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Selling a house involves much more than just putting up a “for sale” sign.
In addition to other things to consider, it’s important to get the right asking price, experts say.

Lifestylevisuals | E+ | Getty Images

Selling a house involves much more than just putting up a “for sale” sign.
In addition to some key things to consider — like knowing market conditions, preparing your home for showings and deciding whether to work with a real estate agent — it’s important to get the right asking price, according to Joel Berner, a senior economist at Realtor.com. 

Otherwise, your home is going to sit on the market for a long time, and eventually you will have to cut the price anyway, he said. 
“Getting the price right to start is really important,” Berner said. 
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Zillow’s home trend expert Amanda Pendleton agreed, and said that homes that are well priced and marketed tend to sell in a matter of weeks comparted with homes that miss on the right asking pricing. Those can linger on the market for two months or more, she said. 
Here’s what to consider if you are looking to sell your home, according to experts. 

What’s happening in the housing market

Home sale listings have been picking up this year. This can create a more competitive environment for home sellers as buyers will have more options to choose from, Berner said.
For the week ending March 1, new listings increased 0.1% compared to the week prior, growing for the eighth consecutive week, Realtor.com found. In February, for-sale inventory was up 27.5% from a year prior, per the site’s monthly housing report. 

Meanwhile, sellers have been forced to drop home prices while homes sit on the market for longer. The average time a listing spends on the market is up to 66 days, five more days than last February and the highest since February 2020.
In February, Realtor.com’s monthly report indicated that 16.8% of listings had price reductions, a 2.2 percentage point increase compared to last year, and the highest February activity since 2021.
A January report from the National Association of Realtors indicated a decrease in homes sold above asking price (15% vs. 16% the previous month and year). Meanwhile, homes listed got an average of 2.6 offers from buyers, up from 2.1 a month before but flat from 2.7 a year ago.
It’s not the same seller’s market from the past few years, said Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist at the National Association of Realtors.

How to get the price right

To get an accurate sense of your property’s value and determine a reasonable listing price, Berner urges home sellers to research recent sales of comparable homes, and focus on properties similar in size, amenities and condition.
To ensure you don’t undersell your home, determine how much equity you need from the sale to cover the down payment, closing costs and moving expenses for your next home, Berner said.
“If you’re really afraid of underselling and have the option to not list your home, then maybe that’s going to be the right option,” Berner said.

For a general idea of your home’s value, online home price estimators, also known as automated valuation models, can be helpful. Such tools use algorithms and publicly available data to estimate a property’s worth, according to Bankrate.
But keep in mind that the estimate might be helpful only for a ball-park figure, experts caution. AVMs rely on public records, and if they haven’t been updated yet, the data might not reflect renovations or changes to the home, Bankrate noted.
A professional home appraiser or a real estate agent will be able to come into your home and look at any upgrades that you’ve made and provide a more detailed evaluation, Lautz said.
“Hire an experienced local agent who’s going to know your neighborhood like the back of their hand,” Pendleton said. More

Eighty-five percent of survey respondents deemed Elon Musk’s political involvement as “negative” or “extremely negative” for Tesla, Morgan Stanley found.
The survey comes amid growing concern about Tesla as Musk’s political profile rises and shares tumble.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to the media, next to Tesla CEO Elon Musk with his son X Æ A-12, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 11, 2025. 
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

More than eight out of every 10 respondents to a Morgan Stanley survey believe Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s controversial political activities are hurting his business.
In total, 85% of the 245 participants polled by the firm believe Musk’s foray into politics has either had a “negative” or “extremely negative” impact on business fundamentals. The majority of respondents also expect Tesla deliveries to fall this year, according to the survey.

While a small sampling, these results offer the latest sign of mounting frustration with the billionaire entrepreneur as he’s become a rising figure in international and American politics. It also comes at a pivotal point for Tesla’s stock, with shares plunging nearly 40% this year.
When asked about Musk’s efforts with U.S. government efficiency and other political activities, 45% of respondents said these actions had a “negative” effect on the company. Another 40% said they were having an “extremely negative” impact.
On the other hand, 3% said they were “positive” for the business. Meanwhile, 12% called them “insignificant.”
To be sure, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas reported that his survey respondents are drawn from his email distribution list and should not be taken as a random representative sample. He also noted that the respondents are not necessarily owners of Tesla stock. The survey was taken over a 17-hour period, starting on Tuesday afternoon.
Jonas also asked about expectations for the company’s performance. In a separate question, 59% said they anticipated Tesla would deliver fewer cars to customers in 2025 compared with the prior year. What’s more, 21% of total respondents said they expected a decline of more than 10%. That comes as some analysts have raised alarm that recent reports of vandalism could spook potential customers.

