It's by no means a federal bailout, but $731 million in new federal money began flowing last week to local communities to acquire and redevelop areas with high numbers of foreclosures and abandoned houses. For sharp-eyed real estate investors and developers, the new funds -- plus another $2 billion scheduled for later this spring -- could mean some attractive opportunities. FULL STORY ->

Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.85 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending March 26, 2009, down from last week when it averaged 4.98 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.85 percent. The 30-year FRM has not been lower in the life of Freddie Mac's weekly survey, which dates back to 1971 for the 30-year FRM. FULL STORY ->

Vacant homes often don't appeal to buyers. So, these days, some real estate companies are suggesting house-sitters to help keep the home maintained and give it a lived-in feel. FULL STORY ->

Buried at the tail end of new report on Bloomberg.com was the news we've all been waiting for -- home sales price increases. The headline was pointing out how home prices had dropped in 70% of states across the country (34 states); which meant that there were, indeed, states where home prices increased. FULL STORY ->

Peter L. Mosca interviews with Doug Miller, founder and president of SatisFacts Research, and author of the industry benchmark, The SatisFacts Index. FULL STORY ->

Anyone operating old-fashioned rabbit ears or roof top antenna to get television signals at home has been given a reprieve before they'll have to make changes to tune into digital television. FULL STORY ->