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The rise of ‘pocket listings’
By Kenneth HarneyBy Kenneth Harney | May 17, 2013

Some houses sell even before they formally hit the market – through a controversial technique known as “pocket listings.”

Some lenders see success with zero-down financing
By Kenneth Harney | May 10, 2013

Who says lenders need to charge you a cash down payment when you take out a mortgage in this era of hyper-strict underwriting?

Listings that turn you off
By Kenneth HarneyBy Kenneth Harney | May 3, 2013

With full-fledged sellers’ markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers.

Bank windows open a bit wider
By Kenneth Harney | April 26, 2013

Using your home as an ATM no longer is a financial option, but the tools that allowed owners to pull out massive amounts of money during the boom years – equity credit lines and second mortgages – are making a comeback.

A boom market reappears
By Kenneth HarneyBy Kenneth Harney | April 19, 2013

They’re back after barely a decade: Escalation clauses in real estate contracts, “naked” contingency-free offers and lowball-priced listings designed to pull in dozens of bidders and turn routine sales transactions into auctions.

The mortgage complaint window is open
By Kenneth Harney | April 11, 2013

Got a beef with your mortgage company or loan servicer? Lots of people do, and thousands of them have been turning to a federal complaint hotline for action – or at least a quick response from the lender.

Energy savers due a break on mortgages
By Kenneth HarneyBy Kenneth Harney | March 29, 2013

If you buy or own an energy-efficient house, does this make you less likely to default on your mortgage? Is there a connection between the monthly savings on utility costs and the probability that you’ll pay your loan on time?

Hard to see ‘green’ on resale homes
By Kenneth Harney | March 22, 2013

When it comes to energy efficiency and “green” features in homes, there’s a chasmic disconnect in the marketplace among consumers, real estate appraisers and the nation’s realty sales system.

Look what’s in your house now
By Kenneth Harney | March 15, 2013

Home equity is back! And it’s growing fast: According to the latest data from the Federal Reserve, Americans’ net equity holdings in their houses jumped by nearly half a trillion dollars during the last three months of 2012, and have increased by $1.7 trillion since the spring of 2011.

Now it’s a renters’ market
By Kenneth HarneyBy Kenneth Harney | March 8, 2013

Could rental houses owned and managed by deep-pocketed hedge funds and big investors be the post-bust steppingstones to homeownership for huge numbers of renters?

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Kenneth Harney
Kenneth Harney
Kenneth Harney, who lives in Washington, D.C., writes an award-winning column on housing and real estate.