|
|
| washingtonpost.com - Real Estate |
RSS Feed URL : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/realestate/rssheadlines.xml
Category : Real Estate
Total Views : 11 |
| Latest entries from this feed url |
Twentysomething, College-Educated And Moving Back In
When Melissa Jenkins received her college diploma last year, she was ready to get on with life -- and move in with her parents.
No Cookie-Cutter Community: Bayberry Believes In Dirt, Difference
Coming home to Bayberry is like "going to sleep-away camp," resident Elliot Nudell said of the pocket of 57 homes perched on the south shore of the Magothy River in Anne Arundel County.
At FHA, a Surprising Result Underpins a Big Change
DALLAS Who have better credit scores on average -- home buyers with higher or lower incomes? Inside the country's fastest-growing home-mortgage program, the surprising answer is: People with lower incomes have slightly higher FICO scores. That finding, which emerged from a statistical analysis of...
Housing Industry Adapts to Not-So-Retiring Baby Boomers
Are you a baby boomer? Statisticians consider anyone born from 1946 to 1964 to be one.
Profiles in Tenacity: Short-Sale Buyers
Laurel Wittman and her husband, Eduardo Lopes, are examples of a rare species: successful short-sale buyers.
Shreds, Reds and Stony Beds
Properly applied mulch can help retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds and control soil temperature.
Second Mortgage
· A mortgage with a lien position subordinate to the first mortgage. That means if the borrower defaults and the house is foreclosed upon, the second-lien holder will be paid from what's left after the first-lien holder gets its money.
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
A Southeast Spot Blossoming With Charm
The fact that Hillcrest is a front-porch-sitting, dog-walking, back-fence-chatting, heavily voting community is not that unusual in this area.
Hang Tight -- It Can't Be This Bad Forever
I'll admit it: When home prices were soaring in my neighborhood, it made me feel really smart.
Appraisal Changes Face Resistance
A legal brawl is breaking out over how homes are appraised, at what cost and by whom. The outcome could directly affect how much you pay for your next piece of real estate and how much money you can borrow.
Missed Potential Along the Potomac
The nation's capital is proud of its miles of wonderful waterfront parks. For locals and tourists, waterfront cafes can be just as wonderful.
A New System to Prepare for the Next Crisis
Last week, I discussed what I see as a serious weakness in the way the mortgage system deals with default risk. Essentially, interest rate risk premiums collected from borrowers that are not needed to meet current losses are paid as income to investors and not reserved to meet future losses.
A Widening Divide Over Lost Deposits
Today, we take another spin through the e-mail inbox. A recent column about what happens to deposits when buyers back out of a new-home purchase drew the most response.
Count to Five Before You Send the Last Check
Many people look forward to the day they own their homes free and clear. But gathering the money to pay off the mortgage is only part of the process. It's also important to make sure all the paperwork is in order.
Letter From a Reader
The Eco Wise column in the April 6 Sunday Source ( "Mattress Eco-Matters: Don't Take It Lying Down" ) leaves the false impression that to avoid exposure to allegedly hazardous fire-retardant materials, readers may be better off not buying a new mattress, which must meet a rigorous flammability...
Submitting Applications to Multiple Mortgage Lenders
Q Hyattsville: Every advice source suggests doing of plenty of homework before selecting a mortgage lender. Does this "homework" include actually submitting preapproval applications? In other words, is it common practice to submit more than one application, to see which rates come back, or is this...
'Not Quite Dupont' to Some; an Inspiration to Many
Matthew Nguyen, 34, and Sergio Quintana, 32, had been house-hunting in the District for more than a year before they learned the name of their new favorite neighborhood.
If You Can't Sell the Home, Why Not Remodel?
To sell a home in many parts of the country, sellers need to outshine the competition, must be willing to negotiate on price and have to be prepared for months on the market. It's enough to make some sellers sit this season out, waiting for conditions to improve.
Restrictions Are the Rule For All Sorts of Once-Easy Credit
Like a spreading infection, restrictions on credit are moving into new and more specialized niches of the mortgage market.
To Earn a Plumbing Permit, Head Back to the Drawing Board
Q: DEAR TIM: My city allows homeowners to install their own plumbing. To get the permit, I need to supply a rough-in plumbing diagram. What is a plumbing diagram? Can I just do a bathroom plumbing diagram? All I am doing is adding a bathroom.
