A rising tide of financial pessimism is washing over U.S. consumers, driven by concerns about inflation, global instability and a lack of economic clarity. At the same time, a solid majority of Americans remain optimistic about their financial future, according to TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Study for the second quarter of 2025. The result is a […]
‘Feelings-based recession’: More Americans fearful of finances Read More »
Even though new home sales showed growth last month, the homebuilders — both big and small — have no desire to grow housing permits or starts with 7% mortgage rates. Housing starts and permits peaked in 2022 and have been fluctuating at levels similar to the early stages of the COVID-19 recession for some time
Homebuilders have no motivation to grow permits with 7% rates Read More »
The housing affordability crisis often conjures images of coastal urban cities with acute housing supply shortages and heavy land-use regulations. While these places do tend to have the highest home prices, it’s not where costs are rising the most. That’s according to a sprawling new study from JPMorgan Chase that examines affordability from a number
The pandemic made housing less affordable, but not in the obvious places Read More »
Following its passage in the House of Representatives, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill that includes tax reform provisions with major implications for the federal budget deficit — is going through a series of pronounced changes during the reconciliation process in the Senate. When a bill is
Senate version of GOP tax bill makes key changes to housing, federal lands sections Read More »
The story for the housing market over the past three years has been, “Home sales are down, home prices are up.” Because inventory was so restricted after the pandemic, prices pushed higher even as demand weakened. That story may finally be inverting as unsold inventory of homes is now great enough that home prices are
How to think about home prices for the rest of 2025 Read More »
Why aren’t home sales crashing as they did in 2022? Right now we have elevated mortgage rates, trade war uncertainty, rising property taxes and home insurance, terrible consumer confidence data and a downgrade of the government’s debt, among other factors. But, housing demand continues to hold up, surprising people who can’t explain why home sales
Elevated mortgage rates aren’t discouraging homebuyers Read More »
On the surface, Seattle’s housing market looks like any other in the country. The inventory of single-family homes for sale is up substantially year over year. New listings are up slightly, sales remain subdued and home prices aren’t moving much. That’s the story in the majority of housing markets. But Seattle is wrestling with a
Seattle housing market wrestles with crippling affordability concerns Read More »
Homeownership in many of America’s largest cities now demands a six-figure salary to sustain a comfortable lifestyle — with some regions requiring more than $300,000 annually. A new analysis by GOBankingRates ranked the top 50 U.S. cities by the income necessary to afford a comfortable standard of living, using factors such as average home prices,
Comfortable city living usually requires a six-figure salary Read More »
A new Redfin survey reveals sharp divides among Americans over how immigration and tariffs are affecting housing affordability, reflecting a complex and politically charged landscape. More than half of U.S. homeowners and renters (51.2%) believe that reducing immigration could worsen housing affordability by shrinking the pool of construction workers and limiting the number of new
Americans are divided over housing impacts of immigration, tariffs Read More »
As Trump administration officials press ahead with their efforts to dismantle and defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Reserve Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is reportedly opening an investigation into moves to fire the vast majority of CFPB and attempted cancellations of associated federal contracts. According to reporting by CNBC, the
Federal Reserve watchdog investigates efforts to dismantle CFPB Read More »