Is it a better time to rent or buy a home?
CBSN
The median cost of renting a home around the U.S. has hit record highs for 16 straight months, with a typical apartment in June now going for $1,876, according to Realtor.com. So should that spur renters to take the plunge into buying their own pad?
Not necessarily. On average, first-time homebuyers could expect their monthly payments to top $2,400, according to the real estate listings firm. Renting is cheaper than buying in three-quarters of the country's 50 largest metro areas, Realtor.com found.
The culprit? Rising mortgage rates, which "are increasingly tipping the housing affordability scale in favor of renting over first-time buying," according to the research company.

At ski resorts across the West this winter, viral images showed chairlifts idling over brown terrain in places normally renowned for their frosty appeal. Iconic mountain towns like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, were seen with shockingly bare slopes, as the region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. In:












