Valerie Fitzgerald's (valeriefitzgerald) Blog

 Take a close, hard look at the new $6,500 federal tax credit for so-called move-up home buyers that passed the Senate and House recently. Though it's been getting second billing to the original $8,000 credit for first-time purchasers -- now extended by Congress through June 30 -- the $6,500 cred...

First-time buyers made up a bigger share of the housing market in 2009 than any other year on record, according to a study released this afternoon. The number of first-time home buyers rose to 47% of all home sales from 41% of transactions in last year’s study, and was the highest on record dati...

Many say time is one life’s most important luxuries.   Celebrities and the well-heeled are becoming more socially conscious - sharing their time, leveraging their power in the press and redefining what luxury means in the process.   On Wednesday, Ashton Kutcher bought wife Demi Moore a brand new...

The Carlyle Residences is a brand new 24-story crescent-shaped luxury condominium tower that's located at the center of Wilshire Corridor’s “Golden Mile" in Los Angeles, CA. Built by ELAD Properties and developer of New York City’s Plaza Hotel, the building has 78 private luxury residences rangin...

Millions of additional people may be able to take advantage of the new and improved first-time home-buyer tax credit now, and it's not just for first-time home buyers anymore. You may qualify. President Obama signed legislation Friday to extend unemployment benefits to American workers. The law a...

Congress's extension and expansion of the $8,000 tax credit through next June 30 should take the pressure off first time home buyers who've been rushing to close deals before the November 30 deadline.   That deadline is now gone. Everybody's got until next June 30 to settle on their purchases. Bu...

Though the housing market is displaying some signs of health, economists say they could be misleading. Home prices in Los Angeles County edged up in October, while sales volume continued a slow downward drift after sizzling through the summer. The increasing prices represented the continuation of...

In recent years, millions of Americans looked at their houses and saw big, fat piggy banks. And it occurred to them to take out big, fat new mortgages. Few did it on the scale of Ronald Burkle.   Mr. Burkle, the grocery-store billionaire, has $56 million in loans against two houses, including $9 ...

As strong market reports on manufacturing, construction and contracts to buy new homes show renewed optimism, The Carlyle Residences, a development of The Elad Group of New York’s Plaza Hotel, sees an influx of international buyers contributing to analysts’ reports. “The building appeals to many...

From SeattlePI.com Undoubtedly consumers have better access to information on real estate listings today than back in the days when they had to search through want-ads. No one can deny that. But I think that most consumers think that what they have is better than what it really is. They think th...