U.S. home prices rise at new record rate, Case-Shiller shows

The numbers: U.S. home prices rose again in March even as higher mortgage rates began to bite, leaving prices at all-time highs. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city price index was up a record ...

‘Should we wait to see how the market plays out?’ I want to purchase a rental home. Is this a good time?

Dear MarketWatch, Is it a good time to buy an investment home to rent out, or should we wait off on it? We live in Arizona, but the home I’d be buying is located in El Paso, Texas. It would involve ta...

After 2 stormy years of ‘moonshot’ house prices, don’t hold out hope for a major correction. Why COVID-era property values may be here to stay.

There is hope for first-time buyers looking to enter the U.S. housing market, but observers say they will have to be patient. After a two-year surge in home prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ho...

‘I have great plans for myself’: My girlfriend doesn’t understand how her student loan works and rents a pricey apartment. What if we marry — and divorce? 

My girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for seven months, and it is getting more serious. I don’t expect us to get married in the next year but I like to plan ahead and if things keep working ...

Good news for home buyers? Fannie Mae chief economist says the U.S. housing market has finally turned a corner. Here’s why.

The inventory shortage, high prices and rising interest rates have finally bitten. Single-family home sales fell sharply by 16.6% in April to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 591,000, accordin...

New home sales plunge as high prices and rising U.S. mortgage rates discourage buyers

The numbers: Sales of new homes in the U.S. fell in April for the fourth month in a row to the lowest level since the pandemic owing to high prices and soaring mortgage rates. New sales slowed to a 59...

‘The dip is your friend’: Why some advisers are telling young investors to buy stocks, despite stagflation fears roiling markets

How low can stocks go? This question has made investors nervous, as they fear one bottom after another. The answer: Pick a number. Some analysts say brace for further drops, others expect a bounce. Wa...

5 economists and real estate pros on what mortgage rates will look like for 2022

What should you expect for mortgage interest rates in 2022? Getty Images/iStockphoto Mortgage rates have reached their highest point in 13 years, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. An...

3 economists predict when competition in the housing market will decline

When will you see competition decrease in the housing market? Getty Images Mortgage rates on 30-year fixed rate loans have climbed from about 3.5% earlier this year to upwards of 5.6%, and pros say th...

‘It’s unlikely home prices will plummet.’ 5 pros predict home prices in 2022

Will home prices fall? Getty Images Gone are the uber-low mortgage rates of 2021. Indeed, average 30-year-fixed mortgage rates have risen from roughly 3.5% to about 5.6% this year, and pros say they e...

‘What are the chances? I retire and the stock market crashes. All my plans are upside down.’ I want to draw on my 401(k) to renovate my new home. What options do I have?

Dear Quentin, I’m due to retire in two months and I have already moved to my new home in the sun. I have not sold my apartment in a major U.S. metropolitan area on the east coast, as I wanted to see h...

Out of 100 housing markets in America, this is the least overpriced, study finds

Baltimore is the least overvalued housing market, new study reveals. Getty Images Housing prices have risen rapidly in the past year, even as mortgage rates are on the rise with pros saying they will ...

‘We do not plan on getting married’: I’m moving into my boyfriend’s home. He bought it a year ago and paid off 25% of his mortgage. How do I get a stake in his home that’s fair to both of us?

My boyfriend and I would like to move in together in the next year or so. He bought his house about a year ago, and he has paid off about 25% of it. We both would like for me to gradually become a par...

How do higher mortgage rates help shrink inflation? Here’s an explainer.

The Federal Reserve yanked a short-term interest rate higher this week, making it more expensive to borrow money to buy a home or fix it up. The central bank raised the federal funds rate last week by...

The office ‘is over,’ Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says, and flexibility is the future

““I think that the office as we know it, is over.”” That’s Airbnb Chief Executive Brian Chesky, in an interview with Time magazine’s The Leadership Brief published Sunday. “It’s kind of like an anachr...

Zillow stock slides to 2-year low, Wall Street keeps slashing targets amid ‘dour’ housing market outlook

Shares of Zillow Group Inc. slumped to a two-year low Friday, as Wall Street analysts continued to slash their price targets in the wake of the real estate information company’s upbeat first-quarter r...

