homes news stories on Newser

London Sets Record for Luxury Home Sales

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:10:19 CDT

The market for London's most luxurious homes is skyrocketing as foreign buyers, seeking safe investments, swoop in to purchase the city's priciest residences. Sales of properties worth more than $8 million spiked 31% to a record 262 in the past year, reports Businessweek . House-hunters hailing from the Middle East, North...

Edwards' Hideaway: Charity Work in El Salvador

Kevin Spak — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:25:26 CST

Most politicians trekking to El Salvador to build homes for the poor would be milking their good works for good publicity, but for John Edwards it looks more like a way to escape the media’s glare. Edwards took his third trip to the country last week, but he’s done virtually...

Mortgage Defaults Top 1M, Keep Rising

Emily Rauhala — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:29:26 CST

The number of troubled home loans continued to rise in the third quarter, despite the Obama camp's efforts to stem the tide by mortgage modification. For the first quarter ever, the number of homes in foreclosure with mortgages serviced by US banks topped the 1 million mark, the Los Angeles...

Tough Times Threaten New England's Triple-Deckers

Rob Quinn — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:35:38 CDT

The distinctive three-decker homes found throughout urban New England are swiftly becoming an endangered species, the New York Times reports. The homes—mostly built around a century ago to accommodate new immigrants—were snapped up by investors in boom times who rented them out without doing any maintenance. They are...

Attorneys Learn Loan Law to Help Homeowners

Drew Nelles — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:58:19 CDT

Lawyers nationwide are learning about foreclosure law to help new clients keep their homes, NPR reports. Housing attorneys are even teaching seminars to lawyers, who accept cases pro bono, knowing homeowners can't turn to swamped legal aid offices. Some find it "incredibly rewarding to help someone save their house as...

Economy Forces 'Boomerang Kids' Back Home

Drew Nelles — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:08:00 CDT

After losing their jobs and homes, some middle-aged adults are losing something else—independence from their parents, the Washington Post reports. The recession is forcing so-called “boomerang kids” back into their childhood homes, raising questions about how easily parents can accommodate refilled nests amid tough economic times. "It's much more...

March New Home Sales Down 0.6%

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:09:04 CDT

New US home sales dipped slightly last month but still beat expectations as builders start to see long-awaited encouraging signs about the housing market—including a dip in the inventory of new homes for sale. Sales fell 0.6% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 356,000,...

Feel Good Again About Your Pricey House

Dustin Lushing — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:59:02 CDT

Bought an expensive house right before the subprime crash? Fret not, writes Chris Ayres in the Los Angeles Times . With 5% inflation, lower interest rates, and a mortgage tax deduction, buyers of pricey houses will be smiling in 10 years. "If you're a boom-time buyer who can still pay the...

Arsonist May Have Set Fla. Fires

Nick McMaster — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:53:18 CDT

Fires that have raged across Florida over the last 2 days may have been deliberately set, Gov. Charlie Crist said today. Investigators have pointed to the fact that many of the blazes in different places sprang up at once as evidence of arson, CNN reports. Almost 100 homes have been...