REAL ESTATE

The wealthy couple tried to sell the home in 2009.

An employment report that was better than market expectations helped to lift long-term Treasury bond yields and mortgage rates as well, Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist for Freddie Mac, said in a statement.

Canadian housing starts jumped much more than expected in September, helped by a surge in the condominium sector, suggesting Canada's property boom stayed intact last month and should help the economy avert recession.

Incredibly, U.S. home mortgage rates continue to trend lower -- the average 30-year, fixed rate is now 4.07 percent, and they could drop even lower. Still, given soft home prices, jumping into the housing market is hardly a slam-dunk no-brainer, and here are five factors to consider before buying a home.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell below 4 percent for the first time in history to 3.94 percent.

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester purchased a home in Encino, a less glamorous neighborhood outside of Los Angeles, for a reported $1.5 million.

Amid a sluggish U.S. economy with inadequate job growth, there has been one unabashed bright spot: home mortgage interest rates, currently about 4.10 percent for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, are the lowest in decades. Is now a good time to take the plunge a purchase a home?

Resale home prices rose to a record high in July, their eighth consecutive monthly gain, according to report on Wednesday that an analyst said signaled a gradual slowdown in a strong market.

Home prices in the 20-city Case Shiller Index rose for the fourth straight month in July, but the operative phrase remains: let the buyer beware. Demand conditions in most major U.S. cities remains soft, and even though home prices are attractive now, price retrenchments are possible.

U.S. new home sells fell in August to a 295,000-unit annual rate, the fourth straight monthly decline for the beleaguered sector. The slump means that housing is likely to be a drag on U.S. GDP for at least the next two quarters, perhaps for longer. New home prices are attractive, but potential buyers should tread carefully: they may drop in many markets.

Former home of Edna St. Vincent Millar, the narrowest house in NYC is currently for rent, costing $14,000 a month.

Without qualification or conditions, amid a tepid U.S. economic recovery, the U.S. housing market remains a buyer's market. That said, are there ways home sellers can better-position their home for a sale amid such intense competition? Indeed there are, and here are five.

The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as dozens of investors, on Tuesday lodged objections to Bank of America Corp's proposed $8.5 billion mortgage-backed securities settlement.

U.S. home prices dipped just 0.1 percent in June from May, according to Case-Shiller -- providing a ray of light that the U.S. housing market may be stabilizing.

The Obama administration is considering plans to allow millions of homeowners with government-backed mortgages to refinance at current interest rates.

If U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke needs any more evidence regarding the slowdown in the U.S. economic recovery, he need look no further than U.S. housing prices, which have fallen for 17 consecutive quarters

New home sells fell in July to a 298,000-unit annual rate, the third straight monthly decline for the beleaguered sector. The slump means housing is likely to be a drag on U.S. GDP at least for the next two quarters, and perhaps for longer. New home prices are attractive, but potential buyers should traead carefully: they may drop in many markets.

Sales of new U.S. homes in July fell to its lowest level in five months, indicating that the housing sector is still on rocky footing after the housing bubble burst several years ago.

U.S. mortgage rates are falling to 50-year lows, even as existing home sales remains soft, with both stemming from uncertainty regarding the outlook for the U.S. economy. In this uncertain time, what should prospective home buyers do? Here are five tips that will help you make an informed home purchase decision.

Television and film actor Burt Reynolds is in danger of getting evicted from his home in southeast Florida.

Housing stock on the market has climbed 22% since last year, SQM Research has revealed.

New research has indicated it now takes the average couple more than four years to save a deposit for their first home.

The same week he announces his plans to be mayor of Manhattan, he rids of his Manhattan digs. Politically ambitious Alec Baldwin has put his multi-million dollar New York City apartment on the market, according to Curbed.

A broker has warned borrowers to be wary of chasing cheap fixed rates amid a wave of discounting that proliferate in the industry.

Members of Australia's largest organization of residential builders--the Housing Industry Association--had sought the Reserve Bank's policy intervention to slash down benchmark lending rates to spur consumer confidence to spend more and allow more room for the industry to grow.

Aggregators in Australia had been criticised for being too slow to update their lending panels to the dismay of brokers and clients.

U.S. home mortgage interest rates fell again this week, and the average 30-year fixed rate is now at a low 4.19 percent -- which creates an opportunity for prospective home buyers with good credit histories.

Brokers should look to outsource as operating costs become more difficult, Vow Financial has said.

Fierce mortgage competition between the majors is seeing credit standards eroded, a lender has claimed.