The outlook for California's real estate market is looking brighter. (Photo: iStockphoto)

The median sales price for October was $257,000, a 2.4 percent increase over the $251,000 in September. The number of sales rose 2.6 percent from September to October. The numbers were generally consistent throughout the state …Full Story

Tenants can help pay the bills -- or create more. (Photo: iStockphoto)

In my last post, I told you how we ended up “reluctant” -- and long-distance -- landlords. For the past year, we hoped the people living in our Memphis-area house would buy it. But they defaulted on their lease-purchase contract and left us with a major clean-up.

They also left us with our first lesson. Don’t expect that tenants will treat your house with any respect at all, especially if they don’t have a deposit hanging in the balance …Full Story

Our Memphis home has been badly treated by tenants.

Call me the reluctant landlord.

Our story starts simply enough: My husband got a new job in the Memphis area. It was a big pay bump from his current position, and we’d be closer to our families. So we jumped at the chance. We bought a great house, thinking we’d be there for years. We imagined our kids growing up there, big family dinners and a bright future …Full Story

The National Association of Realtors predicts an improved real estate market for 2010. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Home prices may rise 4 percent next year, Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, told real estate professionals at NAR’s annual convention, held earlier this month in San Diego …Full Story

The median home price in New York's Buffalo-Niagara Falls area rose 4.8 percent from a year ago. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Not everything is headed down in today’s real estate market. Despite that median home prices fell in 123 out of 153 U.S. metro areas, according to recent data from the National Association of Realtors, median home prices are up in 30 cities from where they were a year ago. And some of these cities have seen substantial increases. Could these cities be harbingers of more positive real estate news? I hope so …Full Story

Despite sliding interest rates, few home buyers are coming out to play. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Although interest rates have dropped to a five-week low, there has been a potentially unsettling surprise in the numbers.

The Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey said the average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate loan with a 20 percent down payment was 4.90 percent for the week ending Nov. 6 …Full Story

Stranded move-up buyers are watching for the tide to rise. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Anyone who has been looking to buy an entry-level house can likely share stories of losing the battle in a war of multiple bids. Outside of a few hardest hit areas, the entry-level market is nothing if not robust.

A big reason is the pent-up demand that was created by quickly appreciating home prices. Although homeowners cheered when the price of their home increased, there were many others who groaned, knowing that home ownership was that much farther from their grasp …Full Story

Spring 2010 may bring a perfect storm of falling demand, inflated home prices, rising interest rates and disappearing capital. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Although there are some glimmers of hope that a real estate turnabout is just around the corner, it seems just as likely that the coming spring could bring a storm of epic proportions …Full Story

Pricing is a big factor in whether any item -- whether a sofa or a home -- will sell. (Photo: iStockphoto)

When it comes to selling a home, one of the biggest mistakes is pricing it incorrectly.

That’s especially a problem these days, as home prices drop and home sellers compete for a relatively small pool of interested home buyers …Full Story

A college town can get you a diploma -- and an affordable home. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Most of us hold a soft spot in our heart for our college town. My college town is Bryn Mawr, Pa., home to Bryn Mawr College, my alma mater, and where Katharine Hepburn, one of the school’s most famous alums, studied. Located on Philadelphia’s Main Line, the real estate there is fantastic -- there are plenty of winding leafy streets filled with beautiful large homes that I most likely will never be able to afford …Full Story