Real Estate News
Source: Wash Post Real Estate
Washington Post's Real Estate section is your source for buying and selling a home and finding open houses in Washington,DC,Maryland and Virginia. DC,Virginia and Maryland. Post Real Estate also includes discussions and blogs on DC metro area real estate issues.
Treasury hopes new rules send short sales to the rescue of underwater mortgages
With new Treasury Department rules designed to expedite short sales set to take effect April 5, relief can't come soon enough for some area buyers, sellers and real estate agents who have waded through a long and arduous process to get short sales approved by the bank.
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New round of foreclosures threatens housing market
The housing market is facing swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but have yet to lose their homes, and this is threatening a new wave of foreclosures that could hit just as the real estate market has begun to stabilize.
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Landover Hills: location, affordability still draw first-time buyers
When Mike Walker and his wife, Kathy, found an affordable house in Landover Hills back in 1979, they were looking for an upgrade from their apartment in nearby Bladensburg. The house was advertised as a "fixer-upper," Mike Walker recalled, and cost $39,500.
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Steven Pearlstein reviews 'The Big Short' by Michael Lewis
"The Blind Side" and "Moneyball" author Michael Lewis turns his attention to the U.S. financial crisis.
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Green Scene: Pruning tips, groundhog repellent and other gardening advice
As daylight saving time begins this weekend, it's a reminder that spring is just around the corner. So we have an assortment of questions that spans the winter-spring boundary.
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Expenses incurred buying a house can be a risk
I tried to buy a house. I applied for a loan, and the bank processed it as a Federal Housing Administration loan instead of a conventional loan. The house I was buying failed the FHA inspection, and I did not buy it.
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Mortgage interest rates down for second week as home loan applications rise
Mortgage interest rates declined for a second consecutive week as the number of home loan applications rose.
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Affordable housing needs some public funding
Fairfax County aspires to greatly increase the amount of affordable housing at Tysons Corner for workers who now must commute there from afar, consuming time and fossil fuel while contributing to traffic congestion. But this newspaper reported recently that achieving Tysons's affordable housing...
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How to paint and protect steps
DEAR TIM: I stopped by a friend's house the other day as she was painting the wood steps leading to her basement. She was using a stencil, and it looked fantastic. What's the best paint for steps? How do you keep the steps from getting scuffed? -- Pam W., Green Bay, Wis.
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Lender blames escrow shortage for $400 increase in monthly mortgage payment
Q: We have owned our house for many years, and the lender has always escrowed money to pay our real estate taxes and insurance. This year, we received a notice from the lender that our monthly mortgage payment will increase by over $400 because there is an escrow shortage. Can we cancel the escrow...
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Some tax issues to consider on mortgage write-downs
With the Obama administration and private lenders actively considering mortgage principal-reduction programs to help financially distressed homeowners, the Internal Revenue Service has issued a new advisory to taxpayers who receive -- or seek to receive -- such assistance. The IRS gets involved in...
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Washington area housing market is getting competitive again, buyers and brokers report
It's getting competitive out there in the Washington area housing market, according to real estate brokers and buyers. And February market statistics just reported from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, the local multiple listing service, back up their reports.
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BOUNDARIES: Route 450 to the north, Parkwood Street to the south, 72nd Avenue and the Bellemeadsubdivision to the east and the Radiant Valley subdivision to the west.
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Guidelines for new short-sale rules
What sellers can expect from participating lenders starting in April:
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Unlocking mysterious door problem; reducing metal corrosion
Our house, which was built in 1998, has three upstairs bedrooms. The door to one bedroom doesn't fully close in the winter, but it works fine in the summer. The door to a second bedroom doesn't close well in the summer, but it works fine in the winter. The third door works fine year-round. What is...
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Politics, shaky economy create no rush to restructure Fannie and Freddie
The federal government has spent the past half year seeking to roll back its emergency efforts at propping up the financial markets -- with the notable exception of its involvement in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
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Fairfax's affordable housing plan might not change Tysons
Priced out of living in Tysons Corner, many among the 100,000-member workforce have been known to commute from as far as Fredericksburg and Oxon Hill, and even from points in West Virginia.
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The recession has hurt many people's credit scores. How to fix it?
The recession may have done a number on your credit score, even if it spurred you to reform spendthrift ways and cut up your credit cards. For many, the drops have come at the same time that lenders have tightened their standards and demanded higher scores to get the best interest rates.
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Huntington Terrace: An eclectic 'American village' in Md.
Pedestrian-friendly Huntington Terrace in Bethesda is celebrating its centennial this year. Narrow streets -- about 20 feet, curb to curb -- pass homes with mature trees and modest front yards. Children can walk to Bradley Hills Elementary School without having to cross busy streets.