‘She has no ambition’: I’m 41 and make $100,000. I’m buying a home before getting married. My fiancée earns $50,000 and has $20,000 in student debt. What’s a fair prenup?

I have been in my current relationship for almost three years. I’m a young woman, 41, have a great, stable career and make about $100,000 a year. I am ambitious and my prospects have me increasing my ...

‘The pandemic boom in home sales is over’: Mortgage rates soar to highest level since 2009 as the Fed pressures the housing market

Mortgage rates are skyrocketing thanks to the Fed, but buyers who can tough out this difficult, changing market will be rewarded. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.27% for the week ending May...

‘My aim is to have a net worth of at least $100,000’: I’m 29 and live with my mom in a rented mobile home. I have a $25K emergency fund and $26K in a Roth IRA. What do I save for next?

I am doing OK financially as a single 29-year-old who unfortunately is still roommates with my mom. We split everything down the middle and I mainly stay with her since it is very expensive to live on...

Foreclosure filings are up 132% from a year prior. Here’s what that means

What does the recent uptick in foreclosures mean for the housing market now? Getty Images When we were reading through real estate data this month, three stats caught our eye. The first: That the numb...

‘I think we’re in the final innings.’ Pimco’s Kiesel thinks the housing market has hit its top

Mark Kiesel is thinking of selling his California home and becoming a renter. Families looking to buy a home make want to take heed. Kiesel, who serves as global credit chief investment officer at Pim...

‘Buyers of a median-price home are looking at a monthly mortgage payment that is almost 50% higher than it was a year ago.’ The 30-year mortgage rate dips slightly to 5.1%

The interest rate on the country’s benchmark mortgage product edged downward for the first time since early March, but that doesn’t mean the housing market will see a reprieve. The 30-year fixed-rate ...

‘I’m spending a fortune on home maintenance. I realize my second husband is essentially living in my house for free’: What is a fair way to split costs?

I am a retired 62-year-old woman. I was widowed in 2006 at the age of 46 and raised my two children (now 24 and 27) on my own. I used my husband’s life insurance money (about $500,000) to maintain our...

What to expect if you’re thinking about buying an investment property

Think about your objective as it will inform what kind of property you’ll buy. Getty Images Many people dream of owning real estate that nets them a rent check each month, but knowing what you might a...

4 housing market predictions for 2022, from economists and real estate pros

We asked home and mortgage experts and economists what they predict will happen this spring. Getty Images/iStockphoto We asked home and mortgage experts and economists what they predict will happen in...

This is where property taxes increased the most last year — it’s not in California or New York

Today’s home buyers could be in for a shock when the tax man comes calling. In 2021, around $328 billion in property taxes were imposed on single-family homes across the country, according to a new re...

Mortgage rates soar to highest level in over a decade — even wealthy home buyers are feeling the pain

Mortgage rates are soaring, and no one is being spared. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5% as of the week ending April 14, representing an increase of 28 basis points from the pr...

As mortgage rates climb, one big thing homebuyers should consider doing now

Is a mortgage rate lock right for you? Getty Images Mortgage rates will likely rise throughout 2022, many experts predict. Indeed, both Holden Lewis, home and mortgage expert at Nerdwallet, and Jeff O...

The housing market is running hot. Can the Fed cool it before it crashes?

When the “Bond King” Bill Gross sat down recently with Barry Ritholtz for an episode of “The Big Picture” podcast, the billionaire investor and PIMCO founder took a pretty skeptical view of who might ...

This is exactly how much income homebuyers are bringing to the bargaining table

How much income do homebuyers usually come to the table with? Getty Images/iStockphoto The median household income in America is about $68,000, according to the Census Bureau — but that may not be eno...

As mortgage rates surge higher, these home buyers are being pushed out of the market

The steep upward climb in mortgage rates still isn’t showing any signs of stopping. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.72% as of the week ending April 7, Freddie Mac FMCC, -0.03% ...

Get ready for a ‘new world order’ that drives stocks and bonds: BlackRock

It’s an end of an era. That’s BlackRocks Inc.’s BLK, +1.62% Tony DeSpirito, chief investment officer in the U.S. fundamental equities division of the world’s largest asset manager, telling investors t...