Real Estate

Special Report: The Digital Home

Home education
 Designers say new technology will make us smarter, helping us communicate, stay safe and keep happily entertained at the touch of a button. One new product even makes getting dressed easier: A mirror that provides fashion advice.
• See the full Special Report

Home buying and selling
On the auction block
A sign of the times in the housing market: Buyers flock to Chicago-area condo auction seeking bargain places to live -- or invest.
• Strategies for getting bargains under the hammer
• Trump's 92-story boast  | Rival Chicago spire imperiled

Obama's Challenge
Home builders need help
Housing and construction are suffering in this recession and they'll need to rebound if the economy is to heal.
• What President-elect Obama can do for the housing market

 Realty Q&A
Fixed for a while
Lew Sichelman tells adjustable-rate mortgage holders to be patient if the time to their adjustment is long.
• Fly-in locales best choice for Mexico second home
'Underwater' mortgage no reason to walk away from home
BY LEW SICHELMAN
My mother-in-law is incapacitated due to a stroke and my husband has power of attorney for her finances. She currently owes about $96,000 on a home in Phoenix that a Realtor says is probably worth $80,000. She has no other assets or savings. Should she just walk away from the loan?

Benchmark 30-year mortgage falls below 5% for first time
BY STEVE KERCH
The benchmark 30-year mortgage fell below 5% for the first time ever in Freddie Mac’s weekly rate survey as economic weakness continued to push interest rates lower, the mortgage agency said.

Foreclosures surge 81% despite efforts to stem tide
BY REX NUTTING
The number of homes in the foreclosure pipeline jumped 81% in 2008 compared with 2007, despite massive efforts by lenders and governments to stem the tide.

Refinance applications highest in MBA's survey
BY AMY HOAK
The rush among homeowners to take advantage of lower interest rates shows no sign of abating, judging from the latest survey data compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

FHA needs to ramp up mortgage oversight, auditor says
BY RUTH MANTELL
The Federal Housing Administration needs to beef up oversight of its mortgage programs, a task that is both increasingly difficult and important as the agency’s market share grows and its resources are stretched, according to Friday testimony by a government auditor.

Here's what to do if your home-equity line is cut
BY LEW SICHELMAN
I had my line of credit cut in half and am having a very difficult time getting it reinstated.

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