Source: IMDb

The born-and-raised Texas actor Matthew McConaughey has reportedly settled down on a 9-acre estate outside Austin with his fiancé, Camila Alves. According to The Real Estalker, the sure sign of the movie star’s presence was his trademark Airstream parked on the driveway.

[See other movie stars' homes]

Best known for his roles in romantic comedies, as well as his chiseled physique, McConaughey currently owns a surf-side Malibu home but spends quite a bit of time in the Lone Star State. Now that he’s the father of two little boys — and engaged to Alves — it looks like the Austin property will be a little more practical for his family. The listing notes that his home is “within walking distance to the area’s finest public and private schools.”

McConaughey’s home has bounced on and off the Austin real estate market since 2008 with several price cuts. According to property records, it was first listed at $6,600,000 and dropped to the most recent price of $4,000,000 in November 2010. The home was taken off the market in early January 2012. It’s likely that McConaughey snagged the home for less than the last listing price.

[See stars who sold homes with a price cut.]

Built in 1997, the Lake Austin-area home was designed to imitate works by mid-century Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner. The three-story, 10,800-square foot home has 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms as well as several decks and patios for optimal outdoor living.

On Feb. 7, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 3.66 percent – the lowest rate reported since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008.The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered between 3.67 and 3.72 percent for the majority of the week, dropping to the current rate early this morning.

“Mortgage rates showed little change this past week as investors continued to purchase U.S. mortgage bonds that they consider relatively insulated from global uncertainty,” said Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. “In the coming week, unless there are major new developments out of Greece that might trigger a dip in rates, we expect rates to remain flat to slightly up since lenders are busy with new loans from homeowners anxious to take advantage of historically low interest rates.”

Additionally, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate this morning was 3.0 percent and for 5/1 ARMs, the rate was 2.74 percent.

What are the rates right now? Check Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for up-to-the-minute mortgage rates for your state.

[See "Why Landlords Charge High Security Deposits"]

While it’s never nice to be presented with an eviction notice, there are ways to deal with it gracefully.  Even though eviction laws vary from state to state, and every situation is different, there are some things you can do if you find an eviction notice taped to your door.

1. Don’t ignore the notice.  Whether the notice is considered a legit, court-ordered notice posted by the sheriff or an “empty threat” note posted by an angry landlord, you MUST respond.
2. Respond with common courtesy.  If you feel that the eviction is unfair, then the beauty of this country is that you can have your say in the matter in front of a judge.  However, if you really are behind on your payments and/or have broken some sort of agreement to pay (i.e., a lease or mortgage agreement), then you will likely need to have a really good reason for non-payment.  But you can’t go screaming, yelling or cussing at the landlord or the judge.  Be professional, you’ll get farther with both and maybe find some leniency that is fair.  Just be sure that you have your ducks in a row and have documented everything.
3. Initiate a conversation with the landlord and propose some sort of payment arrangement.  Maybe you can’t make the entire $1,000/month payment, but you can make it in pieces.  Chances are your landlord doesn’t want another vacancy, so maybe they would be willing to make arrangements in which you would pay $500 at the beginning of each month and $550 in the middle of the month for a short term.  If possible, show good faith by offering to pay a little more to the landlord (call it capped late fees) for their efforts.
4. Follow through.  Whether you make payment arrangements or some other sort of agreement, you must follow through.  If you can’t keep the arrangement that are agreed to, then ask the landlord if they have another rental that is less expensive for you to move into that will meet your budget.
5. Accept that truth is truth.  Maybe there is no way of working something out and you must really vacate your home before the landlord and sheriff physically move you and your stuff to the curb. There is nothing wrong with downsizing until you get back on your feet.  Your landlord knows that sometimes people fall on hard times and chances are they are not completely heartless, especially if they see that you are trying.  Therefore, be cooperative and when you are back on your feet, you may still be able to use the landlord as a future reference.

[See "Why Renter's Insurance is Important"]

Notice that every single one of these tips are related to some sort of communication.  Evictions aren’t pretty, but if you do find yourself in one then take a deep breath and let all the parties know what is going on.  Whether it be an exit plan on how and when you are moving out of the property or a payment arrangement plan, good communication will make a sour situation easier to handle.

Jessica Hickok is a REALTOR® Broker and Property Manager/Landlord with Dizmang Properties, Inc. (www.getpaul.com) in Springfield, Missouri. She can also be found on Twitter as @SugarCube.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

Howard Hanna president, Hoby Hanna, has posted a short video with his thoughts on his company’s new marketing partnership with Zillow.

Click image above, or watch it here.

Now, the new GOP front-runner, Rick Santorum, has his own real estate pickle.

The last time Rick Santorum was in the middle of a high-stakes campaign with national implications, he was the incumbent U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and the No. 3-ranking Republican. But in 2006, when Santorum’s seat was successfully targeted by Democrats, the outspoken conservative found himself trying to answer this question:

Where, exactly, does Santorum call home?

Santorum became mired in a residence controversy after stating that he spent only “maybe a month a year” at his Pennsylvania home on Stephens Lane, which is part of the Penn Hills real estate market just outside of Pittsburgh.

When he was the Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum and his family lived in this Leesburg, VA home. SOURCE: David Pitkin

In reality, Santorum and his family were living in Leesburg, VA, prompting serious questions about why the school district in Penn Hills was paying for his children’s online school tuition for instruction between 2001 and 2004.

Critics complained that Pennsylvania taxpayers were paying 80 percent of the tuition for five of Santorum’s seven children — who lived in Virginia — to attend an online “cyber school.”  The flap forced Santorum to pull his kids from the cyber-school program, but the issue helped doom him against Democrat challenger Bob Casey, who beat Santorum by 18 points. In 2006, the Pennsylvania state Department of Education agreed to pay $55,000 to settle the dispute.

As Santorum surges in polling, the April 24 primary in Pennsylvania will be the first time in six years that the former senator will get tested in what he calls his home state. And that very issue of whether or not Santorum is a Pennsylvania resident haunted him not only during his re-election loss in ’06, but again during his bid to become the GOP nominee.

