News

The Federal Reserve raised its target federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point from near zero at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday. The first increase in the benchmark rate in three years will lay the groundwork for six more hikes by year’s end. “The war in Eastern Europe gives the Fed reason to act more cautiously, but

A home stands for sale in a Brooklyn neighborhood on New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images A sharp jump in mortgage rates last week soured demand from both current homeowners and potential homebuyers, causing mortgage applications to drop. With rates now back on the expected upward trajectory, following a brief drop at the

A house for rent in Corona Del Mar, California. Scott Mlyn | CNBC Demand for single-family rental homes is soaring, pushing prices to record highs, as Americans begin to emerge from two years of pandemic hardship and return to big cities. Single-family rents gained a record 12.6% year over year in January, according to a

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise rates Wednesday as they look to contain soaring inflation. The first quarter-point increase in the federal funds rate in three years will likely lay the groundwork for additional hikes to follow. “The cumulative effect of rate hikes is what is really going to have an impact on the economy and

In a four-story apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, a very small company is implementing a very big idea: Electrify every building in the United States by leasing landlords the necessary equipment to make the transition. BlocPower is a Brooklyn-based start-up that has “greened” more than 1,200 buildings in New York City and has similar

A “For Sale” sign is seen outside a home in New York. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters The war-induced drop in U.S. mortgage rates was short-lived. Rates popped up again this week to the highest level in nearly two years.  The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage hit 4.19% and then fell to 3.90%

David Sacks | Getty Images Consumer prices are rising at their fastest pace in decades — and that inflation has been most acute in household staple items like food, housing and transportation, making it hard to escape the budgetary sting. The Consumer Price Index jumped 7.9% in February relative to a year earlier, the largest

A single family home is shown for sale in Encinitas, California. Mike Blake | Reuters After rising steadily for months, mortgage rates made a U-turn last week, and borrowers jumped to take advantage. The crisis in Ukraine rattled financial markets and caused a run on the relatively safer bond market. Yields fell and mortgage rates

Getty Images Interest rates are almost undoubtedly going up this month, for the first time in three years. The Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% next week to curb inflation, which is running at a 40-year high. Additional hikes are likely later this year. American households will feel that

Joaquin Corbalan | Istock | Getty Images Most of the pandemic-era forbearance options for struggling homeowners have come to an end, but a pot of money allocated by Congress is still available to them. The Homeowner Assistance Fund, overseen by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is a nearly $10 billion federal program established to

The rear of the home opens to a massive lawn framed by a moat-like water feature and a 400 ft. running track just below it. Marc Angeles A 105,000-square-foot Los Angeles mega-mansion that was listed for $295 million sold at a bankruptcy auction for $141 million, ending a 10-year-saga of soaring debt and failed dreams.

A house’s real estate for sale sign shows an upcoming open house in Washington, DC. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Mortgage demand stalled last week, as interest rates hit a multiyear high, but that will likely change quickly. Rates are now falling fast due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mortgage application volume

A home is offered for sale by owner on January 20, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images Mortgage rates are sinking as markets contend with the ramifications of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and that means home prices are likely to continue surging. The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage had

In this article SRG Eddie Lampert, former CEO of Sears. Source: Sears Holdings Seritage Growth Properties, a real estate investment trust that was spun out of the defunct department store chain Sears in 2015, said Tuesday that it is exploring strategic alternatives for its business. The company also announced that former Sears CEO Eddie Lampert,

Tommaso79 | Istock | Getty Images Although government intervention helped the U.S. avoid the scariest predictions for the possible number of pandemic-related evictions, hundreds of thousands of families still found notices on their doors. Since March 2020, landlords filed more than 750,000 evictions in the six states and 31 cities that The Eviction Lab at

New homes under construction by CastleRock Communities in Kyle, Texas, in November 2021. Matthew Busch | Bloomberg | Getty Images Record increases in home prices are also pushing up the amount of equity people have in their abodes. For many Americans, that means they can borrow more against what is often their biggest asset. However,

Cannabis leaves sit on plants growing in a greenhouse in the GW Pharmaceuticals Plc facility in Sittingboune, U.K. on Monday, Oct. 29, 2018. Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty Images A vast marijuana farm could soon be built on a small island between the U.K. and Ireland. Peel Group, a real estate firm led by

monkeybusinessimages | iStock | Getty Images Looking for a new home may seem like a daunting task these days. Prices are up, inventory is low and mortgage rates are rising. That’s why, in this environment, it pays to do your homework before you enter the market. Once you start looking, you’ll have to move at

Signage at the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland Hotel, developed by Shimao Group Holdings, in Shanghai, China, on Feb. 9, 2022. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images BEIJING — Moody’s downgraded Chinese property developer Shimao Group Holdings on Wednesday based on expectations that the company will find it harder to repay investors on time. The move

A “for sale” sign in front of a home that Zillow shows has a pending sale of 750,000 dollars on February 18, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Climbing mortgage rates are hitting both potential homebuyers and refinance candidates. Total mortgage applications decreased 13.1% last week to the lowest level since December

Rendering of Panther National Clubhouse Courtesy: Panther National A golf legend and a one of the PGA’s hottest young stars are teaming up to create a luxury golf community in Palm Beach County, Florida. Hall of fame golfer Jack Nicklaus, 82, and 28-year old PGA Tour star Justin Thomas broke ground Tuesday at Panther National

Iryna Imago | Istock | Getty Images Ah, the joys of homeownership … until something breaks and there’s no landlord to call. If you just moved into your new home or are in the market for a house, be aware that 77% of homeowners have dealt with an unexpected issue that required shelling out money

Getty Images If you recently made a profit selling your home, it may come with a costly surprise this filing season: capital gains taxes on your windfall. In 2021, the average U.S. home seller scored a profit of $94,092, up 71% from $55,000 two years ago, according to ATTOM, a nationwide property database. While many

The nation’s museums are facing increased flooding and more frequent wildfires, and all that history inside is at risk. The value at stake is incalculable. Now the rush is on to make the structures more resilient, but funding that will be a feat. The problem is particularly acute at the nation’s Smithsonian museums. At the

A sold sign is posted in front of a home in Phoenix, Arizona. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes in January rose 6.7% from December to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 6.5 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. That exceeded Wall Street expectations significantly. Sales were 2.3%

Mike Reynolds, 76, started building “earthships” in Taos, New Mexico, more than half a century ago. For many years, most people thought he was nuts. Why is this idiot using garbage to build with, and why is this idiot trying to make buildings that don’t need utilities?” said Reynolds, summarizing what people thought of him.

A man walks to his friend’s home in a neighbourhood without electricity as snow covers the BlackHawk neighborhood in Pflugerville, Texas, U.S. February 15, 2021. Bronte Wittpenn | Austin American | Rueters In 2021, there were 20 climate disasters that each resulted in losses of at least $1 billion in the U.S., according to NOAA.

The Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C. Janhvi Bhojwani | CNBC A House committee urged a federal agency Thursday to consider terminating the lease on a Washington, D.C., hotel held by former President Donald Trump and his business. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform cited accounting firm Mazars’ recent announcement that it is dropping the

Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Biden administration is trying to empower consumers to help rewrite the rules governing how banks, lenders and other financial institutions can treat customers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — a federal agency created in the wake of the 2008 financial

A couple look at houses for sale in the window of William H. Brown estate agents. Getty Images Homebuyers are facing one of the priciest housing markets in history, and that means they need larger mortgages than ever before. While mortgage demand is falling, due to rising interest rates, the size of the average purchase