Allaire Conte
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Articles by Allaire Conte
Cheap money built a generation of wealth. What happens to housing when it's gone?
Central bankers gathered in Bangkok this week are confronting a possibility with enormous implications for household wealth: Cheap money may not be coming back “There is a global fight for money,” European central bank policymaker Martins Kazaks told Reuters , pointing to the enormous capital demands of AI as one force pushing borrowing costs higher Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh called the investment boom a “shock” and warned the transition could be “very bumpy.” Wall Street is wrestling...
Cheap Money Built a Generation of Wealth. What Happens to Housing When It’s Gone?
Central bankers gathered in Bangkok this week are confronting a possibility with enormous implications for household wealth: Cheap money may not be coming back. "There is a global fight for money," European central bank policymaker Martins Kazaks told Reuters, pointing to the enormous capital demands of AI as one force pushing borrowing costs higher.
Why Gen Z and millennials are choosing rent over ownership at shockingly high rate Original
More of America’s highest-income households are choosing not to turn their purchasing power into homeownership in a rental market that offers them more flexibility, mobility, and choice. The number of U.S. households earning at least $1 million a year while renting the home they live in rose 229% between 2020 and 2024, climbing to about 18,400 households, according to a new RentCafe analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. “Standard measures treat renting as a fallback for people who can’t buy.
Millionaire Renters Are Surging—Why the Rich Aren’t Buying Original
More of America’s highest-income households are choosing not to turn their purchasing power into homeownership in a rental market that offers them more flexibility, mobility, and choice. The number of U.S. households earning at least $1 million a year while renting the home they live in rose 229% between 2020 and 2024, climbing to about 18,400 households, according to a new RentCafe analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. “Standard measures treat renting as a fallback for people who can’t buy.
67 Million Americans Are Under a Power Grid Emergency: What This Means for Homeowners Original
An October heat spell has pushed North America’s largest power grid into emergency operations as near-record warmth coincides with one of the busiest periods of the year for grid repairs. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued the directive on Monday at the request of PJM Interconnection, which coordinates electricity for more than 67 million people across 13 states and Washington, DC.
The MLB Playoffs Put a Wealth Divide on Display. Housing Has One, Too.
Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series kicks off on Sunday with a matchup that feels almost comically on the nose for a question hanging over the sport—and the housing market. The Milwaukee Brewers have won more games than any other team this season while spending less than half as much on players as their opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers—a difference of roughly $146 million versus $339 million, according to Sportrac.
The MLB Playoffs Put a Wealth Divide on Display. Housing Has One, Too.
Major League Baseball's National League Championship Series kicks off on Sunday with a matchup that feels almost comically on the nose for a question hanging over the sport—and the housing market. The Milwaukee Brewers have won more games than any other team this season while spending less than half as much on players as their opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers—a difference of roughly $146 million versus $339 million, according to Sportrac.
Saving America’s Aging Homes: Inside the Bipartisan Push for HUD Repair Grants Original
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is warning that badly needed home repairs are blocking housing from reaching the families that need it. In a Sept. 30 letter urging the Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement a new federal home-repair program, Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA) pointed to seniors who might otherwise downsize but cannot afford to update their homes before selling.
Rents Are Falling. So Why Are More Middle-Income Renters Falling Behind? Original
For nearly three years, asking rents across the country’s largest metros have been falling—and yet, renters are having more trouble paying them than ever before. One in five working-age renters reported being late or unable to make their full rent payment at some point in 2025, according to a new analysis of the Urban Institute’s (UI) Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS).
America’s Favorite Countertop Could Be on Its Way Out. What Could Replace Quartz? Original
America’s most popular countertop is now at the center of a deadly worker health crisis, as the people who cut and shape engineered quartz develop severe lung disease at an alarming—and rapidly accelerating—pace. Homeowners who already have quartz countertops are not believed to face the same danger.
America’s Favorite Countertop Could Be on Its Way Out. What Could Replace Quartz?
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California Poised To Ban Quartz Countertops Over Deadly Lung Disease Original
California is moving toward banning the fabrication of human-made quartz, after years of workplace safety rules failed to stop what state officials have described as an “epidemic” of deadly lung disease among workers who cut and shape the material for countertops.
13 Million High-Risk Homes Sit Outside FEMA Flood Zones as El Niño Looms Original
Homeowners across the country could enter a potentially historic El Niño winter believing their home sits safely outside a high-risk flood zone—because according to FEMA's maps, they do. But nearly 13 million properties outside the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Special Flood Hazard Areas are considered high risk by climate-risk firm First Street, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last week. Flood risk caused by heavy rain accounts for much of the mismatch.
Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Look More Appealing Than Ever. Are They Worth It? Original
Surging mortgage rates have resurfaced an old question for homebuyers: How much risk is a cheaper monthly payment worth? In the final week of September, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed to 7.30%—its highest level since November 2023, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The average rate on a 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), meanwhile, was 6.47%.
The Post-it Note Inheritance Trend—and the Family Fights It Can Leave Behind Original
Years before Marilyn Boysen died, she devised a simple way of figuring out which of her belongings her daughters wanted to keep: She asked them to put sticky notes on them. Versions of the ritual have been depicted in TV shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "Succession." But Nakia Gray, a Maryland estate planning attorney with 20 years of experience, warns that it works better in fiction than in court.
The ‘Silver Tsunami’ Could Solve the Inventory Problem—and Create a Demand Problem Original
The "silver tsunami" may finally reach America's shores, bringing enough homes to ease its long-running inventory shortage and expose an entirely new problem in its place. Between 2026 and 2036, an estimated 13.9 million homes currently occupied by baby boomers and the Silent Generation will be released from older owner-occupancy, according to the Generational Housing Succession report from Realtor.com® released on Monday.
Maryland Bans ‘Check in the Mail’ Homebuying Tactic Original
Maryland homeowners who open their mailboxes to find what looks like a check offering hundreds of thousands of dollars for their house will have one less reason to wonder whether they should cash it. A new state law took effect on Thursday making it illegal to send a check or other negotiable instrument as part of an unsolicited offer to buy someone’s property. The measure targets a particularly aggressive version of the familiar “we buy houses” pitch.
Inheriting a Low Property Tax Bill Is Getting Much More Complicated
When Willa Staats and her brother inherited their father's home and adjacent lot in East Austin, TX, they expected to build their lives there. But one year later, they were hit with a combined property tax bill of $48,000—nearly 90% more than their father had last paid.
Mamdani Wants To Turn Lower Manhattan Government Offices Into Nearly 4,000 Apartments Original
New York City is moving ahead with a plan to replace an aging government office building in Lower Manhattan with nearly 4,000 apartments—a project that could nearly double the number of permanently affordable homes built in the neighborhood over the past decade. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Sept.
Could Trump Accounts Auto-Enrollment Build a Nation of Future Homeowners? Original
Millions of American children could be automatically enrolled in Trump Accounts beginning as early as Oct. 1, under new rules announced by the Treasury Department on Tuesday. The president's eponymous tax-advantaged investment accounts, which officially launched on July 4, are designed to give children an early foothold in the stock market—and, potentially, a pool of money they can eventually use to pay for college, start a business, or buy a home.
World Cup Delivered $2 Billion Economic Boost to New York City—and a Win for STRs
The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered an estimated $2 billion economic boost to New York City this summer, as more than $1 billion in visitor spending flowed into hotels, restaurants, shops, and other businesses across the five boroughs. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the figure Wednesday, offering the clearest accounting yet of how much the Big Apple gained from a tournament during which eight local matches—including the final—were played across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
World Cup Delivered $2 Billion Economic Boost to New York City—and a Win for STRs
The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered an estimated $2 billion economic boost to New York City this summer, as more than $1 billion in visitor spending flowed into hotels, restaurants, shops, and other businesses across the five boroughs. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the figure Wednesday, offering the clearest accounting yet of how much the Big Apple gained from a tournament during which eight local matches—including the final—were played across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
NYC Must Scrap 17,000 Pied-à-Terre Tax Notices in Court-Ordered Do-Over
New York City must scrap roughly 17,000 notices sent to homeowners under its new pied-à-terre tax after a judge ruled officials improperly made New Yorkers prove they didn’t owe the surcharge before determining who actually did. “All previously Mailed Notices are to be cancelled,” Richmond County Supreme Court Justice Wayne M. Ozzi ordered on Tuesday.
