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However, there are some key differences between the mechanics of credit cards and Helocs. Still, Helocs have far lower rates than credit cards, even for borrowers with strong credit scores. If interest rates climbed to 7% a year later, your payment would rise to $58 a month until the end of the draw period—unless interest rates move again or you draw more from the line. (Secured credit cards are an option for people with limited credit history; they require a cash down payment.) Consolidating credit card debt is another common use, since rates on credit cards can be as much as double what they are on home-equity loans.

Persons: Tanza Loudenback, Aly J, Helocs, you’ve, Robert Heck, won’t, Knight, Freddie Mac, You’re, Scott Fligel, ”, Eric Alexander, Heck, “, ” Heck, Alexander Organizations: Yale, Federal, Federal Reserve, Northwestern Mutual, Income Locations: homeownership, Morty, Charlotte, N.C, Dallas

☆ Mortgage rates climb to 7.49%, hurting home sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington, DC CNN —US mortgage rates climbed even higher this week, hitting 7.49% and pushing homeownership further out of reach for would-be homebuyers. “Unsurprisingly, this is pulling back homebuyer demand.”Mortgage rates have spiked during the Federal Reserve’s historic inflation-curbing campaign. The central bank has indicated it may keep rates higher for longer, due to stubborn inflation. That has pushed up the 10-year Treasury yield, a key benchmark for mortgage rates. The average mortgage rate is based on mortgage applications that Freddie Mac receives from thousands of lenders across the country.

Persons: homeownership, Freddie Mac, ”, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Organizations: DC CNN, Federal, ”, Treasury, National Association of Realtors Locations: Washington

☆ The author of 'I Will Teach You to Be Rich' says 'phantom costs' add 50% to the monthly expenses of owning a home
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Jennifer Streaks | Sarah Silbert | Senior Personal Finance Reporter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementRamit Sethi cautions that owning a home costs much more than just your monthly mortgage payment. "Phantom costs" like home insurance and maintenance can add up to 50% extra in monthly expenses. Run the numbers to determine if owning or renting is a better decision for your wallet right now. Ramit Sethi, author of "I Will Teach You to Be Rich", cautions potential homebuyers about the very real costs that come with owning a home. Sethi states, "because of these costs I add 50% per month to the cost of owning a home."

Persons: Ramit Sethi, —, We've, Rich, Sethi, we've Organizations: Service, homeownership Locations: New York

☆ Why fall and winter are the new hot seasons for buying a house
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An increasing number of buyers are purchasing homes in the fall and winter, Opendoor found. If the housing market normalizes, home buying could shift back to spring and summer, an expert said. A recent study from Opendoor found that the fall and winter months have become popular with home sellers. Despite a slump in the housing market, it's positive news for both sellers and buyers — demand still exists. "The housing market has gone through a period of distortion caused by mortgage rates being kept too low for too long," he told Insider.

Persons: Opendoor, —, Amit Arora, Arora, Jonathan Miller, Douglas Organizations: Service, homeselling Locations: Douglas Elliman

The first week of October is considered the best week in 2023 to buy a home. If you're in the market for a home, this week, the first week of October, may be the best time in 2023 to buy. This week represents a peak week for price reductions with an average of 5.5% of homes seeing price reductions this week. So with all of these positive factors in play, is this the best week for you to buy a home? However, if you are carrying significant credit card debt or student loans, adding a mortgage payment may not be right for you right now.

Persons: —, homebuyers Organizations: Service

☆ Biden's top economist says the key to ending the housing crisis is giving cities and developers monetary incentives to build more affordable homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Biden's top economist says high housing costs are a big part of economic pessimism in the US. A severe housing shortage is the main culprit for steep housing costs. In May, Biden unveiled a "Housing Supply Action Plan," which includes efforts to incentivize denser development and more affordable housing construction. The second way Biden is working to lower housing costs is helping developers with costs by expanding tax credits. The low-income housing tax credit subsidizes purchasing, building, and renovating affordable housing — and it's broadly popular among a variety of interests.

