The quest to look hotter is reshaping America's homes

Tech Insider : Economy, Business
Home Spa

Bill McCullough for BI

I saved about $16,000 by not using a traditional agent to sell my home. I used an AI-powered online service instead.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
A woman sitting on an outdoor patio.
Lorraine Schwarz used a website instead of a real estate agent to sell her Colorado condo.

Ridley

I can't afford a home in the San Francisco housing market. I'm hopeful it's a phase, but it's emotionally exhausting getting outbid.

Tech Insider : Business
A woman at the beach with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Alexandria Belton feels as though the AI boom has priced her out of the San Francisco housing market, but is hopeful it's just a phase.

Courtesy of Alexandria Belton

The 15 best cities to live in 2026 all have one thing in common: they're cheaper

Tech Insider : Business
An aerial view of a neighborhood with large homes, including one in the foreground with a pool.
Maybe this suburb is affordable…

Michael Godek/Getty Images

The 10 hottest neighborhoods of 2026 are an hour outside the big city

Tech Insider : Business
A drone shot of houses in a neighborhood near Tampa, Florida.
Redfin's hottest neighborhoods list for 2026 favors Midwestern suburbs.

Wirestock/Getty Images

Ask your landlord to lower your rent — now

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Style
Apartment key on a keyring with three dollar signs; a hand crosses out two of the three signs.

Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI

A few weeks ago, Marco Bario texted his landlord with an unusual request.

You now need a six-figure salary to buy a home in most of the US. Here are the 10 most and 10 least expensive cities to buy one.

Tech Insider : Business
Sunset over downtown San Jose, California.
In the most expensive cities in the country, you need to make over $250,000 to live comfortably.

yhelfman/Getty Images

I moved back to my Midwestern hometown to afford to buy my first house. The city gave me $15,000 to help pay for it.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
A selfie of a woman on the left and a house on the right.
Payton Friess bought a home in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas, and received $15,000 for coming back.

Courtesy of Payton Friess

I took out a second mortgage to build a tiny home in my backyard. Making money isn't the only reason it was worth it.

Tech Insider : Business
A woman posing outside a home, petting a dog.
Elaine Yang installed an ADU in her backyard to add more housing in California.

Courtesy of Elaine Yang

US states ranked by how much of their income residents spend on housing, from least to most

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Environment
Honolulu, Hawaii
Both renters and homeowners in Hawaii spend over half of their income on housing.

Terelyuk/Shutterstock

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