In California, Building a Town With a Gentle Footprint
Can a new house reduce your ecological footprint? An ecological footprint is a way of quantifying human impact on the earth. The originator of the concept, environmentalist Mathis Wackernagel, sees it as a way to help average people wrap their brains around an overwhelming amount of data. Wackern...
At the Heart of the Chaos, A Poor Way to Manage Risk
The housing finance system, while still functioning, is in a crisis. Interest rate risk premiums -- the rate increment on mortgages classified as riskier -- are two to four times as large as they were two years ago. Day-to-day rate volatility, which can cause havoc in the relationships between bo...
As Swimming Season Nears, Study the New Safety Rules
Does your community association have a swimming pool or hot tub? If so, you should be aware of a law that requires new safety measures.
For Loan Seekers, Preparation Is More Important Than Ever
One of the reasons many subprime loans have failed is because of weak underwriting, a new study suggests.
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.
Brokerage Barons See Washington Making a Slow Recovery
With hope of gaining perspective on the Washington-area housing market, I recently asked two deans of the brokerage business, John McEnearney, 81, founder of McEnearney Associates, and P. Wesley Foster Jr., 74, founder of Long & Foster Real Estate, to chat over lunch.
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
The Right Plants Can Help You Get the Right Price
When Albert Fox bought his 1940s Cape Cod in South Arlington in 2004, he inherited "a high-maintenance English garden." In an attempt to ratchet down the work needed on his 8,000-square-foot lot, two years ago he replaced those beds with daffodils and daylilies -- and not much else.
Bethesda Enclave Built for Gardeners, Social Butterflies
In 2001, Paul and Laurie Wilner left what they described as a "typical Colonial on three-quarters of an acre near Great Falls" for a community of 104 contemporary houses without lawns or basements two miles from downtown Bethesda.
'Declining Markets' and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Could designations of Zip codes, metropolitan areas and entire states as "declining markets" hinder a real estate recovery and hurt minority groups and moderate-income buyers disproportionately? Growing ranks of critics say yes.
The Art and the Science of the Trench Drain
Q: DEAR TIM: Do you think a trench drain will solve my soggy yard and the chronic leak in my basement? Many of my neighbors suffered from a recent heavy rainfall, and we all are tired of dealing with water in and around our homes. Will a trench drain really work?
Barriers to Reducing Needless Foreclosures
Needless foreclosures are happening all around us. Note that I am using a coldblooded business definition of "needless foreclosure," not a bleeding-heart one. Under my definition, if it costs the holder of the loan more to foreclose on a mortgage than to make it viable, it is a needless foreclosu...
The Hard Work of Finding a Good Match for a Mortgage Lender
I 've received many e-mails lately from home buyers worried about finding a good lender.
Safeguarding Parents' Wishes for a Property Partnership
Q: My parents, who are in their eighties, own a small apartment building with my brother and his wife. They hold title as joint tenants with right of survivorship. When the property was bought, they agreed that this would be a 50-50 partnership.
An Underlying Problem: What's Below Our Cars and Feet
A crisis looms. America's infrastructure is in terrible shape, performs badly and is destined to fail more often. Neglect, lack of political will, bureaucratic myopia and woefully inadequate funding are the primary causes.
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.
Stagnant Market Has Ups, Downs Across Region
The District far outshone its suburban neighbors in housing prices in 2007.
Bucking the Trend, Md. House Prices Edge Up
Unlike their neighbors across the Potomac, home sellers in the Maryland suburbs saw the value of their properties rise in 2007, if only by a smidgen.
Falling House Prices Take Toll in Va. Suburbs
Housing prices declined across Northern Virginia last year, with the outer suburbs leading the drop.
Friendly and Sophisticated, Virginia's Inner Suburbs Offer Tastes of Mayberry and Manhattan
In the 1980s, the area of South Arlington called Shirlington was an I-395 off-ramp with no draw to speak of. But by the '90s, Shirlington Village started to turn into an oasis of nice restaurants to serve the condo communities of Fairlington, Parkfairfax and others. Slowly, Shirlington began to lure...
If You Walk Away, Expect to Pay
If you thought buying a new home was expensive, wait until you see how much it costs you to back out of the deal.
