You may qualify for a home-buyer tax credit

Millions of additional people may be able to take advantage of the new and improved first-time home-buyer tax credit now, and it's not...

A historic Tudor Revival in Glendale

At first glance, the tall, steeply pitched roof of this historic Glendale house gives the illusion that the Tudor Revival-style home is a...

New HUD rules aim to get rid of closing cost surprises

Remember the bad old days of 11th-hour mortgage cost shocks and mystery junk-fee charges? Remember when the "good-faith estimates" your...

Facing foreclosure? Here's what you can do

For most of the growing legion of financially stretched families in danger of losing their homes, there is help available -- as long as they...

Septic tanks on their way out in Malibu

The great sewer wars of Malibu have finally drawn to a close. Sewers won.

L.A.-area real estate agents are holding open mansions

For Florence Mattar, each open house has a routine. She drives around the neighborhood placing signs, brings in fresh flowers, stocks the...

Commercial property market to hit bottom in 2010, report says

After spending more than a year in suspended animation, the commercial real estate industry is expected to hit bottom in 2010 with a...

Senate extends home-buyer tax credit and jobless aid

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington Alejandro Lazo -- Moving to shore up a still shaky economic recovery, the Senate unanimously...

Federal Reserve sees interest rates staying low

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it was holding short-term interest rates at near zero and would probably make no change in the...

Real estate company's pitch leads to unexpected bill

Maria Casanova, an assistant professor of economics at UCLA, toyed with the idea earlier this year of buying a foreclosed property near...

Home equity loan market remains very tight

Traditional 30-year mortgages these days are unusually affordable by historical standards, but if you're looking for a home equity line of...

English Country by the ocean

Looking back, the challenges San Diego architect David Lorimer faced when designing this English Country home in La Jolla's renowned...

Home valuation code could soon undergo major revamp

Could the controversial appraisal system imposed nationwide by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in May -- and now tied to...

The alien in the basement, and other buyer turnoffs

Some houses are heart-stopping perfect. But John Boyd's ticker skipped a beat a few years ago for another reason when he was previewing a...

Is owner obligated to attend executive session?

Question: I was "mandated" to attend an executive session of my homeowners association because I speak to other owners and voice...

CB Richard Ellis cuts its way to profit

The long-running torment of the commercial real estate industry dragged on in the third quarter, but the world's largest brokerage of office...

Housing slump hits California timber industry like a buzz saw

Ron Barlow's 34-year career at the sawmill in the heart of California's Redwood Empire was a study in consistency.

Home prices in major cities continue to climb

The nation's biggest cities are posting steady gains in home prices, a closely followed index showed Tuesday, adding fresh evidence that the...

Comic actress seeks to sally forth

Actress Meg Ryan,who will star opposite Timothy Hutton in the December comedy "Serious Moonlight," also seems to be getting...

Fortress-like home protects 85-year-old details

George Washington Smith made his name creating Spanish Colonial Revival mansions in Montecito and Santa Barbara from 1917 to 1930, but the...