Timely News from the Washington Post Real Estate Section:

• Treasury hopes new rules send short sales to the rescue of underwater mortgages March 13, 2010
  With new Treasury Department rules designed to expedite short sales set to take effect April 5, relief can't come soon enough for some area buyers, sellers and real estate agents who have waded through a long and arduous process to get short sales approved by the bank.
  Tracey L. Longo
• New round of foreclosures threatens housing market March 12, 2010
  The housing market is facing swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but have yet to lose their homes, and this is threatening a new wave of foreclosures that could hit just as the real estate market has begun to stabilize.
  Renae Merle
• Landover Hills: location, affordability still draw first-time buyers March 13, 2010
  When Mike Walker and his wife, Kathy, found an affordable house in Landover Hills back in 1979, they were looking for an upgrade from their apartment in nearby Bladensburg. The house was advertised as a "fixer-upper," Mike Walker recalled, and cost $39,500.
  Jim Brocker
• Steven Pearlstein reviews 'The Big Short' by Michael Lewis March 14, 2010
  "The Blind Side" and "Moneyball" author Michael Lewis turns his attention to the U.S. financial crisis.
  Steven Pearlstein
• Green Scene: Pruning tips, groundhog repellent and other gardening advice March 13, 2010
  As daylight saving time begins this weekend, it's a reminder that spring is just around the corner. So we have an assortment of questions that spans the winter-spring boundary.
  Joel M. Lerner
• Expenses incurred buying a house can be a risk March 13, 2010
  I tried to buy a house. I applied for a loan, and the bank processed it as a Federal Housing Administration loan instead of a conventional loan. The house I was buying failed the FHA inspection, and I did not buy it.
  Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
• Mortgage interest rates down for second week as home loan applications rise March 13, 2010
  Mortgage interest rates declined for a second consecutive week as the number of home loan applications rose.
  Post
• Affordable housing needs some public funding March 13, 2010
  Fairfax County aspires to greatly increase the amount of affordable housing at Tysons Corner for workers who now must commute there from afar, consuming time and fossil fuel while contributing to traffic congestion. But this newspaper reported recently that achieving Tysons's affordable housing...
  Roger K. Lewis
• How to paint and protect steps March 13, 2010
  DEAR TIM: I stopped by a friend's house the other day as she was painting the wood steps leading to her basement. She was using a stencil, and it looked fantastic. What's the best paint for steps? How do you keep the steps from getting scuffed? -- Pam W., Green Bay, Wis.
  Tim Carter
• Featured Advertiser March 13, 2010
• Lender blames escrow shortage for $400 increase in monthly mortgage payment March 13, 2010
  Q: We have owned our house for many years, and the lender has always escrowed money to pay our real estate taxes and insurance. This year, we received a notice from the lender that our monthly mortgage payment will increase by over $400 because there is an escrow shortage. Can we cancel the escrow...
  Benny L. Kass
• Some tax issues to consider on mortgage write-downs March 13, 2010
  With the Obama administration and private lenders actively considering mortgage principal-reduction programs to help financially distressed homeowners, the Internal Revenue Service has issued a new advisory to taxpayers who receive -- or seek to receive -- such assistance. The IRS gets involved in...
  Kenneth R. Harney
• Washington area housing market is getting competitive again, buyers and brokers report March 13, 2010
  It's getting competitive out there in the Washington area housing market, according to real estate brokers and buyers. And February market statistics just reported from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, the local multiple listing service, back up their reports.
  Elizabeth Razzi
• Landover Hills March 13, 2010
  BOUNDARIES: Route 450 to the north, Parkwood Street to the south, 72nd Avenue and the Bellemeadsubdivision to the east and the Radiant Valley subdivision to the west.
  Post
• Guidelines for new short-sale rules March 13, 2010
  What sellers can expect from participating lenders starting in April:
  Post
• Unlocking mysterious door problem; reducing metal corrosion March 13, 2010
  Our house, which was built in 1998, has three upstairs bedrooms. The door to one bedroom doesn't fully close in the winter, but it works fine in the summer. The door to a second bedroom doesn't close well in the summer, but it works fine in the winter. The third door works fine year-round. What is...
  Gene Austin
• Politics, shaky economy create no rush to restructure Fannie and Freddie March 11, 2010
  The federal government has spent the past half year seeking to roll back its emergency efforts at propping up the financial markets -- with the notable exception of its involvement in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
  Zachary A. Goldfarb
• Fairfax's affordable housing plan might not change Tysons March 7, 2010
  Priced out of living in Tysons Corner, many among the 100,000-member workforce have been known to commute from as far as Fredericksburg and Oxon Hill, and even from points in West Virginia.
  Kafia A. Hosh
• The recession has hurt many people's credit scores. How to fix it? March 6, 2010
  The recession may have done a number on your credit score, even if it spurred you to reform spendthrift ways and cut up your credit cards. For many, the drops have come at the same time that lenders have tightened their standards and demanded higher scores to get the best interest rates.
  Kimberly Lankford
• Huntington Terrace: An eclectic 'American village' in Md. March 6, 2010
  Pedestrian-friendly Huntington Terrace in Bethesda is celebrating its centennial this year. Narrow streets -- about 20 feet, curb to curb -- pass homes with mature trees and modest front yards. Children can walk to Bradley Hills Elementary School without having to cross busy streets.
  Ann Cameron Siegal