Santorum's Penn Hills home. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On the campaign trail in Iowa last August, where election officials finally awarded Santorum a caucus win over Mitt Romney, Santorum emphasized his Pennsylvania roots by telling a library gathering that he and his wife, Karen, have some fruit trees back home, where they harvested about 600 early peaches and peeled them to make into jam.

He toted about 40 jars of peach preserves to Iowa, where he dubbed them: “Pennsylvania Presidential Peach Preserves.”

The problem for Santorum in representing himself as a Pennsylvanian despite living in Virginia is that Santorum used that same issue against his opponent in his first bid for the 18th District U.S. Congressional seat. In 1990, Santorum attacked incumbent Democrat Doug Walgren for living in McLean, VA, yet Santorum did the same thing when he later served in the Senate.

Santorum bought this Great Falls, VA home for $2 million in 2007.

Meanwhile, since his 2006 re-election defeat, Santorum has since moved into another home in Virginia. In 2007, he spent $2 million to buy a 5,000-square foot home in Great Falls, VA (above).

While Santorum’s financial rise was powered by consulting contracts with fuel producer Consol Energy Inc., faith advocacy group Clapham Group and American Continental Group, a Washington consultancy, as well as media engagements with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Fox News, he has made no secret of his political ambition.

The question is what will Republican voters in Pennsylvania have to say about his “homecoming” on April 24, where another candidate with Pennsylvania ties — Newt Gingrich, who was born in Harrisburg — has fallen way back in polling since his victory in the South Carolina primary.

> See homes of GOP candidates

Save yourself some arguments later by talk about your money now. Here are a few of the questions you need to ask your soon-to-be spouse:

What would you like to be in 5 or 10 years?

Do you both want children right away? Would one of you prefer to land a new job before you consider having kids? And what about those long-term plans to get a business degree — is that ever going to happen? You need to sit down and have a conversation, discussing your hopes, dreams and aspirations.  Then set priorities and come up with a plan to meet your short and long-term goals, one by one — together. This will help ensure a positive outcome!

What are your assets? Liabilities?

You really need to know where the other person stands (Secrets are lethal!).  If you have assets that need to be protected, consider a pre-nuptial agreement (particularly if this is a second marriage and there are kids, step-kids and others involved — assets often get into the wrong hands!). Saddled with high-interest debt? Come up with a plan to eliminate it — preferably before the marriage.

What is your risk tolerance?

In just every relationship, there’s a spender and a saver, and trust me: this can wreak havoc! What will happen if one person gambles away the future? Poof, there goes the marriage!

What’s your credit like?

Zillow Mortgage Marketplace analysis of more than 25,000 loan quotes and purchase requests shows that you need a credit score of 720 or higher to get the best interest rates. The analysis also indicates that if you have score of 620 or lower, you’re unlikely to get a single loan quote. So much for buying a house together (Yes — lenders will consider both your histories if you’re applying for joint financing)! Know where you each stand — get a copy of your credit from annualcreditreport.com.

Where will you live?

How will you come up with a down payment?   Again, this comes down to basic planning and planning starts with a conversation.  Once you decide on where you would like to live (take time to research neighborhoods,) and what you want in a house (list your priorities – what you can/cannot live with/without), you then need to figure out what you can afford.  This entails taking a hard look at your income and expenses, and ultimately setting up a budget. What can you comfortably afford to pay every month for the next 15, 30 years? Coming up with the down payment is just the start (think: 20 percent).

How will you divvy up financial responsibilities?

Some couples like to combine all their finances; others prefer to have a joint account for the household expenses (which you each contribute to proportionately, based on how much you each make), and separate accounts for personal spending. Do what works best for you and your spending/saving habits.  Just have a system!

Vera Gibbons is a financial journalist based in New York City and is a contributor to Zillow Blog. Connect with her at http://veragibbons.com/.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

Bob brings nearly 25 years of experience in the real estate industry and will be responsible for creating new partner relationships with real estate brokers, agents and multiple listings services (MLSs). Most recently, he was the chief executive officer of Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (ARMLS), one of the largest and most influential MLSs in the nation.

Bemis joined ARMLS as CEO in October 2007, and immediately began an aggressive program of expanding the product options and raising the quality of customer service and support offered to ARMLS’s nearly 30,000 real estate agent practitioners. He is a regular participant on national panels and forums dealing with real estate issues and was named one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders by Inman News in 2011.

Bob’s deep industry knowledge will help Zillow engage with brokerages and MLSs in a mutually beneficial way as we bring expanded communication and cooperation to our current and potential partners.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of building bridges to Zillow’s current and potential partners in the industry, including MLSs, Associations of REALTORS, brokers, agents, appraisers, title companies, mortgage lenders and other service providers. I intend to foster a spirit of cooperation that has sometimes been missing in the dialog between licensed practitioners, their support organizations and the rest of the industry,” said Bemis.  “This is a very exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the continuing success of an industry that I have been a part of for nearly 25 years.”

We look forward to having Bob join us at our Zillow headquarters in Seattle.  Welcome to the team, Bob!

> Read the full press release here

Launched in June 2011, the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace iPhone App was Zillow’s first mortgage app, which brings our innovative mortgage experience to mobile. We’re excited the app has become a go-to financing tool for consumers, providing home shoppers with instant and on-the-go access to financial calculators, lender reviews and ratings, personalized loan quotes, and real-time mortgage rates. These resources all help to answer important mortgage and financing questions whether shopping for homes, or standing in a lender’s office. In fact, the app’s financial calculators, including a payment, refinancing, and affordability calculator, have been used more than 1.7 million times since launch.

If you haven’t tried the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Apps yet, download them from the iTunes store or Android Marketplace today!

With an armload of six Grammy’s, Adele was the big winner Sunday night in Beverly Hills. That was fitting, since Adele recorded portions of her mega-hit album “21″ up the road a few miles in Malibu at one of the most famous studios in modern music.