Persons: Jared Bernstein, —, We've, Bernstein, Biden Organizations: US, Council, Economic, Service, of Economic Advisers, Institute, Biden Locations: Washington, Congress

☆ Ski towns in the American West are getting swankier — and pricing out frustrated locals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Driggs, Idaho, is the latest western mountain town to grapple with an surge of outsider money. AdvertisementAdvertisementChristina Assante bought a half-acre lot in Driggs, a ski town on the border of Wyoming, for $500,000 in 2021. Assante, and her son, Asher, are a part of a growing population setting course for the burgeoning ski town that was once overshadowed by its trendy neighbor Jackson, Wyoming. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn uncharted ski town in Idaho is ready to explodeIn Driggs, the town's expansion trajectory hangs in the balance as a, more literal, expansion is being organized. Locals are being pushed further outside of this Colorado ski townVail, Colorado, an expensive ski town a little less than 100 miles outside of Denver, could be viewed as a cautionary tale for Driggs and other budding ski towns.

Persons: —, Rich, Dutton, Luke Smith, Engel, Völkers Jackson, Cindy Riegel, Christina Assante, Assante, Michael, Asher, Driggs, Riegel, Allison Weibel, Steve Estvanik, Weibel, Vail, Michelle Badger, Redfin, it's, Mack, Keller Williams, Everdawn Charles, Tamara Williams, Kevin Costner's, Todd O'Hair, Montana's, Jackson, Paul Diegel Organizations: Service, Wall Street Journal, Journal, Census Bureau, New York Times, Times, Vail Resorts, Denver, Getty Images, Montana Chamber of Commerce Locations: Driggs , Idaho, Teton County , Idaho, Wyoming, Alta , Wyoming, Driggs, Jackson , Wyoming, Colorado and Montana, Idaho, Alta, Colorado, Vail , Colorado, Denver, Vail, Gypsum , Colorado, Vail —, Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Bozeman , Montana, DianeBentleyRaymond, Getty Images Bozeman, Yellowstone, . Bozeman, Bozeman, Montana, Park City, Aspen

☆ It's about to become much harder for young people to buy a home as student-loan repayments resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Student-loan repayments will restart on October 1 following a three and a half year hiatus. After more than three and a half years of moratoriums on student loans, repayments are set to resume on October 1. The average student loan borrower has more than $37,000 in federal student-loan debt, according to Bankrate. Manny Garcia, a senior population scientist at Zillow, told Insider that student-loan repayments will likely jeopardize buyers' ability to afford home purchases this year. "Before the pandemic, borrowers were already choosing between meeting their own basic needs and making their student-loan payments.

Persons: —, it's, Manny Garcia, Garcia, Pulsenomics, Zillow, Will Lemke, Stephanie Hall Organizations: Service, Center for American Progress, Wall Street Journal, Inside Mortgage Finance

☆ You may hate high interest rates and home prices, but many boomers have reason to celebrate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

High home prices and interest rates have created many challenges for young Americans. These trends have been driven by the combination of high home prices and interest rates. By pushing up the number of renters, high home prices help keep young Americans' rent prices high. For young Americans, there's not a whole lot to like about high interest rates. Elevated rates not only contribute to the high mortgage rates that have helped make homeownership so expensive but also make credit-card debt all the more costly.

Persons: —, boomers, Xers, there's Organizations: Service, National Association of Realtors, Atlanta Fed, Federal, Federal Reserve, New, Boomers, US, Treasury Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York

☆ Opinion | The Fed Drove up Mortgage Rates. Why Doesn’t That Count as Inflation?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

From March 2022, when the Fed began raising rates, through this July, personal interest payments, excluding those on mortgage loans, rose 69 percent, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data. Mortgage interest was in the C.P.I. But if you own and the price of your house goes up, that’s kind of good. To put it another way, interest is fundamentally different from the goods and services in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ marketbasket. Taking out a 30-year mortgage loan allows you to move into a house now.

