After intense criticism about a new fee on homeowners who refinance their mortgages, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said it would delay the move for three months. The 0.5% fee on refinances now begins Dec. 1 rather than Sept. 1, the agency said recently. The new fee will be imposed on loans that are resold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants that buy about two-thirds of all U.S. mortgages. In addition to delaying the 0.5% charge, the FHFA said Fannie and Freddie would...

When architect Daniel Parolek looks at the American housing market, he sees both an affordability crisis and a distinct lack of the old-fashioned housing types that could deliver modestly priced homes. In his new book, Missing Middle Housing, Parolek proposes building more medium-density housing, such as duplexes, four-unit buildings and cottage apartments — housing types that were common in American cities before World War II. They’ve all but disappeared since. Single-family suburbs and...

The coronavirus recession is all but certain to cause a spike in foreclosures. A prominent housing analyst expects hundreds of thousands of defaults next year as mortgage forbearance periods end. The federal government predicts several billion dollars in loan losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants that hold two-thirds of American mortgages. At first glance, those projections look bad. On closer inspection, however, this round of foreclosures should be mild in comparison to...

The coronavirus recession is all but certain to cause a spike in foreclosures. A prominent housing analyst expects hundreds of thousands of defaults next year as mortgage forbearance periods end. The federal government predicts several billion dollars in loan losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants that hold two-thirds of American mortgages. At first glance, those projections look bad. On closer inspection, however, this round of foreclosures should be mild in comparison to...

Tom Hudson spent more than $100,000 to add a separate apartment to his property in Portland, Oregon. The new place was so nice that Hudson decided to move in. Now, he rents out his house, which seems dated compared to his freshly built apartment, and lives in his 550-square-foot loft. "The house is a little bit older and didn't meet all my requirements," says Hudson, an engineer who notes that a number of his neighbors also have built backyard boxes. A nationwide boom in accessory dwelling...