Learn about Washington DC real estate in the Washington DC area. Own, buy or sell real estate in Washington DC - Washington DC apartments, Washington DC condos, Washington DC houses, Washington DC lofts, luxury homes, land for sale, home finance.

Foreclosures and Short Sales, Equal Ills

Is there a right way to lose your home? And is there any good reason to pay for "expert" advice on how best to do it?

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Occoquan's Old-Time Charm Outlasts Calamity

Before dozens of cute shops, before the town-engulfing craft fairs, Occoquan's history had as many ups and downs as its topography. The old mill town was ravaged by fire in 1916.

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A Look at Congress's Long-Promised, Long-Delayed Mortgage Relief

After six months of haggling and political gamesmanship, a massive housing relief bill is heading for final approval.

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Adapting Community Design to Anticipate Trends

There are walking trails, swimming pools and tennis courts. The landscape is well-maintained. If you didn't know better, you might think you were walking the grounds of a resort.

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In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software

Fast computers and sophisticated software give architects unprecedented ability to generate powerful designs.

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Chat Plus

Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.

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Keep Your Energy Dollars From Going Up in Smoke

You know it's coming. This winter's heating bills are going to be stupendous, whether you burn oil, natural gas or kilowatts. If you're going to do anything to minimize those bills, time's a-wasting, beach bum.

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A Break From the Yard In Suburban Maple Lawn

When Prassad Karunakaran lived on a half-acre in Sykesville, northwest of Baltimore, tending to his spread came with the mortgage. Over time, the novelty of mowing turned into plain drudgery.

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Keeping Closer Tabs On Brokers

Should your mortgage loan officer's fingerprints be on file in a national electronic database, even if he or she has never been convicted of a crime?

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What It Takes to Create a Community

How do you turn 17,000 acres, 5,000 acres or even 300 acres into a single community that works?

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To Sell to Gen-Y, You Have to Meet Them Online

Despite the housing recession, there are still more than 1.5 million real estate agents in the United States.

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Help for Homeowners Hangs in the Balance

Congress left town for the July 4 recess with a half-baked cake in its legislative oven -- one that has huge potential significance for the housing and mortgage markets. The relief package left unfinished is designed to help hundreds of thousands of homeowners heading for foreclosure, pull buyers...

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A Realization in Fairfax About Traffic and Housing

Affordable-housing problems are a perennial theme of conferences sponsored by state and local governments, professional organizations, and trade associations. Fairfax County, one of America's most affluent jurisdictions, recently came up with a smart variation on that theme for its latest housing...

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Anonymity Carries a Price at New Zillow Site

Zillow, a popular real estate Web site, now has a complementary mortgage site where neither lenders nor borrowers pay for the service.

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Mailbox: Condo Coercions, Short Shrift on Short Sales and Testing the Bath

My mailbox has been full of comments on recent columns about life in homeowners associations, uncertainty with short sales and deciding how much money to invest in a bathroom.

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Chat Plus

Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.

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A Garden Haven With a Storied Past

Situated on 32 carefully landscaped acres just off Wisconsin Avenue NW in busy Tenleytown, the McLean Gardens condominium complex is lovely all year, but certain seasons highlight its best qualities.

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Storied Historic Homes Suddenly In Dire Straits

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and other famous dead people have something in common with many living Americans: Their homes are in jeopardy.

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Freshening an Old Listing, and Other Tips for Worried Sellers

"W e live in Baltimore and are trying to sell our house," writes a reader. "My agent tells me that my listing has to be withdrawn from the local multiple listing service for at least six months, otherwise the number of days on market will carry forward from my old listing to a new listing. Our ho...

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When Condo Wars Heat Up, Common Sense Can Evaporate

Let me tell you a story about a game of hardball played over a hot, summery weekend. It happened not at Nationals Park but in a well-kept condominium complex in Reston just a few weeks ago.

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Source: Baron Briefs

Real estate news and commentary from RealtyBaron.com

ReferralAuction Scenario #2: Personal Referral

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ReferralAuction Scenario #1: Client Referral

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Four Reasons for Agents and Brokers to Use ReferralAuctions(TM)

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Introducing the ReferralAuction(TM)

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“My current Realtor raised her commission…

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Stockton, California: Epicenter for Foreclosure Start-Ups

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AgentRank(TM), Community Edition

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Now Back to Our Regular Scheduled Programming….Real Estate!