Beyond the Tyranny of White and Flat
Whether simple or ornate, ceilings can have a big impact on how people perceive a room.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
WHAT IT IS: A device that detects the presence of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, potentially lethal gas produced by incomplete combustion. Such detectors can stand alone or come as part of a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
Fulfilling the Vision of I.M. Pei
"Welcome to a work of art" is a phrase Dan Snyder says only occasionally but has often thought as he greets guests at his architectural masterpiece of a home in Cleveland Park.
The Word Is Out About Bloomingdale
Bloomingdale could be the friendliest neighborhood you've never heard of.
1 Mortgage. 2 Lenders Demanding Money. It Doesn't Add Up.
Q: We refinanced our home loan in March with an online lender. Within a couple of weeks, we received a letter from another mortgage company, advising us that our May payment was to be made to it.
In a Rush to Cut and Run? Learn to Love the House You're In.
The housing market has some homeowners up in arms. Sure, if you're trying to sell your house to get out of financial difficulties, or because you have already bought another place and carrying two mortgages is killing you financially, we can understand why you're not happy.
Putting a Big Squeeze On Condo Loans
If you own or plan to buy a condominium, an ominous new phase of the mortgage-credit squeeze could be looming for you.
In Every Garden, Fertile Ground for Fitness
Physical fitness might not be the main reason avid gardeners till, plant and weed, but regular gardening can help keep you fit.
Classical Proportions, Modern Practicality: A Style That Makes Sense
Ihave always associated classical architecture with gravitas -- the large imposing columns and pediments that grace the front of serious places, like courthouses and banks. It hasn't seemed a living tradition that can inform land-use planning and the architecture of everyday life.
For Tile Matchmakers, Patience Is the Most Important Tool
Q: DEAR TIM: I have ceramic floor tile in my kitchen. We removed a wall to open up the floor plan, and now I must replace the cut tiles with full ones to make the ceramic tile floor look perfect. My builder left behind a box of the original tile, so I have the pieces I need.
The Good and the Bad About Locking In Your Rate
One of the unpleasant aspects of the mortgage crisis has been the volatile cost of credit.
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.
Mapping Transportation Costs for Home Buyers
When you're stuck in Beltway traffic burning $3-a-gallon gasoline to creep along at walking speed, it offers time to think. Would it be easier if I left home earlier? Would I be better off riding a train? How bad will my commute be in five years?
You Can Load Up With Quiet but It'll Cost
When it comes to dishwashers, silence ranks right up there with cleanliness.
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
A Tough Initiation to D.C.
When Jessica Otto thinks back to eight months ago, when she arrived in Washington, she still sounds bewildered.
Staying Close To Nature, and To Neighbors
There's an unexpected bonus tucked within the Pinewood Lake community, just a few blocks from bustling Route 1 north of Fort Belvoir.
Builder No. 2 to the Rescue
Ever wonder what happens to those half-done subdivisions?
Sellers Turn to Pros to Dress Up Their Homes
For sellers, it's a stressful real estate market: Lots of houses are available; buyers look and look, leaving them panicked and their agents frantic.
Safe Harbor for Vacation-Home Exchanges, If You Follow the Letter of the Law
As promised, the IRS last month updated its guidance on the use of Starker exchanges for vacation homes.
The Habits of Good Brokers
This is the second of two articles on what makes a good mortgage broker.
Paying in Full Upfront Leaves You With Nothing but Hope
Q: DEAR TIM: My kitchen cabinet remodel has turned into a disaster. I contracted the job through a national home-center chain, which demanded that I pay in advance for the entire job.
Get With It, Builders and Buyers: A Scaled-Down Dream Home
Large, lavishly furnished demonstration homes are built to whet the appetites of consumers, but such homes are beyond the financial reach of most families.
Dual Benefits of Green Choices: They Help the Earth and Your Wallet
Another year, another Earth Day. Looking back, is there anything you did in the past year to shrink your carbon footprint?
Walking Out of a Mortgage And Into Years of Hurt
The country's two largest sources of mortgage money have a blunt warning for anyone thinking about joining the growing "walkaway" trend, in which homeowners stop making payments and months later send the house keys back to their lender: You will feel the pain.
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.
For the 'Perfect' House, Boom Conditions Still Apply
"What the heck? This is not supposed to happen!" Stephanie Oppenheimer had thought the slow real estate market would make it easier to buy a home. Instead, she and her husband, Peter, recently found themselves battling three competitors to buy a four-bedroom Cape Cod in Falls Church. The Oppenhei...
