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Mailbag: Retiring Mortgages, Staging Homes and Trying Short Sales
Useful advice, along with the occasional touch of real estate agent defensiveness, came in through the mailbag this summer. Here's an edited sample.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=PyuM7s"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=PyuM7s" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/379149481" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=VdeYHt"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=VdeYHt" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/379149482" height="1" width="1"/>
Fewer Loans, But Still More Fraud
You might assume that with home purchases and new mortgage volume off by 30 percent or more in many markets in the past year, loan fraud would be down as well.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=rB0D1p"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=rB0D1p" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/378361548" height="1" width="1"/>
Taylorstown's Still-Rural Radius
People who live in Taylorstown have made their choices: scenery over shopping, deer over drive-throughs.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125448372" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125448372" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=wgLB9A"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=wgLB9A" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/378361551" height="1" width="1"/>
Restoring Schools to the Havens They Should Be
As Labor Day marks the end of summer and beginning of another school year, citizens presume that teachers are ready, but they may wonder if school buildings are, too.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=ztz5j2"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=ztz5j2" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/378361549" height="1" width="1"/>
The Luck of the Landlords
The slumping housing market hit Teresa Walsh hard. Seeking a better life for her two daughters, Walsh put her house in Menlo Park, Calif., on the market and moved to Bethesda.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=kpnhIY"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=kpnhIY" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/378361553" height="1" width="1"/>
Centuries of Drama at Halcyon House
In Greek mythology, a halcyon was a bird said to calm rough seas. "It also means peaceful and prosperous," real estate agent Hugh Oates said.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=LoASE6"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=LoASE6" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/378361554" height="1" width="1"/>
A Wake-Up Call on Home Equity Loans
An increase in consumer complaints over the cancellation or reduction of home equity lines of credit has prompted one federal banking regulator to remind financial institutions about the laws governing this type of loan.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125451220" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125451220" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=b9pkzf"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=b9pkzf" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/377508517" height="1" width="1"/>
When Cutting the Price, Take a Big Bite, Not a Bunch of Nibbles
Cutting the price to get your home sold isn't quite as simple as it seems.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=gqeB4A"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=gqeB4A" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/374374479" height="1" width="1"/>
Mortgage Shopping, Incognito
LOS ANGELES -- Even though mortgage lenders have raised the bar on what it takes to qualify for a home loan, shopping for a loan online has gotten easier, if not necessarily less confusing.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=9Q2CM4"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=9Q2CM4" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/372159078" height="1" width="1"/>
Neighbors, Boats, Bayfront Summers And a Reverence For Tradition
Owings Beach is still cozy. There are still snug cottages, built in the 1920s for summer getaways to the bayside enclave in the Deale portion of southern Anne Arundel County. Narrow streets bearing local family names are still walkable because deep ditches and tight turns discourage traffic. Even...
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=vjBDqi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=vjBDqi" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/372159081" height="1" width="1"/>
Appraisal Problems Worsened Meltdown
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As soaring home prices set the stage for America's great housing meltdown, a critical step in making sure those home sales were a fair deal -- the real estate appraisal -- was undermined from within.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125454946" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125454946" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=SYz3ay"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=SYz3ay" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/372159086" height="1" width="1"/>
A Worthy Read to Get Serious About Estate Planning
W e spend most of our waking hours either working to earn money or thinking about what we'll do with it: spend it, save it or invest it, lawyer John Ventura observes in his book "Kiplinger's Estate Planning: The Complete Guide to Wills, Trusts, and Maximizing Your Legacy" (Kaplan, $21.95).
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=oOJ1uj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=oOJ1uj" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/372159088" height="1" width="1"/>
Professional Tests Can Uncover Exposure to Lead
Lead paint poses a real threat to your family's health, especially if you have children. Older homes are particularly at risk for lead exposure. If you live in a house more than 30 years old and haven't yet tested for lead, it's not too hard or costly to do -- and it may be well worth it.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=D7vMud"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=D7vMud" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/372159104" height="1" width="1"/>
Appraisers, Still Feeling Pressure
Have the real estate valuation shenanigans and inflated home appraisals that characterized the boom years disappeared?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=S1okUF"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=S1okUF" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/372159106" height="1" width="1"/>
Searching for A Hot Investment? Try Your Mortgage.
