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

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

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

Like many of us, Whitney Houston is slashing her asking price to sell -- but she's cut more than $2 million.

Singer Whitney Houston may be on the comeback trail (click here to see the filming of her "Million Dollar Bill" video), but apparently, all isn't well in the pop star's world. The singer has put her 12,561-square-foot home in Mendham, N.J., on the market for $2.5 million -- significantly less than its assessed value of $5.6 million, according to published reports. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has the listing …Full Story

Gen Y buyers don't want a long commute to work. (Photo: iStockphoto)

From where Raffi Arslanian sits, Generation Y is the perfect home buyer. The architect and developer has 20 years experience designing and building commercial and residential properties, but turned his focus to Generation Y in the past five years. He tailors his units in northern New Jersey to these buyers—who Cyberhomes finds are increasingly picky and still want all the finer things in life. And despite the downturn in the economy, he says his units are still selling out.  …Full Story

This rental property has two extra bedrooms that appear to have been added without permits.

After getting skunked in several attempts to purchase a house to use as a rental property in our target city, we’ve decided to expand the search to nearby towns. We’re also considering properties that we don’t think will appeal to owner-occupied buyers or investors who don’t want to put much work into their purchase …Full Story

Homeowners with good credit are opting to give away the keys. (Photo: iStockphoto)

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Ron Jasgur, a Michigan-based real estate investor, for a piece I was writing about streamlining foreclosures and short sales. One of his comments about the massive number of bank-owned properties stuck with me: "Nobody’s modeling took into account that someone would wake up one morning and decide not to pay their mortgage." …Full Story