What was the Londoner doing last September in a California coast bungalow overlooking the Pacific singing ballads about love gone wrong?

Adele trying to handle her Grammy's windfall. SOURCE: People

Turns out that Shangri-La, where legends like Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and many others have camped out and made some of their own landmark discs, was the perfect place to put some distance between her and her British home.

Adele was wooed to Shangri-La by its owner, Rick Rubin, one of the most successful producers ever. Rubin, who has allowed a range of artists like LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Jakob Dylan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and others to soar with pitch-perfect delivery, has eschewed his famous Los Angeles home and recording studio called The Mansion in favor of the low-key, richly vibed Shangri-La.

According to Rolling Stone:

I was expecting it to be really difficult and that I would be quite scared the whole time, being in his company,” she says. “But I’ve never been so chilled out in my life. Rick is the calmest person I’ve ever met. We would jam out a song for a while, and then see what we had.

The famous Shangri-La studio in Malibu, where Adele recorded "21."

About Shangri-La

Originally built by actress Margo Albert, who starred in the movie “Lost Horizon” and who aimed to recreate a mystical place, the Zuma Beach property continues to elicit ethereal performances from some of music’s biggest stars, just as it has over the past 40 years.

The studio and living quarters have been described by The Band drummer Levon Helm as “a clubhouse and studio where we and our friends could record albums and cross-pollinate one another’s music.”

Now with Adele’s big score at the 54th Grammy’s, Shangri-La continues to be a who’s who in recording history, Not only were portions of “21″ recorded there, but the music video for “Rolling in the Deep” was filmed there.

Shangri-La went on the real estate market last May for $4.1 million and fortunately for musicians and music aficionados, the storied placed was purchased by Rubin in August for $2 million.

> See Famous Homes Where American Music Was Made

Adele during an interview with Spin magazine at Shangri-La studio. SOURCE: Spin

2332 N Cliffview Way, Boise, ID (below)
For sale: $1,997,000

What better than to pair a glamorous bedroom with a similarly glamorous dog? This little white pal is hanging out in one of the bedrooms of this high-end Boise home for sale. The 6-bedroom house includes a wet par, pool, library and chef’s kitchen.

125 Rockwood St, Brookline, MA (below)
Off-market

While this Brookline listing has played the real estate game —bouncing on and off the market in the past year — it appears the two dogs in the photo are also playing a game of their own, chasing each other on the nearly 1-acre lot.

8 Marine Ave, Camden, ME (below)
For sale: $4.75 million

Spot the little guy peering down the stairs? Or are you more focused on the sliding barn door and refinished hardwood? This Camden home for sale was built in 1890 as a carriage house for the Norumbega Castle.

2110 Wylie Ave, Missoula, MT (below)
For sale: $330,000

The Mediterranean meets Craftsman Missoula home for sale was built in 1955 but features new appliances and a new hot water heater. The home sits on a nearly a quarter acre, which means there’s plenty of room for Fido to run around.

We’re honored to help the 134 Howard Hanna offices with
more than 4,700 sales associates across Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and West Virginia with their marketing needs.  Howard Hanna president, Hoby Hanna told us, “We talked to our agents, buyers and sellers and found what we were looking for with Zillow — marketing choice and client value.”

Welcome, Howard Hanna – we look forward to working with you!

Read the complete press release here

“Foreclosures to Climb Before Bank Deal Helps U.S. Housing Market” – [Bloomberg Businessweek]

“Should Mortgage Rate Shoppers Care What Happens to Greece?” — [The Mortgage Reports]

“How to Upgrade a Wall Outlet to USB Functionality” – [Apartment Therapy]

“Texas Squatter With $16 McMansion Kicked Out After 8 Months” – [Good Morning America]

“Going Beyond Price Cuts” – [NY Times]

“Wisconsin Boy Saves Grandma’s House from Foreclosure” – [Good Morning America]

Zillow Tweets of the Week

@zillow Took my #Android for a swim…have an #iPhone now. Downloaded and tried the #mortgage app…very useful!

— Susie Holmes (@SusiePghHomes) February 8, 2012

This year, “The Oscars” will be broadcast live Sunday, Feb. 26 (ABC, 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.)  And while the media is abuzz with predictions of who’ll win and what they’ll wear, we are more interested in the homes where this year’s potential winners will stash their golden statues.

Best Picture

Source: IMDb

Steven Spielberg, “War Horse”

As far as famous producers and directors go, Steven Spielberg tops the list. The Best Picture nomination for “War Horse,” which he co-produced, is just another notch in the belt of the prolific director. He has won three Academy Awards and has been nominated for Best Picture and Best Director over 10 times.

When Spielberg isn’t directing or producing his blockbusters, he splits time between his homes in Pacific Palisades, the Hamptons and Malibu. Unlike other celebrities, the director isn’t one to buy and sell properties on a whim; most of his homes he’s owned for over 20 years.

His Malibu home (above), in particular, is a spectacular ocean-side property he bought in 1989 for $3,375,033. The 7,000+-square-foot-home, pictured above, sits on nearly an acre of beachfront property and has 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and the must-have celebrity amenities like an in-ground pool.

Actor in Leading Role

Source: IMDb

Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Although Brad Pitt has been nominated three times previously for an Oscar, the actor has yet to take home a gold statuette. Could the fourth time be the charm?

If Pitt does take home an Oscar, chances are he won’t be stashing it in a home in the U.S. Pitt and his leading woman, Angelina Jolie, as well as their six kids, spend most of their time abroad, specifically in a rental home in southern France. They also own multimillion-dollar homes in Cambodia, and Berlin in addition to homes in New Orleans, and L.A. Pitt also previously owned a home in Malibu he purchased shortly after his divorce to Jennifer Aniston in 2005.

A self-professed architecture buff, Pitt spent months renovating the mid-century modern, pictured above. Although the home has 4,088 square feet of living space with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, it was on the small side for the 8-person Jolie-Pitt clan. Pitt sold the prime piece of Malibu real estate to Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi in December 2011.

