Down Payment the Top Hurdle Holding Back Would-Be Home Buyers
Saving a sufficient down payment is the biggest obstacle for renters looking to transition to homeownership, regardless of their age, income, gender or geography – a hurdle likely to get worse for many before it gets better.
Calculator: Need a Raise to Cover That Rent Increase?
The best way to cover a rent increase, if you can swing it, is to get a raise. That’s money out of your employer’s pocket and not your own – which, if they want to keep you and keep you happy, is a solid deal for everyone. But how much of a raise, exactly, do you need to ask for?
Movin’ On Up: How Much More Will a Larger Home Cost per Month?
Growing families and households looking for more space this home-shopping season probably already anticipate paying more each month for that larger home. But just how much their monthly mortgage payments rise depends largely on where they’re looking to live and how much more space they want.
The Fair Housing Act of 1968: What It Does and Why It’s Important
As Fair Housing Month begins, it’s important to look back at the landmark legislation that helped bring us to this point. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 reversed decades of overtly (and more subtle) discriminatory housing practices, and established a number of critical protections still important today.
If President Trump is Looking for a Policy Win, Try GSE Reform
President Trump is eager to notch a successful legislative victory and his displeasure with the House Freedom Caucus’s role in the Republicans’ failure to repeal Obamacare might be making him more willing to work with Democrats to achieve legislative success. I’ve got a shovel-ready project that achieves both of these goals: Fix Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
A Picture’s Worth: How Housing Affordability Changes Across Racial Communities
Nationwide and in many metro markets, rent in black and Hispanic communities consumes a much larger share of household income than in white communities, widening the great divide that already exists between white America and communities of color.
On Unequal Footing: How Housing Affordability Changes Across Racial Communities
Nationwide and in many metro markets, rent in black and Hispanic communities consumes a much larger share of household income than in white communities, widening the great divide that already exists between white America and communities of color.
When Up Means Down: What Happened with Mortgage Interest Rates After the Fed’s Hike?
Why, when key benchmark interest rates as set by the Federal Reserve rose, did mortgage interest rates fall? The answer is two-fold.
The Structures of Poverty: Renter Poverty Rates Are Highest in Low-Density Multifamily Units
As the poverty rate among America’s homeowners has trended downward over the past four decades, it has steadily marched upward among renters. Poverty rates are highest among black renters and single parents, and in older, low-density multifamily rental units, which are often found in suburbs.
