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A “For Sale” sign outside of a home in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. Dustin Chambers | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes rose 14.5% in February compared with January, according to a seasonally adjusted count by the National Association of Realtors. That put sales at an annualized rate of

Tetra Images | Tetra Images | Getty Images The recent banking crisis has fueled concern of a “credit crunch” and the resulting negative impact on households, businesses and the U.S. economy. But what is a credit crunch and how might you prepare? Loans would be tougher to get related investing news Demand for Fed help

Global warming has already caused irreversible damage to the earth’s ecosystems and communities, according to a critical report just issued from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The damage is extending to the U.S. housing market, which just saw unprecedented snow and flooding in California, as well as unusual winter tornados in the

Amid turmoil in the financial sector and uncertainty ahead, the Federal Reserve will likely approve a 0.25 percentage point increase at this week’s policy meeting.  That will mark one year since the central bank began the current rate-raising cycle.   Over the last 12 months, inflation spiked to a 40-year high and only recently started

Commuters make their way along a street amid smoggy and foggy conditions early in the morning in Lahore on January 3, 2023. Arif Ali | AFP | Getty Images About 90% of the global population in 2022 experienced unhealthy air quality, and only six countries met the World Health Organization’s recommendations of safe air pollutant

Demand for mortgages increased for the second straight week, despite some volatility in mortgage rates. Total application volume rose 6.5% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 6.71%

Viorel Kurnosov | Istock | Getty Images With roughly two more months before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ends the three-year Covid public health emergency, more than 5 million of the nation’s households remain behind on their rent. All together, tenants continued to owe nearly $11 billion in rental debt during the

Catherine Delahaye | Getty Taking a loan against your 401(k) savings is generally a bad idea — but using the money as a short-term “bridge loan” may be an exception, according to Blair duQuesnay, a certified financial planner based in New Orleans. “I’ve always been very anti-401(k) loan,” duQuesnay said. “However, I have found there

Construction workers work on a home, as a subdivision of home is built in San Marcos, California, January 31, 2023. Mike Blake | Reuters Mortgage rates are high and volatile, homes are still pricey, and inflation is not in check, but, even so, the nation’s homebuilders are starting to feel better about their business. A

In December 2022, $1,981 was the typical monthly rent in the United States — a 7.4% increase from the year prior. But while rent has begun to stabilize nationwide, rent affordability remains difficult for many Americans.  “There’s literally nowhere in the country where a tenant is not burdened by their rent,” according to Leah Simon-Weisberg,

Brandon Bell | Getty Images Timing is everything, especially when it comes to real estate. But finding the perfect time to sell your home — especially if it’s your first time — may be a challenge as the residential real estate market fluctuates. A recent survey from Zillow finds 84% of first-time home sellers wish

A residential neighborhood in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, May 22, 2022. Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 6.57% on Monday, according to Mortgage News Daily. That’s down from a rate of 6.76% on Friday and a recent high of 7.05% last Wednesday. Mortgage

Grady Hendrix Albert Mitchell After Louise’s parents unexpectedly die in a car accident, she returns home to Charleston, where her plans to get her childhood home ready for sale are soon complicated. There’s her parents’ endless stuff, including the hundreds of dolls her mother owned. There’s her estranged brother, Matt, trying to cheat her out

Homes at Rivo Alto Island in Miami Beach, Florida, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. housing market is taking a hard hit from higher mortgage rates, and luxury home sales are seeing the worst of it. Sales of luxury homes dropped 45% during the three