The great ‘shrinkflation’ of housing in America: What $500,000 buys today vs. what it bought in 2019

In 2019, $500,000 was more than enough to buy a single-family home in much of the…

More than 1 million homeowners are underwater on their mortgage — a 7-year-high. Here’s what experts advise they do.

About 1.1 million homeowners were underwater on their mortgages at the end of last year as…

These 2 charts show why buying a house is the hardest it’s been in decades

Home buyers across America have had little relief from sky-high home prices over the last few…

Think you can’t afford a house? More than half of down-payment assistance programs are now open to buyers earning over $100K.

The number of down-payment assistance programs is on the rise, and a growing share are open…

Opinion: Trump’s ‘not a huge fan’ of raiding your 401(k) to buy a home — and he’s right

Published: Jan. 27, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET Earlier this month, Kevin Hassett, director of the National…

Trump wants to let you take money from your 401(k) to buy a house. Putting it back is complicated.

Beth Pinsker is a financial-planning columnist at MarketWatch. She has been a certified financial planner (CFP®)…

Young men are insecure about money — but confident they’ll own a home. What gives?

Homeownership, marriage and parenthood are highly valued goals — and a tall order in today’s economy.

Why Trump banning institutional investors like Blackstone from buying homes won’t bring down housing costs, according to experts

Aarthi Swaminathan is a MarketWatch personal finance reporter covering residential real estate. She is the winner…

Here are the ideas that could really help solve America’s affordability crisis in 2026

These 10 ideas targeting affordability will be tested in 2026. A look at the ones that…

‘I’m terrified I’ll be homeless when my husband, 76, stops working’: We only have $100K. What happens to people like us?

Published: Dec. 18, 2025 at 5:15 a.m. ET Dear Quentin, I’m sick of reading how many millions…