I know where to get a guaranteed 6 percent return on savings, with no brokerage commissions, bank fees or worries that the Feds are going to have to swoop in and take over the failed institution that has my money. I'm putting whatever extra cash I can find into paying off my mortgage early.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125458155" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125458155" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=vdI6kZ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=vdI6kZ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/366747810" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=9GMBHZ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=9GMBHZ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/366747811" height="1" width="1"/>
A History of Welcoming Newcomers
Juan Carlos Martinez and his wife, Elia, entered La Fondita Restaurant in the heart of Edmonston for lunch on a recent Saturday.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=DPOKrt"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=DPOKrt" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/365950274" height="1" width="1"/>
Winners and Losers As Loan Fees Change
The two biggest sources of mortgages for American home buyers plan to raise their base fees to counter what they call continuing "adverse conditions" in the real estate market.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=QBZgFJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=QBZgFJ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/365937235" height="1" width="1"/>
A Stunning Work of Art, but Who's the Artist? You May Never Know.
When buildings receive media attention, why do the architects who design them often go unmentioned?<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125500329" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125500329" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=uu6LQ0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=uu6LQ0" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/365937236" height="1" width="1"/>
Weak Market Creates Advantages for Lower-Income Buyers
Q: I don't want to continue renting, but I make only $30,000 annually and don't have a lot of money for a down payment. My credit score is over 800, and I'm self-employed.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=lzXnLa"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=lzXnLa" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/365937237" height="1" width="1"/>
Your First Negotiation: the Agent's Commission
Home sellers could save money by thinking of real estate commissions as an agent's asking price. It's something that's open to negotiation.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=QdQJiG"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=QdQJiG" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/360681738" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=TDaAqs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=TDaAqs" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/360681739" height="1" width="1"/>
Mortgage Crisis Reaches Resorts
PARK CITY, Utah -- With the developer forced into bankruptcy court, Hugh Smith worries about the $1 million he and a partner sunk into bare lots at Promontory, a half-built, sprawling residence club in a town saturated with second homes for the wealthy.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125501689" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125501689" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=E9nhUj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=E9nhUj" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/359725873" height="1" width="1"/>
A Throwback To the McLean Before the Bustle
Before Tysons Corner boomed and the CIA's Langley headquarters was built, an ad for Broyhill McLean Estates urged folks to get in on a locale that was sure to escalate in value because of the coming "Chantilly airport" (Dulles, 1960) and "Circumferential Highway" (the Beltway, 1962).
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=8dmxwk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=8dmxwk" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/359735024" height="1" width="1"/>
Sometimes, It's the Agent Who Wants to Break Up
Q In a recent column about listing agreements, you wrote that you never advise sellers to sign an agreement longer than 90 days. This poses a problem for me.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=xIp9Ra"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=xIp9Ra" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/359725881" height="1" width="1"/>
Tax Break on Capital Gains Narrows
Deep in the nearly 700 pages of the new housing bill is a complicated change in the tax code that could affect substantial numbers of people who purchase second homes or investment real estate in the coming decade with an eye to occupying those homes as their main residence later.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=Iwuvyd"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=Iwuvyd" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/359735026" height="1" width="1"/>
Foreclosure Crisis Catching Renters Off Guard
James Austin was stunned when a real estate agent showed up to snap photos of the house he was renting last year and casually informed him the place was in foreclosure.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125503902" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125503902" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=9g3BRA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=9g3BRA" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/359484149" height="1" width="1"/>
No time to design the ballroom or choose the fountains? $17.5 million gets you a ready-made mansion today . . .
Have you noticed the empty mansions for sale? Sure, some extravagant new houses are on the market because times turned harder for the original buyers.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=MlRWs9"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=MlRWs9" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/355500658" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=uFfJhJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=uFfJhJ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/355500659" height="1" width="1"/>
They're Townhouses, But 'This Isn't a Townhouse Feeling'
In 1974, when the King Charles Commons townhouse development opened in Columbia, a sales brochure described the Colonial-inspired community as recapturing "a bright page in American history" when "the easy and gracious living style afforded leisure time for politics and the arts."
