Square footage always increases in slow markets when the only people buying new houses are middle- and upper-income earners. But when the market speeds up, builders try to go smaller in an attempt to ... more
If the winter holiday season now begins with Halloween, and the Super Bowl kicks off the spring homebuying season, when do people begin looking in earnest for second homes?... more
The housing market is not likely to implode like it did in 2008, when it ushered in what's now known as the Great Recession. But could a price correction be coming?... more
The latest evidence indicates the market is tightening again -- not loosening, as had been expected. At this writing, the number of new listings has declined for the seventh straight week. So it's tim... more
The closing is the last step in the long, sometimes difficult, almost always anxious journey in buying and selling a house. And it can be just as ripe for pitfalls as any other part of the process.... more
There are "haunted houses" -- you know, the ones that pop up this time of year where you pay to have the bejesus frightened out of you. And then there are "real" haunted houses -- the ones where ghast... more
The number of houses for sale is beginning to increase, bidding wars are not as prevalent, and the housing sector is moving into what are normally the slower fall and winter months. So sellers need to... more
Money laundering finds many avenues. Money gained from illicit activities by terrorists, drug lords, arms dealers and other criminals is washed through car sales, yacht purchases, jewelry and art acqu... more
A little-known but highly effective legal group is working on drafting model legislation that would help property owners remove discriminatory, restrictive covenants from their deeds.... more
Because of climate change, Spencer Glendon -- a senior fellow at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, one of the world's most respected climate think tanks -- said recently that it may not be long be... more
One of the first questions buyers ask these days is: How far over the asking price should I go to get the house I want? Obviously, it all depends. But broker David Rathgeber of Your Friend in Real Est... more
At great personal sacrifice, I recently offered myself up to a company that had invited me for a complimentary meal to learn how people could safely cancel or exit their timeshares. But when I told th... more
Seniors trying to figure out how to cash in on their home equity without having to leave their houses now have another choice. So do low-income borrowers who've yet to refinance their government-owned... more