Real Estate

Signed contracts to buy existing homes in September jumped a surprising 7.4% compared with August, according to the National Association of Realtors. Analysts had been expecting about a 1% gain. These so-called “pending” sales were at the highest level since March and 2.6% higher than September of last year. Since pending sales are based on

Solstock | E+ | Getty Images Halloween trick-or-treaters and jack-o-lanterns can be downright scary — for your homeowners insurance policy. There is a 14% jump in homeowners insurance claims on Halloween compared to other days of the year, according to Travelers Insurance. Theft on premises claims jump 46%. Trips or falls, thefts, fire and pet-related accidents

milan2099 | E+ | Getty Images When it comes to retirement, we all want to have the most income possible. But exactly how to achieve that goal is confounding question for most people. In her new book, “How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful and Wealthy Retirement,” Christine Benz, director of personal finance

An aerial view of existing homes near new homes under construction (UPPER R) in the Chatsworth neighborhood on September 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.  Mario Tama | Getty Images U.S. homeowners are sitting on a record amount of equity, but higher interest rates over the past two years have made them reluctant to tap

Courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images First-time homebuyers in the U.S. are getting older. The median first-time homebuyer has reached an all-time high of 38 years old — three years older than in July 2023, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report. This summer, NAR polled 5,390 buyers

Many factors make it hard to buy a home today, but the one that makes “the biggest difference” in today’s market is the housing shortage, Property Brother Drew Scott said at CNBC’s Your Money event on Thursday. “I don’t think people realize this shortage of housing that we have affects everything,” added his brother Jonathan

Bond traders are at it again, pushing Treasury yields higher and signaling the Federal Reserve was too heavy-handed when it cut interest rates by a half-percentage point last month. The recently rising yields have put pressure on the stock market — and specifically, names in our portfolio tied to housing. The 10-year Treasury yield —

Sales of previously owned homes fell 1% in September compared with August, to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 3.84 million units, the slowest pace since October 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 3.5% lower than in September 2023. Sales fell in three out of four U.S. regions, with just the

Matt Champlin | Moment | Getty Images When a real estate agent works with a prospective homebuyer, they’re required to point out physical or material defects in the property. A death on the property? It depends on the state where the house is located. In most states, death doesn’t count as a material defect requiring

Anton Wormann, 32, moved to Japan in October 2018. Courtesy of Anton Wormann Anton Wormann, 32, has always had a passion for DIY projects and creating beautiful spaces. So, after he discovered that his neighbor’s property had been abandoned, he decided to purchase it and bring it back to life. Upon inspection, Wormann discovered that

A sign is posted in front of a home for sale on August 07, 2024 in San Rafael, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates rose last week for the third straight week, hitting the highest level since August. That caused demand from both current homeowners and potential homebuyers to take a big

A commercial building available for rent in Melville, New York, April 17, 2023. Howard Schnapp | Newsday | Getty Images The tide could be turning for commercial real estate. The Federal Reserve began its interest rate cutting cycle in September, lowering the Fed funds rate for the first time since 2020 by 50 basis points,

A pedestrian crosses a road in front of residential buildings in Beijing, China. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images China vowed more financial support for real estate projects that fall under its so-called whitelist and to speed up banks lending of 4 trillion yuan ($561.8 billion) for such projects, according to the nation’s housing

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivers his annual policy address at the Legislative Council on Oct. 16, 2024 in Hong Kong. China News Service | China News Service | Getty Images Hong Kong chief executive John Lee announced moves aimed at addressing the city’s housing affordability crisis, calling it “an issue of great

David Hester inspects damages of his house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024.  Chandan Khanna | Afp | Getty Images It’s crucial to understand how to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster.  Insured losses alone for Hurricane Helene are now estimated at more than $6

Mobile homes surrounded by flood water after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. October 10, 2024. Octavio Jones | Reuters If your home is temporarily uninhabitable after a natural disaster, a provision in your homeowners or renters insurance policy may help you with new lodging and other living expenses. Insured wind and

Visoot Uthairam | Moment | Getty Images Home repairs and renovations are expensive. To lower costs, 1 in 3 homeowners are willing to hire a contractor with holes in their resume.  About 33% of surveyed homeowners say they’d consider hiring a contractor with a questionable reputation to save money, according to a new report by

A for sale sign is displayed outside of a home for sale on August 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images An abrupt turn higher for mortgage interest rates caused weekly demand from both potential homebuyers and current homeowners to drop. Total mortgage application volume fell 5.1% last

The average rate on the 30-year-fixed mortgage jumped 27 basis points Friday morning following the release of the government’s monthly employment report. The rate is now 6.53%, according to Mortgage News Daily. That is 42 basis points higher than Sept. 17, the day before the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate by half a percentage

Real estate agent and reality television star Ryan Serhant. Newspix Real estate has been historically slow to modernize, but AI is changing that. The integration of artificial intelligence is transforming how buyers and sellers interact with agents, fundamentally altering competitive dynamics in the industry.  With AI reshaping daily operations of a real estate agent’s business