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=YCIhJD"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=YCIhJD" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/352963433" height="1" width="1"/>
For Rebound Renters, a Few Things to Remember
Foreclosures have doubled over the last year, which means a lot of former homeowners are becoming renters again for the first time in a long time.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125507320" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125507320" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=PTWa5r"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=PTWa5r" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/352963441" height="1" width="1"/>
New Tax Credit Amounts To a Free Loan for $7,500
Anyone who has been hesitant about jumping into real estate until conditions settle down should keep in mind these dates: April 9, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=dJlEdb"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=dJlEdb" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/352963451" height="1" width="1"/>
All Signs Point to Confusion
Do you ever think about how much we depend on highway signs? They tell us where we are; provide essential direction and destination options; and display critical rules about driving, stopping or parking.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=rUlpqS"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=rUlpqS" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/352963449" height="1" width="1"/>
The Extreme Reality Makeover Show
Symbolic to our era like a sledgehammer to drywall, the biggest house that ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" ever made over -- a sprawling, four-bedroom starter castle, a three-car garage mahal with a turret and all -- has gone into foreclosure, in the 'burbs south of Atlanta.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=g9JwDW"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=g9JwDW" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/349782743" height="1" width="1"/>
Decorating for Dollars
One thing that irritates home sellers in this overstuffed market is that, even as declining prices whittle away their equity, buyers demand something ever-closer to perfection. Perhaps inspired by Pottery Barn catalogues and HGTV decorating shows, buyers seem to expect that crisp aesthetic even i...<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125509356" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125509356" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=UKf4Ax"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=UKf4Ax" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/348748963" height="1" width="1"/>
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=AmqZpE"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=AmqZpE" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/348748962" height="1" width="1"/>
A Fertile Tradition of Living Off the Land
James Chesley Jr., a physician, has the serene look of a man who has found the perfect balance in life.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=sC3Wxr"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=sC3Wxr" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/345989883" height="1" width="1"/>
Mass-Produced Homes For Individual Tastes
NEW YORK -- Prefabricated houses don't have to be ticky-tacky.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=W31K1m"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=W31K1m" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/345989885" height="1" width="1"/>
Welcome the Breeze But Not the Bugs
Even in Washington summers, there are days that make us want to open ourselves up to the world -- the air laden with scents and murmurs that remind us we are connected. And fall follows, of course, with air worth every crisp, low-humidity lungful.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125511298" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125511298" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=Q1Kt7I"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=Q1Kt7I" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/345989886" height="1" width="1"/>
Tax Relief, Sans Itemizing
The giant federal housing and foreclosure relief legislation heading for enactment contains a little-noticed -- but potentially far-reaching -- change in real estate tax policy.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=eYNkOA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=eYNkOA" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/345989884" height="1" width="1"/>
Successful Sellers Know How to Think Like Buyers
I recently spent some time listening to friends who are thinking about moving across the country and buying a house.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=7MHoeK"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=7MHoeK" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/345989893" height="1" width="1"/>
Finding a Moral in One Developer's Story
Many years ago when I was backpacking through Asia, I bought books based on the number of pages per dollar. This sounds hopelessly philistine, but the best buys were long books.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=WZOGsG"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=WZOGsG" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/345989890" height="1" width="1"/>
Foreclosures and Short Sales, Equal Ills
Is there a right way to lose your home? And is there any good reason to pay for "expert" advice on how best to do it?<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125514307" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125514307" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=kLNoxZ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=kLNoxZ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/344258546" height="1" width="1"/>
Occoquan's Old-Time Charm Outlasts Calamity
Before dozens of cute shops, before the town-engulfing craft fairs, Occoquan's history had as many ups and downs as its topography. The old mill town was ravaged by fire in 1916.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=RRaDkG"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=RRaDkG" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/339311602" height="1" width="1"/>
A Look at Congress's Long-Promised, Long-Delayed Mortgage Relief
After six months of haggling and political gamesmanship, a massive housing relief bill is heading for final approval.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=JoEegD"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=JoEegD" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/339311608" height="1" width="1"/>
Adapting Community Design to Anticipate Trends
There are walking trails, swimming pools and tennis courts. The landscape is well-maintained. If you didn't know better, you might think you were walking the grounds of a resort.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=ZwPytw"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=ZwPytw" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/339311609" height="1" width="1"/>
In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software
Fast computers and sophisticated software give architects unprecedented ability to generate powerful designs.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125517748" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125517748" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=w2eCfP"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=w2eCfP" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/339311610" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=Xfmoqr"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=Xfmoqr" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/333778789" height="1" width="1"/>
Keep Your Energy Dollars From Going Up in Smoke
You know it's coming. This winter's heating bills are going to be stupendous, whether you burn oil, natural gas or kilowatts. If you're going to do anything to minimize those bills, time's a-wasting, beach bum.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=CpKeXN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=CpKeXN" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/333778792" height="1" width="1"/>
A Break From the Yard In Suburban Maple Lawn
When Prassad Karunakaran lived on a half-acre in Sykesville, northwest of Baltimore, tending to his spread came with the mortgage. Over time, the novelty of mowing turned into plain drudgery.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=jSQNhY"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=jSQNhY" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/333000117" height="1" width="1"/>
Keeping Closer Tabs On Brokers
Should your mortgage loan officer's fingerprints be on file in a national electronic database, even if he or she has never been convicted of a crime?<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125520052" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125520052" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=R2Wze9"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=R2Wze9" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/332972228" height="1" width="1"/>
What It Takes to Create a Community
How do you turn 17,000 acres, 5,000 acres or even 300 acres into a single community that works?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=reujO4"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=reujO4" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/332972233" height="1" width="1"/>
To Sell to Gen-Y, You Have to Meet Them Online
Despite the housing recession, there are still more than 1.5 million real estate agents in the United States.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=9XOqZG"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=9XOqZG" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/326885564" height="1" width="1"/>
Help for Homeowners Hangs in the Balance
Congress left town for the July 4 recess with a half-baked cake in its legislative oven -- one that has huge potential significance for the housing and mortgage markets. The relief package left unfinished is designed to help hundreds of thousands of homeowners heading for foreclosure, pull buyers...
