Housing
New tariffs could raise home prices and sideline potential buyers
The U.S. housing market was already struggling under the weight of high mortgage interest rates, a low supply of existing homes for sale and historically high home prices. Now tariffs on building materials are adding even more pressure. Roughly 30% of softwood lumber consumed in the U.S. is imported, largely from Canada. Wallboard, known as […]
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L.A. wildfire victims face financial anxiety amid recovery: ‘The uncertainty is very unsettling’
Key Points The Los Angeles wildfires that started on Jan. 7 are likely to be the costliest in U.S. history. Residents impacted by the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire now face ample financial questions and worries, tied to issues like homeowners insurance and relocation. It will take time to sort out many of their […]
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Pending home sales drop sharply in December, as mortgage rates surge back over 7%
Signed contracts on existing homes dropped a sharp 5.5% in December from the previous month and fell 5% from the prior year, according to the National Association of Realtors. The drop followed four straight months of gains and is the index was at its lowest level since August. These so-called pending sales are an indicator […]
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Mortgage demand drops further, even as interest rates settle
A for sale sign is displayed outside of a home for sale on August 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images Mortgage rates didn’t move last week, but demand for new home loans continued to weaken. Both homebuyers and current homeowners are hampered by today’s higher interest rates. […]
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Mortgage rates aren’t likely to fall any time soon — here’s why
Key Points Rates on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose above 7% in the week ended Jan. 16, according to Freddie Mac data. Mortgage rates were below 3% as recently as late 2021. They are unlikely to fall below 6% until 2026, economists said. That’s partly due to investor worries tied to President Donald Trump’s policy […]
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Mortgage rates hit highest level since July, crushing application demand
Residential homes in Discovery Bay, California, US, on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Mortgage rates in the US increased to the highest level since July. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage rates last week moved higher for the fourth week in a row. That caused already very weak mortgage demand to drop even […]
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The housing market is heading into 2025 with a worrying supply trend
A home available for sale is shown in Austin, Texas, on May 22, 2024. Brandon Bell | Getty Images There’s good news in the housing market to close out 2024: There’s a lot more supply. The bad news: A lot of that supply is stale, sitting unsold for much longer than usual. Active listings in […]
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November home sales surged more than expected, boosted by lower mortgage rates
Investors own more than 131,000 homes in the Las Vegas Valley now. Las Vegas Review-journal | Tribune News Service | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes rose 4.8% in November compared with October, according to the National Association of Realtors. That put them at a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 4.15 million units. Sales […]
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American homeowners are wasting more space than ever before
Tim Kitchen | The Image Bank | Getty Images There may not be a lot of homes for sale these days, but there is a lot of housing space sitting empty. In fact, the most in recorded history. The number of extra bedrooms, which is defined as a bedroom in excess of the number of […]
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After taking morning profits, we’re afternoon buyers of 2 stocks in an oversold market
We’re buying 25 shares of Home Depot at roughly $407 each and 14 shares of Blackrock at roughly $1,041. Following Tuesday’s trades, Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust will own 200 shares of HD, increasing its weighting to 2.25% from about 2%. The Trust portfolio, used by the CNBC Investing Club, will own 75 shares of BLK […]
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