Housing & Real Estate

  • Brooklyn vs. Manhattan: Is the Outer Borough Still Cheaper?

    BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS The cost of living in Manhattan tops that of Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and the Bronx — or so goes the traditional rap about New York City. But as Brooklyn continues drawing families and hip singles,…

  • 10 Cheap Ways to Prep Your Home for a Winter Sale

    Winter is the hardest time of the year to sell a home in most U.S. locales. “The spring housing market is considered busier than the winter market, but sometimes sellers have to move forward before then,” says Judy Moore, past…

  • 13 Cities Where It Pays to Get in the Vacation Rental Game

    Generating passive income by renting out a house or apartment is a dream for many. Even people who can’t afford a rental property or vacation home are putting their places up for rent online when they’re out of town. As…

  • Spending Diary: Home Maintenance Is Eating My Renovation Budget

    Our house in the country is under renovation just about all the time. It’s not particularly old, just particularly quirky. Much of it was built by the previous owners. Some features, such as the plumbing, are mostly jerry-rigged; others are…

  • 10 Money-Saving Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent

    When perusing the listings of homes for sale, it may seem easiest to just contact the first real estate agent who pops up or whose name appears in the mailer you received. But the truth is, real estate agents have…

  • 12 Ways to Insure Your Home for Less

    The wealth of many families is tied to the value of their home, and it makes sense to protect that investment with an insurance policy — something that’s probably required anyway if you have a mortgage. Homeowners insurance covers you…

  • Your First House: 13 Tips for Saving and Buying

    The advantages of home ownership are many: building equity; tax deductions; the promise of appreciating value; and having a place that belongs to you. With mortgage rates at historic lows,…

  • Score Savings by Refinancing Your Mortgage

    Housing is one of the biggest expenses most people shoulder, so reducing your monthly housing bill can make a big difference in your overall budget. For the millions of people…

  • 10 Best Cheap Cities for Raising a Family

    Americans thinking about having a family can expect to spend close to a quarter-million dollars to raise each child to the age of 18, according to a 2013 government estimate.…