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=7mxJeL"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=7mxJeL" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/326885573" height="1" width="1"/>
A Realization in Fairfax About Traffic and Housing
Affordable-housing problems are a perennial theme of conferences sponsored by state and local governments, professional organizations, and trade associations. Fairfax County, one of America's most affluent jurisdictions, recently came up with a smart variation on that theme for its latest housing...<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125522637" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125522637" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=HWOxe9"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=HWOxe9" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/326885570" height="1" width="1"/>
Anonymity Carries a Price at New Zillow Site
Zillow, a popular real estate Web site, now has a complementary mortgage site where neither lenders nor borrowers pay for the service.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=TmTV6M"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=TmTV6M" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/326885571" height="1" width="1"/>
Mailbox: Condo Coercions, Short Shrift on Short Sales and Testing the Bath
My mailbox has been full of comments on recent columns about life in homeowners associations, uncertainty with short sales and deciding how much money to invest in a bathroom.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=BB74kR"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=BB74kR" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/322229820" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=ltfN8w"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=ltfN8w" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/322229822" height="1" width="1"/>
A Garden Haven With a Storied Past
Situated on 32 carefully landscaped acres just off Wisconsin Avenue NW in busy Tenleytown, the McLean Gardens condominium complex is lovely all year, but certain seasons highlight its best qualities.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125525105" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125525105" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=la8goT"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=la8goT" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/321570612" height="1" width="1"/>
Storied Historic Homes Suddenly In Dire Straits
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and other famous dead people have something in common with many living Americans: Their homes are in jeopardy.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=8VK756"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=8VK756" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/321570608" height="1" width="1"/>
Freshening an Old Listing, and Other Tips for Worried Sellers
"W e live in Baltimore and are trying to sell our house," writes a reader. "My agent tells me that my listing has to be withdrawn from the local multiple listing service for at least six months, otherwise the number of days on market will carry forward from my old listing to a new listing. Our ho...
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=6dGIIy"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=6dGIIy" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/321570623" height="1" width="1"/>
When Condo Wars Heat Up, Common Sense Can Evaporate
Let me tell you a story about a game of hardball played over a hot, summery weekend. It happened not at Nationals Park but in a well-kept condominium complex in Reston just a few weeks ago.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=fvEjCZ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=fvEjCZ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/317074365" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125527597" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125527597" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=8wiS9I"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=8wiS9I" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/317074366" height="1" width="1"/>
Gardener's Paradise Built for Growing Families
Karen Cepko remembers the day the cows invaded. "One afternoon I had three cows in my back yard, eating my grass," Cepko said. They had wandered in from the farm next door through a hole in the fence. That was shortly after Cepko had moved to Howard County's Holiday Hills subdivision in 1962. Bac...
