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Bailout is not a four-letter word

By Lou Barnes, Friday, March 28, 2008.

Mortgage rates rose slightly this week, the lowest-fee 30-year from just below 6 percent to a hair above. Spreads still gape versus Treasurys, at 2.5 percent above the 10-year defying all of the Fed's latest efforts. Five-year ARMs, both conforming and jumbo, are better in availability and rate, but both are scarcer and higher than in January.

The economy itself is in a curious place. This morning's report of a half-percent gain in February personal income was head-scratching good news, not squaring with consumer confidence measures at 16-year lows, some components at 41-year all-time lows.  more...

Painting tips from the pros

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, March 28, 2008.

If you're an avid do-it-yourselfer, you know the value of a simple can of paint for sprucing up walls and revamping tired rooms. But you've probably also experienced the love/hate relationship that seems to be a part of painting, so here are a handful of tips that should make your next paint project a little easier and more enjoyable.  more...

What happened to the mail-order house?

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, March 28, 2008.

A century ago, Henry Ford's canny use of mass production put the automobile -- a former plaything of the wealthy -- within reach of the average American. Since then, mass production has made complex products from clocks to computers affordable to pretty much everyone.  more...

Buyers, you'll be wealthier if you quit renting Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, March 28, 2008.

(This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Read Part 1, "Top questions to ask sellers at listing appointment.")

Are buyers really liars? Not usually -- the challenge is you just haven't asked them the right questions.

One of the biggest obstacles in converting leads into signed business is the agent's inability to stay in question mode rather than tell mode.  more...