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Source: Baron Briefs
Real estate news and commentary from RealtyBaron.com
Announcing the RealAnswers WP Plugin: Own the Real Estate Q&A Conversation
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Top REALTORS Featured in Home Search Results
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The World’s First Risk-Free Listing
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Introducing the ListingHedge(TM)
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Tweet Your AgentRank(TM), Realtors
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ReferralAuction Scenario #2: Personal Referral
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ReferralAuction Scenario #1: Client Referral
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Four Reasons for Agents and Brokers to Use ReferralAuctions(TM)
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Introducing the ReferralAuction(TM)
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“My current Realtor raised her commission…
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Source: About Home Buying / Selling
Get the latest headlines from the About.com Home Buying / Selling GuideSite.
Explanation of Greenwashing and Green Home Advertising Thursday, March 11, 2010
Greenwashing is a term I had not heard before, not until David Syring of Listed Green brought it to my attention. Yet, now that I know what it is, I see...
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Tearing Down a House Tuesday, March 9, 2010
It costs less than you may think for tearing down a house. While it's often sad to witness the demise of a long-standing structure, sometimes tearing down a house is the...
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Why Wachovia Short Sales Are Special Sunday, March 7, 2010
I can't begin to sing the praises loudly enough of a Wachovia short sale. It's not that so many short sale banks are so totally messed up that they can make...
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Writing Off a Home Loss When Turning a Residence Into a Rental Thursday, March 4, 2010
Since so many sellers are taking a financial hit to sell in our soft real estate market, it really adds insult to injury if a seller can't write off that...
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Advertising Words for Home Selling Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Before you place an ad in the newspaper to sell your home or post an online listing, stop to think about the advertising words you choose. Choosing the wrong advertising...
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Dangers of Buying a Foreclosure Flipper Home Sunday, February 28, 2010
There is a huge difference between buying foreclosure flippers and homes that regular owner occupants have remodeled. If your agent hasn't done a little research on the history of the home,...
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Removing Assets From Homes in Foreclosure Thursday, February 25, 2010
A seldom-discussed issue concerning homes that are in foreclosure is the rising practice of removing assets from foreclosures. Many home owners do not understand what constitutes a fixture in the home...
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Ways to Stop a Foreclosure Before It's Too Late Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The best way to stop foreclosure is to make up your back payments before the bank forecloses. But not all home owners realize that foreclosure is pending when they miss making...
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Mortgage Fraud on the Rise at Major Short Sale Banks Sunday, February 21, 2010
An alarming number of banks recently have been urging sellers to commit short sale mortgage fraud as a condition of short sale approval. It's happened to me in Sacramento several times...
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How to Protect Your Pets During a Power Outage Thursday, February 18, 2010
Most people don't think in advance about their pets and power outages until they're in the middle of a power outage. The thing is you don't normally know how long a...
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Source:
Source: Real Estate / South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Get all the latest real estate news from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Federal mortgage plan aids only 16 percent of borrowers
WASHINGTON The Obama administration's mortgage relief plan has helped only about 16 percent of borrowers who signed up since its launch last year, while hundreds of thousands of homeowners remain in limbo.
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Homeowners with Chinese drywall need financial aid, FEMA told
Money would be capped at $29,900 per family
Florida's interim emergency management director sent a letter this week to federal disaster officials, asking that they provide financial aid to thousands of households affected by Chinese drywall.
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New life in downtown Miami as condos fill up
Condos in downtown Miami are no longer ghost towns as young professionals move in and drive new business to area stores and restaurants.
Out of the ashes of the downtown Miami condo collapse, a bright spot is emerging: a community of full-time residents slowly starting to turn the area into a 24/7 city.
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Online foreclosure auctions in Broward start March 30
Broward County this month will join its neighbors to the north and south by moving its foreclosure auctions online.
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Ask a real estate pro: What happens when the appraisal comes in too low?
Louis Spagnuolo of WCS Lending in Boca Raton answers questions from readers. To ask a question that Louis may answer next week, click here.
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Foreclosures skyrocket in Broward, Palm Beach
Foreclosure filings shot up in Broward and Palm Beach counties last month, RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
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S. Fla. home prices won't reach prior peaks until 2030, firm says
Another dire prediction for South Florida home prices.
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Big banks to attend Miami housing forum March 13
Here's another opportunity for Florida homeowners facing foreclosure to get help.
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Should community associations choose to foreclose on units in delinquency?
When owners stop paying maintenance fees, condo and homeowners associations must decide whether they want to file a lien against the unit and eventually force a foreclosure? The answer may be different for each community.
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Official asks FEMA to give money to Chinese drywall victims
Florida's interim emergency management director sent a letter late Wednesday to federal disaster officials, asking that they "identify and distribute" financial aid to families affected by Chinese drywall.
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