The Toyota Rav4 outranks luxury SUVs costing as much as $13,000 more in a new round-up of mid-sized crossover SUVs by the magazine Consumer Reports. Read more…

The Motley Fool - Women face some financial challenges not shared by men. Women tend to live longer and face a higher probability that they might outlive their savings. They may take breaks from contributing to their retirement funds or establishing their careers to have children or care for family members. Some must overcome the daily temptation to spend all their money on fabulous shoes. Read more…

Reuters - Liberty Media will regain ownership of regional sports cable channels in Pittsburgh, Seattle and its home market of Denver, in a deal expected to be announced this week with News Corp. , the Monday's Wall Street Journal said, citing people close to the situation. Read more…

Reuters - Next year will likely bring a second annual decline in existing home sales, the National Association of Realtors predicted on Monday. Read more…

All the research says the functional, easy-to-drive minivan is unloved. Despite its utility and practicality, it can't shake its image as a suburban people mover. Read more…

Karen and Jerod Williams do not act rashly especially when buying houses. They tried to minimize their financial risks. And they live in one of the most affordable housing markets in the country, which, again, decreases their risk. Read more…

AP - Mortgage delinquency and foreclosure rates are on the rise, and the impact could be greatest on low-income families that took out higher-interest loans for risky borrowers, some experts said Monday. Read more…

AP - END OF YEAR GAINS: Instead of using their year-end gains to invest in real estate, most online investors want to put their money back into their portfolios, a recent survey from Scottrade shows. Read more…

Preparing your home to be sold FSBO, or for sale by owner, is not a lot different to preparing your home for a real estate agent to start selling it for you. The only difference is that you are in complete control over the process. To get a good sale price, as well as a quick sale you will need to be determined, and focused on the task at hand, you will also need to get some things organized. Read more…

Think Your Ready To Sell, Aren't You Forgetting Something? Once you have followed all FSBO the steps in part one, you are ready to progress to the outside of your home. Street appeal is very important when it comes to selling your home. Have you ever heard of first impressions? Well the front of your home is your potential buyers first impression. Read more…

Like a Vegas wedding, getting a tattoo can be a regrettable experience. While about one out of four Americans now has a tattoo (up from one out of six in 2003), 17 percent will seek to have it removed at some point, according to a recent study. Read more…

Santa isn't the only one busy around this season - mail carriers are putting in extra effort with two weeks left for holiday shopping. Read more…

On the afternoon of Nov. 6, 2006, Lenny Dykstra tips the bellman at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City a double sawbuck for a bottle of water. He tips the doorman a double sawbuck for opening the door to his limo. The 43-year-old retired baseball player tips the limo driver a C-note for taking him three blocks to Ram Capital Resources, where he'll be trading some options. Read more…

AP - Late mortgage payments shot up in the third quarter as higher interest rates squeezed budgets and made it harder for homeowners — especially those with weaker credit records — to keep up with their monthly obligations. Read more…

The Motley Fool - If you're in the market for a mortgage, you'd do well to arm yourself with some knowledge before you go knocking on lenders' doors. I'll soon point you to where you can learn a lot in short order, but first, here are a few mortgage traps to be wary of, some courtesy of mortgagetrap.org: Read more…

Residents of a Florida trailer park could soon be millionaires if they approve their community board's decision to sell the oceanfront property. Read more…

Reuters - Late payments and new foreclosures on U.S. homes rose in the third quarter and are likely to grow as a massive wave of adjustable-rate mortgages reset at higher interest rates, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday. Read more…

AFP - The US housing market might be faltering, but prices for glitzy Manhattan skyscrapers have soared sky-high in recent months on booming demand for landmark properties. Read more…

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The Motley Fool - Rising interest rates might be great news for your savings accounts, but they're not such great news for anyone whose mortgage rates adjust with the rising tide. In fact, adjustable-rate mortgages appear to be putting a financial strain on some homeowners. Read more…

AP - Donald Anthony has slashed the price on his four-bedroom, two-bathroom house by almost $80,000 — and added $40,000 worth of improvements, including a new kitchen and landscaping in the leafy yard. Read more…

Rarely has there been such an advantageous time to refinance into a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage if you have an adjustable-rate loan. But homeowners' love affair with riskier ARMs is still strong. Read more…

I swore I'd never do it. I'd never be one of those people scrambling at Christmas time trying to get the "hot" toy for my kids. I'd never let commercialism command my life. And my kids' happiness would never depend on just the right piece of molded plastic. Yet there I was ... 5:30 in the morning in the Toys'R'Us parking lot. 34 degrees. Read more…

Reuters - Realogy Corp. , the former Cendant Corp. real estate company known for its Coldwell Banker franchise, said on Sunday that it would be sold for about $6.65 billion to private equity firm Apollo Group. Read more…

Realogy Corp., the former Cendant real estate company known for its Coldwell Banker franchise, said Sunday that it would be sold for about $6.65 billion to private equity firm Apollo Group. Read more…