Mortgage delinquencies rose for the first time in 9 months. What does that mean?

More homeowners are late on their mortgage payments. What does that mean? Getty Images/iStockphoto Mortgage delinquencies are on the rise. Indeed, in February, the national delinquency rate rose for t...

Is the Housing Market Going to Crash? With Rising Mortgage Rates and Sky-high Home Prices, First-Time Buyers Are Being Locked Out

When Kellie Stofko and her fiancé, Liam McRae, started house hunting last August, it was with the vision of trading their 800-square-foot Atlanta apartment for a roomier home of their own in time for ...

I’m 67 and retired with $57,000 left on my mortgage and $600,000 saved for retirement — should I pay off my home now?

I am 67 years old, single and retired at 66. After taxes, I receive $3,100 per month from a pension. After taxes and my Part B Medicare payment, I receive $2,100 per month from Social Security. I have...

My husband and I bought a retirement condo in 2008, and he died two years later. The condo is worth $50,000 more than we paid. Should I sell it now or wait?

Dear MarketWatch, I have a condo in Palm Desert, Calif., that my husband and I were going to retire to. We also have another primary residence in nearby Riverside. We bought the condo in 2008 for $363...

Mortgage rates zoom past 4.5% — here’s what home buyers need to know

Mortgages rates keep climbing, and that poses a major challenge for families looking to score a deal during the busy spring home-buying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.67%...

Opinion: Preparing for the great sunset: What you need to know if tax code provisions expire

The hot equities and housing markets have contributed to a surge in U.S. household wealth during the pandemic. According to the Federal Reserve, household wealth grew by $19 trillion to $137 trillion ...

‘Mortgage rates are likely to push toward 5% before the end of the year’: Rates soar to highest level in over 3 years, putting pressure on home buyers

Mortgage rates are racing toward 5% as the Federal Reserve’s expected trajectory for future rate hikes becomes clearer. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.42% as of the week endin...

New home sales decline, surprising analysts, even though the inventory of properties for sale has hit the highest level since 2008

The numbers: U.S. new-home sales decreased 2% to an annual rate of 772,000 in February, the government said Wednesday. That figure represents the number of homes that would be sold over a yearlong per...

‘Reduced competition.’ 5 predictions for the housing market in 2022, from economists and real estate pros

We’ve already seen rates rise in the early months of 2022, and some pros say that will continue. Getty Images Aspiring home buyers may have watched as mortgage rates in recent months rose (though to b...

Foreclosures have jumped 70%. Here’s what that says about the housing market

The foreclosure uptick indicates that the economic — and especially employment recovery — is not complete, an expert says. Getty Images Foreclosures are up, and that’s something potential homebuyers a...

The latest mortgage rates, and what pros say will happen to mortgage rates in 2022

What you might pay for a mortgage now Getty Images/iStockphoto Mortgage rates are rising: According to the latest data from Bankrate, 15-year-mortgage rates rose slightly from a day prior to 3.65% (3....

Opinion: Timeshare apartments are wildly popular — and often lead to buyer’s remorse. Here’s how to unload one without losing money

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Hi, Ms. MoneyPeace: I have been receiving your MoneyPeace email newsletter for years and enjoy reading them. My husband and I are in a difficult situation. We bought a timeshar...

Elon Musk Has Sold Seven Homes for Nearly $130 Million After Vowing to ‘Own No House’ 

It’s been almost two years since Elon Musk announced a plan to sell nearly all of his physical possessions, including his real estate, by tweeting “Will own no house” on May 1, 2020. The billionaire T...

My mother-in-law left her $1 million life-insurance policy to my brother-in-law, but her will says she wants him to share it with my husband. What can we do?

Dear Quentin, My husband and I took care of my mother-in-law for eight years. Around five years ago we gave up the house we were renting to save her home because she could not afford it, and because s...