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=0OeANQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=0OeANQ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/316491424" height="1" width="1"/>
Out-of-Whack Appraisals Lead to a Dispute Over the Deposit
Q. I recently entered into a contract to buy a house, but the deal went bad because the house did not appraise for the negotiated price.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=l82TfM"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=l82TfM" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/316491426" height="1" width="1"/>
FHA Calls for an End To Seller-Funded Down-Payment Charities
What's wrong with down-payment "gift" programs in which all or most of a home buyer's equity stake comes from the seller, funneled through a third party? And why is the federal government determined to ban them?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=IIoLFt"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=IIoLFt" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/316491428" height="1" width="1"/>
Lessons of Arlington's Urban Development Needn't Be Just History
The phenomenal metamorphosis of Arlington County's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, among the region's most dramatic real estate transformations, teaches a timely lesson: Successful urban revitalization requires long-range planning and long-range public investment that sparks private investment.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125531715" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125531715" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=42sAHc"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=42sAHc" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/316491429" height="1" width="1"/>
The Bubble
The black-tie party at Washington's swank Mayflower Hotel seemed a fitting celebra tion of the biggest American housing boom since the 1950s: filet mignon and lobster, a champagne room and hundreds of mortgage brokers, real estate agents and their customers gyrating to a Latin band.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=tseGVm"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=tseGVm" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/313356369" height="1" width="1"/>
Where Short Sales Stumble
Here's what's really happening with short sales: All too often, they fall short of the finish line.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=nrVhUY"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=nrVhUY" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/313356370" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=T0dnED"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=T0dnED" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/313356371" height="1" width="1"/>
Room to Roam, and Float, in Anne Arundel
It did not take Dan Hurston long to get involved in his new neighborhood. Hurston moved about two years ago to Annapolis Landing in Riva and is already vice president of the homeowners association.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125533310" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125533310" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=OZp1i5"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=OZp1i5" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/311384331" height="1" width="1"/>
Understanding Your Credit History Is the First Step Toward a Higher Score
I have heard from numerous readers who were confused by a recent column on how to clean up your credit history (also known as a credit report) and credit score.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=Wn2qaX"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=Wn2qaX" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/311384340" height="1" width="1"/>
Equity Losses Aren't Felt Evenly
As a homeowner, seller or buyer, what should you make of the Federal Reserve's latest report on Americans' declining home-equity positions?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=VeVMDs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=VeVMDs" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/311384341" height="1" width="1"/>
In the U.K., a Different Standard For Broker Transparency
For perspective on institutional practices, nothing beats seeing how those practices differ elsewhere. Recently, I looked at how mortgage brokers and the lenders they deal with operate in the United Kingdom.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=aw1QoJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=aw1QoJ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/311384338" height="1" width="1"/>
Pouring Cash Into the Bath
Every home seller who's serious about the job knows that scrubbing, de-cluttering, and all manner of primping are mandatory. But how far should you go in making expensive repairs to a bathroom?<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125536499" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125536499" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=IJJkcB"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=IJJkcB" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306973698" height="1" width="1"/>
Its Name Lacks a 'Park,' but Not Its Vibe
Takoma has had an activist spirit from the start. An early example: Georgia Avenue was a toll road in the neighborhood's early days, and residents built out Piney Branch Road to avoid the payments. In the 1880s, when Takoma Park was founded as a railway suburb of the District, distinctions betwee...
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=LmWxzF"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=LmWxzF" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306334230" height="1" width="1"/>
For Modern Whimsy, A Reach Back to Towers and Turrets
In the collection of magazine clips and photographs that Faye Guercio gave her architect for her home renovation, she began to notice an inadvertent recurrence of turrets and towers. It wasn't long before she realized she wanted one, too.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=G0vbHt"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=G0vbHt" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306334233" height="1" width="1"/>
A Chance to Make a Real City Out of Tysons
Tysons Corner presents an extraordinary challenge and opportunity. No longer suburban, Tysons begs to be properly urbanized through visionary planning. Such planning could radically yet constructively transform one of the nation's most unattractive and dysfunctional environments.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=ZdHqMe"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=ZdHqMe" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306334235" height="1" width="1"/>
Never Pay In Advance To Fix Your Credit
Picture this: You're eager to take advantage of today's troubled real estate market and buy a foreclosed house at a fire-sale price. But you don't have much money for a down payment. And your credit files are scuffed up with late payments.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125539159" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125539159" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=MIrO9O"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=MIrO9O" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306342892" height="1" width="1"/>
Overcoming the Noisy, the Dirty And the Just Plain Eerie
W hile I was hosting a radio show recently, a call came in about whether to buy a house that was in foreclosure.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=30btjU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=30btjU" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306342893" height="1" width="1"/>
Understanding Insurance, Spotting Predators
Here are some of the questions I get most often from mortgage borrowers:
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=428yVX"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=428yVX" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/306342894" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=6TEvop"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=6TEvop" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/302011402" height="1" width="1"/>
As Disputes Escalate, So Can the Legal Bills
Beware the homeowners association squabble that escalates. Back-fence grousing over parking restrictions, architectural rules or allegations of cronyism can grow into civil war, and homeowners -- the source of all money in the association -- can end up paying big legal bills, no matter which side...<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125541411" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125541411" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=b6iWnB"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=b6iWnB" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/302011403" height="1" width="1"/>
Resting on a Peninsula, With Little Pretense
Cabell P. Bragg seems oblivious to what many would consider his million-dollar view of the Patuxent River.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=db4TOR"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=db4TOR" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/301481239" height="1" width="1"/>
The General's Gem
The evidence of where the great once lived can come down to some peeling wallpaper in an upstairs room.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=JLv04q"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=JLv04q" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/301474703" height="1" width="1"/>
It's a Bonus, Not Blackmail
Q Our house has been listed for sale for more than four months. Early on, our real estate agent hosted an open house for real estate agents and brokers. At this meeting, someone suggested to our agent that we offer a bonus to the selling agent. Afterward, our agent pushed this idea, saying that t...
