archivetag:Loans

Updated July 28, 2026, 2:23 p.m. ETBuying a home is a huge milestone people save up most of their lives for, but it's very different from owning a home, according to a survey.Nearly 2 in 3 homebuyers said homeownership has been more expensive than expected, according to business software Jobber's survey of 800 adults who purchased a home in the past two years. Of those, only 44% budgeted for ongoing maintenance, the data showed.Buyers are so focused on homeownership that most budget for the purchase, not the full cost of...

June 17, 2026Updated June 24, 2026, 1:11 p.m. ETHousing is fundamental. We all need a roof over our heads. We all need someplace to raise our families, cook our meals and escape from the world.So it’s a cruel state of affairs that we seem to be getting it so wrong.That’s the idea at the heart of the "State of the Nation’s Housing," a report produced every year by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. The 2026 edition, released on June 17, is sobering.“Persistent affordability challenges and rising economic uncertainty...

May 28, 2026Updated May 29, 2026, 12:09 p.m. ETLast year, when Matt Gehr and his wife, Amber, decided to upgrade their condo for a single-family home, they had some advantages.Among the biggest: just enough savings to be able to swing a 10% down payment on a new place without having to sell their current home. Doing so would have wiped out their savings, but it was a fallback option.The couple got lucky, however. They made a contingent offer on a new house that was accepted, mostly because they offered a...