Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Owning a home now takes a bigger chunk of Americans' incomes

Dec 21, 2023
A report out Thursday from the real estate data firm ATTOM finds that a home, and all its related costs, now eat up about 34% of the average wage nationwide.
A new ATTOM report shows that homeownership costs take up roughly 34% of the average wage nationwide — more than lenders advise homeowners to spend.
Spencer Platt/Getty Image

Federal oversight may be hindering Native American homeownership, GAO report finds

Oct 30, 2023
Delays in the BIA approval of real estate transactions could have exposed Native homeowners to climbing interest rates and construction costs.
Most real estate transactions that happen in Indian country have to be approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Above, homes on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in Lower Brule, South Dakota.
Kerem Yucel/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

The past, present and future of “Hard Bargain” Tennessee

Jul 4, 2023
A historic home in Franklin, Tennessee, serves as a monument to generational sacrifice.
A plaque outside the McLemore home in Franklin, Tennessee tells the story of “Hard Bargain.
Courtesy of the Hard Bargain Association

Black homeownership climbed early in the pandemic. Is progress stalling?

Jun 19, 2023
Higher mortgage rates could disproportionately hurt Black homebuyers.
Historically low mortgage rates lifted homeownership across racial and ethnic groups. But those rates have more than doubled since 2021.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Forever homes come in all shapes and sizes — and ages and states of (dis)repair

May 23, 2023
It will need “a lot of TLC," Candice Sides said about the 19th-century log cabin she bought to be her family's eventual home.
"People think of old houses as haunted and creepy, but when I walk in, I get this warm, comfort feeling," Candice Sides said of her newly purchased cabin, above.
Courtesy Lydia Spink

How a decline in home sales also trips up retail

May 16, 2023
When people buy new homes, they buy a lot of other things too, like furniture, appliances and electronics. When home buying slows, that can have a real ripple effect on other industries.
Today’s retail sales numbers showed people spent less on things like building materials and garden supplies in April than they did a year ago. Home Depot also reported today that sales dropped in the first quarter.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Who's the "we" behind those "We Buy Houses" signs?

Apr 28, 2023
Real estate wholesalers offer convenience, but at what price?
"We Buy Houses" signs on a street corner in Baltimore. Often they're posted by real estate wholesalers.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Who will benefit from the reduced cost of FHA loans?

Feb 27, 2023
The Biden administration is lowering rates on the mortgage insurance people have to pay when they take out a loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration.
The lowered insurance premium could mean savings of between $600 to $1,000 a year, depending on the size of your loan.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Existing home sales are down nearly 37%, NAR data shows

Feb 21, 2023
Prices are still rising, but more slowly. What does that mean for house hunters this spring?
"We're at a very interesting point in the U.S. housing market where many people feel like the 2023 could really go either way," says Igor Popov, chief economist at Apartment List.
Mario Tama/Getty