Tips for Investors on Finding A Solid Home-Builder Stock
With sales of new houses slowing in some parts of the U.S. consumers are anxious to know which companies are prepared to ride out the storm. Figuring that out can be tough, because industry analysts are all over the map when it comes to pinpointing good performers. More »
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Jacksonville Is a Financial Hub With Affordable Commercial Space
In the fourth-quarter of 2005, average rents for apartment, office, retail and warehouse properties in this riverfront city were among the lowest of Florida's major metro areas, a research firm says. More »
Mills Refinances Debt Amid SEC Inquiry of Mall REIT
After accepting strict terms on earlier financing the mall developer received $2.2 billion from Goldman Sachs, giving the real-estate investment trust until at least the end of this year to resolve its troubles, according to a securities filing. More »
Toll Brothers Orders Decline 32%, Trims Luxury-Home Sales Forecast
The builder reduced its estimate of the number of houses it expects to sell this year. The company said it is entering the ninth month of a slowdown in most of its markets. More »
An Expensive Memorial Mess On World Trade Center Project
Soaring cost estimates have pushed the price tag to $1 billion. Planners may be forced to return to the drawing board to scale back some of the pricier portions of the massive project. More »
New Urbanist Leader Draws Up Plans For Rebuilding New Orleans
Several large neighborhoods in the city are pushing ahead with developing their own reconstruction plans, and Andres Duany is weighing in with his ideas. More »
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North Carolina's Research Triangle Is Showing Signs of a Rebound
The Raleigh-Durham economy is back in the game. Less than five years after the tech bust prompted companies to slash jobs, the area is rapidly collecting business relocation and expansion announcements. More »
Who Really Needs a Flood Policy? There's a Good Chance You Do
Flooding ranks as the most common natural disaster in the U.S. yet few people insure themselves against the risk. Now, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has launched a $19 million campaign to encourage more homeowners to buy insurance. More »
Houses in Affordable Metros That Could Become Hot Spots
While housing markets where prices soared during the real-estate boom are cooling, metropolitan areas that saw little price appreciation during that period are heating up. We take a look at homes for sale in three such locales. More »
Real-Estate Slowdown Appears To Be Spreading Nationwide
Now, sales aren't just lagging in certain high-growth markets but are decreasing in areas that didn't have large price run-ups in the past few years. Demand is falling faster and more sharply than previously thought, U.S. home builders report. More »
Real-Estate Blog: Housing Bubble Deflates but Luxury Homes Sell
What's the state of your address? In our weekly roundup of reports from across the Web, we take a look at the forecast for 379 metros across the U.S., why high-end residences continue to sell, and the age-old question of whether it is more financially savvy to buy or rent. More »
Fed Raises Key Rate For 16th Straight Time
The Federal Reserve lifted the key federal-funds rate to 5% the highest level in more than five years. The central bank signaled that it may take a pause to assess the impact of its string of increases. More »
Homeowner Has a Chemical-Free Yard but Plenty of Dandelions
Gwendolyn Bounds's pursuit of a thriving organic lawn continues. This week, these cute and cheerful intruders have become a menace. Should she give in to the urge to forgo the all-natural remedies she has been using, or should she push up her sleeves for some back-breaking work? More »
Computer Programmer Profits On a Lease-to-Own Deal
The transaction enabled a Columbus, Ohio, investor to snag a buyer who otherwise wouldn't have qualified for a traditional mortgage. Selling the property quickly was important for this owner, who financed much of the home's renovations with credit cards and personal savings. More »
U.S. Homeowners Are Cashing Out Through Mortgage Refinancing
More borrowers used this method to extract equity in the first quarter of this year as rising interest rates made other forms of home-equity borrowing more expensive, Freddie Mac says. More »
Navigating the Web to Find Reliable Housing-Market Data
Looking to buy or sell a property and don't know where to search online for good information to help guide your decision? June Fletcher with pointers on where to go, what these sites offer, and other forms of real-estate sleuthing to try. More »
Spirit Finance to Buy Most Of ShopKo's Property
The real-estate investment trust is paying $815.3 million, a record for a U.S. sale-leaseback deal. The purchase is bigger than all of the company's 2005 transactions combined. More »
European Industrial Designers Jump Into the Frying Pan
Cookware manufacturers are increasingly collaborating with big names not usually seen in the kitchen. But some of the products aren't exactly flying off store shelves. More »
Real-Estate Snoops Use Sites To Find Prices of Others' Houses
Property fanatics are tapping into new sources on the Internet that tell them instantly what friends, neighbors and co-workers paid for their homes. More »
As Homes Linger on the Market, Owners Try New Siding Options
America's houses are getting older and sellers are increasingly eager to make a good first impression -- and that's made for some exciting options for your residence's exterior. More »
Cost-Saving Tips for Fixing Up Your House to Attract Buyers
A slower U.S. housing market means sellers can no longer bank on having their pick of offers. Suggestions on ways to dress up properties for more curb appeal and to speed up a sale. More »
Real Estate Mailbag
Q: DEAR BOB: We own a two-bedroom, one-bath home in top condition in a popular vacation area. In August we signed a 90-day listing with a real estate agent. She warned us that the average sales time in the market was about 150 days. We received one low-ball purchase offer. More »
Working Toward a New Understanding of Zoning
Urban design thinking and practice have greatly advanced over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, conventional zoning, the crude but all-powerful regulatory tool shaping cities, has changed little. Given the need to transform land-use planning and development, why is it so difficult to transform... More »
Learn Lending Basics to Avoid a Predatory Mortgage
Unless a court blocks it, a new Montgomery County law will take effect on Wednesday that could have significant impact on home buyers and mortgage lenders there. More »
In Naming Residences, Only the Hip Will Do
The developer was searching for a name for the new downtown condo building, something swank and high-tech to rope the young and thick-walleted set. More »