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This van life-er left her corporate job for a life on the road

Feb 29, 2024
Abby Joselyn planned to live out of her van for two years. But now, a year and a half into her vanlife journey, she "can't imagine being done in six months."
Joselyn now makes lifestyle videos for social media full-time to pay for her expenses.
Courtesy Abby Joselyn

For a couple in Maine, calling a Grange Hall home means financial freedom

Feb 23, 2024
With the goal of living mortgage-free, "I really knew that I would go anywhere and I would live in anything," Kate Mill says.
After living in Nashville, Tennessee, for 23 years, Henry Pile and Kate Mills bought this  Grange Hall in Livermore Falls, Maine.
Courtesy Henry Pile

High mortgage rates, low inventory keep the housing market tight

Feb 19, 2024
High interest rates and limited inventory are key factors in restricting affordability.
The "mortgage lock-in effect" is part of what's keeping the inventory of homes on the market low right now.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Years after the pandemic started, homebuilding materials are still hard to find

Feb 19, 2024
The industry's mood continues to brighten, a trade group says, but sourcing sophisticated equipment remains a challenge.
There’s currently high demand for sophisticated construction equipment, said John Kirk of the Lightpath Co.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

What's up with all the new storage space?

Feb 16, 2024
Investors chasing returns have fueled a self-storage boom.
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans rent storage space away from home, according to real estate data firm Yardi Matrix, many of them during a move or other life transition.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Median home prices are down across the U.S., but location still drives valuation

Feb 15, 2024
When Caitlin LaClair and her family moved to Texas and then Massachusetts, they were hit with sticker shock.
The prices you'll encounter depend on where you're looking.
David McNew/Getty Images

The mapping tool that's trying to make zoning laws accessible to all

Feb 14, 2024
Zoning laws are notoriously arcane, but a new tool from the National Zoning Atlas is turning them into something like a Google map for land use laws. "We want people to understand what zoning says and what it does," said Sara Bronin, the National Zoning Atlas Director.
Construction on a mixed-use apartment building in Los Angeles, CA.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

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Is rising mortgage debt a bad sign for the economy?

Feb 12, 2024
Mortgage debt has grown 30% since before the pandemic. But the majority of mortgage debt holders have rates below 5%.
"When you take mortgage debt as a share of income, it’s still relatively manageable," said Wells Fargo's Shannon Grein.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Amid a national housing shortage, Texas is an exception

Feb 7, 2024
"This market is just really wacky right now," says Houston-based broker LaTisha Grant.
The number of homes for sale in Texas has more than doubled from its low during the pandemic.
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Canada extends its ban on foreigners buying homes for two more years

Feb 6, 2024
The ban was supposed to make housing more affordable.
After foreign investors began buying up properties in places like Vancouver, "residents were being priced out of their own real estate market," said McGill University's David Wachsmuth.
Andrew Chin/Getty Images