Real Estate

The downturn in mortgage interest rates that began in November finally has homebuilders feeling better. Builder sentiment rose 2 points to 58 in January on a monthly index from the National Association of Home Builders. This came after two months of sharp drops in sentiment to the lowest level in more than two years. The

Phtocredit: GettyGetty Often, post inspection negotiations can be hard on sellers. They may feel like the buyers are dissecting their home or trying to score an even lower price. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you go into these negotiations with a level head and the right attitude, you can help strike

2 Hours Ago Microsoft President and chief legal officer Brad Smith joins CNBC’s “Closing Bell” to discuss Microsoft pledge of $500 million to tackle Seattle’s housing crisis. The pledge is the largest in the company’s 44-year history, and, according to the company, is one of the heftiest contributions by a private corporation to housing. The

Hannah Strasser’s home in Indiana. Having a backyard was important in her home-buying decision.Hannah Strasser What do Hannah, Austin, Alexis, Logan and Taylor have in common? They were the top five names associated with the fastest levels of home sales growth in 2018. The number crunchers at realtor.com studied deed records to come up with

Henry Sy, chairman emeritus of SM Investments, one of the Philippines’ largest conglomerates, died Saturday morning, according to a statement from SM. Sy had topped the Philippines Rich List for eleven years in a row. His net worth was estimated at $19 billion at the time of his passing, making him the 53rd wealthiest person in

The presidency of Donald Trump has indirectly helped the real estate market in South Florida, Miami property magnate Gil Dezer told CNBC on Thursday. Dezer, who runs his billionaire family’s real estate empire, said prices of his firm’s Trump-branded properties in Florida have been pumped up by the president’s popularity there. “We shouldn’t forget that

Sambuca di SiciliaSambuca Here’s the offer: A couple dozen Moorish style properties with stunning views over the Mediterranean sea, in an Italian hilltop town called Sambuca near the western tip of the Italian island of Sicily are being sold for less than a cappuccino. Sambuca’s officials want to revive a town that like so many others across Europe has seen its

With the government shutdown now in its fourth week, banks and credit unions are ramping up help to federal workers. Some 420,000 employees are considered “essential,” and are working without pay, while an estimated 380,000 others have been ordered to stay home. Colorado’s Alpine Bank has set aside $5 million to help furloughed workers. If

Bess Freedman took the helm of Brown Harris Stevens at the end of 2018.Francis Hills At New York City-based luxury brokerage Brown Harris Stevens, its first-ever CEO is bringing a new energy into 2019. In an effort to connect the company’s satellite markets, Miami, Palm Beach and the Hamptons, to New York, its powers-at-be appointed

The slowdown in home sales and home price gains in most major U.S. markets is causing the opposite effect in the rental market, especially for single-family rental homes. Home prices logged a 5.1 percent annual gain in November, the smallest gain since August 2015. If fewer people are buying homes, especially first-time buyers, then they

Olympian Bode Miller with Bomber skis that pay tribute to his late daughter.Chris Figenshau With a record six Olympic medals and two World Cup wins, Bode Miller is among the best  male alpine ski racers of all time. Two seasons into retirement, he still competes like a champion even though he’s done bombing slalom gates.

Student loan debt is putting a dent in young people’s pockets that is contributing to a much lower level of home ownership over the past decade. Federal Reserve economists studied the impact that the $1.5 trillion in educated-related loans is having on those aged 24 to 32. They found that while it is not the

Chromotherapy saunas, like the one that will be offered in the new Arbor Eighteen condo in Brooklyn, use multi-colored lights to re-balance the body’s vitamin D level.Jacuzzi Real estate developers are in a never-ending race to offer the most futuristic and luxurious amenities in their residential buildings. State-of-the-art fitness centers and movie theater-style screening rooms

Chinese foreign direct investment into the U.S. plummeted for a second year in a row, according to new data. In 2018, Chinese FDI in the United States fell to just $4.8 billion — a massive decline from $29 billion in 2017 and $46 billion in 2016, according to independent researcher the Rhodium Group. The 2018

