Dear MarketWatch, My wife and I are 64 and 65 years old, respectively. I plan on retiring in two years when I’ll be fully vested with my current employer, avoiding early stock withdrawal penalties, a...
Tag: Real Estate/Property
I’m the chief economist of a mortgage firm that has funded more than $100 billion in loans. These are 3 things to know about the housing market now.
Cameron Findlay As home prices and mortgage rates march upwards, and housing inventory remains seriously constrained, many buyers are wondering: Should I buy? And if I want to buy, what do I need to k...
‘Continuing home price deceleration.’ Here’s what 5 economists and real estate pros predict will happen to the housing market this year
What will happen in the housing market this year? Getty Images When will home price growth really slow down? Will mortgage rates continue their upward climb? What do I need to know if I’m trying to bu...
Do not leave any paper trail: how a group of sovereign citizens used a phony credit repair business to amass a real estate empire
Bad credit? No problem. A group of alleged scam artists have been charged with running a fraudulent credit repair business and then using their clients’ identities to get mortgages on millions of doll...
Adjustable-rate mortgage vs. fixed-rate mortgage: Which one is better for you?
Hello and welcome to Financial Face-off, a MarketWatch column where we help you weigh financial decisions. Our columnist will give her verdict. Tell us whether you think she’s right in the comments. A...
The Fed’s next interest rate hike ‘might be the biggest in decades.’ So we asked 6 real estate pros: What might that do to mortgage rates?
What might happen to mortgage rates soon? Getty Images/iStockphoto Word on the street is that the Federal Reserve may raise rates by 1% at their July 26 meeting — as they try to quell inflation that n...
The 15 housing markets in America that are now actually more affordable than they were in 2005
“Worsening affordability appears to be having an impact on demand, which could lead to prices plateauing or even correcting modestly in some markets,” one pro told MarketWatch Picks. Getty Images/iSto...
Home builders cut prices and slow construction as buyers pull back, survey shows
Home builders are feeling jittery. That’s according to a June survey of home builder sentiment by John Burns Real Estate Consulting. Demand for new homes is cooling as buyers cancel orders, and builde...
Paid Off College and the Mortgage? Here’s How to Allocate Your Freed Up Cash.
Retirement savers who’ve paid off their mortgage or have made their last college payment should take a moment to celebrate. Then they should get busy putting their newfound windfall to work. Given th...
I’m the director of forecasting for the National Association of Realtors. Here are 6 things you should know about the housing market now
As part of our series where we ask prominent economists and real estate pros their take on the housing market now, we talked to Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of forecasting at the Nat...
Biden Administration Weighs Move to Trim Mortgage Costs as Home Prices Rise
WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is weighing a move to trim mortgage costs for first-time and lower-income buyers, a bid to boost affordability when average home prices are at an all-time high. Pre...
Will mortgage rates soon hit 7%? What economists and real estate pros say
Will mortgage rates rise? Getty Images/iStockphoto Mortgage rates have been on a steady climb upwards: While they started the year at around 3.5% for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, they’ve since climb...
I’m the COO of a mortgage company that’s funded more than $100 billion in loans. Here are the 3 things you need to know about the housing market now
Steve Reich Mortgage rates climbed above 6% last week, according to Bankrate data, with some pros saying they may go higher. (You can see the lowest mortgage rates you may qualify for here.) On top of...
‘I feel bad that I’ll be taking most of his income’: I make twice what my boyfriend does. He pays me $300 in rent, but I want him to pay $800. Is that fair?
Dear Quentin, My boyfriend and I have been together seven years, and in that time I bought a house. I used my own savings and spent about $10,000 on renovations. My house is a three-bedroom family hom...
Mortgage prepayments have fallen 62% from a year ago. This is what that says about the housing market.
Ultimately, as long as buyers are able to keep up with their regular monthly payments, fewer people making extra mortgage payments probably isn’t going to have a massive impact on the broader housing ...
These Mortgage-Backed Securities Offer Hefty Yields, Mild Risk
Text size Bonds from Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are more attractive than Treasuries or corporates. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Move over TINA, it’s time for TARA. The latter stands for “T...
Small-cap growth stocks are at their lowest P/E valuation in at least 24 years.
Growth stocks typically trade at premium prices. But in this market, rising interest rates have turned small-cap growth stocks into a bargain group. This may be a beautiful setup for long-term investo...
‘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...
Fed Minutes to Come Today. Look for Insights on Rates, Mortgage Bonds, and More.
When the Federal Reserve on Wednesday releases the minutes from its most recent policy meeting, investors will get a deeper look at deliberations over monetary-policy tightening and officials’ views o...
‘I’m stuck in a penny-pincher mindset’: My spouse and I bought a home, but he only wants to buy high-end items. How can we agree?
Dear Quentin, My spouse and I spent years saving for a new house, and living well below our means. It may sound weird, but now that we have a new home, we feel overwhelmed by the prospect of spending ...