Money
How a deal is settled and paid, from contract to keys.
Singapore Buyer's Stamp Duty and ABSD: rates for every buyer profile
How Singapore's Buyer's Stamp Duty tiers and Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty rates apply to citizens, permanent residents, foreigners and entities, with worked examples.
Rental scams in Singapore: how fake property agent listings work
How scammers in Singapore pose as registered property agents on rental listings, the warning signs the regulator lists, and the checks it and the police recommend before any payment.
Singapore resale private homes: from option to purchase to completion
How a resale private home changes hands in Singapore: what the option to purchase grants, how it is exercised, who holds the deposit and what completion day requires.
How much can you borrow for a home in the UAE, and what Dubai charges
The Central Bank of the UAE caps a home loan by property value, by income and by term. This guide sets out each limit, then how a mortgage is registered and enforced in Dubai.
US 30-year mortgage rate climbs to 7.40%, a fourth weekly rise
Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.40% on 8 October 2026, up from 7.28% a week earlier and 6.30% a year ago. What moved, and who feels it.
US buyers turn to adjustable-rate mortgages as fixed rates pass 7%
ICE's October 2026 Mortgage Monitor, reported by Inman, puts adjustable-rate loans at nearly 11% of US rate locks and the typical payment at 31.7% of income.
US: FHA makes new appraisal format optional as Fannie, Freddie bend
The FHA now accepts appraisals in the redesigned UAD 3.6 format without requiring it, days after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offered lenders a one-time delay into 2027.
Is FinCEN's all-cash home purchase rule in force in the United States?
A federal court vacated FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Rule on 19 March 2026 and an appeal is under way. What the rule required, and how buyers guard a closing wire.
US home sale exclusion: the US$250,000 limit and its three tests
How the federal exclusion of gain on a main home works in the United States: the two limits, the ownership, residence and look-back tests, partial exclusions and the gain itself.
US law lets HUD pilot support for mortgages of US$100,000 or less
Inman reports that a new US housing law lets HUD run a four-year pilot for mortgages of US$100,000 or less, a loan size that has fallen to 2.3% of the market.
USA: NAR warns AI voice cloning can defeat phone checks at closing
The National Association of Realtors says a familiar voice no longer proves who is calling, and sets out the red flags and safeguards its cybersecurity staff recommend.
US property tax delinquency hits 5.2% on mortgages without escrow
Cotality data reported by HousingWire put late property tax payments on non-escrowed US mortgages at 5.2% in 2026 so far, the highest since 2017, with wide gaps between states.
Victoria sales authority: commission, rebates and how a fee is lost
What a Victorian sales authority must say about commission, expenses, rebates and commission sharing, how the fee is paid, and the cases where an agent cannot claim it.
Australia: AUSTRAC issues first notices to non-enrolled businesses
AUSTRAC, the regulator of Australia's AML/CTF regime, has issued its first infringement notices to real estate and other newly regulated businesses that had not enrolled.
Australia's main residence CGT exemption: the 6-year and 6-month rules
How the ATO applies the capital gains tax exemption on an Australian home: moving in, owning two homes for six months, renting out a former home for six years, and letting part of it.
Australia: RBA finds under 1% of mortgage borrowers in negative equity
The Reserve Bank's October Financial Stability Review says home prices are falling and risks are elevated, yet most Australian mortgage holders still have room to cope.
Transferring a ready property in Dubai: the steps and the full cost
How a completed home changes hands at the Dubai Land Department: the 4% registration fee, the fixed charges, the documents, the two routes and worked examples of the bill.
How an agent's commission is set and earned in New South Wales
No scale fixes a selling agent's commission in New South Wales. The agency agreement sets it, and NSW Fair Trading's rules decide when it is earned, disclosed or lost.
NSW and Victoria: cooling-off, deposits and settlement timelines
In New South Wales a sale binds at exchange, in Victoria at signature. How the cooling-off period, the deposit and settlement day work in each state, rule by rule.
Singapore home loans: LTV, TDSR and MSR limits, HDB loan or bank loan
How much a home buyer can borrow in Singapore: the two loan-to-value tiers for bank loans, the 55% and 30% income tests, and how an HDB loan differs from a bank loan.