Real Estate

Home renovation activity may have cooled somewhat compared to its pandemic-era frenzy, but homeowners are still investing in their spaces, particularly as the spring housing market heats up. And when it comes to the return on investment, some projects now offer the highest return values in history — with a few home upgrades averaging returns

A 1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet by Pinin Farina, available via Sotheby’s Private Sales. Courtesy: RM Sotheby’s A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. The rich have taken “quiet

China announced “historic” steps to stabilize the crisis-hit property sector on May 17, 2024, allowing local governments to buy “some” apartments, relaxing mortgage rules and pledging to deliver unfinished homes.  Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images BEIJING — Chinese authorities on Friday pledged new support for state-owned enterprises to enable them to buy unsold apartments,

A home is offered for sale on March 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.  Scott Olson | Getty Images Mortgage rates last week dropped to the lowest level since April, but buyers are still struggling to afford today’s housing market. As a result, mortgage demand flattened at a weak pace. Total mortgage application volume inched up

Tetra Images | Tetra Images | Getty Images Consumers are putting down more money to buy a home — but the typical down payment is still much less than you might expect. The average down payment was 13.6% in the first quarter of 2024, according to a new report by Realtor.com. The median down payment

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images As home values climb, more Americans owe capital gains taxes when selling property. But knowing how to calculate your home’s profit could reduce your bill, experts say. Most Americans don’t owe taxes for selling a primary residence because of a special tax break — known as the Section 121

Large artworks can help a space feel more homey, according to art consultant Louisa Warfield. Andreas Von Einsiedel | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images There are two common mistakes people make when hanging art in their homes, according to art consultant Louisa Warfield. “The first is, they hang work that is too small for the

People wait at the train station of Wu Qing, Tianjin, on January 8, 2016. Fred Dufour | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING — A group of around 1,500 homebuyers in the Chinese city of Tianjin, near Beijing, have yet to see — let alone move into to — the apartments they said they paid for

An aerial photograph of houses and apartments on coastline in North Bondi, Sydney, Australia. Recent reports indicate that Australian home prices are set to continue their upward trend, driven by increasing migration rates and a shortage of housing supply. Andrew Merry | Moment | Getty Images Australia plans to address its climbing home prices in

Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images Fewer homeowners have been taking on remodeling projects, reports show. But don’t mistake it for a slow market. The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, an outlook measuring home improvement and repair spending on owner-occupied homes, peaked at 17.3% in the third quarter of 2022. The LIRA has been declining

Courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images Some Americans plan to tap into real estate markets outside of the U.S. this year. Almost 40% U.S. millionaires plan on buying a home overseas within the next 12 months, according to the latest Trend Report by Coldwell Banker Global Luxury. Another two-thirds of respondents plan to purchase a

A sign advertising a home for sale is displayed outside of a Manhattan building on April 11, 2024 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Mortgage rates are significantly higher than they were at the start of this year, but they pulled back slightly last week after several weeks of straight increases. That

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images More Americans are paying capital gains taxes on home sale profits amid soaring property values — but there are ways to reduce your bill, experts say. In 2023, nearly 8% of U.S. home sales yielded profits exceeding $500,000, compared to about 3% in 2019, according to an

In this article TREE Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT monkeybusinessimages | Getty Most U.S. homebuyers taking out a mortgage opt for a 30-year fixed-rate — but they may not realize how unusual that offering is. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is a uniquely American construct,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate. True to

A sign advertising a home for sale is displayed outside of a Manhattan building on April 11, 2024 in New York City.  Spencer Platt | Getty Images The dream of home ownership has gotten even further away for renters, with higher housing costs and elevated interest rates standing in the way of the American housing

Here’s the median price to rent a 1-bedroom across 10 cities in Asia.  Fraser Hall | The Image Bank | Getty Images Renting a place is a big financial decision, especially when choosing to live in a major city where price tags are particularly hefty. The general rule of thumb is to spend no more

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will leave interest rates unchanged as inflation continues to prove stickier than expected. However, the move also dashes hopes that the Fed will be able to start cutting rates soon and relieve consumers from sky-high borrowing costs. The market is now pricing in one rate cut later in the year, according to the CME’s

In this article Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Ryersonclark | E+ | Getty Images Making your home hurricane resistant can be a significant financial undertaking. But it’s one that has the potential to pay off as such storms become more intense amid climate change. In 2024, the national average cost to upgrade an entire

An aerial view shows a subdivision that has replaced the once rural landscape in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images When mortgage rates rise, consumers look for any way to lower their monthly payments, and that often leads them to adjustable-rate mortgages. These loans offer lower interest rates than their fixed-rate counterparts but

A Redfin sign in front of a home for sale in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images Strong demand and tight supply continue to push home values higher, even though mortgage rates are now moving higher again. Home prices in February jumped 6.4% year over year, another

In this article ZG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Vitapix | E+ | Getty Images People looking to buy or sell a home this spring are paying close attention to mortgage rates. The average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.17% for the week ended April 25, according to Freddie Mac data via the Federal