Why Falling Homeownership May Be a Good Thing" alt="Why Falling Homeownership May Be a Good Thing" />

By Dan Caplinger Ever since the end of the boom years of the early 2000s, the housing market has struggled to hit bottom, seemingly plowing ever lower even after years of declines. As a result, millions of former homeowners have lost their homes, while millions more owe more on their mortgages than their current homes ... Continue Reading »

Homes Lose $700 Billion in Value in 2011, Report Says" alt="Homes Lose $700 Billion in Value in 2011, Report Says" />

By Sheryl Nance-Nash The year-end housing news is sobering -- U.S. homes are expected to lose more than $681 billion in value in 2011. But there's an upside -- that's 35 percent less than the $1.1 trillion lost in 2010, according to new research from Zillow, a real estate information marketplace. What else did the ... Continue Reading »

Taking a Tax Loss When Property Value Declines" alt="Taking a Tax Loss When Property Value Declines" />

In today's episode of "Money and Happiness," DailyFinance's Laura Rowley turns to taxes. A reader asks: If I sell property at a loss, can I deduct it on my taxes? Watch the video for the answer. Got a question for Laura? Check out more Money and Happiness videos on DailyFinance. ... Continue Reading »

Homeownership: From American Dream to Nightmare?" alt="Homeownership: From American Dream to Nightmare?" />

By Sheryl Nance-Nash Here's more evidence that the foreclosure crisis has changed the way we think about homeownership's place in the American dream. Nearly half of those polled in a newly released survey said that owning a home today was a "nightmare." Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed by Home Value Insurance ... Continue Reading »

One Homeowner's Foreclosure Clock: 2 Years and Counting" alt="One Homeowner's Foreclosure Clock: 2 Years and Counting" />

By Laura Rowley Losing your home to foreclosure is traumatic, no doubt. And for a variety of reasons--from internal bank bureaucracy and missteps to slow-moving government programs--the pain can stretch out for months. It takes an average of 336 days for a home to move through the foreclosure process, from the first ... Continue Reading »