Source: IMDb

George Clooney, “The Descendants”

Although he’s one of the most recognizable faces on the big screen, Clooney spent the early part of his career in bit roles on TV shows until he hit international stardom with his role of Dr. Ross on “ER” in 1994. He made the switch to movies in the late 1990s and added directing, producing and screenwriting to his repertoire. This Oscar season, he’s not only nominated for Best Actor, but also Best Writing, Adapted Screen Play for  ”Ides of March.”

Clooney purchased his home in Studio City at the beginning of his success on “ER,” in 1995. The sprawling Studio City home sits on over 3 acres below a nature preserve. The 8-bedroom, mock-Tudor house has a pool and tennis courts. Clooney also owns a home in Laglio, Italy on Lake Como — and it’s often there he meets up with fellow actor and good friend Brad Pitt.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Source: IMDb

Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”

Although Jonah Hill became famous for his roles in comedy films, this Oscar nomination is for his first dramatic performance in “Moneyball.” The actor has had his hand in many projects that called on his many talents, ranging from directing, writing, and producing.

Jonah Hill’s home is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana and was listed as a “natural entertainer’s estate” featuring party-friendly amenities like a pool and spa, endless patios, tennis and bocce ball court. This isn’t Hill’s first foray into real estate; he sold a Hollywood condo in 2008 for $835,000 and still owns a home on Mulholland Drive.

Actress in a Leading Role

Source: IMDb

Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”

Glenn Close began her acting career on Broadway and didn’t break into the film industry until she was 35 with her role in “The World According to Garp” alongside Robin Williams. The Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe-award winning actress has yet to win an Oscar, but her nomination for Albert Nobbs is her sixth nomination.

Born and raised in Greenwich, CT, Close spends her time on the East Coast in both Manhattan, and Bedford Hills, NY.

Her Bedford Hills estate, pictured above, sits on 10 acres. Just north of Manhattan, the hills of Westchester County, and in particular,  Bedford real estate, is appealing to many celebrities. Close can count Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren and celeb couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones among her Bedford Hills neighbors.

Source: IMDb

Viola Davis, “The Help”

Like Close, Viola Davis rose to prominence with roles on the stage and has two Tony awards to her name. Since her move to the big screen, she’s been nominated for numerous awards, including best supporting actress for her role in “Doubt.”

Davis purchased a suburban home in Granada Hills, CA, pictured above, in 2005 with her husband Julius Tennon. The 5-bedroom, 5-bath home sits on a quarter acre with 3,917 square feet of living space.

Source: IMDb

Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Michelle Williams first swept audiences and critics off their feet with her performance in the 2005 film, “Brokeback Mountain,” for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination. Her role opposite Ryan Gosling in the romantic drama “Blue Valentine” caught critics’ eye, too, nabbing her both a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She earned both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for her role as Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn,” for which she already picked up the Golden Globe.

Williams spends her time off the big screen with her daughter, Matilda Rose, in their cozy, 4-floor house in Brooklyn, NY (pictured above). Williams’ slice of Brooklyn real estate was purchased with late actor and ex-fiance, Heath Ledger, in 2005 for a reported $3.6 million. Ledger, also Matilda’s father, passed away from a reported drug overdose in January 2008.

Source: IMDb

Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”

After performing for 10 years as a stand-up comedienne, Melissa McCarthy made her big break into acting in a supporting role on TV’s popular show” Gilmore Girls.” She then took first billing in the TV show “Mike & Molly,” for which she received an Emmy award. Her role in the comedy “Bridesmaids” is her first Oscar nomination.

McCarthy and husband fellow actor and writer Ben Falcone purchased a modest (by celebrity real estate standards) Toluca Lake home, above, for $780,000 in 2009. The 3-bedroom, 2-bath home is only minutes from network studios,making it an easy commute for both McCarthy and Falcone.

50000 Royal St., Park City UT
For sale: $49,500,000

Source: Forbes

When you have nine children and 56 grandchildren, your winter vacation getaway probably leans more toward mansion than cabin.

Jon Huntsman, Sr.’s Park City home has 20,000 square feet of living space and 12 bedrooms — two of which are bunk bedrooms with 20 mattresses — enough room for his children and grandchildren, as well as any guests.

The father of former Republican presidential nominee Jon Huntsman, Jr., Huntsman Sr. began his business career in an egg-producing company in Los Angeles. He rose through the ranks, culminating with his contributions in the invention of the plastic egg carton. That success led him to form the Huntsman Container Corporation, which manufactured the “clamshell” container for McDonald’s Big Mac and as well as plastic plates, bowls and containers for other fast-food companies. He then founded Huntsman Chemical, transitioning it to the Huntsman Corporation, which went public in 2005.

The Huntsman patriarch designed the home for his family in 1989 out of reclaimed logs from the forests surrounding Yellowstone Park, said listing agent Paul Benson of Summit Sotheby’s International Realty.

“The whole home, even the guest rooms, are filled with timber ceilings and walls,” explained Benson.

The home contains several living areas with cathedral ceilings, stone fireplaces and picture windows, as well as a dining room that seats 20, a paneled library, fitness center and children’s playrooms and massive indoor pool.

Many of the furnishings in the home are available for purchase as well. Benson notes that the estate holds one of the largest collections of American Indian art in the U.S.

Situated in Utah’s ski haven of Upper Deer Valley on 60 acres, the property is private, yet accessible. The seclusion of the home is perfect for the Huntsman family to entertain high-profile guests. Huntsman Sr. previously served as the Republican Party of Utah national committeeman,  as well as the Special Assistant and Staff Secretary to President Nixon. Before running as a Republican party presidential nominee this past year, Huntsman Jr. was formerly Utah governor and an ambassador to China under President Obama.

Huntsman Sr. first listed his home on the Park City real estate market in September 2009 for $55 million. The house was removed in April 2010 and later re-listed with its current lower price. According Benson, Huntsman is letting go of the property to focus on his new development: Huntsman Springs, a golf course and high-end community in Driggs, Idaho

According to Zillow’s mortgage payment calculator, a monthly payment on Huntsman’s estate would be $182,093, assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year-fixed rate mortgage.

