Archive for December, 2008

BRIEF-Kaufman & Broad agrees new credit terms, sales fall

Kaufman & Broad SA: * Says 2008 sales down 15.7 percent * Agrees new credit terms with its bankers.


Founder of NC outlet chain passes CEO title to son

The founder of a North Carolina-based outlet chain is passing the title of chief executive to his son this week.


Property boom in Baghdad

The financial crisis is sending property prices in many parts of the world into a tailspin, but one place is defying the global trend: Baghdad.


November home sales fall in Illinois

November home sales in Illinois fell nearly 34 percent compared with the year-ago month, reflecting the economy’s deepening woes, a trade group reported Tuesday.


Chat Plus: Should I Refinance at 4.75?

Real estate editor Maryann Haggerty and writer Elizabeth Razzi respond to a question adapted from a recent online chat.


Warnings to Combat Burglaries Carry New Urgency During Recession

They’re holiday rituals of the Grinchy sort, annual warnings from local police telling us how to protect ourselves from burglary and theft during the dark, wintry days of the holiday season. Basically, their advice is don’t flash what you’ve got, and do lock up everything you can. It’s simple eno…


Housing market's woes could get worse

Despite aggressive government efforts to lower mortgages rates, other forces appear to be  prolonging one of the nation’s deepest housing downturns on record.


Green building stalls amid lower prices

Homebuilders slapped on solar panels and added other eco-friendly enhancements as energy prices soared earlier this year, hoping greener homes would lure reluctant buyers.


Sales of preowned homes in West climbed in Nov.

Sales of existing homes in the Western U.S. rose last month from a year ago, fueled primarily by buyers in a few states snatching up sharply discounted foreclosed homes, according to two reports released …


Bomb hits French Basque country real-estate agency

BAYONNE, France : A bomb exploded in a real-estate agency in southwest France and a Basque independence slogan was spray-painted on the building’s facade, police said Thursday.