Mortgages

Homes are “equity-rich” when owners owe less than 50% of what their homes are worth and “underwater” when they owe more than the entire value of the house.

Anna Romero shares her financial struggles and how she ended up back on the job hunt.

The move aims to make it easier for would-be buyers to get a mortgage.

While President Trump’s recent order could persuade lenders to issue more mortgages at lower interest rates, the effects could be small and short-lived.

Home prices rose just 1.4% in the 12 months through October, the weakest performance since mid-2023, according to the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index.

Applications for adjustable-rate mortgages have more than doubled over the past year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

A 50-year mortgage would mean you get 20 more years to pay off the house. It also means you’d have 20 more years of paying interest, and also earning less equity.

High interest rates have spurred the resurgence of adjustable-rate mortgages. But ARMs are a little different from what you may remember.

With mortgage rates below 6.5%, lots of recent buyers are deciding to refinance. But there hasn’t been a similar increase in prospective buyers entering the market.

“When you get a fixed-rate mortgage, it's like buying insurance against inflation, and you're paying for that insurance over the whole life of the mortgage,” one expert told us.