Related:

Homes of GOP nominees

The Homes That Inspire Fashion Week

Heartbreak Homes: Divorced Celebs and Their Former Love Nests

Obviously, the scenario where you are still paying monthly for your housing is not an optimal scenario. Luckily, you can do a lot to increase the chances that the real estate you own will have been a net wealth builder over your lifetime. You do this by educating yourself and reducing the risk on real estate you buy and own. It is the real estate choices you make decades before you retire that will probably will be the difference between a comfortable retirement or living on social security to social security check (Note: We all know that Social Security may not be around a few decades from now).

Of course, saving and investing money in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, etc. is also vital to your retirement picture; but your financial adviser can assist you with those issues. In this article, we are just concentrating on real estate.

Making smart choices on real estate during your lifetime, which really effectively means not losing money on high risk real estate and avoiding money-draining real estate choices, will be a big help towards a relaxing retirement future.

The first issue that you should consider in making good retirement choices can be summed up here in determining whether or not your investment is an asset (buy those) or liability (skip those!!!):

Personal Residences:

• Asset = You can comfortably afford the payments, it is not significantly less expensive to rent instead of owning, you bought a modest home for your wealth level, and you plan to own it a long, long time.
• Liability = You are financially stretching to make the monthly payments.

Investment Rental Property:

• Asset = You are positive on net cash flows and are earning a fair rate of return on your invested equity capital; for the corresponding risk you are taking for the type of property you are buying, and you plan to own it a long, long time.
• Liability = You are negative on cash flows or you try to quickly buy and resell real estate at a profit.

If the real estate you buy is an asset, it is more likely to add to your net wealth and help your finances at retirement. Buying liabilities will probably not help your retirement.

You also need to consider if your real estate purchase is a safe and sound purchase, because the lower risk choices you make, the more likely it will add wealth to your retirement. And the actions you take when buying and owning property will determine whether or not you made safe choices. For example:

• Did you buy properties that were generally in good shape and not fixer-uppers? Fixer uppers generally drain a buyer of cash (that could be invested elsewhere) and probably will not add wealth to your retirement for a number of reasons.
• Did you avoid investing money in any real estate deal that seemed too good to be true? You may miss out on some opportunities in taking this strategy, but real estate is very high risk and many people lose money on real estate by putting their equity cash into something that sounds too good to be true. If it sounds too good to be true in real estate, it almost ALWAYS is too good to be true.
• Did you review the financial, operational and legal condition of any homeowners association if you are buying into that community? A community in poor shape usually means you will pay the price over time with higher fees or special assessments.
• Did you get a fair deal on your mortgage financing by getting a couple of bids for your business and did you take out long-term fixed rate financing?
• Are you carrying the proper type and amount of homeowner’s insurance for your property and your risk issues? Do you have an umbrella policy to increase your liability coverage if you have rental properties?
• Rental properties; Are you working hard to get good tenants and keep them as long as possible by treating them well? That includes buying lower risk decent properties and keeping them in good shape.
• When you are buying properties, did you adequately review the title abstract and title insurance policy, plus get a survey or at least review the plat and walk the property to see if anything appears strange?

There are many other tasks you can do to reduce your risk, help make the real estate you buy an asset instead of a liability, and hence add net wealth to your retirement. But it all starts with avoiding bad, high-risk real estate, which are money draining mistakes.

Educating yourself on how to avoid those wealth-destroying decisions will hopefully turbo-charge your retirement. The end result, decades down the road, may be the difference that gives you that comfortable retirement lifestyle.

Leonard Baron, MBA, CPA, is a San Diego State University Lecturer, a Zillow Blogger, the author of several books including “Real Estate Ownership, Investment and Due Diligence 101 – A Smarter Way to Buy Real Estate”, and loves kicking the tires of a good piece of dirt! See more at ProfessorBaron.com.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

If you follow Zillow Blog, you know two things. First, we here at Zillow love a good giveaway. Second, we’re huge fans of home shopping on-the-go using Zillow’s Mobile apps.

That’s why for the next two weeks we are inviting Twitter users to connect with @Zillow for a chance to with a $500 Amazon gift card.

Here’s how it works:

1. Follow @Zillow on Twitter.

2. Tweet @Zillow the name of your smartphone of choice with a Zillow Mobile app. A complete list of smartphones compatible with Zillow apps can be viewed here: http://www.zillow.com/mobile/.

3. Your tweet must include the words “I love my” and the hashtag #ZillowMobile in your tweet. Example: “@Zillow I love my Droid #ZillowMobile” or “@Zillow I love my iPhone #ZillowMobile”.

Don’t own a smartphone? No problem.You are still eligible to enter. Simply check out Zillow’s selection of mobile apps, and tweet us with the the name of smartphone you’d like to be using to shop for homes on-the-go.

ENTER NOW

Source IMDb

Elijah Wood

Listing Price: $1,850,000
Sold Price: $1,759,000

“The Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood recently sold his Santa Monica home for $1.759 million. The 2,130-square foot home, which was listed as an opportunity to remodel, hit the Santa Monica real estate market this summer with an asking price of $1.85 million. Wood’s home is a classic 1920s Spanish-style bungalow with a wood-burning fireplace and hardwood floors as well as a Victorian-style front door and British brewery cast-iron tiles in the foyer.

> See more photos of Elijah Wood’s home (below)

Source: People.com

Anna Kournikova

Listing Price: $9,400,000
Sold Price: $7,400,000

Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova recently let go of her Miami Beach estate for two million dollars less than her original asking price. Her beach home sits on a waterfront lot on the luxurious and private Sunset Island, an area of Florida preferred by many celebs, including her longtime singer boyfriend Enrique Iglesias as well as rocker Lenny Kravitz. The 6,630-square foot Mediterranean-style house is within the gated community on the island and features 150 feet of frontage on the Intracoastal Waterway, as well as a large dock. Although the home surprisingly doesn’t include a tennis court, it does boast some impressive amenities including a two-story guest house, sauna, large heated pool and Jacuzzi surrounded by a coral rock pool deck and a covered dining area “perfect for outdoor entertaining.”