Just 19% of responders said they forecasted deliveries to rise in 2025, while another 23% said they would be flat between the two years.
Musk’s political profile has grown after his public support of President Donald Trump in the runup up to last year’s election and his subsequent role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The Tesla executive’s efforts to slash the federal government’s spending and workforce has drawn the ire of critics who see his team as working too quickly and haphazardly.
Musk acknowledged in an interview with Fox Business on Monday that his high-profile role in Trump’s administration meant he was running his businesses, which also include X and SpaceX, “with great difficulty.” That day, Tesla shares tumbled more than 15% for their worst session since 2020.

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Tesla in 2025

Despite the recent nosedive, 45% of respondents said they anticipate Tesla shares will be at least 11% higher by the end of the calendar year. Around 36% expect the stock to tumble another 11% or further by year-end, while 19% see the stock staying within 10% of its price around $220.
After a New York Times report last week unearthed criticisms of Musk’s team from members of Trump’s cabinet, the president offered a vote of confidence on Tuesday. Trump evaluated five Tesla vehicles parked at the White House after the president said on social media that he would buy one as a symbol of support.
Trump also said he would declare violence at Tesla dealerships to be acts of domestic terrorism.

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An estimated $124 trillion will change hands by 2048 as part of the greatest generational wealth transfer in history.
Women stand to benefit disproportionately, studies show.
Here are a few key considerations to help prepare.

Women’s prosperity is on the rise

Women have historically lagged in financial resources and opportunity, largely due to a persistent gender wage gap. Women today still earn only 80% of what their male counterparts do. 
However, women are achieving increasing levels of education and working as much, if not more, than their male counterparts, which has resulted in rising wages and greater representation in senior leadership positions.
“Increased wage gains, coupled with the ‘great wealth transfer,’ position women to be key drivers of economic growth,” Bank of America Institute’s report said. And, “as wealth increases, women’s prosperity will help to ‘grow the pie’ of total affluence.”

By 2030, roughly two-thirds of the private wealth in the U.S. will be held by women — which will be the largest wealth transfer by gender in history, according to a separate research report by McKinsey.  
For that reason, the money that is being passed down can create a safety net that didn’t previously exist for women, according to Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.
“You can’t bank on it 100%, but that can ease the pressure,” said McClanahan, who also is a member of CNBC’s Advisor Council.

How to navigate the wealth transfer

There are a few key considerations to help women better prepare for the greatest generational wealth transfer in history, according to Christa O’Brien, a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual.
Have the conversation: “Many often forget to consider the downsides that are associated with wealth transfers if they don’t have a plan in place,” O’Brien said. For example, if the individual who passed did not have life insurance, long-term care or supplemental disability insurance, there may also be debts left behind that can erode the inheritance.
“That’s why it’s important to plan early and make sure all beneficiaries are part of financial planning conversations with trusted advisors,” she said.
Where you live matters: “Whether it’s an inherited 401(k), a life insurance payout or liquid assets transferring to your name, there are implications on how much you should take out, and when,” O’Brien said. Everyone’s situation and the way they plan is different, she said, but the common goal is to lessen the future tax liability and spare your own heirs much larger bills. 
Plan for longevity: Women live almost six years longer than men, on average, and given longer life expectancies, women should consider strategies that ensure their savings last longer, such as delaying Social Security benefits to increase monthly payouts. 
That makes it even more important to start working with a financial advisor on a long-term investment strategy as well as buying long-term care insurance for yourself, O’Brien said. By doing so, “when the next wealth transfer takes place, you’re setting that beneficiary up for greater financial success,” she said.
Build financial security: Not only do women have smaller nest eggs than men, but they also tend to invest more conservatively. Think about ways you may be able to grow cash or assets through options like a high-yield savings account, Roth individual retirement account or money market account, O’Brien said, depending on your time frame.
“As important as it is to invest to grow your money, consider being a little more aggressive with money you don’t need right now and less aggressive with money you might need,” O’Brien said. 
Be aware of financial scams: Financial scams are a grave and growing threat to consumers’ financial security, and more often older adults and women are targeted. For them, the financial blow can be especially devastating.
“To protect yourself from fraud, be cautious when sharing information with unknown sources and verify credibility before making financial decisions,” O’Brien said. 
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Stocks continued to fall early on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
At one point on Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down as much as 10% from an all-time high in February. 
Long-term investors should know that “volatility is part of the game,” said certified financial planner Douglas Boneparth of Bone Fide Wealth.

Prasit photo | Moment | Getty Images

As investors grapple with stock market volatility, it’s important to focus on financial plans and avoid emotional moves that could hurt future portfolio growth, experts say. 
Stocks continued to fall early on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. At one point, the S&P 500 was down as much as 10% from an all-time high in February. The benchmark rebounded slightly by late afternoon.

