Real Estate

Chris Wattie | Reuters The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will lower its benchmark rate bya half percentage point, or 50 basis points, paving the way for relief from the high borrowing costs that have hit consumers particularly hard.  The federal funds rate, which is set by the U.S. central bank, is the interest rate

Andresr | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is poised to make its first interest rate cut in years on Wednesday. But homeowners shouldn’t bet on the move as an opportunity to immediately refinance their mortgage. That’s because “a lot of these rate cuts are already priced in,” Chen Zhao, the economic research lead

Shu Matsuo Post, 38, built a $2 million real estate portfolio, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It. Courtesy of Shu Matsuo Post The idea of financial independence can mean different things to different people, but one common way to define it is having enough money that you no longer need to rely on

MISSOULA, Mont. — In a subdivision near the northern edge of town, a number of condos and duplexes have popped up in the past three years. It’s part of a larger effort, including new zoning laws, to help provide affordable housing to Montanans who have found themselves priced out of the market, said DJ Smith,

Recent signs of cooling inflation are paving the way for the Federal Reserve to cut rates when it meets next week, which is welcome news for Americans struggling to keep up with the elevated cost of living and sky-high interest charges. “Consumers should feel good about [an interest rate reduction] but it’s not going to

People walk along London Bridge past the City of London skyline. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images LONDON — The U.K. is leading a recovery in Europe’s long subdued office real estate market, with overall investment in the sector expected to pick up further in the second half of the year. Britain recorded 4.1

We started buying Home Depot shares last week as a play on housing and interest rates. Our initial 50-share buy was around $362. We bought 50 more shares Wednesday a few dollars higher. The Dow stock is having a mixed year — up about 7% compared to the S & P 500 ‘s more than

Rgstudio | E+ | Getty Images Owning a home makes some people feel more confident about their prospects for retirement — but that may be misguided, some experts say. About 37% of polled workers — including those with part- or full-time jobs, or who are self-employed or business owners — say they are “ahead of

Thanks to the run up in housing prices, homeowners now have more than $32 trillion in home equity as of the first quarter of 2024, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve — an all-time high. “It’s one of the very few things we can say about today’s housing market that is, more or less, positive,” said

Tarpon Island, a private island in Palm Beach, Florida, sold for $150 million in May 2024. CNBC A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. Sales of ultra-luxury homes surged in

For months, economists have wrestled with the disconnect between how well the economy is doing and how badly people feel about their financial standing. Now, evidence suggests that the so-called “vibecession,” or that prolonged period of negative sentiment about the economy, appears to be ending, according to Michael Pearce, deputy chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.  As inflation cools

A for sale sign is displayed outside of a home for sale on August 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. United States real estate industry rules governing agent commissions will change on August 17 as part of a legal settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon /

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the Federal Reserve should deliver a half-point interest rate cut at its forthcoming meeting, accusing the U.S. central bank of going “too far, too fast” with monetary policy tightening and making the inflation problem worse. His comments come ahead of Friday’s pivotal release of U.S. jobs data, with investors

Gen Z has taken the lead in the homeownership race. In 2023, the homeownership rate for adult Gen Zers, or those between 19 and 26 years old, was higher than the homeownership rate for millennials and Gen X when they were 24, according to Redfin, a real estate company. The race is close, though. About

Close-up and side view of classic Georgian buildings in London, England, UK.  Colors Hunter – Chasseur De Couleurs | Moment | Getty Images LONDON — London landlords are selling up their buy-to-let properties at record rates as anticipated tax hikes from the U.K. Labour government add further pressure to the once lucrative investment sector. Almost

File photo Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage demand is now heavily skewed toward refinancing, as interest rates declined for the fifth straight week. Total mortgage application volume rose just 1.6% last week, compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate

China’s troubled housing market will continue to see softness as a slew of government stimulus and support measures have not been “satisfactory” in propping up the sector, according to a JPMorgan economist. The “housing market crash is still not over yet,” Haibin Zhu, chief China economist at JPMorgan told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” Monday, adding

Rupert Murdoch, chairman emeritus of media empire News Corp. Axelle/bauer-griffin | Filmmagic | Getty Images LONDON — Rupert Murdoch-owned REA Group said Monday it is contemplating a takeover offer for U.K. property portal Rightmove in a bid to create a global digital real estate business. The Australian property listings company, which is controlled by Murdoch’s

Vm | E+ | Getty Images Owning isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. For many reasons — including affordability — more Americans are choosing to rent everything from cars and apartments to clothing and furniture these days, according to a report by Intuit Credit Karma. Far beyond the traditional tuxedo, the rental industry

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images Despite being a hallmark of the American Dream, buying a home is less affordable for many these days. Higher mortgage rates and a shortage of houses on the market relative to demand have kept prices elevated and created a financial crunch for many would-be buyers. The median