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=PVbCUK"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=PVbCUK" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/301474706" height="1" width="1"/>
A New Way to Tackle Foreclosures
Over the past several weeks, I have discussed a proposal for a new type of mortgage insurance called mortgage payment insurance. <br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125548946" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125548946" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=UIP9LE"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=UIP9LE" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/301474707" height="1" width="1"/>
Slim Pickings for Buyers Without Cash for a Down Payment
M ortgage loans that allowed you to buy without a down payment were a fast ticket to homeownership for many first-time buyers over the past decade.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=IUxMjl"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=IUxMjl" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/301474711" height="1" width="1"/>
An Alarm System For Inaccurate Credit Scores
When you're quoted a higher interest rate than you deserve because of information in your credit file, wouldn't you appreciate it if someone red-flagged it for you?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=EujJi9"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=EujJi9" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/301474712" height="1" width="1"/>
Water Everywhere, and Yet Home Prices Shrink
An ebbing tide lowers all boats, at least if you take the analogy to water-related real estate. Lower prices and longer times on the market mean it's easier for boating enthusiasts to find a home that puts them closer to casting off from shore.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=xXuXXs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=xXuXXs" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/297559296" height="1" width="1"/>
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125554326" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125554326" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=k1H4ne"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=k1H4ne" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/297559297" height="1" width="1"/>
Born of Need, Shaped by Nurturing
In the midst of the Great Depression, 5,700 families applied to live in 885 Prince George's County townhouses and apartments built to make work for unemployed men.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=IRqFq6"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=IRqFq6" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806323" height="1" width="1"/>
Don't Overlook the Kitchen Exhaust
Q: DEAR TIM: The plans for my new kitchen call for a range hood exhaust fan . Is one fan more effective than another? Years ago, the downdraft exhaust fans were popular. What kind of fan is in your kitchen? How do I make sure the one I select will adequately ventilate my kitchen?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=BMs3qx"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=BMs3qx" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806321" height="1" width="1"/>
When an Appraisal Just Doesn't Add Up
Q: I applied to refinance my mortgage and was told that I would have to have a current appraisal. The lender contacted an appraiser to schedule a time. I paid the lender $349 upfront, which was charged to my credit card.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=zXrp2l"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=zXrp2l" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296815595" height="1" width="1"/>
A Look Into the Past, at a Man Who Helped Build the Future
The National Building Museum's exhibition about Eero Saarinen presents an inspiring account of the Finnish-American architect and his memorable portfolio of modern buildings and furniture.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125557556" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125557556" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=japLKG"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=japLKG" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806322" height="1" width="1"/>
For First-Time Buyers, Tempting Prices but Tougher Rules
If you're a first-time home buyer, you'll find it a little harder to qualify for a mortgage than your counterpart did two years ago.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=x4tR44"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=x4tR44" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806320" height="1" width="1"/>
Looser Credit on the Way In 'Declining' Markets?
Could the mortgage industry scrap its controversial practice of listing hundreds of local real estate markets as "declining" -- and restricting lending there through higher down payments or credit scores?
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=byhGhb"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=byhGhb" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806324" height="1" width="1"/>
The Hurdles on the Way to a Better Insurance
In my last several columns, I have discussed a proposal for a new type of mortgage insurance that I think would help solve many of the problems with the current mortgage system.
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=ikddDj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=ikddDj" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806325" height="1" width="1"/>
Real Estate Calendar
Here are some events that builders and developers have scheduled for would-be home buyers in the coming weeks. All are free and open to the public.<br clear="all"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125601341" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/realestate;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=3631125601341" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?a=J0ucWQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml?i=J0ucWQ" border="0"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/realestate/index_xml/~4/296806326" height="1" width="1"/>
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