The Nasdaq Composite on Monday dropped 4%, its worst day since September 2022, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 900 points.
Despite the recent market drops, however, long-term investors should know that “volatility is part of the game,” said certified financial planner Douglas Boneparth, president of Bone Fide Wealth in New York.
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“You’re seeing the market more or less whiplash,” based on what Trump says day to day, said Boneparth, who is also a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.
Amid market uncertainty, investors should focus on what they can control, he said, including “their ability to stay the course, monitor their own feelings, revisit [portfolio] allocations and long-term investing strategies.”

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Don’t let emotions ‘wreck your investments’

Panic selling during stock market dips often means missing the stock market recovery because there’s cash sitting on the sidelines, research shows. Many investors don’t realize that good market days happen close to bad ones.
For example, if you missed the 20 best days in the stock market from Jan. 1, 2003, to Dec. 30, 2022, that would have slashed total portfolio returns by more than half, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
“Don’t let your emotions wreck your investments,” said CFP Ed Snyder, co-founder of Oaktree Financial Advisors in Carmel, Indiana.
Advisors build portfolios based on financial planning goals, risk-tolerance and timeline. If your goals haven’t changed, you shouldn’t react to stock market declines, he said.

Leverage your ‘margin of safety’ amid volatility

Your “cash reserves” may also quell financial anxiety amid stock market volatility, according to Boneparth.
“Nothing helps navigate rough markets like having a healthy margin of safety,” he said.
Boneparth recommends keeping six to nine months of living expenses in cash for emergencies and “opportunities,” which is higher than the three to six months rule of thumb that many other advisors recommend. 
The “silver lining” to stock market dips is that you could find “quality companies or indices at discounted prices,” and use part of that cash to invest, Boneparth said. More

It’s a major challenge to the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the Education Department: How to transfer the loan accounts of more than 40 million people.
President Donald Trump has floated three alternative agencies to handle the debt, including the Small Business Administration.

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he walks to board Marine One, while departing the White House en route to Florida, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025. 
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

SBA, Commerce or Treasury could take student loans

Student debt transfer could lead to major disruptions

Transferring the loan accounts of tens of millions of people to another agency would only worsen an already troubled lending system, said Michele Shepard Zampini, senior director of college affordability at The Institute For College Access and Success.
Federal student loan borrowers complain about inaccurate bills, trouble reaching their servicers and being denied relief for which they’re eligible.
“Borrowers and students need more stability, and this would create chaos,” Shepard Zampini said in a previous interview with CNBC.

Moving the student loans to another agency “could take a few months,” Kantrowitz said. In the meantime, borrowers might find it impossible to get their loan forgiveness applications processed under both the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and income-driven repayment plans.
However, the terms and conditions of your federal student loans will not change even if the agency overseeing them does, Kantrowitz said. Borrowers’ rights were guaranteed when they signed the master promissory note when their loans were originated, he added.

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Microsoft’s vice president of energy, Bobby Hollis, said the tech company would consider natural gas with carbon capture as a power solution for data centers.
Chevron and Exxon recently announced they are developing natural gas solutions for data centers.
The tech sector has largely relied on renewable power, but the industry is increasingly turning to alternative power sources as data center electricity consumption rises.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at a company event on artificial intelligence technologies in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 30, 2024.
Dimas Ardian | Bloomberg | Getty Images

HOUSTON — Microsoft is open to deploying natural gas with carbon capture technology to power artificial intelligence data centers, the technology company’s vice president of energy told CNBC.
“That absolutely would not be off the table,” Bobby Hollis said. But the executive said Microsoft would consider natural gas with carbon capture only if the project is “commercially viable and cost competitive.”

Oil and gas companies have been developing carbon capture technology for years, but the industry has struggled to launch it at a commercial scale due to the high costs associated with such projects. The technology captures carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sites and stores them deep underground.
Microsoft has ambitious goals to address climate, aiming to match all of its electricity consumption with carbon-free energy by 2030. The tech company has procured more than 30 gigawatts of renewable power in pursuit of that goal. But the tech sector has come to the conclusion that renewables alone are not enough to power the demanding power needs of data centers.
Microsoft turned to nuclear power last year, signing a deal to support the restart of Three Mile Island through an agreement to purchase electricity from the currently shuttered plant. But it’s unlikely that the U.S. will build a significant amount of additional unclear power until the 2030s.
Data center developers increasingly see natural gas as near-term power solution despite its carbon-dioxide emissions. The Trump administration is focused on boosting natural gas production. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday that renewable power cannot replace the role of gas in producing electricity.
“We’ve always been cognizant that fossil will not disappear as fast as we all would hope,” Hollis said. “That being said, we knew natural gas is very much the near-term solve that we’re seeing, especially for AI deployments.”

