Fed Chief Ben Bernanke’s strategy for making risk fashionable is gaining traction. Affluent investors are jumping off the sidelines and home prices are getting a lift. We’re not out of the woods by a long shot. But do you really …
Real Estate Markets
Why Are Real-Estate Listing Sites Hot Right Now?
Last week’s IPO of Trulia, an Internet real-estate listings site, was a smashing success for investors, as the stock traded up 41% to close at $24 per share, according to Marketwatch.
The price gives the company a price-earnings …
Home Prices Continue to Rise — But Will the Market Rebound Continue?
Spring is traditionally a strong season for home sales, and despite continued uncertainty in the economy, this spring was no exception, with housing prices up around the country, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index. June …
The New Way to Pick a Place to Retire
Retirement living is no longer about sunshine, golf, hospitals and low costs. It’s about senior-friendly activities, jobs, transportation and technologies. A new report examines 78 criteria in 359 cities to rank the very best …
Home Prices Rise Across the Board
The real estate report is happy — housing prices are up across the country. The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city index, a volatile but closely watched index of house prices, was up 0.9% from the month before. That jump follows a …
From Underwater to ‘Equity Poor’: Why the Housing Market Isn’t Recovering Faster
Rates are at historic lows of 3.53% for 30-year mortgages. Rents are at record levels all over the country, hitting highs in 74 markets tracked by real-estate-data provider Reis Inc. And housing prices appear to have finally …
Dust Off Your Tool Belt: Homeowners Decide It’s Finally Time to Remodel
It’s been quite a while since homeowners have felt it’s worthwhile to put good money into their houses. Given years of declining home values, there has been little hope of getting one’s money back with major remodeling projects. …
The Return of the McMansion?
When the real estate market imploded and ushered in the Great Recession, one of the biggest casualties was the size of our homes. For years, we’d been building increasingly large homes because, well, we could — and because we …
Housing: Even the Eeyore Index Shows Price Gains
Freshly released numbers from a housing index shows rising home prices in America’s biggest cities. That’s a good sign for all of America.
How to Buy a House
It’s Not Your Imagination: Rent Prices Really Have Been Rising
Thanks to cheap home prices and mortgage rates at historic lows, it’s easy to argue that now is the ideal time to buy a home. But many would-be buyers are worried the market hasn’t yet reached bottom, and years of plunging home …
The Unexpected Effects of Walmart Coming to Town
Homeowners, local chambers of commerce, and town planners alike all have some assumptions about Walmart. It’s often assumed that when a new Walmart opens in town, it’ll kill small businesses and may even hurt the local real …
