D.C.-area home prices lead nation in August

Washington Business Journal by Tucker Echols, Broadcast/Web Reporter

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 10:06am EDT

Washington's residential real estate market is outperforming all other areas in the country.

Tucker Echols

Broadcast/Web Reporter - Washington Business Journal

Washington-area home prices led the nation in August, increasing 1.6 percent on average from July.
The D.C.-area gain was the largest monthly advance in the latest 20-city Standard & Poor’s/Case Shiller Home Price Index and compares with a national average advance compares with a national average advance of 0.2 percent.

Click here for full article

Private survey shows prices rose in 10 of 20 cities tracked, fifth straight month of gains

By Associated Press, Published: October 25

WASHINGTON — Home prices rose in August in half of major cities measured by a private survey, a sign that prices are stabilizing in some hard-hit portions of the country.
The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index showed Tuesday that prices increased in August from July in 10 of the 20 cities tracked. That marked the fifth straight month that at least half of the cities in the survey showed monthly gains.

Click here for full article

Foreign buyers scooping up U.S. homes

• 471
• 
  
• 66

• Print
• Co

By Les Christie October 21, 2011: 5:23 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Hey, wealthy foreigners! Want to live in the U.S.? Buy a home here.
International purchases of American homes are ramping up, and a new Senate bill designed to boost the ailing real-estate market would encourage globe-trotting investors to buy even more.

Click here for full article

Home prices up in half of major US cities

By Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Home prices rose in August in half of major U.S. cities measured by a private survey, a sign that prices are stabilizing in some hard-hit portions of the country.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index showed Tuesday that prices increased in August from July in 10 of the 20 cities tracked. That marked the fifth straight month that at least half of the cities in the survey showed monthly gains.
The biggest price increases were in Washington, Chicago and Detroit. The greatest declines were in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Click here for full article

Government announces new program to help ‘underwater’ homeowners

View Photo Gallery —  A look at the Obama administration’s efforts in trying to help homeowners and bring the nation out of its housing slump.

By Zachary A. Goldfarb, Updated: Monday, October 24, 11:32 AM

The federal government on Monday announced new rules that would allow many more struggling borrowers to refinance their mortgages at today’s ultra-low rates, reducing monthly payments for some homeowners and potentially providing a modest boost to the economy.

Click here for full article

Architect couple meet their match in Hyattsville house

View Photo Gallery —  This custom “pyramid” house features a large solarium as its main attraction.

By Amanda Abrams, Published: October 21

Once in a while, the chemistry between a home and its owners is so strong that the phrase “it was meant to be” comes to mind. That’s how it is with Marc and Madlen Simon and the Hyattsville house they bought a year and a half ago.

Click here for full link

US announces help for underwater homeowners

By msnbc.com staff and wires

A leading housing regulator on Monday announced changes to a government refinancing program that could help up to one million homeowners of the estimated 11 million whose homes are worth less than their mortgage.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees mortgage finance sources Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said it was easing the terms of the two-year-old Home Affordable Refinance Program, which helps borrowers who have been making mortgage payments on time but have not been able to refinance as home values have dropped.

Click here for full article

Home prices climb for fourth straight month

• 371
• 
  
• 120

• Print
• Com

By Les Christie September 27, 2011: 10:47 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Home prices in July climbed for the fourth month in a row, but are still down from a year ago.
According to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller home price index of 120 major cities, prices rose 0.9% in July compared with June, but they're still 4.1% lower than 12 months ago.

Click here for full article

Mortgage rates drop below 4 percent for first time ever

Average rate on 30-year-fixed mortgage hits 3.94 percent    

msnbc.com staff and news service reports

updated 10/6/2011 12:26:52 PM ET

WASHINGTON — The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage this week fell below 4 percent for the first time ever, to 3.94 percent. For those who can qualify, it's an extraordinary opportunity to buy or refinance. And mortgage rates could fall even further now that the Federal Reserve plans to reshuffle its portfolio of securities to try and lower long-term rates.    

Click here for full article 

Who Slept Here? Tracking Washington, Roosevelt, JFK, Judy Garland, and The Babe, to Name a Few

Zillow, Contributor 

Move over, George Washington.

When it comes to real estate listings that tout celebrities “who slept here,” the first president of the United States will have to share that bed, er, honor, with Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Judy Garland, Ernest Hemingway and Susan B. Anthony, to name a few

George Washington

George Washington slept in this circa 1750 home

Click here for full article

Listing of the Week: Albion castle and its underground caverns

By Zillow

Zillow

This San Francisco home sits above tunneled water caverns.

881 Innes Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
For Sale: $975,000
It's not every day that you find a home for sale with underwater stone caverns, but this isn't just any home. This unique property on the San Francisco real estate market is the Albion Castle, and it has a fascinating story behind it.

Click here for full article

Prime time for D.C. area lawn care

By Joel M. Lerner, Published: September 30

It’s the time of year to start thinking about making your lawn thicker and healthier. Fall is the best time of year to refurbish or plant cool season turf. It is the preferred ground cover that thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil rich in organic material.
Lawn grasses are specialized. They must withstand regular cutting at heights of one to four inches, be perennial, stay green most of the year and grow into a tight carpet that will hold up under foot traffic.

Click here for full article

Driveway needs right shape to fight erosion

Published: September 30

Gravel roads and driveways often suffer significant erosion because they are shaped wrong. If the center of the drive or road is lower than the edges, giving it a V-shape, then the water rushes down the center and causes enormous erosion.
Road engineers discovered centuries ago that you solve this problem by creating roads and driveways with a crown in them. This means the driveway surface is not level side-to-side but has the center higher than the edges.

Click here for full article

A little architectural knowledge can go a long way for homeowners

View Photo Gallery —  Colonial, Federal, Victorian and Art Deco styles are commonly found in the great Washington area’s neighborhoods

By Susan Straight, Published: September 30

When was the last time you thought about the architectural style of your house? The listing when you bought it said it was a Colonial, but is it really?
When real estate agents list a property with the multiple listing service, they have complete discretion over how to categorize the architectural style of the house.

Click here for full article