Persons: ” Robert Gillingham, Walter Lane, ”, homeownership Organizations: Fed, Bureau of Labor Statistics, bureau’s, Labor, of Labor Statistics ’

Before inflation and high interest rates, mortgage rates were around 3% and now they can be as high as nearly 7%. The higher interest rates have made many potential homeowners press pause, but are interest rates the only thing you should be watching when considering a home purchase? You have significant debt alreadyIn reality, everyone seems to be carrying some form of debt. To move, means you have to sell your home — and it is really hard to change your mortgage payment. If you have significant debt, maybe wait to purchase a home until that debt is paid off.

Organizations: Federal Reserve

☆ The 21 cities where Gen Z homebuyers are moving in next door
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gen Z accounts for 18% of homebuyers from April to July this year, Zillow said. In 21 metros, Gen Zers make up at least 20% of homebuyers. These places are "punching a little bit above their weight" with first-time homebuyers, Zillow said. But that hasn't deterred Gen Z from buying homes. Here are the places that have the highest share of Gen Z homebuyers.

Persons: Zillow, Gen Zers, Gen, Z, homebuyers, Manny Garcia, Zillow's, Aidan Dobbins, Zer, millennials Organizations: Service, Baltimore, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: homebuyers, Wall, Silicon, Midwest, New York

Girls and young women want to be homeowners by the time they're 30 — a higher priority even than getting married or earning a lot of money. About half, 52%, of young women ages 7 to 21 want a house by 30, the most of any goal, according to Girlguiding's Girls' Attitude Survey 2023 . To compare, 48% want to be married by age 30, and 39% said it's a goal to earn a lot of money. The organization polled 2,614 girls and young women in the U.K. between the ages of 7 and 21 earlier this year. Lenders look at your debt-to-income ratio to figure out how much mortgage debt you can take on.

Persons: Fannie Mae, it's, Melissa Cohn, William Raveis, Kamila Elliott, Cohn, Jessica Lautz, Elliott, Roth, Lazetta Rainey Braxton, Braxton Organizations: Fannie, William Raveis Mortgage, Federal Reserve, Wealth Partners, National Association of Realtors, CNBC, Partners, IRA, CNBC FA Council, CNBC FA Locations: New York, Atlanta

☆ The top 10 cities where seniors are the most financially secure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mesa, Arizona, tops SmartAsset's ranking of the most financially secure cities for seniors. SmartAsset analyzed housing, poverty, income, and government assistance data for those 65 or older in 37 of the nation's largest cities. SmartAsset ranked the cities based on six metrics of financial security, such as home ownership and the senior poverty rate. On the flip side, some of the nation's largest cities ranked at the bottom. Boston came in last, with a senior poverty rate of nearly 20% and under half of seniors owning a home.

Persons: Mesa Organizations: Louisville, Oklahoma City, Seniors, Service, Mesa, SmartAsset, Kansas City, Boston, — Northwestern Locations: Mesa , Arizona, California, New York, Wall, Silicon, Arizona , Kentucky, Oklahoma, Louisville , Kentucky, Louisville, Indianapolis, Albuquerque, Kansas, Midwest, New York City, Los Angeles, Jose, San Francisco

☆ Lawmakers are waking up to the realities of 'gerontocracy.' But don't expect them to do anything about it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Age limits remain popular, and lawmakers have begun to wake up to the realities of gerontocracy. "I believe everyone deserves the kind of dignity to make their own choices," said Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. He also opposes age limits, arguing that people should be able to "choose who they want, no matter how old they are." "Different people age differently, you know, somebody at a younger age may have more impacts due to aging than somebody at an older age. "I don't think it's a problem to be old, I think it's a problem to have a lack of diversity."

