Homebuyers face a double whammy: rising mortgage rates and rising prices

Oct 5, 2023
The average monthly payment on a new mortgage rose 46% in 2022, and home prices and mortgage rates have continued to climb in 2023.
With home prices and interest rates so high, people are increasingly having trouble qualifying for a mortgage.
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The housing market is a tale of two people: The buyer and the seller

Sep 26, 2023
Both the buyer and the seller have unrealistic expectations right now, while prices and mortgage rates are high.
"Sellers don’t want to take anything less than the peak," Daryl Fairweather of Redfin says. "Buyers are hoping it’s 2008,” says Michael Orbino of Compass.
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What a “de facto ban” on Airbnb means for New York City 

Sep 21, 2023
Will housing prices go down with fewer short-term renters around?
Airbnb has a long history in New York City. But New York's stance towards short-term rentals has just gone from one of the most relaxed policies out there, to one of the strictest.
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NYC is cracking down on short-term rentals. What does that mean for the housing market?

Sep 6, 2023
It's unclear whether reducing the number of short-term rentals will free up housing for city residents.
New York City's rules for short-term rentals went into effect on September 5, 2023.
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Who wins in today's housing market?

Aug 29, 2023
Prices are rising, rates are climbing and supply is dwindling. That puts people who already own a home ahead.
For renters looking to buy their first home, "it's tough right now," said Thomas LaSalvia with Moody's Analytics.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

"Date the rate, marry the house": The lure of refinancing when buying a home

Aug 22, 2023
Mortgage rates are still high, but some real estate agents have been citing an old refrain: "You can always refinance." Except, others say, when you can't
Even if mortgages get cheaper, so might homes, which would complicate refinancing, said Sacramento real estate agent Erin Stumpf.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Checking in on the path of pandemic homebuying

Aug 10, 2023
Three real estate agents explain how their communities have changed.
The flow of out-of-state buyers into rural communities has not stopped, according to one Montana real estate agent.
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For public good, not for profit.

Homeowners are gaining equity, but it may be going untapped

Jul 31, 2023
A new report finds the rate of mortgage borrowers considered "equity rich" increased to 49% in the second quarter.
"Why would you refinance if you've got a mortgage of 3%, at a mortgage rate of 7%?" says Susan Wachter of the Wharton School.
Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. asking rents decline (slightly), but continue to rise in some regions

Jul 28, 2023
Asking rents are down 1% nationally, though they're still rising in some regions.
A man watches apartment construction in Austin, Texas. The increase in apartment supply is one reason for cooling rents.
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Co-buying a house with your best friend

Jul 27, 2023
The lack of affordability has spurred “nontraditional setups” like this partnership between women who trust each other and work well together.
In 2022, Cass Lang, left, and Jordan Heiden bought a home together in Vermont. “We both wanted the same thing at the same time, so why would we not do it?” Lang said.
Courtesy Lang