The common narrative is that low yields are crushing retirees’ income and lifestyle. Why do so many report having all the money they need? Here are five reasons
Real Estate Markets
The New Way to Flip a House: Let Buyers Weigh in Before Renovations
In Baltimore, builders are flipping the way that homes are normally flipped. Instead of fixing up an older home and hoping that a buyer likes the improvements, builders are welcoming buyers into the process much earlier, allowing them to customize the renovation with their choice of countertops, cabinets, colors, tile, and more.
This Housing Upturn Looks Like the Real Thing
The previous upturn in housing prices faltered after a year, but all the signs suggest that the current home price recovery will be sustainable.
Forget Lowballing: Bidding Wars Return in Hot Housing Markets
Are buyers being manipulated into overbidding for the relatively few attractive homes on the market?
More Young Couples Commit — To Homeownership Before Marriage
First comes love, then comes … mortgage? A new study indicates that young couples in committed relationships have been far more likely than older generations to purchase homes before getting married.
Home Price Gains Continue Increasing Nationwide
Citing “steady employment and low borrowing rates” as well as inventories that have fallen “to their lowest post-recession levels,” the S&P Dow Jones Indices released Case-Shiller housing data that showed home prices jumping 8.1% from the previous year. When charted, the data looks like it’s been hit with a booster rocket, with the past …
North America Gets Its First Sustainable ‘Active Home’ — And It’s in the American Heartland
Over the weekend, an open house was held in the suburbs of St. Louis, Mo. OK, there were lots of open houses over the weekend in the region. But one in particular stood out, for it featured the first “active home” in North America.
Selling Your House? Choose Your Words Carefully
Certain phrases pop up again and again in real estate listings, and these keywords offer a good indication of the prices a property will command. A listing promising a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” for instance, has an …
What Happens When the Fed Really Does Run Out of Ammunition?
The Fed has no good choices. If easy money ends, the economy will slow even more. But continuing the policy risks inflation
Home Prices Jump Again. Are We Out of the Woods Yet?
Home prices as measured by the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index jumped 6.8% year-over-year last December, closing out 2012 with a strong showing, as they’d risen 5.5% on the same basis the month before.
Millennials Are Paying Off Debt — but That’s Not Necessarily Good News
A new study suggests that millennials are getting serious about paring down their debt. But a closer look at the numbers shows some troubling signs
Why Can’t This Economy Really Get Going?
A host of factors outside of the government’s control will likely hold back the economy for at least another year.