Mortgage rates drop amid increased market uncertainty as Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine escalates

Home buyers will have the chance to lock in low interest rates just ahead of the most popular season to purchase a house. The average rate for the 30-year fixed-rate was 3.76%, down 13 basis points fr...

Mortgage rates have dipped — is it a good time to buy a home? Experts weigh in.

Getty Images Some mortgage rates have fallen slightly: The average interest rate on a fixed rate 30-year mortgage now sits at 4.20% and the average annual percentage rate is 4.25%, down from 4.29% and...

I’m 60 with ‘well into seven figures’ saved. Should I get a financial adviser?

Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I am 60 years old, single and don’t have any children. I am well into seven figures with retirement savings, made up of three 401(k)s, two mutual funds and a $350,00...

Surfside Tower Collapse Makes Buying Condos More Complicated

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are asking questions about the safety and soundness of condos and co-op buildings after the Surfside, Fla., tower collapse. There is little agreement on how to answer them. ...

‘We live 5 minutes from our in-laws who have a larger home’: Is it a good idea to swap houses? Will I end up with a surprise tax bill?

I am a California resident. My husband and I own a 1,800-square-foot home that we bought in 2019 for $1.5 million. We have between 40% and 50% equity in the property due to a large down payment. We li...

Zillow’s lost more than $230 million in its iBuying fire sale, but the stock is still surging

Three months after a home-flipping initiative imploded in an embarrassing public display, Zillow Group Inc. reported record revenue from selling the underwater homes Thursday and predicted big sales a...

‘I don’t know if it’s worth dealing with tenants’: Should I convert my home into a rental, or sell it?

I have enough money to put down on a second home — I need a slightly bigger place and another bedroom. I currently live in Portland, Ore., but I am planning to move outside of Portland. However, I’m c...

The Outlook for Housing, Malls, Workspaces, and Other Real Estate

Carly Tripp grew up playing in corn fields in Olney, Md., about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. But by the time she graduated high school, five grocery stores had popped up within a one-mile radi...

5 popular financial rules you might want to ditch

Traditional financial advice like the kind you got from your parents is often true but even experienced investors might rely on maxims that are outdated and no longer serving your financial well-being...

‘No, no, no, no, no!’ My wife and I are close to retirement, but we want to buy a house. Should I empty my 401(k) for the down payment?

Dear MarketWatch, My wife and I have been renting for many years, and we think it’s time to buy our first house. We live in Westchester County, N.Y., and we are looking for a home in the $450,000 to $...

First-time home buyers are selling crypto to fund down payments — here’s what to know before you do it

Many Americans are using their tendies to tap into the American Dream — and the trend doesn’t show signs of stopping. Nearly 12% of first-time buyers indicated that selling cryptocurrency holdings con...

Roaring U.S. housing market may cool, keep climbing as Fed ends emergency support

U.S. home prices roared almost 20% higher in the past year, giving families who own properties a major boost to their finances during the pandemic. But Wall Street, a key source of home mortgage finan...

I’m buying a home with my 74-year-old mother, but the mortgage will be in my name. How should we title the house?

Dear MarketWatch, I would like to see if you can provide me with some advice on purchasing a home with my mother who is 74. I will be putting down $240,000 — using the proceeds from the sale of my own...

I’m a teacher, still live with my parents, and have $103K in student loan debt, which is more than 2x my salary. What are my options?

Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: “I’m a 33-year-old fourth-year teacher earning $41,098 a year before taxes with about $103,000 in student loans. I still live with my parents because I can’t afford ...

Bad news for home buyers: Mortgage rates have soared to their highest levels since March 2020

Interest rates are surging on the heels of data showing a concerning outlook for inflation — and home buyers are set to pay the price. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.45% for the week endin...

I’m 26, make $300K a year and have saved over $275K. Should I buy an apartment — or just keep renting?

I’m a single 26-year-old who’s been renting in downtown Atlanta for almost 5 years and want to buy my first home. My lease only allows me to enter the market once a year. If I find a deal, should I br...