housing news stories on Newser

Confessions of a Home Repo Man

Mark Russell — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:41:05 CDT

Americans continue to lose their homes in catastrophic numbers, but while that tragedy is plain to see, Albert Clawson gives an all-too-human perspective—from the forecloser's side. "I've seen it all," explains the property manager, whose job is to provide "boots-on-the-ground" info on the condition of the house, in the...

Gargantuan Mansion Sparks Ozarks Mystery

Matt Cantor — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:47:05 CDT

Deep in the hills of the Ozarks, between Springfield and Branson, Mo., a 72,000-square-foot house is being built—and locals aren’t quite sure why. Some suggest it may be a military bunker, while others propose it’s a nuclear shelter for “important people”; still others wonder whether it’s a getaway...

South Struggles to Handle Tornadoes' Homeless

Mark Russell — Sun, 01 May 2011 05:56:01 CDT

Three days after tornadoes devastated the South, the thousands left homeless are emerging as a major problem, reports the LA Times . At least 1,100 are living in emergency shelters, with thousands more in churches or with friends and family. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox warned of a "humanitarian crisis" if...

10 Reasons to Buy a House

Emily Rauhala — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 06:35:52 CDT

Has the housing crisis scared you out of the market? Too bad, because there are still many good reasons to buy, writes Brett Arends in the Wall Street Journal . A few points to consider before hopping on the first train to rents-ville: You could get a deal: Prices are down—...

New Home Sales Drop 12.4% in July

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:22:45 CDT

Sales of new US homes dropped sharply last month to the slowest pace on record, the latest sign that the economic recovery is fading. The Commerce Department says new home sales fell 12.4% in July from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 276,600....

30K-Strong Mob Swarms Housing Wait List

Kevin Spak — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:56:55 CDT

A mob of 30,000 people swarmed over an Atlanta parking lot in a heat wave yesterday, clamoring for an application to get on a waiting list for Section 8 housing assistance. Fights broke out, and children were reportedly trampled, with police stepping in to stop the onslaught, according to...

What Rebuilding Haiti Will Mean

Jane Yager — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:45:00 CST

World leaders have vowed to rebuild Haiti's infrastructure into something better than it was before; the Independent takes a look at what this would mean in practice: Higher-quality housing: Haiti has no building codes; international donors should insist the new dwellings their funds build for those left homeless in the...

How Australia Dodged the Recession

Nick McMaster — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:42:30 CDT

Australia has weathered the financial crisis better than any other developed country. Last week its central bank raised interest rates, indicating its primary concern is now inflation, not growth. What were the keys? Phil Dobbie of BNET explains: Befriending China: Australia used to export much of what it made to...

Lawsuits Over Chinese Drywall Mounting

Kevin Spak — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:00:00 CDT

With the controversy over Chinese drywall about to come to a head, the New York Times checks in on the issue and finds hundreds of lawsuits piling up around the country. The imported material, which became common as builders scrambled for supplies during the housing boom, is said to be...