Persons: Mitt Romney, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Graham, Romney, Strom Thurmond, Democratic Sen, John Fetterman of, Dianne Feinstein's, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, gerontocracy, Rep, Maxwell Frost, Anna Moneymaker, Gray, Frost, hasn't, Ro Khanna, Khanna, Dianne Feinstein, Saul Loeb, Republican Sen, John Hoeven, Hoeven, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Gluesenkamp Perez, Feinstein, McConnell, Democratic Sens, Ben Ray Luján, JD Vance Organizations: Service, Utah Republican, Capitol, South Carolina Republican, Democratic, Florida Democrat, Pew Research Service, California, Senate, Getty, Republican, Democratic Rep, Washington, Ohio Locations: Wall, Silicon, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Florida, North Dakota, New Mexico

☆ Here are 3 money moves wealthy Americans are more likely to make in times of economic uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Almost regardless of how much you have in the bank, it's hard to feel financially secure. Across the board, households are facing surging child-care costs, ballooning auto loans, high mortgage rates and record rents amid economic uncertainty and recessionary fears. And nearly half, or 47%, of wealthy Americans said their financial planning needs improvement. Yet there are things millionaires do that the rest of us may not, Northwestern Mutual's report also found, which can go a long way toward improving long-term well-being. Here are three moves wealthy Americans are more likely to make:

Persons: — Organizations: Finance, Edelman Financial, Bloomberg Locations: Northwestern

☆ China's property price caps have two sharp edges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Chinese developers are in trouble. When the mood was bullish, price caps in major cities were far below what people were willing to pay. Scrapping the price caps would be a cleaner fix and officials are weighing up such a move, Reuters reported this month. CONTEXT NEWSChina's Guangzhou city has cancelled price caps on new residential projects, Caixin reported on Sept. 12. Price caps of various kinds were introduced in many Chinese cities from 2016 following the central government’s call for a stable residential market.

Persons: Zhao Youming, Tingshu Wang, Caixin, Price, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Gaotie Wellness, REUTERS, Reuters, HK, Bureau of Statistics, Thomson Locations: Tongchuan, Shaanxi, China, HONG KONG, Guangzhou

☆ The 10 least expensive states to own a home
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Here are 10 states, including Ohio and Iowa, where homeownership is less than the national average. According to Zillow, the average cost of a home in the US is $349,770, as of August. Hawaii is one of the more expensive states to live in, and has the highest cost of homeownership, according to Self. But there's good news for prospective homebuyers: There are states where the costs of homeownership are significantly less than the national average. Here are the 10 least expensive states to own a home, according to Self.

Persons: homeownership, Zillow, Angi Organizations: Service Locations: Ohio, Iowa, Wall, Silicon, Hawaii

☆ The United Auto Workers strike could be the canary in the coal mine for Biden's reelection pitch to working-class voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The UAW union late last week went on strike to pressure the "Big Three" to raise worker wages. The strength of President Biden's economic message could hinge on the outcome of the strike. Biden has sought to sharpen his 2024 economic pitch, but voters aren't fully sold on his message. AdvertisementAdvertisementBiden is now sitting in the Oval Office, and the United Auto Workers strike is giving him the most challenging labor crisis of his presidency, as the economic pitch for his reelection bid could sink or swim depending on the outcome. And over the last — the past decade, auto companies have seen record profits, including the last few years, because of the extraordinary skill and sacrifices of the UAW workers," he said at the White House.

Persons: Biden's, Biden, Joe Biden, —, Julie Su, Gene Sperling, Susan Walsh, Adam Wren, Denny Butler, Donald Trump, Butler Organizations: UAW, aren't, Service, Teamsters, Wall Street, United Auto Workers, — Ford, General Motors, Detroit automakers, Ford, AP, White, Democratic Party Locations: Wall, Silicon, Pittsburgh, Wayne , Michigan, Wentzville , Missouri, Toledo , Ohio, Michigan, Kokomo, Ind

☆ Homebuyers struggling to find a house while inventory hovers around its lowest point in years should look at these 13 large metro areas kick-starting new homebuilding fastest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Mark Reeth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meanwhile, housing starts were actually up 5.9% in July, but filings for housing permits fell 13% to 1,442,000. In the first half of this year, new housing permits plummeted 17.5% compared to the first half of 2022. "In the first half of 2022, an impressive 30 states saw year-over-year increases in their numbers of permits. All told, of the 384 metro areas that Point2 tracks data from, a mere 90 saw the number of housing permits increase year over year. Among those 384 metro areas, 56 fall under the large category, meaning they have populations of 1 million or more.

