FHA LOANS A Government Accounting Office study finds that homebuyers who receive assistance from sellers face a greater chance of mortgage problems down the road, and the government oversight agency wants the FHA to limit seller assistance programs. But half of FHA's loans fall under that category.
Read the full story:

HOMEBUYING Homebuyers should pay specific attention to aspects of a home that might require thousands of dollars in renovation, repair and reconstruction costs. Greg Haskett, vice president of HomeTeam Inspection Service Inc., offers buyer-beware tips.
Read the full story:

URBAN PLANNING "Placemaking" has become the latest buzzword among community development professionals and urban planners, defined as “the way all of us … transform the places in which we find ourselves into places in which we live."
Read the full story:

INTEREST RATES The Federal Reserve will likely continue to raise interest rates, which affect ARM mortgage rates, through June, according to Wall Street traders. But few traders believe the Fed will boost the rate again in August.
Read the full story:

HOMEOWNERSHIP TRENDS A study released by the National Housing Conference (NHC) finds that moderate-income working families with children are less likely to be homeowners now than they were in the late 1970s.
Read the full story:

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT Scores of real estate investors are fleeing expensive housing markets and taking their profits to more affordable housing markets.
Read the full story: