HomeOwnership

Here's more evidence that the foreclosure crisis has changed the way we think about home ownership's place in the American dream. Nearly half of those polled in a newly released survey said that owning a home today was a "nightmare." But not all polls reflect such a pessimistic view.

America reached a milestone on Thursday: the lowest home mortgage rate in history. But at the same time as this astounding announcement, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. home ownership declined 1.1% over the past decade, the biggest drop since the Great Depression. What does it all mean for homeowners, home shoppers, and real estate investors?

It's no secret that now seems like a good time to buy a home: Affordability is high and interest rates are low. But those positives aren't translating into sales. Why? Mortgage issues and down payments remain choke points for buyers.

A 53-year-old woman got divorced in May, and now, she wants to relocate to a new city and buy a little bungalow for herself and her 100-pound dog. But with her low income, she's wondering whether her best bet to get that home is deplete her retirement savings and buy it with cash. Our experts weigh in.

It's never easy to decide on buying a home, certainly not in a time of such economic uncertainty. Here, we break down the five essential questions that, once answered, will smooth your progress towards domestic contentedness. Read on to get started.

The twin demons of the housing market crash and the Great Recession have created historic wealth gaps among racial groups in America: The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households, and 18 times that of Hispanic households. The main culprit in minority wealth loss? The housing bust.

Nearly 90% of Americans still see owning a home as a key part of the American Dream, but 39% see us in a permanent economic downturn. Meanwhile, Obama has set his sights on closing tax loopholes for businesses and the rich, but the Fed just cut banks a break in new rules on debit card swipe fees.

A new study sheds additional light on the issue of "strategic defaults" in America, offering further insights into homeowners who are statistically more likely to make a calculated decision to stop paying their mortgages. Currently, about 25% of homeowners nationwide are underwater – meaning...

Despite government efforts to keep people in their homes and record-low interest rates, the homeownership rate remains stuck at 1999 levels, according to the latest figures from the Census Bureau.

As the firms remove their NYSE listings, what survives is the mountain of unpaid bills that could saddle taxpayers with as much as $1 trillion in bad debt. And what's remains unapparent so far is any cogent plan for dealing with the mess.