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A Brilliant ‘Agent Review’ Hack

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Once We’re All Feeding Each Other…Then What?

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Source: About Home Buying / Selling

Get the latest headlines from the About.com Home Buying / Selling GuideSite.

How Soon Can You Buy After Foreclosure or a Short Sale? Wednesday, July 23, 2008

For sellers facing foreclosure, an important issue is how soon one can buy another home after a foreclosure or short sale. The bottom-line fact is one in every 501 homes in...
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10 Things Your Agent Should Never Say Monday, July 21, 2008

I had the pleasure of meeting Art Linkletter about a decade ago, and knowing him, he'd probably say it's not just the kids who say the darndest things; real...
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Wells Fargo is a Banking Pioneer Friday, July 18, 2008

The Wells Fargo bank in downtown Minneapolis used to be the Northwestern National Bank long before it became Norwest and, eventually, Wells Fargo. I obtained my first car loan from Northwestern...
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Home Buying and Selling Videos with Elizabeth Weintraub Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Yes, it's true. You can now watch a series of Home Buying and Selling videos featuring guess who, your spunky home buying guide. All the credit goes to About.com, though, and...
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The Top Three Lies Told By Real Estate Agents Monday, July 14, 2008

Are you working with a dishonest real estate agent? How much do you really know about your agent? If you're like the average seller or buyer, your knowledge is most likely...
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Book Review of How to Buy Your First Home Friday, July 11, 2008

I just finished reading How to Buy Your First Home: Expert Advice from an Attorney, by Diana Broadman Summers. It's refreshing to find so many resources available today for first-time home...
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How to Use a Home's Price Per Square Foot Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The home price per square foot averages in a neighborhood are sometimes used by home buyers to establish value. Most buyers believe if the average per-square-foot price for a month is...
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Paying Cash to Buy a Home Has Benefits Monday, July 7, 2008

In good times, but especially in uneasy times, paying cash for a home brings peace of mind to home buyers. Oh, you'll find plenty of financial advisers who are dead-set against...
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NAHI is a National Association for Home Inspectors Friday, July 4, 2008

If you're searching for a national web site for home inspectors, you might want to try NAHI, the National Association of Home Inspectors, which was formed in 1987. Most of the...
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The Trouble With Buy and Bail Schemes Wednesday, July 2, 2008

It seems lots of home buyers who premeditate foreclosure prior to buying another home don't see any problem with the concept of buy and bail. They can't figure out why it's...
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Source:

Source: Real Estate / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Get all the latest real estate news from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Existing home sales in South Florida continue to slide

Prices of existing homes in South Florida fell last month as the housing downturn trudged into its 30th month.

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Donald Trump sells oceanfront Palm Beach mansion for $100 million

Spokeswoman says it's the most ever paid for an estate in the U.S.

The real estate market might be slumping, but not for Donald Trump, who sold his Palm Beach mansion for $100 million, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

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Russian billionaire snags Trump mansion for $95 million

Self-made Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev has snagged a Palm Beach mansion from Donald Trump for a cool $95 million.

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Fed adopts plan to curb shady mortgage practices

The Federal Reserve has adopted rules to give home buyers more protection from the types of shady lending practices that have contributed to the housing crisis and propelled foreclosures to record highs.

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Florida foreclosures up 92 percent

More homeowners in Broward, Palm Beach finding themselves 'upside down'

Home foreclosures continue to multiply in South Florida and the rest of the nation, and analysts say the crisis likely won't ease until next year at the earliest.

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South Florida foreclosure filings up nearly 50 percent from year ago

The number of homeowners stung by the rout in the U.S. housing market jumped last month as foreclosure filings grew by more than 50 percent compared with June a year ago, according to data released Thursday.

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7 South Floridians charged with mortgage fraud

More than 18 homes tied to scheme

Federal prosecutors announced mortgage fraud charges Wednesday against seven residents of Broward and Palm Beach counties accused of fraudulently obtaining home loans worth $10 million to buy area properties.

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Stalled condo conversions leave owners in limbo

They are stuck in a kind of condo limbo.

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Real estate market puts stars in, or close to, foreclosure

Tabloid magazines like to reassure us that celebrities are just like us -- they go grocery shopping, take their dogs for a stroll around the neighborhood, even pump their own gas.

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Hotel, condo development planned for South Beach

Miami-based real estate developer The Related Group announced plans Tuesday to build a luxury hotel and condominium complex in South Beach with the Orient-Express hotel company.

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