Avoiding Foreclosure: Declaring Bankruptcy Sometimes Helps" alt="Avoiding Foreclosure: Declaring Bankruptcy Sometimes Helps" />

It's sad but true. Americans are increasingly filing for bankruptcy in order to avoid foreclosure. Katherine Porter, a bankruptcy expert at Harvard Law School, estimates that 75 percent of Chapter 13 filings fall into this category. "Despite all the government programs, bankruptcy is probably the most commonly used ... Continue Reading »

Distressed Homes: Toll Brothers Invests Instead of Building More" alt="Distressed Homes: Toll Brothers Invests Instead of Building More" />

You can't blame them for trying to make lemonade. Toll Brothers, the nation's largest builder of luxury homes, says it has launched an investment firm to take advantage of the housing bust. Gibraltar Capital and Asset Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary, will trade distressed property and loan portfolios, take over ... Continue Reading »

Buy vs. Rent: Now Buying Is Cheaper in Big Cities" alt="Buy vs. Rent: Now Buying Is Cheaper in Big Cities" />

Credit Suisse is putting numbers to something we already suspect: The gap between the cost of owning and renting an apartment has halved in the past two years. In some locations, it's even cheaper to rent an apartment than to own. In a research report, the firm says the percentage of median household income needed to pay ... Continue Reading »

Home Prices Expected to Drop, but Only a Little, Economists Say" alt="Home Prices Expected to Drop, but Only a Little, Economists Say" />

What a difference a month makes. MacroMarkets' June "home price expectations index" released this morning shows that 56 percent of surveyed experts see home prices dropping this year, compared with only 40 percent who thought so in May. In other words, experts -- the 106 economists, analysts, consultants and academics ... Continue Reading »

New Home Sales Lagged in May, So What's Next?" alt="New Home Sales Lagged in May, So What's Next?" />

It's official: The housing market stinks. So when's the turnaround coming? Sales of new homes went into a freefall in May without the government's artificial lifeline. No wonder homebuilders were feeling so glum in June. Analysts were expecting a dip in the housing market, but nothing this bad. New home sales dropped ... Continue Reading »