Persons: Louis Fed, Point2, Andra Hopulele, Hopulele Organizations: National Association of Realtors Locations: West

☆ The American nuclear family is officially over
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The American nuclear family is officially dead, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center — even if some Americans haven't accepted it. In 1970, nearly 70% of American adults ages 25 to 49 were living with a spouse and at least one child. "Family living arrangements are becoming more and more diverse in their composition," Carolina Aragão, one of the authors of the Pew report, told Insider. While married adults with kids are still the most common family arrangement, "they are far less common than they were in the past." AdvertisementAdvertisementBut even as the American family changes, it doesn't mean Americans feel good about it.

Persons: haven't, that's, they're, Z, who's, That's, Aragão, Pew Organizations: Pew Research, Service, Pew Research Center, Pew, Census Bureau, Black, Hispanic Locations: Wall, Silicon, Carolina, United States

☆ More unmarried couples are buying houses together. A lawyer explains how to protect yourself in the event of a split.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today, 18% of first-time buyers are unmarried couples, the National Association of Realtors found. Because of that, unmarried buyers need to take extra care to protect themselves and their finances before jumping into joint home ownership, Fiffik said. "For unmarried people buying a property, there are no laws or rules that govern what happens when that relationship breaks up," he said. Get honest about your financesBefore you even consider buying a home together, Fiffik suggested getting very honest about your finances. But unmarried couples have a few options when it comes to official ownership of the home, Fiffik said:Only one partner is on the deed and mortgage .

Persons: homebuyers, Mike Fiffik, Fiffik, homeownership, —, they're, you've Organizations: NAR, Service, National Association of Realtors, Fiffik Law Locations: Wall, Silicon

I sold my home in 2018 and started renting and was surprised by how much I liked it. But for me, after owning a home for seven years and being a very engaged homeowner, I prefer to rent for right now. I learned that I prefer to rent — and not only that, but renting right now is beneficial for me. When I owned my home, I was constantly a homeowner, meaning that there were always projects, renovations or issues that came up. As soon as I sold my home and moved into a luxury apartment building, the money in my savings account increased.

Persons: Krav Maga, I'm, homeownership Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York

☆ I bought a fixer-upper for a fraction of what I could afford. Now we have new floors and ceilings, and I'm thrilled to pay just $770 a month.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Sarah Sharkey | Avril Ayers | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My husband and I bought a house in 2020, and we decided to stick to a mortgage payment of $700. Here's how we decided on how large of a mortgage payment we could afford. Why we kept our numbers conservativeBased on the 28% rule, our income could have supported a much larger mortgage payment. In my opinion, opting for a smaller mortgage payment than we could technically afford opened up more room for financial flexibility. Since closing three years ago, our mortgage payment has grown to around $770 per month.

Persons: we've, you'll, that's, homeownership Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Gen Z is better at saving than millennials. A new survey says it has a more positive outlook on homeownership, too
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen Z is more optimistic about owning a home compared to millennials, per a Redfin survey. Previous surveys found that Gen Z is also ahead when it comes to home purchases. Of the 1,340 members of Gen Z surveyed, around 12% said they believed homeownership would not be possible in their lifetime. Millennials being more concerned about saving up for a home falls in line with studies that found Gen Z is doing a better job of holding on to its savings , per the Center for Generational Kinetic's State of Gen Z report. Gen Zers and millennials both expressed concerns that high home costs and student loan debt, among other factors, would prevent them from being homeowners.

Persons: Gen Z, homeownership, Gen Zers, Z, Redfin, Daryl Fairweather, Zers, millennials, Fairweather, it's Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kinetic's

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