended VideoThe long-term rate was unchanged from last week at 6.58%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.46%.Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refina...

Robert Johnson in Real Estate 2026-07-03 11:01

More than half of U.S. homes have dropped in value over the last year—and nearly all houses in these cities have seen losses

The share of U.S. homes that have lost value in the past year is the highest since the aftermath of the Great Recession, according to Zillow.Recommended VideoIn October, 53% of homes saw their “Zestimates” decline, the most since 2012 and up from just 16% a year earlier. Losses were most widespread in the West and South.In fact, those regions have housing markets where nearly all homes declined in value over the last year. Denver topped the ...

Jennifer Williams in Real Estate 2026-07-02 18:06

Cape Cod is considering taxing luxury home sales of $2+ million to raise funds for the housing market’s ‘missing middle’

Cape Cod, one of the priciest housing markets in the U.S., is considering a 2% real-estate transfer fee on luxury homes above $2 million to fund affordable housing. Similar “mansion taxes” in Los Angeles and Rhode Island show how other expensive markets are turning to surcharges on wealthy homeowners to redistribute housing wealth.Cape Cod is one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. While the median home price in the beachy region of...

Sarah Jones in Real Estate 2026-07-01 11:59

AI startups are leasing luxury apartments in San Francisco for staff and offering large rent stipends to attract talent

The AI boom is bringing a wave of startups to San Francisco, and employees are receiving generous benefits in one of the country’s priciest housing markets. Recommended VideoRoy Lee, CEO of AI tech startup Cluely, which makes software for job interviews and work calls, toldThe New York Timesthat he leased eight apartments for employees in a recently-built luxury complex situated just a one-minute walk away from the office. The rents in the 1...

David Jones in Real Estate 2026-06-30 18:10

‘Oracle of Wall Street’ says boomers control the housing market, and their enormous equity will keep them in place — ‘There will be no quick fixes’

Baby boomers now own a majority of U.S. homes and have the financial means to stay where they are, keeping the housing market stuck for the foreseeable future, according to top Wall Street analyst Meredith Whitney.Recommended VideoThe CEO of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group, whose prediction of the Great Financial Crisis earned her the moniker “Oracle of Wall Street,” pointed out in aFinancial Timesop-ed that more than 54% of h...

Emily Williams in Real Estate 2026-06-30 18:52

‘Quiet luxury’ is coming for the housing market, The Corcoran Group CEO says. It’s not just the Hamptons, Aspen, and Miami anymore

Today’s luxury housing marketis expanding from grand, extravagant mansions toward “quiet luxury,” emphasizing understated comfort, according to Pamela Liebman, CEO of The Corcoran Group. This trend includes smaller, high-end homes and with buyers favoring places that offer meaningful features over sheer size or clout.While people have different definitions for luxury, the word typically elicits extravagance, grandeur, and exclusivity. And in the ...

John Jones in Real Estate 2026-06-29 18:04

Trump says the American Dream is on hold because ‘big homebuilders’ are ‘sitting on’ 2 million empty lots

When President Donald Trump compared “Big Homebuilders” to OPEC in a Sunday evening Truth Social post, he gave voice to a common populist trope: Greedy developers are hoarding the supply of houses and thus driving up costs. In many ways, it was classic Trump, sending a jolt through corporate America at one of the least expected times while embracing a populist policy point, and traversing across previously fiercely guarded partisan lines. It...

Michael Davis in Real Estate 2026-06-28 18:12

Mark Zuckerberg gifted noise-canceling headphones to his Palo Alto neighbors because of the nonstop construction around his 11 homes

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has been rankling his neighborsin Palo Alto as he works on expanding and modifying the 11 homes that he has purchased in the area. To smooth over tensions, theNew York Timessays Zuckerberg gifted his next-door neighbors noise-canceling headphones as a peace offering.Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire cofounder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, reportedly gave noise-canceling headphones to his neighbors in the Crescent Park ne...