> See more photos of Anna Kournikova’s home (below)

Source: People.com

Penelope Cruz

Listing Price: $3,695,000
Sale Price: $2,888,000

This past December, Academy Award-winning actress Penelope Cruz finally said “adios” to her 3,334-square foot mansion for $2.88 million. The property had been on the market for more than a year and records show that the final price was $807,000 less than Cruz originally sought and $250,000 less than what she bought it for back in 2005. The 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom Balinese-modern style home was built in 1956, and as since been completely updated by the star and husband Javier Bardem. The unique piece of Hollywood Hills real estate is tucked in a cul-de-sac near Sunset Strip and features high ceilings, carved-wood doors, private courtyard, bamboo floors, and an in-ground heated pool with a luxurious tented cabana.

> See more photos of Penelope Cruz’s home (below)

Source: IMDb

Pamela Reed

Listing Price: $2,995,000
Sold For: $2,710,000

Television actress Pamela Reed, best known for her roles in “Parks and Recreation,” Bravo’s’ “United States of Tara” and “Jericho,” did a little better than the previous stars with the recent sale of her Mid-Wilshire home. Although the home sold for less than its listing price, it was still $1.785 million more than Reed’s 1996 purchase price. Reed’s home includes 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, as well as a guest house and cabana with a full bathroom. The home is light filled with an open floor plan that includes a living room with fireplace, grand dining room, den with built-ins, maid’s quarters and basement rec room. The master bedroom features a large bath, walk-in closet and fireplace.

> See more photos of Pamela Reed’s home (below)

> Check out more celebrity homes that recently sold

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

Today in Washington DC, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced details of the mortgage relief settlement, outlining key provisions of the $26 billion federal-state mortgage foreclosure pact, details of which can be found on the new National Mortgage Settlement website.

The act ends more than 13 months of negotiations between state attorneys general and banks and has the approval of every U.S. state attorney general except Oklahoma. The act will become official once it has been ruled on by a judge. The settlement was agreed upon by five of the nation’s largest lending institutions: JP Morgan/Chase, Citi, Ally, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

With the settlement, banks have agreed that flawed or abusive practices were used in foreclosure processes and have set aside funds to re-mediate homeowners who were foreclosed upon or whose homes are worth less than the mortgages.

“The best thing about the mortgage settlement is that it’s done,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries.

“It will be a good thing for many individuals – and therefore is worthwhile – but it’s important to manage our expectations of the effect it will have on the economy. As far as helping the housing market as a whole, it’s a drop in the bucket. To put it into perspective, negative equity is a $750 billion problem, and this settlement designates $17 billion for mortgage relief.”

The settlement is outlined to provide:

• Immediate aid to homeowners needing loan modifications now, including first and second lien principal reduction. The servicers are required to work off up to $17 billion in principal reduction and other forms of loan modification relief nationwide. State attorneys general anticipate the settlement’s requirement for principal reduction will show other lenders that principal reduction is one effective tool in combating foreclosure and that it will not lead to widespread defaults by borrowers who really can afford to pay.
• Immediate aid to borrowers who are current, but whose mortgages currently exceed their home’s value.  Borrowers will be able to refinance at today’s historically low interest rates. Servicers will have to provide up to $3 billion in refinancing relief nationwide.
• Immediate payments to borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure with no requirement to prove financial harm and without having to release private claims against the servicers or the right to participate in the OCC review process.  $1.5 billion will be distributed nationwide to some 750,000 borrowers.
• Immediate payments to signing states to help fund consumer protection and state foreclosure protection efforts.
• First ever nationwide reforms to servicing standards; something that no other federal or state agency has been able to achieve. These servicing standards require single point of contact, adequate staffing levels and training, better communication with borrowers, and appropriate standards for executing documents in foreclosure cases, ending improper fees, and ending dual-track foreclosures for many loans.
• State AG oversight of national banks for the first time.  Something no court could award.
• National banks will be required to regularly report compliance with the settlement to an independent, outside monitor that reports to state Attorneys General.Servicers will have to pay heavy penalties for non-compliance with the settlement, including missed deadlines.

However, attorneys general in states like New York, California, Florida, Delaware and Michigan have negotiated into the settlement their rights to seek legal recourse against banks for claims not covered by this settlement.

This agreement holds the banks accountable for their wrongdoing on robo-signing and mortgage servicing.  This settlement does not seek to hold them responsible for all their wrongs over the  years and the agreement and its release preserve legal options for others to pursue.

Specifically, this settlement does not:

• Release any criminal liability or grant any criminal immunity.
• Release any private claims by individuals or any class action claims.
• Release claims related to the securitization of mortgage backed securities that were at the heart of the financial crisis.
• Release claims against Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems or MERSCORP.
• Release any claims by a state that chooses not to sign the settlement.
• End state attorneys general investigations of Wall Street related to financial fraud or the financial crisis.

Here are answers for homeowners seeking information about the settlement.

Here is a list of state contacts for information on the settlement.

Oh, and some really cool lighting fixtures and a tiled shower with two shower heads.

Woo Hoo!

And you know you can’t afford that house because you’ve looked around and nobody’s building that cool house for less than a biodiesel-powered truckload of Krugerrands.

You know that the only way to hold down construction costs on a house is to strip all the niceties away.
The only reasonably priced homes for sale in your area are disposable vinyl and Styrofoam junk or ugly piles of brick and drywall

You’re half right. A typical builder’s “spec” home price gets into the stratosphere when you add all the goodies. But, the good news, you’re half right, too! The reason most houses get ridiculously expensive is that they’re pretty poorly planned.

Plan better – WAY better – and you can get what you want and keep those gold coins in your pocket.
Here are 7 ways to beat the high cost of construction and home improvement:

1) Smaller Is Smarter (Really?)

