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Carley Chase found her dream home in Chandler, Ariz., this summer: a three-bedroom ranch, close to work, with a pool and a backyard lined with palm trees.

Soaring interest rates threatened to put it out of reach. Her lender suggested a temporary buydown that would lower her mortgage payment for the first three years.

“I don’t think I would have been able to afford it without the buydown,” Ms. Chase said.

Rising borrowing costs have dramatically increased the cost of buying a home this year, reviving interest in mortgage products like temporary buydowns that fell out of favor after the 2008 financial crisis.

While December's data represented the 12th straight decrease in homebuilder sentiment, there is a "silver lining." The average price reduction was 8 percent, up from 5 or 6 percent earlier this year, report says.

As the final Christmas countdown commences, it's easy to get wrapped up in the pressure of finding the perfect gift, getting your home ready for visitors and closing up the final deals of the year while feeling like you're running on E. In the midst of our busyness, it's easy to miss the golden opportunity the holidays provide — the chance to reflect, give thanks and give back. Here's a list of real estate-related causes you can support this holiday season with your time, talent and treasures.

The judge denied requests filed by NAR, Anywhere, Keller Williams, RE/MAX and HomeServices of America, allowing the Sitzer/Burnett case to continue toward a new October trial date.

Other young adults, who have poor credit history and are frustrated with expensive rental application fees, can relate to the housing troubles of the first Gen Zer elected to Congress.

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She’s a whip-smart executive, but she might take a loss this time.

Meg Whitman, who helped turn eBay into a multibillion-dollar behemoth and later served as CEO at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, has listed her West Hollywood, CA, home for a million dollars less than what she paid for it, according to Dirt.

Whitman snapped up the two-bedroom, two-bath, 2,300-square-foot home in 2018 for $6,500,000. She listed it for her purchase price in 2020, before taking it off the market a few months later. It’s now available for $5,495,000.

The billionaire is currently serving as the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, so she’s spending less time in Southern California.

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When TikTok launched in 2017, it was known as a platform for viral dance videos. Since then, its roughly 1 billion users turn to the social media app for videos on an array of topics, from comedy to cooking to something called #RushTok—an oddly intriguing look at the sorority and fraternity recruitment process on various college campuses.

On TikTok, you can find a video about nearly anything. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, the app became a true force for marketing, buying, and selling homes at a time when in-person home tours were literally impossible. During the months that followed, despite the return of in-home viewings, real estate TikTok exploded. The telegenic real estate agents who regularly posted videos had found a new way to reach homebuyers and sellers.

“Every business sector tried to use the influence of TikTok for its own benefit, and so did the real estate industry,” says Dustin Fox, a real estate agent and the owner of Fox Homes in Fairfax, VA. “In the post-pandemic era, TikTok forced the housing industry to change its marketing strategy. I’d say that more than one-third of the buyers I work with are influenced by TikTok in their decisions they make around purchasing a home.”

Lauren Matera, a real estate agent who has more than 418,000 followers on TikTok, has witnessed the changes firsthand.

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Some people enjoy hitting the slopes on vacations or weekend trips. But for others, it’s a way of life.

Ski towns attract a certain kind of homeowner—those who thrive on the crisp mountain air, the easy-access snow sports, the chill lifestyle, and the tight-knit camaraderie that townies share. But this seductive way of life doesn’t come cheap. The unfortunate truth is that many of America’s popular ski towns have become overdeveloped, catering largely to the well-heeled. What was once quirky and unique is now shiny and corporate—with prices to match.

“A lot of people are getting priced out of ski towns now,” says Eugene Buchanan, a longtime resident of Steamboat Springs, CO, and author of “Tales From a Mountain Town: Musings From 25 Years of Living in the Colorado Rockies.” “Nobody can afford to live in Aspen anymore.”

Indeed, homes in the most popular ski towns have become accessible only to the massively wealthy. The average home price around Jackson Hole, WY, or Vail, CO, is north of $3 million. Even the average home in a classic East Coast ski town like Stratton, VT, is more than $1 million.

Soaring mortgage rates, slagging sales, thousands and thousands of layoffs: The past 12 months have offered a jarring reminder that what goes up must come down.

Alfred Gallman performed around the world, but he never had a home of his own, until he won a housing lottery and found his ‘own little corner’ in Queens.

A Craftsman-style cottage in Los Angeles, a three-bedroom apartment in San Francisco and a midcentury ranch in Novato.

Where MLSs ban commingling, brokerage websites either can’t display non-MLS listings or must hide this inventory behind filters and log-in walls. Redfin's Joe Rath offers an argument in favor of allowing brokerages to display all of the options.

It's closing day, and the hard work is over right? Marketing expert, Luke Babich, says not so fast and reminds agents to make sure that their clients are prepared to sign on the dotted line

There's no doubt about it — being an expert in your market takes work — but it’s worth it! Make the new year ahead your opportunity to grow your expertise and, in turn, your business.  

In the lead up to Inman Connect New York, Vija Williams offered tips on how teams can survive a shrinking market. 'Prepare for the worst and hope for the best,' she said.

As the calendar year comes to a close, there are still many golden opportunities to take advantage of while much of your competition has shut down for the year.

Updated, move-in-ready homes sell faster and sell at the top of the market. But not every seller has the upfront capital to take advantage of the potential ROI.

Stephen Haladay and Tom Bauman from Elm Street take you through their top social media training to help real estate professionals leverage social channels for business growth in this session from Inman Connect Now.

In luxury real estate, agents should keep their eyes on the lighting market for entirely unique reasons, and at all times of the year.

Two privately funded pilot programs are covering the rent for City University of New York students who face housing insecurity.