Tom Kelly

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages stayed close to record lows this week, a trend that has made home buying more affordable and helped the housing market recover, the Associated Press reported.

Where are today's home flippers? It turns out they're just your average two-bedroom, two-bath rambler.

More borrowers could be able to snag a lower mortgage rate - and save lots more money on their mortgage costs - if they would shop around, according to recent data from Fannie Mae's November National Housing Survey.

The Wall Street Journal recently cited five significant factors behind the rise in home prices, as numerous markets see significant year-over-year gains. The big price drivers are:

What do home shoppers prefer about new homes versus older homes?

Off-market listings-also referred to as "pocket listings"-are hurting the housing market by depriving home buyers of a full perspective of what's actually for sale, some real estate agents say.

In recent months, some low appraisals have sparked bidding wars on local properties, including a nine-bid contest for a small farm on Bainbridge Island. The bidding wars have helped push up home prices higher than recent comparable sales, agents say.

A couple has sued a Toronto area real estate firm and agent and the home's former owners for failing to disclose early enough in the transaction that the home had been the scene of a double homicide 15 years ago.

Forty-one state attorneys general are calling on lawmakers to extend tax relief to distressed homeowners, Housing Wire reported.

You pack your bags, load up the car, get on a plane, and arrive tired and frazzled many hours later into the loving arms of your family.

When you really just want to veg out and read, watch television, or go to bed, you have to be "on" to connect with the family you haven't seen for a very long time.

Financial planners are urging parents preparing to gift real estate to their children do so now, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal.

Coinciding with the arrival of the wettest days of the year are seasonal reminders on preparedness.

Homeowners who want to stay put are looking into remodeling their homes with universal design features to turn their homes into "forever homes" that they won't have to leave in the future as they age.

HUD became the go-to agency for lenders during the mortgage meltdown and it now appears the agency is paying the price.

U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose solidly in October, helped by improvement in the job market and record-low mortgage rates, the Associated Press reported.

In some cities, you can breathe a little easier.

Home shoppers will be pushed along by record low mortgage interest rates, a trend that has helped the housing market start to recover this year.

The big discounts in the housing market are fading, and investors are taking notice that time is ticking.

The median down payment sank to its lowest level since 2009, averaging 9 percent for home buyers this year, according to housing data by the National Association of Realtors.

What are the most diverse neighborhoods in the country?

Are homeowners really racing to pay off their mortgages with today's low rates?

More than 15 years ago, we bought a tiny rental property on a rolling knoll overlooking Puget Sound via a tax-deferred exchange. We didn't really covet the home; it was simply a suitable replacement property or "place to land" so that we could defer the capital-gains tax on the sale of the first investment property - our one and only rental.

U.S. homeowners are doing a better job of keeping up with their mortgage payments, aided by an improving housing market and low interest rates that are making it easier to refinance, the Associated Press reported.

A little superstition sometimes is at play in real estate when determining a price for a home. Some real estate professionals believe some numbers hold some luck at getting their listings sold, according to a study by Trulia.