Iuliia Isaieva | Moment | Getty Images Homeowners are sitting on$17 trillion in equity as of the end of the first quarter of 2024, according to CoreLogic. The average homeowner gained $28,000 in equity compared to a year earlier. For many people, there’s no need to touch that money. Home equity is “not like bread,”
Month: August 2024
Pete Adeney, like most people, hates getting stuck in traffic. So when he heard about a new community where he wouldn’t need to own a car at all, he was intrigued. Just 15 miles from downtown Phoenix, AZ, Culdesac is billed as the first car-free community built “from scratch” in the U.S. In 2023, nearly 140 residents
America’s hottest real estate market might be known more for sharing a name with a popular children’s clothing line—but it’s the city’s budget-friendly home prices and peaceful surroundings that are whipping buyers into a frenzy. Oshkosh, WI, has just ranked as the most desirable market in the U.S. for the first time in the data’s
The U.S. economy has remained remarkably strong even amid persistent inflation and high interest rates. And yet, 59% of Americans falsely believe that the U.S. is currently in a recession, according to a recent survey of 2,000 adults by Affirm in June. Citing higher costs and difficulty making ends meet, most respondents said they think
An office building once owned by John Jay Astor has sold for the first time in 82 years. Jay Properties bought 8 W. 38th St. from the Felder family for $35 million, or $250 per square foot. MIdtown office building once owned by John Jay Astor was recently sold for $35 million. Handout The buyer
Brandi Schmitt and her family pose for a 2018 Christmas card in front of their Maryland home wearing protective gear, alluding to the water and mold damage in their home. Each year, Schmitt said they try to capture the family’s situation through their Christmas card. Courtesy: Brandi Schmitt When a nor’easter struck in 2018, intense
Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (L), and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH). Getty Images With the major party tickets finalized, many voters are watching the candidates for personal finance policy that could impact their wallets. Vice President Kamala Harris this week unveiled her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim
The cities of the future may take the charge in progress for a very unexpected reason — with skylines doubling as massive energy storage units. And the idea? Not solar panels and wind turbines — think giant battery blocks lifted to the heavens and dropped back down to keep the lights on. Skidmore, Owings &
When you’re a billionaire, it’s not just about living large — it’s about surviving the apocalypse in style. Gone are the days when a panic room in the basement was enough to calm the nerves of the world’s elite. Now, the ultra-wealthy are turning their palatial homes into state-of-the-art fortresses, complete with all the bells
Jillian Lovato loved living in Orange County, CA, but she hated the area’s high home prices. “My wife Jamie and I knew we wouldn’t be able to buy the home we wanted in California,” Jillian explains. “We felt like we would have been stuck renting our whole lives.” So in 2021, they decided to move to
Lionel Messi’s luxurious Ibiza mansion was the target of a shocking vandalism attack by the radical Spanish climate activist group Futuro Vegetal, according to reports. The group managed to breach the football star’s lavish property, covering it in red and black paint, and unfurling a banner outside its entry that read: “Help the planet, eat
An aerial view shows a subdivision that has replaced the once rural landscape in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates dropped last week to the lowest level since May 2023, causing a surge in mortgage demand from both homebuyers and especially current homeowners. Total mortgage application volume rose 6.9% last
New York City’s most expensive neighborhood just got even pricier. That’s according to a new study from real-estate data portal PropertyShark, which has crowned Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s far west side for the top spot with a median home sale price of $7.5 million. For nearly five years, this district — known for its shops,
Flash Shelton never thought he’d become a viral sensation. But these days, he’s the guy in black tactical body armor — armed with pepper spray, a stun gun, a steel baton, a body cam and sometimes a Glock 26 pistol. His cap? It bluntly states: “Get Out.” Shelton is on a mission to boot squatters
Not many years ago — before the miserable mayoral reign of Bill de Blasio and the troubled one of Eric Adams — the Big Apple truly was “The City of Yes.” The wildly optimistic slogan Adams recently chose for his worthy but slow-moving struggle to generate new housing development belies how puny his vision is — compared with
Record inflation may have people questioning whether homeownership is still a good investment. Home prices have been rising faster than incomes, which can be a problem for homeowners because as the value of a home rises, so does the cost to maintain it. More than 1 in 4 homeowners with mortgages are considered “cost-burdened,” meaning
A for sale sign in front of a home in Arlington, Virginia, on August 22, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped 22 basis points to 6.4% Friday, according to Mortgage News Daily. That is the lowest rate since April 2023. The 15-year fixed
A row of traditional houses on a street in London’s Muswell Hill suburb, located to the north of London, with views of the Canary Wharf on the horizon. Georgeclerk | Istock | Getty Images LONDON — Britain’s major high street lenders have begun slashing their mortgage rates in a sign that financial pressure on households
Kanye West has finally found a buyer for his gutted Malibu mansion, but not without leaving a trail of controversy and lawsuits in his wake. The property, which the rapper bought for a whopping $57 million in 2021, is now in escrow, according to TMZ. The mansion, known for its stunning Pacific Ocean views, was
Peter, Paul and Mary, the iconic American folk trio, have been part of music culture with songs like “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Puff the Magic Dragon” for more than half a century. Now, a magical pre-Revolutionary War Connecticut farmhouse, where the group’s late singer-songwriter and activist Mary Travers lived from 1966 until her
The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will leave interest rates unchanged. However, recent signs of economic growth and cooling inflation are paving the way for a widely anticipated September rate cut, which is welcome news for Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges. “Consumers should feel pretty good about the U.S. economy,”