Just a reminder that taxes are due tomorrow, April 17 — even if your tax documents state otherwise. This is because of Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia.

Emancipation Day dates to April 16, 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in that [...]

As the greatest housing boom since records were kept begins to wane, it is time to revisit real estate in a more traditional way.

Unlike in recent years, you can’t expect to hold a house for just two or three years and turn a profit on it. It still does happen and some people [...]

The real estate market has been battered by many things this year, but one of the most important has been simple bad weather.

Nationally, real estate had a very good February, owing to unusually mild weather across the country. But March and April — at least so far — have been wet and cold through [...]

A bill has been introduced in the US House to revitalize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a provider of mortgage insurance to low and moderate income families.

The bill’s purpose is to provide home loans to borrowers who, until recently, relied on the sub-prime mortgage market.

Dubbed the “Expanding Homeownership Act of [...]

Have you ever considered that you may not have enough home insurance?

Homes are typically insured for the purchase value, plus some small amount for possessions. But would this really be enough if a fire or natural disaster wiped you out?

The home itself should be insured for “replacement cost”, which is what it [...]

Almost every house that has been lived in for some period of time starts to pick up some clutter.

To you, they may be great treasures or things you need at your fingertips. But to someone visiting as a guest, or even looking to buy your home, it is nothing but clutter.

Clutter [...]

Having trouble paying your mortgage? You aren’t alone these days. But more and more, mortgage companies are doing their best to work things out.

Loss of a job or a sudden medical emergency are just some of the many reasons that otherwise responsible borrowers find themselves in difficulty. What’s important to remember is that you [...]

Want some help putting home values in historical perspective?

Using the video game Roller Coaster Tycoon, Speculative Bubble created a roller coaster whose tracks follow home values (adjusted for inflation) from 1890 to 2007.

The ride lasts three-and-a-half minutes, but the last thirty seconds really hammer home the point.

You can [...]

Wondering how the dramatic change in sub-prime mortgage lending will impact you?

Try this stat on for size:

Since 1998, 1.4 million families have used sub-prime mortgages to buy their first home.

As sub-prime lending guidelines get tighter, there will be fewer first-time home buyers and that impacts every homeowner in the [...]

You’re looking for a new home and you’ve done your homework. You know the home is just right for you except for that one little thing. That awful bathroom, the tiny living room, the backyard — no house is perfect until you make it so.

But how do you get started?

If you are [...]