Housing market fact or fiction: 49% believe now is a bad time to buy — but is it really?
We asked Americans how they view the current real estate market, and their place in it.
Jeff Ostrowski has closely covered two nationwide housing booms and one devastating bust. Before joining Bankrate in 2020, he spent more than 20 years writing about real estate, business, the economy and politics. He previously worked as a reporter at the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Business Journal.
From 2019 through 2025, Jeff served on the board of the nonprofit National Association of Real Estate Editors. He twice has won gold awards in the group’s journalism contest. His Bankrate coverage of housing affordability was also honored with a Best in Business award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
When he’s not working, Jeff enjoys surfing, biking and traveling, usually with a surfboard or bike.
Jeff is the author of How to Buy a Home in a Miserable Market, available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
When you’re applying for a mortgage, shop around and do your homework — informed borrowers can save thousands of dollars over the life of their loan. Don’t fixate on finding the absolute perfect option, though, or timing your loan to a low point for mortgage rates. If you’re borrowing now, mortgage rates could go down in the future. Avoid worrying about all those things that are both out of your control and impossible to predict.
We asked Americans how they view the current real estate market, and their place in it.
What if you could buy a home today, but lock in a mortgage rate from 2021?
Don’t fall for fraudsters’ phony “mortgage relief” offers.
The downgrade of U.S. debt created one more reason for mortgage rates to stay at a peak.
Mortgage rates have shot up this year, but inflation isn’t the only driver.
The nation’s two largest mortgage lenders have rolled out 1% down payment loans. Is there a catch?
Metro areas in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina top the Housing Heat Index.
Rising insurance rates put homeownership even further out of reach for many.
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