Tom Kelly

Fixed-mortgage rates remained unchanged for the third consecutive week, remaining near record lows. Mortgage rates continue to support housing demand, translating into a pick-up in home prices in most markets.

Sometimes, you just have to feel for real estate appraisers. They get hammered by salespersons for making out-of-area valuations when they are contracted to do so, draw the ire of sellers for providing outdated comparable property sales and are criticized by buyers for not discovering structural flaws.

Foreclosure filings continue their downward spiral, dropping to the lowest level in January since April 2007, according to RealtyTrac's latest report.

Buyers, sellers, agents take note . . .

Inventories of for-sale homes are so tight in some Puget Sound neighborhoods that some agents are writing homeowners letters or even going door to door asking if the owners would be willing to sell.

Builders are now in demand but they're up against an unexpected obstacle: They can't find enough skilled workers to hire.

Washington state online mortgage shoppers have some of the best credit scores in the nation, placing in a tie at No. 6 with Delaware with an average score of 764.

Redfin, a Seattle-based brokerage, announced it will begin to display "Offer Insights" with home-search results of listings from its buyer's agents.

Low mortgage rates coupled with solid rents have made investing in a rental property pay off for investors.

Mortgage interest rates have been on the rise for the past month off the all-time record lows set just a few weeks ago.

There was a time, not long ago, when working at home and taking a home office deduction on a federal income tax return raised a huge red flag for IRS auditors. That's because the space being used as the "office" was a kitchen table or a comfy couch in the den.

Washington state realtors report that large investor groups were the most active participants in recent foreclosure sales in Pierce and Thurston counties, mirroring the national picture.

Underwater borrowers who have stayed current with their mortgage payments now may be able to give up their properties and get their debts erased, according to new guidelines issued by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Federal Housing Administration announced it will be hiking premiums on the majority of its new mortgages by 10 basis points, or 0.1 percent. The move is expected to add $13 a month to the average borrower's monthly payments, according to the organization.

Twenty-six percent of renters are denied their security deposits back when they move out, a Rent.com survey finds of 1,000 renters.

Women are a big part of the housing market and usually the decision-makers when it comes to the design of the home. Consequently, more real estate professionals, designers, and marketers are taking notice of women's home preferences.

A construction company owner is the latest in a growing number who are fighting back against negative online reviews posted about their services.

The housing market is showing plenty of strength, from sales and price increases to a decrease in foreclosures.

The first connotation of a home listed as a short sale was an unwanted, big-bargain problem house that was either a neighborhood eyesore abandoned by an investor or an overhyped mansion that a high-tech wannabe had to flee because he suddenly discovered his stock options were worthless.

Forget the myth that winter is a bad time to sell real estate. While sales usually inch lower in the cooler months, some real estate analysts are saying this winter in particular may be a good time to sell a home.

For the past 18 months, the mortgage interest deduction (MID) took the most heat of any time since it was first introduced, but it came through the election year nearly unscathed.

Household formation, which stagnated when recession kept many young Americans from leaving their parents' home or forced others to return to them, is finally on the rise.

Builders broke ground on new homes in December at the fastest pace in more than four years offering a "solid ending to 2012 and a promising start to 2013," according to the National Association of Home Builders.

You've applied for a mortgage and now you are waiting to make it to the closing table. Don't throw your loan approval into jeopardy by making one of these common mistakes: