Lifestylevisuals | E+ | Getty Images When it comes to buying a house, affordability continues to slowly improve. U.S. households that have a median income — an estimated $86,300 — and enough money for a 20% down payment can now afford a $331,483 home, up $30,302 from $301,181 a year ago, according to a new…
Vishal Garg, Better.com Source: Better.com The online mortgage platform Better has partnered with OpenAI to launch an app within ChatGPT that the companies said will dramatically reduce the time it takes to underwrite a mortgage or home equity loan, CNBC has learned exclusively. The app, to be announced later Thursday, takes Better’s mortgage engine and…
Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images There’s a line item in homebuyers’ closing costs that’s causing a clash in the mortgage industry: the fee for lenders to check borrowers’ credit. While the charges — typically in the tens or hundreds of dollars — represent a tiny slice of the amount that buyers pay when…
In an aerial view, two-story single family homes line the streets on Jan. 14, 2026 in Thousand Oaks, California. Kevin Carter | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates dropped last week to the lowest level in a month, prompting more current borrowers to seek savings in a refinance. While lower rates didn’t give potential buyers much…
Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images For homeowners who sell their house later in life, that timing may come with a cost, new research suggests. Once sellers reach about age 70, they start getting lower sale prices for their houses compared with younger homeowners, according to a January research brief published by the Center…
Homes in Crockett, California, US, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage rates for conventional loans didn’t budge last week, and neither did overall demand, but borrowers are actively seeking other loan products that offer bigger savings. Total mortgage application volume increased 0.3% last week compared with the…
Lisa Cook, governor of the US Federal Reserve, and U.S. President Donald Trump. Ting Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images | Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Wednesday morning in a case over whether President Donald Trump has the power to fire Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook…
Mortgage rates fell sharply on Friday, a day after President Donald Trump said on social media that he is instructing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds. “This will drive Mortgage Rates DOWN, monthly payments DOWN, and make the cost of owning a home more affordable,” he said…
President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, Dec. 12, 2025. Francis Chung | Politico | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is “instructing my Representatives” to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds, claiming that doing so will drive…
Mortgage rates are lower, home prices are easing, and there is more supply on the market for sale. All of that adds up to improved affordability for today’s homebuyers. Saving for a down payment, however, is still the biggest hurdle for first-time buyers. Prices nationally are basically flat compared with where they were a year…
