The Hurdles on the Way to a Better Insurance. In my last several columns, I have discussed a proposal for a new type of mortgage insurance that I think would help solve many of the problems with the current mortgage system.

Don't Overlook the Kitchen Exhaust. Q: DEAR TIM: The plans for my new kitchen call for a range hood exhaust fan. Is one fan more effective than another? Years ago, the downdraft exhaust fans were popular. What kind of fan is in your kitchen? How do I make sure the one I select will adequately ventilate my kitchen?.

Born of Need, Shaped by Nurturing. In the midst of the Great Depression, 5,700 families applied to live in 885 Prince George's County townhouses and apartments built to make work for unemployed men.

Room to Roam, and Float, in Anne Arundel. It did not take Dan Hurston long to get involved in his new neighborhood. Hurston moved about two years ago to Annapolis Landing in Riva and is already vice president of the homeowners association.

New Tax Credit Amounts To a Free Loan for $7,500. Anyone who has been hesitant about jumping into real estate until conditions settle down should keep in mind these dates: April 9, 2008, through June 30, 2009.

Tax Break on Capital Gains Narrows. Deep in the nearly 700 pages of the new housing bill is a complicated change in the tax code that could affect substantial numbers of people who purchase second homes or investment real estate in the coming decade with an eye to occupying those homes as their main residence later.

Sometimes, It's the Agent Who Wants to Break Up. Q In a recent column about listing agreements, you wrote that you never advise sellers to sign an agreement longer than 90 days. This poses a problem for me.

Mortgage Crisis Reaches Resorts. PARK CITY, Utah -- With the developer forced into bankruptcy court, Hugh Smith worries about the $1 million he and a partner sunk into bare lots at Promontory, a half-built, sprawling residence club in a town saturated with second homes for the wealthy.

Your First Negotiation: the Agent's Commission. Home sellers could save money by thinking of real estate commissions as an agent's asking price. It's something that's open to negotiation.

Fewer Loans, But Still More Fraud. You might assume that with home purchases and new mortgage volume off by 30 percent or more in many markets in the past year, loan fraud would be down as well.

Avon In a Wink Instant Eye Shadow Sheets: Does it Work? Want to save some time in the morning applying your make-up? Why not sweep one of Avon's new In a Wink eyeshadow sheets across your eye lids and walk out of the door? But Does it Work? After one glimpse of the..

Businesses resist price rollbacks, despite oil's fall. As oil prices surged this year, manufacturers raised the prices of a lot of products - not just gasoline but lotions, toothpaste, plastics and many more that use oil as a raw material.

P&G purchases scalp care products maker Nioxin. Procter & Gamble Co. has acquired Nioxin Research Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of professional scalp care products for thinning hair.

Optimism gushes from Petrofac despite slowdown and price falls. Oil services firm Petrofac insisted that demand for its operations remained "very strong" and that its full-year results would be at the top end of forecasts, despite the slowing global economy and a falling..

Engineering giant acquires Anchorage firm. URS Corp. said today it has acquired most of the assets of Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc., an Anchorage engineering firm.

Architectural firm splits in 2. One of the nation's biggest architectural firms is splitting into two companies.

Barnhart to participate in Habitat for Humanity build. Barnhart Inc., a subsidiary of Heery International, will partner with the city of Chino Hills and Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity in construction of a new single-story, 1,200-square-foot home at the Los..

White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd adopts new dividend policy of USD1 per share annually. The board of directors of White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd, a property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses operator, revealed that on 27 August 2008, at it regular meeting, the board adopted a..

Manhattan House Project.. The Real Estate Finance Bureau of the State of New York Office of the Attorney General has declared locally based O'Connor Capital Partners' Manhattan House's offering plan effective.

HOK Group Transfers Ownership of HOK Sport Venue Event Practice. The Board of HOK Group, Inc. and managers of HOK Sports Facilities, LLC have jointly agreed to transfer ownership of HOK Sport Venue Event to leaders of that practice.