Where Home Prices Are Rising

The number of homes for sale is down in many markets, with asking prices up–especially in these places. This month, after three years of record declines, the battered housing market has shown some signs of hope. Tuesday the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city Home Price Index, which is a gauge of sale prices in the country’s major markets, […]


The Most Expensive U.S. Cities To Visit

These are the 10 most expensive cities to stay in according to price tracking by Hotels.com. The figures represent prices that guests actually paid for rooms during the latter half of 2009. Room prices slid an average of 12% from a year earlier, though traditionally expensive spots like New York, Honolulu and Boston remain at […]


Rank: 9

Metro: Burlington (N.C.) Share of homes with increasing values: 45.41% Median value: $125,200 Annual change: 4.61% Quarterly change: 0.33% Burlington, a couple of hours northeast of Charlotte and a few hours from the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, was once a thriving textile town. Today its large employers include LabCorp, a major clinical laboratory […]


7 Things Every Apartment Renter Should Know

If you’re a renter, you’re in good company. More than 95 million Americans rent their homes, according to the American Tenants Association. Maybe you live in a part of the country where the costs of home ownership are out of reach. Perhaps you don’t have the time or desire to tend to a home. Or […]


Rank: 10

Metro : Oklahoma Share of homes with increasing values: 40.20% Median value: $119,600 Annual change: 4.94% Quarterly change: 1.85% The Oklahoma City metro area, which includes the state capital, is one of the nation’s most affordable metros. The area is home to Devon Energy and Chesapeake Energy and has strong oil and natural gas sectors.


Rank: 3

Metro: New Orleans Share of homes with increasing values: 53.62% Median value: $148,000 Annual change: -0.61% Quarterly change: 0.66% New Orleans’ market is unique because of the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Construction is booming in the area thanks to federal incentives, insurance money, and private investment. Louisiana also benefits from having a strong […]


Homes of the Billionaires

Where the world’s richest people unwind after a long day. Warren Buffett epitomizes living modestly in today’s tough economic climate. Despite a $47 billion fortune, the legendary investor — and the world’s third-richest man — lives in the same five-bedroom, gray stucco house he bought in Omaha, Neb.’s Happy Hollow suburb in 1958 for $31,500. […]


America’s Most Underwater Housing

Negative equity–what you have when you owe more on your home loan than the property is worth–is one of the defining features of the still-unfolding mortgage crisis. It’s a particularly nasty problem because it can lead to all sorts of unpleasant outcomes for the real estate market and the economy as a whole. Having negative […]