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Why are mortgage rates going up again?

Oct 9, 2024
It's all about expectations. Mortgage rates fell in anticipation of the Fed cutting interest rates. But then came the strong September jobs report.
That strong jobs report last week likely helped push mortgage rates back up.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Falling mortgage rates have some homeowners ready to refi — but only some

Sep 26, 2024
Many are paying interest rates well below today's.
"Forty percent of folks that have taken out their mortgages in 2023 or 2024 could save at least  .75% through a refinance at today’s interest rate," said Andy Walden at Intercontinental Exchange.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

What role should household wealth play in determining a student’s financial aid package? 

Jun 24, 2024
The FAFSA does not ask about two key measures of wealth – the family home and retirement accounts.
Some researchers think the education system should be taking a closer look at a student’s household wealth in determining financial aid.
Richard Stephen/Getty Images

Nearly 1 in 4 Black borrowers are denied a mortgage

Jun 19, 2024
Comparatively, 1 in 10 white borrowers are turned away.
Racial disparities in the mortgage market persist.
Getty Images

These mobile home residents decided to buy their park to combat rising rents

Mar 25, 2024
As Californians deal with rising rents and a housing shortage, one group of mobile home park residents in Fresno County secured affordable housing for themselves by purchasing the land from the park’s corporate landlord.
Residents at Nuevo Lago Mobile Home Park formed a housing co-op to purchase the park from their corporate landlord, Harmony Communities California.
Madi Bolanos/KQED

Owning a home now takes a bigger chunk of Americans' incomes

Dec 21, 2023
A report out Thursday from the real estate data firm ATTOM finds that a home, and all its related costs, now eat up about 34% of the average wage nationwide.
A new ATTOM report shows that homeownership costs take up roughly 34% of the average wage nationwide — more than lenders advise homeowners to spend.
Spencer Platt/Getty Image

Federal oversight may be hindering Native American homeownership, GAO report finds

Oct 30, 2023
Delays in the BIA approval of real estate transactions could have exposed Native homeowners to climbing interest rates and construction costs.
Most real estate transactions that happen in Indian country have to be approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Above, homes on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in Lower Brule, South Dakota.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

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Co-buying a house with your best friend

Jul 27, 2023
The lack of affordability has spurred “nontraditional setups” like this partnership between women who trust each other and work well together.
In 2022, Cass Lang, left, and Jordan Heiden bought a home together in Vermont. “We both wanted the same thing at the same time, so why would we not do it?” Lang said.
Courtesy Lang

The past, present and future of “Hard Bargain” Tennessee

Jul 4, 2023
A historic home in Franklin, Tennessee, serves as a monument to generational sacrifice.
A plaque outside the McLemore home in Franklin, Tennessee tells the story of “Hard Bargain.
Courtesy of the Hard Bargain Association

Black homeownership climbed early in the pandemic. Is progress stalling?

Jun 19, 2023
Higher mortgage rates could disproportionately hurt Black homebuyers.
Historically low mortgage rates lifted homeownership across racial and ethnic groups. But those rates have more than doubled since 2021.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images