As a first-time buyer who knows she needs help holding her own against other buyers for the house she wants to purchase and also owners with broker representation. She hires an Accredited Buyer's Representative, (ABR) Mac Martin who works in the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to advocate and negotiate her position. He advises her that based on the current seller's market and the fierce competition for homes like this, her best advantage is to

The National Association of Home Builders reports that new-home sales in August reached a record 996,000 units on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. "Very low interest rates and the widely held view that housing is a very good investment are largely responsible for the surge in new home sales," said NAHB President Gary Garczynski, a builder/developer from Woodbridge, Va

For some homebuyers, condominiums are a godsend. They provide a means of building equity without the hassles of yard work and other outdoor maintenance projects, as well as many of the indoor chores and financial responsibilities that single-family homeowners typically face

I regularly receive e-mails from readers who desperately want to buy a house but just seem to be in dire straits financially. Beyond that, they are dismayed at the ever-increasing price of their rent and housing in general. In addition, they just can't seem to make more money. They are in industries that will not provide them more opportunity than what they have now

Home buying with no money down is a wonderful concept, something that can make ownership available to huge numbers of people who otherwise are unable to buy. And yet there has not been a rush to buy homes with nothing down, in part because such financing has sometimes been promoted as a get-rich-quick device

Ah, the month of June approaches, a time for weddings and gifts. How about a shovel and some cash? Couples today are breaking away from the typical crystal, China and silver gift registries when it comes to asking for wedding gifts. Since a new marriage can often mean time for a new house, many couples are throwing tradition to the wind and asking for extremely practical gifts -- like money toward a down payment or tools to keep their new house humming

A buyer who finds that one special home may wonder why the present owner is selling. The reason could be as benign as a job transfer ... or as nasty as a divorce with arduous negotiations. Can buyers ask why a home is being sold? Or are such questions somehow unfair, something that goes in the "MYOB" (Mind Your Own Business) category?

Growing up in the south, it was not unusual to pass by many mobile home parks on the way to anywhere. They were - and still are - considered a vital part of many communities across the country and may offer a viable alternative to traditional housing for households seeking an affordable home of their own

You've finally found the perfect - or near-perfect - house. You've haggled, negotiated, and appear close to finalizing the deal. But first you'll want to hire a professional inspector - and then you'll want to do some inspecting yourself, including the home's major systems

Q: Within the next year, I will be purchasing property in the District of Columbia. The property and the mortgage will be in my name, but my boyfriend will be living in the property with me. Is there a domestic relations law that would allow the house to be split and sold if in the future, we should split up while we are both living in the property? Is there some way that I would have to relinquish half of my rights or ownership in the property because he will be paying half of the mortgage and utilities?

Q: My parents are in the mid-seventies, and are retired. They have some money in their IRA account and have offered to help me purchase a condominium unit. The price is approximately $150,000. I am a first-time homebuyer and would like to know how this works?

Q: I filed for bankruptcy (Chapter 7) in early 2001 and it was discharged on 5 July 2001. I currently own a townhouse. I wanted to sell it and buy a single family house. My questions are:

Q: What can you suggest about helping one's adult children purchase a home? Our son and daughter-in-law currently rent a home, and pay $1,100 a month in rent. That could pay for a pretty decent monthly mortgage. However, coming up with the down payment for a home of approximately $200,000 is not easy for them. We can afford to help them with most - if not all - of the down payment. We would like to help them, but are concerned, just a little bit, about simply handing them an "early inheritance"

Who needs seller financing? Most people think that it's for those who have damaged credit, or could not otherwise obtain conventional financing. That may be the case, and if indeed you have some credit issues that require seller financing, be prepared for the following terms

There's no question that men and women are different. Even when it comes to their housing choices, men and women are often profiles in contradiction. According to the National Association of Realtors' latest profile of home buyers, three of every ten single females purchase either a condominium or townhouse. Only two in ten males make the same choice

Since Sept. 11, more and more Americans have pushed safety and security high on their list of requirements for the community where they might buy a home. Some are reconsidering the allure of big city urban living, especially when a greater use of technology can permit them to live virtually anywhere and telecommute to the city for work

Looking for a home in a community that's adapting well to the new economic order? Seek a region teeming with knowledge-based jobs and global trade. Look for a dynamic, fast-changing economy steeped in competition. And ferret out a digital economy built on an infrastructure of technological innovation

President Bush has signed a funding bill for the Department of Housing and Urban Development that gives life to a housing program first proposed by then candidate Bush during the 2000 campaign