Sarah Williams in Real Estate 2026-06-21 18:38

Now is the worst time to flip a home. It hasn’t been this bad in nearly two decades

It pays less and less to buy and flip a home these days. From April through June, the typical home flipped by an investor resulted in a 25.1% return on investment, before expenses. That’s the lowest profit margin for such transactions since 2008, according to an analysis by Attom, a real estate data company.Recommended VideoGross profits — the difference between what an investor paid for a property and what it sold for — fell 13.6% in the second ...

Michael Brown in Real Estate 2026-06-20 18:02

Would-be homebuyers are getting cold feet and backing out of deals at a record pace as some sellers have a ‘hard time adjusting’ to new reality

It’s a buyer’s market, and that means house hunters are walking away from contracts more frequently, according to data from Redfin. Sellers outnumber buyers in the housing market by about 500,000, the real estate firm said, as it found that buyers are wielding more negotiating leverage and asking sellers to cover the cost of any repairs that need to be done and demanding price cuts.Recommended VideoAt the same time, many sellers are not accommoda...

Jennifer Williams in Real Estate 2026-06-19 18:16

The ‘best time’ to buy a home is right around the corner. Here’s what you need to know

The housing market has been particularly brutal the past couple of years. While the pandemic ushered in an era of sub-3% mortgage rates, those climbed to levels peaking at 8% in October 2023. Current mortgage rates are still hovering around the low-6% range and home prices are 55% higher than they were at the beginning of 2020, according to the Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index.Recommended VideoBut the U.S. housing market is slowly but ...

Jane Jones in Real Estate 2026-06-18 11:09

A gauge of future home sales just turned negative—despite 9 straight weeks of falling mortgage rates

Mortgage rates have been coming down, but there has yet to be a spike in homebuying activity—and one leading indicator has even declined.Recommended VideoPending home sales, or signed contracts leading up to a sale, fell for the first time in nearly three months, slipping about 1% during the four weeks ending Sept. 21 compared to a year earlier, according to a Redfin report on Thursday.That’s despite the weekly average mortgage rate sliding for n...

John Johnson in Real Estate 2026-06-18 18:42

The housing market is no longer a wealth-building engine as home prices continue to slump

Home prices aren’t keeping up with inflation, representing a drag on wealth in real terms, according to S&P Global. That’s as home prices have been falling on a monthly basis, while President Donald Trump’s tariffs have kept inflation sticky and still-high mortgage rates have weighed on demand.High home prices and mortgage rates have created unaffordable conditions for many Americans, but the housing market’s ability to create more wealth has...

Michael Davis in Real Estate 2026-06-17 18:14

‘Just another nail in the coffin for rural areas’: Affordable housing program faces the axe under Trump’s tax, budget cuts

Heather Colley and her two children moved four times over five years as they fled high rents in eastern Tennessee, which, like much of rural America, hasn’t been spared from soaring housing costs.Recommended VideoA family gift in 2021 of a small plot of land offered a shot at homeownership, but building a house was beyond reach for the 45-year-old single mother and manicurist making $18.50 an hour.That changed when she qualified for $272,000...

Jennifer Brown in Real Estate 2026-06-16 18:56

The price premium on new-construction homes is dissolving. New-home prices dropped in 30% of large U.S. cities last quarter

Housing costs have surged more than 50% since the pandemic,but the traditional price gap where new-construction homes cost significantly more than existing homes has narrowed. There are notable price drops and incentives, especially in the South and West, making new homes more affordable. Furthermore, new homes often provide better value per square foot, and builders tend to offer incentives.No matter the type of home you buy, housing has become ...

Emily Davis in Real Estate 2026-06-15 18:22

Not even a 0% mortgage rate would make buying a house affordable in these 6 U.S. cities

Housing affordability in the U.S.remains at crisis levels due to a combination of stubbornly high mortgage rates and home prices. Even if mortgage rates dropped substantially, the core problem is persistently high prices, particularly in major metro areas. Affordable inventory remains tight as current homeowners hold onto low-rate mortgages.There are several factors affecting housing affordability in the U.S.—and stubbornly high mortgage rates ar...

David Davis in Real Estate 2026-06-14 11:17

Even a 1% mortgage rate drop could be enough to ‘unlock’ the frozen housing market, Oxford Economics says

Mortgage ratesare currently in the high 6% range, and a drop back to the pandemic-era sub-3% levels is considered unrealistic by economists. However, a modest decline in rates to below 6% could motivate some homeowners to sell, potentially thawing the frozen housing market constrained by homeowners holding onto low-rate mortgages.If you’re waiting for mortgage rates to fall to around 3% to buy a home, don’t hold your breath. The likelihood mortga...

Robert Davis in Real Estate 2026-06-13 11:09

The U.S. housing market is ‘finally starting to listen’ to homebuyers plagued by high mortgage rates and home prices, economist says

Housing affordability in the U.S.has improved slightly in 2025 due to mortgage rates trending down and home price growth flattening or declining in some markets, though conditions are still much more difficult than before the pandemic. A First American analysis shows a 3.1% year-over-year gain in affordability. However, most Americans still find homeownership challenging.After years of affordability challenges for buyers in the U.S., the housing ...

Emily Smith in Real Estate 2026-06-12 18:40

The housing market’s fall surprise: Buyers are back, and Zillow says the momentum isn’t over yet

Zillow’s September 2025 housing market report reveals an unexpected surge of activity during what is typically real estate’s slow season. A dip in mortgage rates—combined with a strong stock market—sparked renewed energy among both buyers and sellers after a sluggish August.Recommended VideoNew listings climbed 3% year over year in September, reversing the 3% decline a month earlier. On a monthly basis, listings dipped 2%, outperforming the histo...

Emily Johnson in Real Estate 2026-06-12 18:46

The U.S. housing market is in spooky season: 15% of home sellers are getting ghosted by buyers

Halloween is just about a week away, but spooky season started early for the U.S. housing market. Recommended VideoIn September, more than 53,000 home-purchase agreements were canceled—or 15% of all homes under contract, according to Redfin data released Wednesday. That’s nearly a 14% jump from the same time last year. The housing markets with the highest percentage of pending sales that fell out of contract include: Minneapolis (1...

Sarah Davis in Real Estate 2026-06-11 18:58

Home sales are headed for their worst year since 1995 as ‘economic jitters’ spread from buyers to sellers, Redfin says

There’s recently been a little bit of breathing room in the U.S. housing market as mortgage rates have slightly declined and home price increases have started to steady. But both buyers and sellers are still cautious. Recommended VideoFewer homeowners are putting their homes on the market: Active listings fell 1.4% in August, which represents the biggest monthly decline since 2023, according to a Monday report from Redfin. “High housing...

Robert Williams in Real Estate 2026-06-10 11:05

New home inventory is at its highest level since just before the housing market collapse that led to the Great Recession, but that doesn’t mean it’s the same market

The U.S. housing market’s inventory is growing, putting pressure on prices and slowing new construction, according to fresh research from the Bank of America Institute. As of June, existing-home supply reached 4.7 months, the highest level since July 2016. New-home supply surged even further to 9.8 months—its highest point since 2022—highlighting how quickly inventory is building across the housing market.Recommended VideoThe influx of available ...

Jane Miller in Real Estate 2026-06-07 18:30

The average American homeowner lost $9,200 in home equity during the last year. It’s not a collapse but a ‘long-term market correction’

Owning a home is considered one of the best and most financially savvy a person can make—if you can afford it. After all, it’s the largest asset class in the largest financial market in the world, and the 30-year mortgage is a unique American invention that (theoretically) invites everyone into the American Dream of homeownership.Recommended VideoBuying a house allows people to build equity and wealth over time by making mortgage payments that re...

Emily Miller in Real Estate 2026-06-05 11:01

Bilingual AI boosts Hispanic homeownership even as federal housing agencies moves to English-only services

For many Hispanics the road to homeownership is filled with obstacles, including loan officers who don’t speak Spanish or aren’t familiar with buyers who may not fit the boxes of a traditional mortgage applicant.Recommended VideoSome mortgage experts are turning to artificial intelligence to bridge the gap. They want AI to help loan officers find the best lender for a potential homeowner’s specific situation, while explaining the process clearly ...