Major Asian real estate developer CapitaLand said on Monday it has entered into an agreement to buy two wholly owned units from Ascendas-Singbridge, a subsidiary of Singapore state investment firm Temasek, in a cash and stock deal. If the deal is approved, the new entity would become Asia’s largest diversified real estate group, according to

Home buyers could save a lot of money by working with agents who represent them solely, the Consumer Federation of America said today. Photo credit: GettyGetty A home buyer could lose big money by not working directly with an agent whose solely represents them, the Consumer of America warned today. A couple looking to buy a

The combination of lower mortgage rates and an unusually slow end to 2018 caused mortgage applications to surge to start this year. Overall volume jumped 23.5 percent last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. An adjustment was also made for the New Year’s Day holiday. Volume was

The once no-frills townhome has undergone dramatic makeovers and is finally ready for its close-up. Across the country, builders are rolling out luxury townhomes with increased square footage to emulate the space and feel of single-family detached homes. “There are plenty examples of townhouses being built as luxury homes,” says Robert Dietz, chief economist for

In December 2018, Amazon made its long-awaited announcement of where its second headquarters location would be. Much to the competing cities’ surprise, the e-commerce giant chose to split “HQ2” between Long Island City, New York and Arlington, Virginia. Since the announcement, there’s been much speculation about the impact on the real estate and job markets

The U.S. housing market has become so cloudy that Lennar says it can’t give investors guidance for 2019. The second biggest homebuilder in the country by market value, second only to D.R. Horton, reported strong fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, but the company could only scratch its head when it comes to the future. “Due to

GettyGetty Retention is key to property owners. It’s simple mathematics: It costs a property owner more money and resources to acquire a new resident or tenant than it does to keep one for an extended period. The occupant must be viewed as a customer, one whose needs should be examined and satisfied to the best

After a tough fourth quarter, Lennar’s chairman Stuart Miller said December’s interest rate drop spurred a surge in customer traffic through their model homes. As one of the nation’s largest home builders, with a national footprint, what’s good for Lennar could bode well for the broader market for new homes in 2019. “The very quick

Almost all the furniture in this photo is part of the $2 million collectionConcierge Auctions “This term ‘play the market’. That verb is very dangerous,” says Peter Lynch, in his Forbes interview as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds. He is speaking of stocks, naturally, as former portfolio manager of Fidelity Magellan Fund, but he could

Hello, San Antonio! Seniors residing in this Texas city have the have the largest non-mortgage debt balances. Those were the findings from a study by LendingTree. The site, an online loan marketplace, analyzed the data of more than 75,000 of its users. Excluding mortgages, residents of San Antonio between 65 and 70 years of age

The concrete estate can withstand hurricane winds up to 180 mph.Douglas Elliman Real Estate Writing this was like pulling teeth. You’ll soon see why. If anyone could afford to bite off more than he can chew, it’s dental mogul David Willens (sorry, couldn’t resist). The founder and chairman of Sage Dental (a chain of affordable

Michael Thallheimer was looking forward to hosting Christmas Day at his new three-bedroom house in Rio Dell, California. Then the government shutdown hit on Dec. 22, putting his USDA loan on hold. The government’s mortgage program for low- and middle-income Americans in rural areas is currently not issuing any new funds in the meantime. Thallheimer

Reluctance to tiny homes shows Americans’ commitment to bigger is better.CustomMade In so many major markets across the country, leaders have their heads down, penciling solutions to the lack of affordable housing. They are changing zoning regulations and removing other hurdles that are making it difficult for developers to feasibly provide adequate, affordable housing for

As the government shutdown drags into its 17th day, banks and credit unions are offering accommodations to federal workers who’ve seen their paychecks stop. Some 420,000 employees are considered “essential,” and are working without pay, while another 380,000 have been ordered to stay home, according to calculations provided to CNBC by Paul Light, a professor

This coming year, most real estate investors will want to stay away from the cities with soaring prices, where they’re more likely to end up holding the bag than to strike it rich. You can never know when a real estate bubble will burst – I happen to think it won’t happen in 2019 –

More Americans think it is a bad time to buy a home, as fewer potential buyers can afford what is on the market. The share of Americans who think it is a good time to buy a home just dropped sharply, according to a December survey from mortgage giant Fannie Mae. Higher mortgage rates and