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On high ground in Montecito

The Mediterranean-style Montecito villa once shared by Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas and former wife Diandra de Morrell Douglas is...

FHA revises 'anti-flipping' rule

Call it three birds with one stone: The federal government hopes simultaneously to help low-down-payment home buyers, investors who fix up...

Get ahead of the slow-moving loan-mod train

If you're a homeowner who was laid off recently, if you even think there's a chance your job might be eliminated, or if you are still...

Owners feel left in the dark on use of reserves for legal bills

Question: Our association financial records were not provided to titleholders for more than five years. I tried to get the financial...

New rule affects homeowners in foreclosure avoidance program

Taking borrowers at their word for how much they earn was a major cause of the mortgage meltdown. That practice may also be why an Obama...

California mortgage defaults drop 24.3%

The Obama administration's $75-billion program to help troubled borrowers hold on to their homes appears to be keeping more California...

U.S. home resales drop almost 17% in December

Sales of previously owned homes nationwide plunged steeply in December, raising concerns that the housing recovery could lose steam after...

'The Hangover' star Bradley Cooper has a new place to hang

Bradley Cooper, who starred in the Golden Globe-winning movie "The Hangover," has a new hangout -- a town house in the 35-unit...

A bit of the Old South in Newport

After spending 20 years of decorating huge multimillion-dollar homes, interior designer Ann Fraser decided it was time to apply her design...

IRS finally publishes rules for $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credit

If you've been holding back on the new $6,500 federal tax credit for repeat home purchases, you now have all the official IRS guidance you'...

Forecast says home values won't regain bubble heights for at least a decade

Many people would like to know when the housing market is going to hit bottom. But those who plan to stay put don't care as much about the...

Commercial real estate is a hot market, for court-appointed caretakers

Bill Hoffman has logged more than 1.5 million airline miles in his travels to troubled hotels, office buildings and other business...

Southern California housing market strengthens in December

Rock-bottom interest rates and stronger sales in higher-priced neighborhoods helped Southern California's housing market post robust gains...

One less house on his rounds

New buyers have found their McDream house thanks to "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey. The actor, whose looks earned him the...

Beverly Hills midcentury modern is a study in light and geometry

Could it be that when singer-actress Lauryn Hill covered the classic "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" she was actually paying tribute to...

Mortgage lenders exploit a loophole in HUD's new 'good faith estimate' rules

The federal government's efforts to eliminate settlement cost surprises for home mortgage applicants may have opened the door to a new --...

U.S. offers special homeowner benefits to military personnel

The United States tries to take care of its warriors, a tradition that Congress has continued in little-known sections of the latest home...

Treasury Dept. says loan modification picture is improved

After a month of intense pressure on banks and other mortgage servicers, the Obama administration on Friday reported improvement in its...

Fixed mortgage rates edge lower

Fixed 30-year mortgage interest rates edged down but stayed above 5% for the fourth straight week, Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Signs of life in the home-building industry

A construction site in Irvine is alive with the sound of the boom years.

Cher to sell her luxury compound in Kona, Hawaii

Between performing in her lavish Las Vegas show and making movies, Cher still finds time to pursue her other passion: designing and...

For sail: 200 homes on a cruise ship

In the worst economic storm in decades, a Beverly Hills company has an ambitious plan to build a $1.1-billion cruise ship, set to cast off...