Michael Jones in Real Estate 2026-06-04 18:06

Zillow is the target of a massive infringement lawsuit that could force it to pay north of $1 billion in damages

The owner of Homes.com is suing Zillow for allegedly infringing more than 46,000 copyrighted photos. The suit seeks “a substantial award of damages,” which could top $1 billion. CoStar’s CEO also threatened Realtor.com and Redfin with similar suits.CoStar Group, the owner of Homes.com, Apartments.com, and several other real-estate websites, is suing Zillow, alleging the company has displayed tens of thousand of copyrighted photos on its sites.The...

Michael Brown in Real Estate 2026-06-03 11:27

Americans say $74,000 a year is the ‘perfect salary.’ But that would make buying a house affordable in only two states

A $74,000 salaryis above the national median and enough to comfortably cover rent in most U.S. cities, but it still falls short of affording a median-priced home in nearly every state. Monthly mortgage payments often exceed the one‑third income threshold, even for households earning nearly double that “ideal” salary. Experts say the bigger obstacle isn’t just today’s mortgage rates, but persistently high home prices fueled by tight inventory and ...

Robert Johnson in Real Estate 2026-06-02 11:19

Gen Zers are flocking to these Midwest housing markets where homes are about 30% cheaper than the coasts

Younger generations are looking to the Midwest for homeownershipbecause of the region’s significantly lower housing costs compared to major coastal cities. Many Midwest metros have median home prices well below the national average, while also offering a lower cost of living. As a result, some Midwest cities have higher rates of young homeowners.Younger generations are typically associated with wanting to live a big-city lifestyle, but the high c...

Michael Brown in Real Estate 2026-05-31 11:45

Paris Hilton took out a mortgage on the $63 million mansion she bought from Mark Wahlberg. Here’s why that’s actually a smart financial decision

Despite Paris Hilton’s high net worth,she and her husband reportedly took out a $43.75 million mortgage for their $63 million Beverly Hills mansion, a move more common among ultrawealthy individuals than one may think. Experts say wealthy buyers often keep their cash liquid and use mortgages as a strategic tool to maximize flexibility and invest in higher-yield opportunities.Considering Paris Hilton is worth an estimated $300 million to $400 mill...

Michael Davis in Real Estate 2026-05-30 11:35

In a frozen luxury housing market, buyers are asking to ‘try before you buy’ and having sleepovers in multimillion-dollar mansions

Luxury homeownersare increasingly struggling to sell at desired prices, prompting a rise in creative tactics like sleepover trials and steep price cuts. New taxes in areas like Los Angeles and Cape Cod make luxury transactions even more costly, forcing sellers to be more mindful and flexible with pricing strategies.In today’s luxury housing market, it’s become increasingly difficult to sell for what the homeowner might think the home is worth—and...

Emily Miller in Real Estate 2026-05-28 18:32

The August home sales mystery: Top analyst says ‘implausible’ housing market data ‘defies credulity’

The U.S. housing market has delivered plenty of surprises in recent years, but few as puzzling as the data released for August. According to new government figures, new-home sales surged to an annualized 800,000 units last month, up sharply from July’s upwardly revised 664,000 and far above the consensus forecast of 650,000. For a sector weighed down by rising mortgage rates, stretched affordability, and a cooling labor market, the number was so ...

Jennifer Miller in Real Estate 2026-05-28 18:34

Escape from New York: Impending election of a democratic socialist mayor has the wealthy fleeing to the suburbs

The wealthy in New York City are on the move, spurred by what some are calling the “Mamdani effect”—a sudden surge of outward migration in anticipation of Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, likely taking the reins as mayor this November.Recommended VideoAs polls point ever more decisively to a Mamdani victory in the fast-approaching Nov. 4 election, Manhattan’s elite are quietly packing their bags and setting their sights on the rolling lawn...

Emily Miller in Real Estate 2026-05-26 11:31

Florida’s housing market was skewed wildly by the pandemic. It’s finally coming to grips with a ‘realistic middle ground’

The housing market in Florida is in the midst of a major change: Inventory is down for the first time in 110 weeks, according to Compass chief economist Mike Simonsen. But it’s not for the reason you might think.Recommended VideoFlorida’s housing market was one of the hottest during the pandemic due to the state’s appeal to remote workers, retirees, and investors who relocated from high-cost states like New York and California seeking more space,...

Jane Smith in Real Estate 2026-05-24 18:24

The mortgage rate decline it would take to make an average home affordable is ‘unrealistic,’ Zillow says

Since the pandemic, U.S. mortgage rateshave risen dramatically. This surge, combined with historically high home prices, has tanked housing affordability, with first-time homebuyer rates falling to half the historical average. Even a substantial drop in mortgage rates would not restore housing affordability for most Americans.During the pandemic, one of the few things people enjoyed were low mortgage rates. From spring 2020 through 2021, mortgage...

David Williams in Real Estate 2026-05-22 11:25

Oakley’s billionaire founder is the latest victim of the sluggish luxury housing market—but the profit he could still make shows an underlying problem

James Jannard, the billionaire founder of Oakley, has re-listed his Beverly Hills megamansion for $65 million, down from the original $68 million price listing from June 2024. Despite the price drop, Jannard stands to make a significant profit since he purchased the property for $19.9 million in 2009. This trend of wealthy sellers, including Jannard, dropping prices highlights a broader market correction where luxury buyers prioritize value and l...

Jennifer Miller in Real Estate 2026-05-17 11:53

Why boomers keep winning in the housing market as ‘investors and second-home buyers’ continue to dominate

All-cash offers have cemented their place as a formidable force in the U.S. housing market, accounting for nearly one in three home purchases in the first half of 2025, according to the latest analysis from Realtor.com. The data reveals that about 32.8% of home sales so far this year were completed fully in cash—a figure only slightly lower than last year, but significantly above pre-pandemic norms. These transactions are “especially common at th...

Jane Jones in Real Estate 2026-05-17 11:35

The 10 hottest ZIP codes of 2025, according to Realtor.com

Beverly, Massachusetts is the nation’s hottest ZIP code, according to a study by Realtor.com. Houses in the area sell in just 16 days. The Northeast boasts seven of the 10 hottest ZIP codes this year.While the housing market, overall, has seen better days, some areas are still doing well.Realtor.com has issued its study of the country’s hottest ZIP codes—and if you’re looking to sell and live in the Northeast, things could be a lot worse.Beverly,...

Jane Jones in Real Estate 2026-05-15 18:48

Housing costs are so high some Americans are delaying milestones like getting married, having kids and even adopting a pet

Americans are sacrificing a lot just to be able to afford a roof over their head. Recommended VideoAccording to a recent Redfin survey, more than 44% of U.S. homeowners and renters said they struggle to afford their mortgage or rent payments. And because of that, they’ve been forced to forgo dining out at restaurants and taking vacations. But what’s more alarming is they’re delaying major life milestones like getting married and having ...

David Davis in Real Estate 2026-05-15 11:37

America’s landlords settle claim they used rent-setting algorithms to gouge consumers nationwide for $141 million

Real estate giant Greystar and 25 other property management companies have agreed to collectively pay more than $141 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing landlords of driving up housing costs by using rent-setting algorithms offered by the software company RealPage.Recommended VideoGreystar, the nation’s largest landlord, would pay $50 million under the proposed settlement agreement, which was filed Wednesday in a Tennessee federal c...

Jennifer Williams in Real Estate 2026-05-13 11:27

Nearly 70% of Americans think the economy is on the ‘wrong track’ and even more think it’s a bad time to buy a home, Fannie Mae survey shows

A growing sense of economic pessimism is taking hold in the U.S., as new Fannie Mae survey data reveals nearly 70% of Americans believe the economy is headed in the wrong direction. An even higher percentage (73%) say it’s a bad time to buy a house. Coupled with mounting concerns about the housing market, the findings underscore the challenges facing would-be homebuyers, and paint an increasingly bleak picture for consumer sentiment as autumn beg...

Sarah Jones in Real Estate 2026-05-12 18:38

Existing home sales inch up in July on modest pullback in mortgage rates

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in July as homebuyers were encouraged by a modest pullback in mortgage rates, slowing home price growth and the most properties on the market in over five years.Recommended VideoExisting home sales rose 2% last month from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.01 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.Sales edged up 0.8% compared with July last year. The latest sales ...

Sarah Brown in Real Estate 2026-05-10 11:43