The National Flood Insurance Program is working on allowing policyholders to pay their premiums on a monthly basis. Previously, premiums could only be paid annually.... more

"Vive la difference" is a French phrase that encourages us to celebrate differences, usually among people. But real estate has its differences, too -- like the difference between spec houses and custo... more

When lawmakers come back to Washington early next year to tackle the country's housing crisis, they will argue over various proposals to fix affordability, high mortgage rates and the lack of inventor... more

Men and women may be different in many ways, but not when it comes to selling their homes, according to a survey by marketing company 1000Watt. Sellers were asked to identify the most difficult part o... more

Just a few weeks into the aftermath of the class-action settlement that rocked the real estate world, sales commissions have shrunk. That’s the major finding of a recent survey of some 1,300 agents an... more

If you're a homeowner who's considering canceling your insurance coverage due to the high cost, think twice. Your lender will most certainly object, assuming you have a mortgage. But even if you own t... more

According to data from LendingTree, more than 5.6 million housing units currently sit empty in the nation’s 50 largest metro areas. Soon, many of the people who own those vacant houses will be require... more

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton horror comedy, raked in $110 million during its opening weekend in September. But how much would it cost to buy the Connecticut house where... more

Sometimes, homebuyers are hesitant to pull the trigger. They might love the house they found -- it’s priced right and mortgage rates are coming down -- but they just can’t decide whether to move forwa... more

To curb money laundering, Uncle Sam is expanding a rule requiring settlement providers to determine and report the names of participants in all-cash transactions. But the trend of seller impersonation... more

If the past is prologue, millions of homeowners with high-rate mortgages won’t refinance their loans, even as mortgage rates tumble.... more

Cash is king when it comes to buying a house. Always has been, and always will be. And these days, individual cash buyers -- as opposed to cash-laden investors -- have an even better shot of scoring t... more

These days, disasters like wildfires, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes are more powerful -- and more frequent -- than ever. It’s increasingly likely that wherever you live, your home will be hit one w... more

Some states are taking long-overdue legislative steps to deal with squatters: people who take over others' properties without their consent, sometimes dumping the owner’s stuff and trashing their home... more

Homeowners may be able to find some relief from rising property taxes and insurance premiums -- without doing much work in the process.... more

If you clicked on a real estate agent’s name next to an online listing, don’t hold your breath waiting for a call. Nearly half of online property inquiries are simply ignored, according to new researc... more

Homeowners considering adding solar panels to their rooftops should beware of crooked lenders who mislead customers about the terms and conditions of their financing. Shady lenders might also misrepre... more

Attention, buyers: How are you going to pay your share of the sales commission on the house you want to buy?... more

There’s a lot of give-and-take when it comes to buying a house. Buyers and sellers will haggle and dicker over the selling price, the closing date -- even over which items stay with the house and whic... more

Price, location and condition all play a part in whether or not someone decides to buy your house. But you can only control one of them.... more

Thirty days isn’t a long period of time. But when a house sits on the market for that long without so much as a nibble, the listing becomes what’s known in the trade as “stale.”... more

At last, Uncle Sam’s primary program for helping homeowners and buyers rehab their properties is moving into the 21st century with updates that will make repairs, whether small or major, much more fea... more

Most people realize they’ll have to pay a hefty commission to sell their homes. But that’s only the half of it, according to new research.... more

The term caveat emptor, or "buyer beware," has perhaps never been more important in the housing market than it is now. That's because more and more buyers are being asked to sign contracts linking the... more

Builders are constructing their smallest houses in years, but they still may not be small enough for a significant portion of the population.... more

Loose lips can not only sink ships, they can also scuttle real estate transactions. Or, as one agent told me, “loose lips, opportunity slips.”... more

“Danger, Will Robinson!”... more

People fortunate enough to own vacation properties likely insure their places just like they do their personal residences. But if they don’t tell the insurance company that their getaway home is not a... more