Mortgages — news for homeowners
A clear guide to understanding your mortgage, how escrow works, and where your monthly payment actually goes.
Right now: The Quiet Overhaul of Your Credit Score · Oct 14
📘 New to the topic? Read the full guide: Mortgages Learn exactly how your home loan works, what makes up your monthly payment, and how to pay it off faster. Read the guide →The Quiet Overhaul of Your Credit Score
While everyone is watching interest rates, federal regulators are quietly changing how your credit is pulled. It just might save you some money at closing.
The Plumbing Behind Your Mortgage Is Getting Ripped Out
FICO's long-held monopoly on credit scoring is finally cracking, forcing lenders and government agencies to rethink how they decide who gets a house.
The 8% Wall: Why Buyers Are Gambling on Adjustable Rates
Mortgage rates are pushing past 7.4% and freezing the fall housing market. Underneath the ice, buyers and sellers are quietly changing tactics.
The Great Condo Stall: Why Buying a Home Just Got Complicated Again
Mortgage rates are back above 7% and the condo market is rapidly deflating in major cities. Here's what this split market means for your budget.
Lenders Are Quietly Rewriting the Rules to Keep You Buying
With rates creeping back near 7%, the mortgage industry is raising loan limits and counting your utility bills to keep homebuyers in the game.
The Seven Percent Tug-of-War
Mortgage rates are creeping back toward 7% just as the Fed prepares to meet, while bizarre 'ghost condos' in LA sit completely empty.
The Autumn Standoff
Mortgage rates are creeping back toward 7%, but the housing market is finally cracking in major cities. Here's why buyers suddenly have leverage.
The New Rules of Mortgage Math
Borrowing costs just hit a new high for the year, but a quiet war on credit reporting monopolies could soon save buyers money at the closing table.
A Tale of Two Housing Markets: AI Cash Meets 7% Rates
Most of the country is frozen by climbing mortgage rates. Meanwhile, a wave of new tech money is sparking wild bidding wars in unexpected places.
The Mortgage Rate Reality Check: Why Relief is on Hold
Hoping for a sudden drop in borrowing costs this fall? The central bank just delivered a harsh reality check.
The New Mortgage Math
If you've been holding out for a sudden drop in borrowing costs, you can probably exhale. Here's how buyers are handling the new math.
A Push to End the Home-Sale Tax Penalty While Lenders Brace for a Bumpy Fall
Congress is trying to thaw the housing market's deep freeze by doubling capital gains tax exclusions, just as the mortgage industry prepares for a slowdown.
Sun Belt Reality Check: The Hidden Costs of Moving South
Retirees flock to South Carolina for the cheap taxes, but hidden local fees and strict new condo rules complicate the Sun Belt dream.
Why the $799 Mortgage Is a Myth, and Rates Are Stuck in Neutral
Mortgage markets are caught between a cooling job market and stubborn inflation. Meanwhile, a new lawsuit shows exactly why you have to read the fine print.
The Condo Hurdle: Why Buying Your First Place Just Got Harder
A massive federal rewrite of condo lending rules and mortgage rates stuck near multi-year highs are making life tough for entry-level buyers.
The Fine Print Strikes Back
The era of the easy condo mortgage is ending, while local governments get creative to keep property tax bills from eating us alive.
The One-Year Peak: Why Cash Buyers Are Taking Over
Mortgage rates just hit their highest level in a year, ending the summer waiting game and handing the keys to all-cash buyers.
The Summer Mortgage Relief That Never Arrived
Summer was supposed to bring relief for homebuyers. Instead, global tension and a spooked Federal Reserve have sent mortgage costs to a one-year high.
The Builder’s Edge: Why New Construction is Defying the Rate Spike
Mortgage rates just hit a yearly high, but builders are offering massive discounts and rate buydowns regular sellers simply can't match.
The 7% Shadow
Mortgage rates are creeping back toward yearly highs, leaving buyers squeezed and sellers stubbornly clinging to their pandemic-era bargains. Here's what that means for your next move.