Old World grandeur, modern comforts

Modeled after a Tuscan hillside villa, this new custom home in Manhattan Beach features an Old World exterior with a stylish modern interior...

Owners' willingness to 'strategically default' on loans depends largely on how far underwater they are

That some underwater owners -- whose houses are worth less than what they owe -- are walking away from their homes even though they can...

FHA-insured mortgages may become more expensive and harder to get

For several years, the Federal Housing Administration has been the go-to financing resource for cash-strapped home buyers who can't come...

One homeowner dealt with a group problem. Who pays?

Question: I live in a free-standing town house with no common walls and only two units in the entire association. The builder left a...

Foreclosures will keep rising through 2010, report says

Home foreclosures are likely to keep climbing through all of next year despite stabilizing housing prices in some areas, a major lender...

Housing starts dive 10.6% in the U.S., 8.5% in the West

New-home construction fell sharply last month, underscoring the fragility of the fledgling housing recovery.

Southern California home prices edge upward again in October

Southern California's housing market showed fresh signs of a comeback last month as first-time buyers took advantage of a federal tax...

Architects get more contracts in October

After more than a year of meager activity, the nation's architects reported a growing number of new contracts in October from builders...

Bank of America seeks to foreclose on Maguire property in Irvine

Maguire Properties Inc., one of the region's largest commercial landlords, has been hit with a legal complaint by Bank of America Corp....

A rare post-and-beam built in Pasadena

Tucked amid some of Pasadena's most opulent estates in the South Arroyo neighborhood is a rare post-and-beam home that has undergone...

New $6,500 federal tax credit for 'move-up' home buyers may benefit you

Take a close, hard look at the new $6,500 federal tax credit for so-called move-up home buyers that passed the Senate and House recently....

Prepaying mortgage may not make financial sense

Dear Liz: We refinanced our house in January for a 30-year fixed rate of 4.625%. We are paying about $513 a month extra toward the...

Keeping up with the life cycle of homes

The typical American house is 34 years old. And given that households move every seven years or so, the average house is now just about...

Complaints, even by an extremely difficult owner, must be taken seriously

Question: We are an association with less than 10 units. We have an extraordinarily difficult owner in our midst. The things this...

Existing-home prices slide in most metropolitan areas

Prices of existing homes fell in 80% of the nation's metropolitan markets in the third quarter as distressed sales -- foreclosures and short...

Two builders are getting back into housing business

Two prominent Southern California residential builders plan to jump back into the housing business by making loans for land acquisition...

Newlywed Laker selling Manhattan Beach digs

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has listed his Manhattan Beach home for $2,399,000.

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...