Real Estate

Home-price growth surged to a record in 2021, as low mortgage-interest rates prompted buyers to compete fiercely for a limited number of homes for sale. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, which measures average home prices in major metropolitan areas across the nation, rose 18.8% in the 12 months that ended in December, […]

Federal Reserve officials pushed back Friday against the prospect that they would begin raising interest rates next month with a larger half-percentage-point increase in their benchmark rate. Recent data pointing to stronger hiring, consumer spending and inflationary pressures had prompted investors in bond and interest-rate futures markets to place growing probabilities on a larger rate

Investment firms are buying up more vacation homes, aiming to cash in on growing demand from tourists and remote workers. Most vacation-rental homes are owned by small-time owners who list their properties on websites such as Airbnb Inc., but the number of financial firms investing in the sector is growing. New York-based investment firm Saluda

Dallas real-estate agent Richard Soto released a video on YouTube last year touting his state’s many benefits, including a growing economy, low cost of living and friendly neighbors. He also included warnings for why people might not want to move to Texas. “The landscape is kind of boring; there’s not much to look at,” he

The dream of homeownership has grown more out of reach for middle-class Americans during the pandemic. The surge in home prices and sharp decline in the number of homes for sale have made home buying more difficult for many Americans compared with two years ago, according to a study from the National Association of Realtors

Brian Sanders, 47, co-owner of a McMinnville, Ore., car dealership, and his wife, Heather, 29, didn’t set out to purchase a 90-year-old home, but when they began their search last year, the options were limited. They wanted to be close to their children’s schools and few homes were on the market. So the couple purchased

Buying a first home is always stressful. Buying now, with property price increases eating into savings and inflation driving up the cost of home repairs, is proving to be particularly costly for some first-time buyers. New buyers are putting more money into down payments and increased closing costs as prices go up. To compete in

If you feel like you can’t land one of the few homes on the market to save your life right now, try competing with a record number of real-estate agents to sell one. In many ways,Zillow’s near-term fate hinges upon that struggle. The combination of low inventory and high demand for homes has made Zillow

Red-Hot Housing Market Fuels Mortgage Borrowing Record Americans borrowed more than ever to buy homes in 2021. Mortgage lenders issued $1.61 trillion in purchase loans in 2021, according to estimates by the Mortgage Bankers Association. That is up slightly from $1.48 trillion in 2020 and above the previous record of $1.51 trillion in 2005. Purchase

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to Back Home Loans of Nearly $1 Million as Prices Soar The federal government is about to back mortgages of nearly $1 million for the first time. The maximum size of home-mortgage loans eligible for backing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are expected to jump sharply in 2022, a reflection