Mortgage rates hit highest level of the year, and could go even higher

Homes in Rocklin, California, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage crossed over 7% on April 1, according to Mortgage News Daily, and it just kept going. It now sits right around 7.5%, the highest level since mid-November of last … Read more

March homes sales dropped despite a surge in supply. Here’s why.

Prospective buyers attend an open house at a home for sale in Larchmont, New York, US, on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023.  Tiffany Hagler-Geard | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of previously-owned homes dropped 4.3% in March compared with February, to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 4.19 million units, according to the National Association of … Read more

Regional bank failures may be ahead, Former FDIC head Bair warns

Regional bank earnings may expose critical weaknesses, according to Sheila Bair, former chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Their quarterly numbers begin hitting Wall Street this week. “I’m worried about a handful of them,” Bair told CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Tuesday. “I think some of them are still overly reliant on industry deposits, … Read more

Australian Idol host Ricki-Lee Coulter moves into same luxury Sydney apartment complex as Delta Goodrem

Singer, radio star and Australian Idol host Ricki-Lee Coulter has new luxury digs in Sydney — and one of her neighbours is an equally famous songstress. Coulter and her husband Richard Harrison have moved to a new Darlinghurst apartment overlooking Hyde Park after the $2.5 million sale of their Avalon Beach home. WATCH THE VIDEO … Read more

NSW’s cheapest freestanding home is located in Bourke and on the market for just $49,000

The cheapest freestanding home on the market in NSW is selling from $49,000 — but there’s a catch. Located in Bourke, in NSW’s northwest, the home is referred to as “cheap as chips” in the online listing. The average house price in Sydney was $1,595,310 in December last year, according to Domain’s House Price Report. … Read more

Macy’s, Arkhouse take-private fight continues after proxy settlement

Shopping bags in front of the Macy’s Inc. flagship store in the Herald Square area of New York, US, on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. US holiday sales will grow at a slower pace this year amid economic headwinds such as higher interest rates, the National Retail Federation said.  Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images … Read more

Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death in financial fraud case

Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan (C) looks on at a court in Ho Chi Minh city on April 11, 2024. A top Vietnamese property tycoon could face the death penalty when she and dozens of other co-accused face verdicts on April 11 in one of the country’s biggest fraud cases over the embezzlement of … Read more

Macy’s settles proxy fight with activist Arkhouse, adds two directors

Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square in New York, Dec. 23, 2021. Scott Mlyn | CNBC Department store Macy’s on Wednesday said it had settled its proxy fight with an activist group led by Arkhouse Management, and that it would add two new directors to its 15-person board. The reshuffle moves Macy’s closer to a … Read more

Mortgage refinance demand surges even as rates cross back over 7%.

This aerial picture shows homes near the Chesapeake Bay in Centreville, Maryland, on March 4, 2024. Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images Overall mortgage demand has now moved sideways for three straight weeks, but last week saw a split between those looking to buy a home and those hoping to save money with a … Read more

Why new build homes can lead to a property tax surprise

Comstock Images | Stockbyte | Getty Images It’s not unusual for new homeowners to face financial surprises, but people buying a newly built home may be more likely to encounter sticker shock on a key expense. Almost 75% of recent homebuyers had regrets about their purchase, according to a 2023 survey from Real Estate Witch. … Read more