Where Deed Fraud Protections Are Strongest—and Where They Fall Short Original
The daughter of a deceased New Jersey homeowner learned something was wrong with her father’s house when the township tax office contacted her about a fraudulent deed filing. But by then, the Gloucester County residence had been conveyed for $1 using a false quitclaim deed and fake notarization, according to a new investigation by the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation.
10 Million Seniors Live in Poverty—Even as They Hold Trillions in Housing Wealth Original
Older Americans are sitting on enormous amounts of housing wealth. At the same time, poverty among them is rising. About 10 million Americans aged 65 and older lived in poverty in 2025 under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, according to a new AARP Foundation analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Their poverty rate reached 15.4%—the highest of any age group.
Powerful nor’easter pounds dozens of vulnerable shore homes in North Carolina’s Outer Banks — with 100 more at risk Original
An early-season nor’easter is pounding a stretch of North Carolina’s Outer Banks where dozens of homes are already threatened by the advancing ocean — and officials warn the next row may not be far behind On Thursday, Cape Hatteras National Seashore closed the beach from the northern edge of Rodanthe to the town’s pier because “multiple threatened oceanfront structures pose risks to public safety,” according to the National Park Service. For locals, it’s an all-too-familiar scene.
Nor’easter Threatens Outer Banks Homes on Verge of Collapse—and ‘Another 100’ Could Be Next Original
An early-season nor'easter is pounding a stretch of North Carolina’s Outer Banks where dozens of homes are already threatened by the advancing ocean—and officials warn the next row may not be far behind On Thursday, Cape Hatteras National Seashore closed the beach from the northern edge of Rodanthe to the town’s pier because “multiple threatened oceanfront structures pose risks to public safety,” according to the National Park Service. For locals, it’s an all-too-familiar scene.
Early Nor’easter Could Hit East Coast Homes Like a Hurricane Original
A rare September nor’easter is expected to batter parts of the East Coast with hurricane-like conditions starting on Friday—and its early arrival could make it particularly hard on homes. The powerful low-pressure system will bring some of its most serious impacts to coastal New England, while flooding and erosion threaten vulnerable communities farther south, according to the National Weather Service. Some meteorologists even expect the storm to take a tropical nature.
House or Wedding? The $36,000 Financial Choice Forcing Gen Z To Rewrite the American Dream Original
First comes love. Then comes a $36,000 wedding, a $23,400 down payment, and childcare that can consume double-digit shares of household income. It’s just a snapshot of the punishing costs young families face today. And as milestones that once built on one another compete for the same pool of money, the traditional sequence of adulthood is being upended in the process.
North Texas Is Building Homes Faster Than Fire Stations Can Follow Original
The closest city fire station to Robson Ranch in Denton, TX, averages nine minutes to reach the front gate—more than twice the local fire department’s goal of four minutes. The 55-and-older gated community is home to 4,500 people, with about 3,200 completed homes out of as many as 7,500 planned. And it’s just one example of the sprawling new developments reshaping the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
The 4% Mortgage Is Back. Is It Keeping New-Home Prices From Falling? Original
The 4% home loan is back—and for buyers, it looks like a gift. For everyone else, it may be more complicated. Nearly 1 in 7 new-construction listings advertised reduced interest in August, according to a new Realtor.com® analysis, with an average advertised rate of just 3.92%. The typical 30-year fixed mortgage rate for everyone else, meanwhile, was 6.67%.