Exxon Mobil and Chevron announced last December that they are entering the data center space with plans to develop natural gas plants with carbon capture technology. Chevron struck an agreement with gas turbine manufacturer GE Vernova in January in build gas plants for data centers “with the flexibility to integrate” carbon capture and storage technology.
Hollis declined to say whether Microsoft is having conversations with the oil majors. The executive said the tech company is having “discussions across the board with all of those technologies.”
President Donald Trump told the World Economic Forum in January that he will use emergency powers to expedite the construction of power plants for data centers. Trump said the data centers can use whatever fuel they want. Chevron and GE Vernova announced their plan to build gas plants for data centers days after Trump’s remarks.
“We’re just glad to see that there’s a focus on accelerating schedules to meet what we view as a pretty critical need,” Hollis said when asked about the Trump administration’s plans.
But deploying natural gas faces its own challenges. The cost of new natural gas plants has tripled and the line to build plants now extends to 2030, NextEra CEO John Ketchum said Monday. NextEra is the largest developer of renewables in the U.S. but also has gas assets.
“Renewables are ready to go right now because they’ve been up and running,” Ketchum said at the conference. “It’s cheaper and it’s available right now unless you already have a turbine on order or that’s already been permitted.”
Ketchum said nuclear is unlikely to be a power solution until 2035. NextEra is considering restarting the mothballed Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa. More

As the IRS faces mass layoffs, Democrats warn that “wealthy tax dodgers” could benefit from fewer compliance staff.
The agency in September announced it recovered $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes from “high-income, high-wealth individuals,” under Inflation Reduction Act initiatives.

Prapass Pulsub | Moment | Getty Images

As the IRS faces mass layoffs, Congressional Democrats warn those staffing cuts could undermine the agency’s progress in collecting unpaid funds from “wealthy tax dodgers.”
In a letter to Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause last week, more than 130 House Democrats demanded answers about the termination of an estimated 7,000 probationary agency workers, which included compliance staff.

The IRS staffing cuts started in late February and were part of broader federal spending reductions via Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
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The letter from the House Democrats said the agency’s compliance team plays a critical role in “pursuing tax evaders and securing vital revenue” for the U.S. government.
The same day last week, 18 Senate Democrats, led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to evaluate the IRS staffing reductions.
The recent layoffs hurt the agency’s ability to “improve collections, crack down on complex tax avoidance and evasion by high-income taxpayers and large businesses,” the lawmakers wrote.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

IRS cuts benefit ‘unidentified, noncompliant taxpayers’

Congress approved nearly $80 billion in IRS funding via the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and more than half was earmarked for enforcement. The agency has since targeted higher earners, large corporations and complex partnerships with unpaid taxes. 
The enforcement plans of the IRS have been heavily scrutinized by Republicans, who have clawed back part of the Inflation Reduction Act funding and vowed to make further cuts.
The agency in September announced it recovered $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes from “high-income, high-wealth individuals,” under Inflation Reduction Act initiatives.

Former IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, who served under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden from 2018 to 2022, criticized the recent staffing cuts in a Bloomberg op-ed last week. 
“For decades, IRS operations have been thoroughly depleted by underfunding and annual hiring freezes adversely impacting virtually every internal and external function,” he wrote. “To the extent taxpayer services and compliance functions existed, they were on life support.”
Through fiscal year 2023, the IRS examined 0.44% of individual returns filed for tax years 2013 through 2021, according to the latest IRS Data Book.  More

President Donald Trump’s recent comments about the economy raised fears about a potential recession.
Americans are growing increasingly pessimistic about their financial future as a wave of economic uncertainty takes hold.
The perceived likelihood of missing a minimum debt payment hit a five-year high.

More Americans fear missed payments

Households also grew more worried about being able to pay their bills, the New York Fed’s survey found. Respondents’ perceived likelihood of missing a minimum debt payment over the next three months rose to 14.6%, the highest level since April 2020, near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The past few months have shown a resurgence in price increases in many food and energy products,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. “Coupled with shelter costs that continue to increase faster than many workers’ wages, the pressure on household budgets is unrelenting.”

Consumers are understandably worried about an economic slowdown as tariffs roll out, according to Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree.
Economists say Trump’s tariffs on imports from Canada, China and Mexico are bound to raise prices on a host of consumer goods. One recent report found that 86% of Americans surveyed said trade tensions are likely to hit their wallets.
“There’s just an enormous amount of uncertainty around the economy right now as we watch the early days of the new administration play out,” Schulz said. “People don’t have any idea what things will look like in three to six months, and that’s really unnerving.” 

Consumer confidence is falling

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index sank in February, notching the largest monthly drop since August 2021. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index similarly found that Americans largely fear that inflation will flare up again.
“The truth is that millions of Americans are doing okay right now, but feel like their financial situation could go from pretty good to pretty dicey in a hurry if they were to encounter a job loss, a medical emergency or some other unexpected event,” Schulz said.
“That’s a scary place to be,” he added.
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