In the media

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Our research is regularly cited in national and local news outlets; below is some of our recent press coverage.

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Forbes

Home Equity Is Skyrocketing; Here's Why People Aren't Tapping It

Americans now have more home equity than ever. According to recent data, homeowners are sitting on more than $6 trillion in tappable equity—an increase of $636 billion just this year. Compare that to six years ago, when equity bottomed out, and tappable equity has jumped 300% since 2012.

US News & World Report

Building A Legacy

THREE YEARS AGO, JIMMY Carter figured he was facing the end of his life. His melanoma had spread to his brain and his liver. He was 90 years old, and it appeared that the nation would soon be reflecting on a presidential legacy. In Carter's case, it was a legacy less focused on his oft-criticized, single term as president than on his much-lauded decades as an ex-president...

The Washington Post

Are you 'Insecure' about your financial situation?

In the real world, affordable housing in major metropolitan areas is a significant issue for young adults. The listing service RentCafe recently looked at the rent that millennials paid — adjusted to 2017 dollars — from the time they turned 22 until the age of 30. During this eight-year period, they spent a total of $92,600 in rent, taking up a whopping 45 percent of their income.

USA Today

More renters over age 50 turning to 'Golden Girls' trend

After ending a romantic relationship in her 60s, Rika Mead lived alone for several years in a spacious contemporary home in Highlands Ranch, Colo. She enjoyed her privacy, but when she saw an article about a home-share matching service for older women, she decided to give it a try. “I wanted help financially, but I also wanted companionship,” says Mead, who now rents the top floor of her house to a 57-year-old woman she met on Roommates4boomers.com.

Wall Street Journal

When Retirees Should Not Pay Off Their Mortgages

Many homeowners dream of hosting a “mortgage-burning” party as they approach retirement. But paying off the mortgage isn’t always the best strategy. Sometimes, it’s better to keep that money in the bank for other purposes, such as building retirement savings or paying down higher-interest debt. In other cases, paying off a mortgage makes sense, especially when you have ample retirement savings and plan to stay in the home for a while. The analysis depends on the terms of your mortgage, the amount of your savings, and your...

NPR

In Baltimore, The Gap Between White And Black Homeownership Persists

Devan Southerland knows she wants to purchase a home in Baltimore City. She is cautious, though, after hearing about how predatory lenders disproportionately targeted minority homebuyers a decade ago. "I just want to be smart about it," Southerland says. "Because I know a lot of black people suffered during the whole housing crisis and whole subprime lending issue that happened a few years ago."

NPR

The New Housing Crisis: Shut Out Of The Market

Ten years after the housing collapse during the Great Recession, a new and different housing crisis has emerged. Back then, people were losing their homes as home values crashed and homeowners went underwater. Today, home values have rebounded, but people who want to buy a new home are often priced out of the market. There are too few homes and too many potential buyers.

CityLab

The Urbanist Case for Trailer Parks

Earlier this summer, the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University released its annual report on the state of housing affordability in America. The findings aren’t pretty. According to the study, the percentage of cost-burdened renters—households spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing—continues to rise, as rents have risen 12 times faster than income over the last half century.

The Boston Globe

Shortage of skilled laborers adds to homeowners’ headaches, costs

You’ve scoured Pinterest and design magazines for remodeling ideas. You’ve saved up or set up a home equity line to pay for the work. All you need is a contractor to bring your vision to life, so you call up a handful of pros to solicit quotes — and they tell you it’ll be at least a few months before they can fit you in. That’s if they get back to you at all.