The 30-Day Clock That Can Start When You Inherit a Home Original
Older Americans have never had more wealth tied up in their homes—and for many, that equity could provide a vital financial cushion in retirement. Homeowners 62 and older were sitting on a record $14.92 trillion in home equity in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest NRMLA/RiskSpan Reverse Mortgage Market Index.
Glidden’s 2027 Color of the Year Promises a ‘Reset’ Without the Remodel Original
For homeowners craving a change but not necessarily the price tag—or upheaval—of a renovation, Glidden is offering a timely proposition: it’s time for a simple reset. On Monday, the paint brand named Artifact, a smoky midtone blue, its Color of the Year for 2027. But the thinking behind the shade may say as much about how people are feeling about their homes as what they want them to look like.
Scammers Are Trying To Sell Homes They Don’t Own—and Attempts Have More Than Doubled Original
A growing real estate scam starts with an audacious premise: A criminal pretends to be a property owner and tries to sell a home or piece of land that does not belong to them. And title professionals say they're seeing a lot more of it. In a survey released on Monday from the American Land Title Association, 59% of title firms reported encountering at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in the prior calendar year—more than double the 28% that reported one in ALTA’s 2024 survey.
Mortgage Rates Just Hit a 15-Month High. Is It Worth Paying Thousands To Lower Yours?
In 2021, when mortgage rates were near historic lows, just 34% of the 30-year primary home-purchase loans carried points, according to a new analysis from Realtor.com®. By 2023, as rates surged, that share had jumped to 60%. “The data provides strong evidence that rate level is the primary driver of the points-buying decision,” Jiayi Xu, senior economist at Realtor.com, explains. The finding matters again now.
Mortgage Rates Just Hit a 15-Month High. Is It Worth Paying Thousands To Lower Yours?
The question, then, is how much buyers are willing to spend to get it—and how long they have to keep that mortgage before the gamble pays off. The recent data shows just how much that wager grew as rates rose. Not only did loans carry points more often, they also carried more of them. "The data also shows that intensity increased more than participation," Xu says. In 2021, just 22% of point-carrying loans had at least one full point. By 2023, more than half did.
Mortgage Rates Just Hit a 15-Month High. Is It Worth Paying Thousands To Lower Yours?
By 2023, as rates surged, that share had jumped to 60%. "The data provides strong evidence that rate level is the primary driver of the points-buying decision," Jiayi Xu, senior economist at Realtor.com, explains. The finding matters again now. On Thursday, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose for the third consecutive week, hitting 6.76%—its highest level in more than 15 months.
Why Texas’ Property Tax System Can Favor the Rich Twice: ‘This Situation Shifts the Tax Burden’ Original
Texas is once again looking for ways to lower property taxes. On Sept. 15, the House Ways & Means Committee is scheduled to study how to build on property-tax relief enacted by the Legislature, while Gov. Greg Abbott is promoting an affordability agenda that he says would save the average homeowner roughly $3,000 a year in property taxes. But underneath the debate over how much Texans should pay is a thornier question: Who’s already carrying the burden?
Nearly 60% of the Great Wealth Transfer Is Concentrated in Just 10 States Original
For every dollar expected to change hands in the Great Wealth Transfer, 59 cents is tied to older homeowners in just 10 states, according to a new analysis. The shocking figures raise the prospect that decades of geographically erratic housing gains are about to passed on to the next generation. The study, released last week from LendingTree, estimates that homeowners already 65 or older could transfer about $17.2 trillion between 2026 and 2045.
Nearly 60% of the Great Wealth Transfer Is Concentrated in Just 10 States
18 hours ago A family of four who wants to treat themselves to a six-night magical vacation at Disney World should spend anywhere from $5,100 to $11,000, depending on the tier they can afford, according to Endless Travels. Many Disney fans even go into debt to afford such a trip and later confirm it was worth …
How the Modern Farmhouse Conquered America—and What It Says About the Economy Original
It has been called “inauthentic,” a tool of gentrification, the “modern McMansion.” It has been mocked, copied, and declared dead. But whatever you think about the modern farmhouse, there’s little question that it's become the defining look of the new American home. The signature white siding, board-and-batten accents, clean gables, and black-framed windows can be found in new-construction homes from suburbs to cities.
