First-time homebuyers are a growing share of the market

Jul 17, 2024
But not because it's easier to buy.
Michael and Lauren James, with real estate agent Joy Sushinsky, center, bought their first house this summer.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Rise in house completions means relief is coming for home seekers

Jul 17, 2024
The increase in housing supply will help bring down, or at least steady, prices, experts say.
"The best way to deal with inflation is supply, right?" says Logan Mohtashami of HousingWire. "You want to build as much as you can and get those homes out there for people to live in and bring down the rise of rents."
ANNVIPS/iStock / Getty Images Plu

Homebuilders still glum with rates still high

Jul 16, 2024
In the midst of a lagging housing market, builders hope for easier terms on mortgages and construction loans.
The sluggish housing market has some builders on the sidelines.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Home insurance premiums are surging. That's bad news for low-income housing — and its residents.

Jul 3, 2024
The more low-income housing nonprofits have to pay for insurance, the less they have leftover to build new units to ease the housing shortage.
Nearly a third of affordable housing providers saw premiums spike at least 25% from 2022 to 2023. Climate change has played a role in the rising cost.
Leila Macor/AFP via Getty Images

Lumber is cheap, but building or renovating a home isn’t

Jul 1, 2024
The price of lumber has plummeted since early in the pandemic, but other building materials are up 30% from 2019.
Lumber prices have fallen, but other home construction materials have not followed suit.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Good riddance to the spring housing market

Jun 28, 2024
Sales were cold and prices were hot.
Demonstrators at the Supreme Court, which upheld an Oregon law that punishes homeless people for sleeping and camping outdoors.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Foreigners find Japan's empty homes not empty of value

Jun 26, 2024
There are millions of empty homes in Japan. A growing number of immigrants are buying and renovating them.
There are an estimated 9 million abandoned homes, known as akiyas, across Japan.
Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Given the housing shortage, why is it so hard to build new apartments?

Jun 20, 2024
Inflation, climate change and zoning laws have increased rents and building costs. Developers are focusing on high-priced luxury units.
Developers, who face stiff costs of their own, are focusing on high-profit luxury units, leaving low-income renters in a precarious position. 
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

How does the cost of housing figure into the consumer price index? It's complicated.

Jun 14, 2024
Owners' equivalent rent measures the market cost of living in a home — which is a bit different from how much we actually spend on housing.
The cost of housing makes up more than a third of the CPI.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

For young voters, housing is a top issue in this election

Jun 14, 2024
High home prices and high mortgage rates can make homeownership feel impossible for Gen Zers. But what can the president do about it? 
Many Gen Zers worry about the challenges of becoming a homeowner, especially affordability. But state and local officials might have more sway over the housing market than the president.
Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images