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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.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

New study examines the viability of turning empty office blocks into homes

Aug 9, 2023
The paper considers whether tax breaks might incentivize developers to take on the conversions.
Converting empty office buildings into apartments can add affordable housing, bring more people into downtowns and cut carbon emissions, according to the paper.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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

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

Piano movers, inspectors and more feel the pain of housing market slowdown

Jul 24, 2023
More people are staying put, which means they’re not paying for the adjacent services we need when buying a home.
With more people staying put, there's less of a need for moving-related services, like movers.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

With existing home inventory low, there are economic incentives to build more

Jul 21, 2023
But one economist warns it’ll “take decades of building, not just one good year, for the market to come back into a healthy place.”
The number of permits to build new single-family homes rose in June to the highest it's been in 12 months, according to federal data released this week.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As offices sit empty, some banks are more cautious about commercial real estate loans

Jul 4, 2023
Office building vacancies remain elevated, especially in coastal cities. Lenders worry about developers’ ability to pay back their debt.
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For public good, not for profit.

How bad will it get for office real estate?

Jun 26, 2023
Tenants are celebrating the falling rents, but record vacancies could eventually upend the market.
Office buildings in San Francisco have particularly high vacancy rates.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

New house construction is booming. Here's why most of it isn't affordable.

Jun 20, 2023
There may be more supply, but it tends to cater to demand at the higher end of the income spectrum.
Over the past decade or so, new home construction slowed and still hasn’t caught up with demand.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

As enrollments dwindle and colleges close, towns hope developers will revive abandoned campuses

Jun 1, 2023
It isn't easy to find buyers for typical cinder-block campus buildings.
Southern Vermont College called this mansion in Bennington, Vermont home for 40 years, until it closed in 2019. Now, a real estate developer wants to turn it into a luxury resort.
Henry Epp/Marketplace