As States Legalize Plug-In Solar, Safety Standards Race To Catch Up Original
On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a bill designed to make it easier for residents to generate their own electricity by using small solar systems that plug directly into a household outlet. “Balcony solar is the ultimate win-win,” Sherrill said after plugging in a solar panel at the bill-signing ceremony. “It’s accessible, affordable, safe, and sustainable.” The appeal is easy enough to understand.
The Great Wealth Transfer Could Get Tangled in America’s Property Records Original
Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) U.S. homeowners says they either don’t have or aren’t sure they have a clear title and recorded deed to their home, according to a new survey. Most homeowners may have little reason to think about those documents until they need them. But a title and deed are the legal records of who owns a home—and whether that ownership can be passed from one generation to the next.
The True Carrying Cost of Vacation Homes: How Insurance Is Eating Second-Home Yields Original
At first glance, a 9% annual yield can make buying a vacation home sound like a pretty compelling investment. The headline number, from AirDNA, sits within the 7% to 10% long-term annual return some experts use for diversified U.S. stocks—and is nearly twice the 4.73% yield on a 10-year Treasury in late August. But it’s not the same thing as a net investment return.
Texas is welcoming cheaper homes — but some cities are pushing back Original
When Millard’s Apple Park was platted in Nacogdoches, TX, in 2002, the 69-lot subdivision was designed to accommodate both traditional houses and manufactured homes. But only two years later, the city stopped allowing new manufactured homes by right in its residential districts. Homes already there could remain, but they became legally nonconforming—limiting owners’ ability to replace or expand them.
Texas Is Opening the Door to Cheaper Homes. Some Cities Are Barely Cracking It. Original
When Millard’s Apple Park was platted in Nacogdoches, TX, in 2002, the 69-lot subdivision was designed to accommodate both traditional houses and manufactured homes. But only two years later, the city stopped allowing new manufactured homes by right in its residential districts. Homes already there could remain, but they became legally nonconforming—limiting owners’ ability to replace or expand them.
Colleges Are Closing Dorms—This Town Wants To Turn Them Into Housing Original
Roughly 3,000 dorm beds at four universities identified by Realtor.com® are being closed, left vacant, or demolished in 2026 as colleges grapple with falling enrollment and weaker demand for campus housing. Those changes are emerging just as the traditional college-age pipeline is poised to shrink. The number of U.S. high school graduates peaked at roughly 3.9 million in 2025 and is projected to fall 13% by 2041, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
13 Million Americans Are Struggling To Keep Their Homes Cool—but the Fix Can Cost Over $2K Original
For millions of households, having an air conditioner doesn’t necessarily mean staying cool. Over 13 million U.S. households said their homes became uncomfortably hot for at least 24 hours in 2023, according to an analysis released on Wednesday from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Among households that had air conditioning but still experienced excessive indoor heat, 42% cited an equipment breakdown—the most common reason by far.
Retirees Get 265% of What They Paid Into Social Security—but Will Young Americans?
Workers born in the 1960s are on track to receive Social Security benefits worth more than 2.6 times the taxes they personally paid into the program, according to a new analysis. The findings, from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), arrive as Social Security’s retirement trust fund approaches a looming insolvency crisis that could trigger a 22% cut to scheduled benefits.
Retirees Get 265% of What They Paid Into Social Security—but Will Young Americans?
Workers born in the 1960s are on track to receive Social Security benefits worth more than 2.6 times the taxes they personally paid into the program, according to a new analysis. The findings, from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), arrive as Social Security's retirement trust fund approaches a looming insolvency crisis that could trigger a 22% cut to scheduled benefits.
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