Do Your Homework, Then Visit the Principal
For families with children, the quality of local schools is often a key factor in deciding which house to buy.
Chat Plus
Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.
Preapproval
· A letter from a lender stating how much a home shopper can afford to spend.
Is It Time Yet?
Your neighbor, your sister-in-law, the person in line at the grocery store: Everybody is happy to share an opinion about what's going on with the housing market.
A Part of the City, Apart From the City
In Barnaby Woods, tucked inside the District's northwest border, winding streets follow the natural curve of wooded creeks. Access to the neighborhood is limited to a few streets, and there's almost no traffic.
With 'Katrina Fatigue' Worn Off, Magazines Chronicle a Rebirth
Editor Eleanor Griffin worried about "Katrina fatigue" among her readers when she devoted much of her magazine's October edition to New Orleans's comeback, more than two years after the devastating hurricane.
For Many Bits Of Old Stuff, a Useful New Life
Spring cleaning doesn't have to mean bag after bag of garbage.
Up With the Down Payment
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, proposed something last week that no other major presidential candidate has advocated in decades: raising minimum down-payment levels for home mortgages.
The Two Types of Mortgage Fraud, Plus a Primer on Tax Sales
In our world, mortgage fraud is mortgage fraud. But for fraud investigators, mortgage fraud is divided into two categories: fraud for housing and fraud for profit.
With the Right Tools and Patient Work, Wallpaper That Transforms a Room
Q: DEAR TIM: Can you tell me how to hang wallpaper? I think it will make a few of my rooms gorgeous. What are some of the most important steps when installing wallpaper? Are there special tools one uses?
Wary of Waning Power Supplies, Eco-Minded Architects Build a Better Box
Dennis Meadows has long argued that the world's resources are limited and its environment stressed.
Need a Broker? Avoid the Ones Who Come Looking for You.
In the past 10 years, I have written almost 50 articles on mortgage brokers, but none addressed the most basic question of all: What makes a good broker?
From Foreclosed Home To Office: A Doubly Risky Venture
Q: I own a small business in Virginia and have been in my industry for 18 years. I rent a building with a month-to-month lease.
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.
Real Estate Road Trips Scout Troubled Market
A new form of sightseeing is catching on in the Washington suburbs, offering investment advice, free cookies and some eye-opening discoveries among the empty ramblers and forsaken townhouses of the region.
Communing With Nature and Neighbors
With its attractive entrances, well-maintained yards and appealing homes, the Lakes at Red Rock appears at first glance to be just one of many pleasant eastern Loudoun County neighborhoods.
Outdoor Shed Can Answer Your Storage Problems
Where do you store your lawn mower, gardening implements and other tools? If the answer is the garage or the basement, odds are that your gear is hard to get to or tough to find when you need it.
Jumbo Loans Are Reborn, But Terms Are Stiffer
Your tax rebate check won't arrive until May, but the economic stimulus plan's new super-size loans for buyers in high-cost housing areas have hit the market.
Filling in the Gaps on Competent Caulking
Q: DEAR TIM: Can you tell me how to caulk baseboards? I thought my new paint job looked great until black lines showed up where there were gaps between the baseboard woodwork and the walls. I don't remember seeing that in other houses, so I must be doing something wrong. What caulk should I use?
Steps in Financing a Home, From Qualification to Lock
Home buyers sometimes get into trouble because they don't understand the steps involved in financing their purchases. These steps are qualification, preapproval, approval and lock.
The Good, the Bad and the Untidy: Thoughts on Early Spring
With spring upon us, many plants are already in full bloom and will soon require attention.
Divorced From the Man but Not From the Mortgage
Q: My then-husband and I bought a house in 1995. We divorced in 1999, and, pursuant to our divorce decree, he kept the house and I moved out. We both remarried in 2000. My new husband and I have a new mortgage on our home, after fighting to prove to the lender that my ex has the previous house.
New Mixes Well With Old In Columbia Heights
In 1968, deep-seated anger over the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. led to rioting, looting and arson in neighborhoods including Columbia Heights, the area flanking 14th Street north of downtown Washington.
Makers of Housewares Ready to Put a Lot of Color Into Kitchens
It was cold and gray outside Chicago's McCormick Place convention center last week. But you wouldn't know it from all the color inside.
|
|
|
