Fighting Foreclosures

www.nytimes.com, 4/15/10
From the start, the central concern about President Obama’s antiforeclosure effort has been that it would postpone foreclosures but ultimately not prevent enough to ease the economic strain from mass defaults. That concern seems increasingly justified. READ MORE

A Bold U.S. Plan to Help Struggling Homeowners

By DAVID STREITFELD, New York Times, March 26, 2010

A foreclosed home in Bridgeport, Conn. If its housing plan falls short, the Obama administration may have to start over yet again. READ MORE

Buying? You?

By VIVIAN S. TOY, www.nytimes.com, December 11, 2009
ARTHUR FREEDMAN has lived in a rent-stabilized studio in the East Village for 29 years. But as he watched housing prices fall over the last year and as a leak in his bathroom went unrepaired month after month, he decided a few months ago that it was time to become a homeowner. READ MORE

Short Sales, a Long Process

By BOB TEDESCHI, www.nytimes.com, December 11, 2009
SHORT sales — in which mortgage lenders agree to accept less than what is owed, allowing borrowers to escape foreclosure — were expected to grow easier this year after the Treasury Department proposed industry guidelines to navigate these complex transactions. READ MORE

Reaching Out to Condo Buyers

By BOB TEDESCHI, www.nytimes.com, November 20, 2009
CONDOMINIUM buyers in the New York area often paid little mind to Federal Housing Administration mortgages, either because these government-backed loans had relatively low dollar limits or because federal rules put them beyond the reach of most condo associations. READ MORE

Chinese Drywall Linked to Corrosion

By LESLIE WAYNE, New York Times, November 23, 2009
Federal investigators reported on Monday that a “strong association” exists between chemicals in Chinese drywall installed in thousands of homes during the housing boom and electrical problems in those homes. READ MORE

New York Appraisals Get Shortchanged

By VIVIAN S. TOY, www.nytimes.com, September 25, 2009
IMAGINE the agony of a buyer when the bank’s appraiser rules that the apartment the buyer has agreed to pay $750,000 for is worth only $650,000. READ MORE

New Rules Coming Soon

By BOB TEDESCHI, www.nytimes.com, September 25, 2009
STATES have taken the lead in adopting laws to protect consumers from some of the problem loans that helped trigger the home foreclosure crisis, but the federal government is now stepping up its efforts. READ MORE

For the Luxury Do-It-Yourselfer

By JOSH BARBANEL, www.nytimes.com July 31, 2009
THERE are said to be few Manhattan real estate brokers better at closing a deal for a trophy apartment than Dolly Lenz, the top-selling broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman. READ MORE