The summit of obviousness, making a home smaller makes it less expensive. But random hacking away with a machete is the wrong approach – we need a scalpel and a surgeon. So think carefully about redundancy – why do you need a dining room AND a breakfast room AND five stools at the kitchen counter? A living room AND a study AND a family room AND a sitting area in the master suite?

Most of these uses can be combined into the same space – one nice large place to eat, for example.
Think about your furniture and how you arrange it – when you don’t know how a room is going to be used you usually make it much too big.

Carefully trim out the wasted, unused space and put the cash into that homey board-and-batten wainscot you love. Or lots and lots of chocolate.

2) Efficient Use Of Building Materials

Way back when, some really smart guys figured out that if building materials were all designed on a common module, they wouldn’t have to use or waste so much of it. So sheets of drywall and plywood are both 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Which works great on an 8-foot x 16-foot wall, but not so good when it’s 9.5-feet x 17 feet.

Lots of wasted material!

For the same reasons, structural lumber for floors comes from the mill in 2-foot increments. So whose idea was it to make rooms 13-feet wide? Design your house as much as possible on the established modules of building materials and stop filling the dumpster with scrap!

3) Use It Where It Counts, Don’t Use It Where It Doesn’t

I visited Steve Wynn’s Treasure Island Resort in Las Vegas a few years back and remember how impressed I was that the décor in the bathrooms in the furthest back corner of the casino was just as nice as the décor in the baths up front.

But Steve Wynn has a net worth of $2 billion. You probably don’t. So while I hope you become a billionaire, don’t spend like one just yet. Go ahead, put the granite countertops in the kitchen and the master bath, but not in the laundry room. (A classic “Parade of Homes” head-scratcher, that one.)

And your kids can do without solid brass faucets, crown molding, and a hand-painted tile backsplash in their bath. (Go ahead, ask them – they don’t care!)

Same with carpet. Nice stuff in the family room, cheaper everywhere else. Put the money in finishes and fixtures you’ll enjoy every day.

P.S. – Steve Wynn still has his $2 billion AND a hundred bucks of mine.

4) Design for Low Maintenance

This one sounds like a paradox: Spend more here to save more later. Cheap siding, roofing, and windows will cost you way more in the long run than quality components will now. There are entire industries built around the hope that you’ll buy replacement windows and a new roof for your house someday, probably much sooner than you think.

Quality is the tortoise in this race. Do it right the first time.

5) Lower Your Energy Bills – Dramatically

This goes way beyond insulation, Argon-filled glass, and geothermal systems, and will be the subject of a lengthy article in the near future. In the meantime, don’t make the mistake of designing a home that isn’t climate- or site-specific and try to force it to be highly energy efficient – you’ll be addressing less than half the problem.

The real problem you need to solve is how your house DESIGN responds to the climate and the site. For example, don’t put a big wall of glass facing prevailing winter winds where the heat will get sucked out like a black hole.

Remember your 7th-grade geometry, how a square encloses the most area with the least perimeter. Remember how you thought you’d never need to know that? Turns out it comes in handy! So call up your old math teacher and tell her she can be proud because you’re going to use that knowledge in your house design. You’re going to enclose your new highly-efficient floor plan in a relatively square footprint and reduce your heat loss with fewer building materials!

Do this right and you get a big bonus – a tight, energy-efficient house doesn’t need an expensive geothermal heating system at three times the cost of a conventional furnace. Cha-CHING!
Bonus #2 – that square box is going to be better-looking, too…read on.

6) Boxy Is Bee-you-tee-full

We have millions of really great-looking homes in this country, though most were built over 70 years ago. The designers and builders of the first American suburbs were experts at making simple homes elegant and attractive.

Good-looking homes are very often based on relatively simple box forms, properly proportioned, composed, and detailed.

Today, too many designers compensate for their lack of skill by loading the exteriors up with as much stuff as they can – gables, complex roof forms, heroic-scaled arched windows, inappropriate details, etc. Lots of money spent and nobody benefits but the home builder (and the replacement-window guy I mentioned above.)

Keep the house forms simple and you’ll save a ton of green on the building materials. Look to the early 20th century suburbs for inspiration and lessons on the elegant simplicity of the box. You’ll have a better looking home that you can be proud of.

7) Good Design Sells

Speaking of good looking, energy-efficient, less expensive, low maintenance, smaller homes, guess what? They sell faster and for more money! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!!

My all-time favorite blow-my-own-horn story is of my client who (8 years later) sold his house in two weeks – without a real estate agent – for twice what he paid to have it built. All he did was stick a sign out front. The buyer said it was the uniquely functional and interesting floor plan and irresistible exterior design that sold him on it.

How happy do you think he is that he invested in better design?

Richard Taylor is a residential architect based in Dublin, Ohio and is a contributor to Zillow Blog. Connect with him at http://www.rtastudio.com/index.htm.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

So what’s a star to do about a little private place to cozy up without the intrusion of the looming lenses? Find a romantic hideaway — preferably one with an infinity pool, hot tub, and manicured and gated grounds!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re taking a peek past the high walls and security to see where some of the big stars — past and present — hole up with their significant others.

Source: People.com

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux

Since her days on “Friends,” Jennifer Aniston has reaped the “rewards” of stardom like no other, especially since her high-profile split from Brad Pitt. Jennifer’s relationships — and rumors of pregnancies — are a constant source of media fodder.

Her latest relationship with actor Justin Theroux has been no different, especially now that the couple recently purchased a home together. Jen and Justin’s new home is located in the ultra-private and celeb-friendly Bel-Air neighborhood. Priced at $24.9 million, they reportedly snagged the home for around $22 million.

The mid-century modern home, above, was designed in 1965 by noted Los Angeles architect A. Quincy Jones. Set on a 3+ acre promontory with high gates, the home gives Jen and Justin privacy as well as spectacular city views.

Source: US Magazine

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

The vampire couple in the “Twilight” series is a couple in real life too, albeit a super private one. Although it’s commonly reported that they’re together, the two have never formally announced their relationship. They prefer to hide out from the media’s prying eyes in romantic hideaways.

One of “Twilight” stars’ more famous hideaways was a Los Angeles home rental, pictured above, that they snagged last summer. According to previous listing information, the lake home offers “privacy, serenity and tranquility,” perfect for the stars to take a breather between filming. The 5-bedroom, 5-bath home sits on over half an acre of land overlooking the Stone Canyon Reservoir at the end of a gated dead-end drive, but is only minutes from Sunset Strip and the rest of Beverly Hills.

Source: People.com

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen

Gisele Bundchen stands by her man — even when his team loses the Super Bowl. This past weekend the Brazilian supermodel was caught on camera badmouthing the Patriots’ receivers for their Super Bowl performance, something most Boston fans did not appreciate.

Despite her less-than-favorable remarks, Gisele and Tom still have it pretty good. According to Forbes, the beautiful duo is the highest paid celebrity couple, raking in a combined $76 million annually.

Like many couples, the photogenic duo spent their first years of marriage in an apartment. Their home wasn’t just any apartment though; the limestone Boston townhouse, pictured above, was built in 1900 and has over 5,000 square feet of living space.

Recently, Tom and Gisele have upgraded, moving to California, where they constructed a far more sprawling and private living space — a $20 million, 22,000-square foot estate in the Brentwood real estate market in Los Angeles.

Tom Brady’s townhouse is listed on the Boston real estate market for $10.5 million.

Source: People.com

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi

Power couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi met backstage of an awards ceremony in 2004 and began dating shortly after. The two were engaged and married in 2008. For most of their relationship, the two have lived on an enormous custom compound that includes several homes and properties they’ve added over the years. While the 26-acre place was perfect for the animal-loving pair (they own two dogs, three cats, two horses, two cows and two miniature horses) they listed the home on the Beverly Hills real estate market for a whopping $49 million in 2011.

The couple’s new home is a romantic hillside modern, above, located above Malibu’s beaches. Previously owned by another Hollywood power couple — Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — the home has been completely renovated. Containing 4,088 square feet of living space with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms on a 1.26-acre lot, the home will hopefully contain Portia and Ellen’s menagerie.

Source: People Magazine

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz

Previously linked to Matt Damon, Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughy, Penelope Cruz made it official with her smoldering Spanish boyfriend Javier Bardem in 2010 in a private marriage ceremony in the Bahamas.  The Academy-Award winning actors, she for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and he for “No Country for Old Men,” began dating after appearing in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” in 2007.

It would make sense that the romantic stars would have an equally romantic home. Built in 1956, Penelope and Javier’s home has been completely updated, resulting in a Balinese-modern style. However, their home is on the smaller side, at least in terms of celebrity real estate, and may have led the couple and their  to list the home for sale on the Hollywood Hills real estate market. After nearly a year on the market, the home recently sold for $2,888,000.

Source: Wikicommons

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

The love story of the country duo Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash was epic even by Hollywood standards and was portrayed in the film “Walk the Line,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. A second marriage for both of them, the musicians were married in 1968 and toured together for 35 years until they died four months apart in 2003.

While Johnny and June lived the majority of their life together on a sprawling lakefront home in Henderson, TN, Cash moved to a smaller ranch-style home he owned across the street after June died. The ranch house, which was always referred to as “Mama Cash’s house” because it was where Cash’s mother lived, has been listed for sale on and off since 2009. In addition to being the place where Cash last stayed, the house on Claudill Drive once housed some very unique Cash mementos, including the Gold Record for Cash’s major hit: “I Walk The Line.”

Source: extravaganzi.com

Elizabeth Taylor and first fiance William Pawley, Jr.

Before the weddings, two Academy Awards, and her role in “Cleopatra,” film icon Elizabeth Taylor was engaged to William Pawley, Jr., the son of successful business man and ambassador to Brazil. The two met in Florida in 1949, when Elizabeth’s family had a vacation home. Elizabeth was 17 at the time, William was 28.

Taylor spent quite some time on William’s family estate during their six-month engagement and it was the place where she mailed several of her long, detailed, love letters. Although Elizabeth never married William, the 9-bedroom, 9-bath waterfront home is still a perfect place for a romantic rendezvous.

According to the Zillow Home Value Forecast, national home values will decline less in 2012 than in 2011, ending the year down 3.7 percent. While the Forecast does not show a bottom in home values nationally this year, home values in some individual markets are likely to reach a bottom. In the Washington and Los Angeles metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), the Forecast shows home values increasing by 1.3 and 1.2 percent, respectively, by the end of the year.

Additionally, markets like Riverside, Calif., Phoenix and Baltimore MSAs will likely reach a bottom in home values in 2012.

“As previously stated, we believe 2012 will be a transitional year for real estate. Positive developments will include markets showing organic growth, and home sales increasing as the year proceeds. However, we maintain our forecast that home values will continue to fall in 2012, ” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries on the Zillow Research page. “Negative equity will continue to cast a long shadow over the real estate market, keeping foreclosure rates elevated, and keeping a firm lid on significant home value growth even once values have bottomed in 2013.”

New to this quarter’s report, the Zillow Home Value Forecast uses data from past home value trends and current market conditions, including leading indicators like home sales, months of housing inventory supply and unemployment, to predict home values over the next 12 months for the nation and the 25 largest markets tracked by Zillow.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wants to retain rights for further investigation and potential charges. SOURCE: AP

After months of high-stakes negotiations by state attorneys general for a multi-billion dollar settlement with banks over mortgage services abuses, a deal was finally announced Wednesday night.

In a country where homeowners face $700 billion in negative equity, the news is an opening salvo for one of the biggest drags on the U.S. economy. Settlement funds will be doled out under a complicated formula, but banks will be incentivized to help homeowners the most underwater.

The deal has the backing of about 40 states, including California and New York, where attorneys general in those large states have been pressing for bigger concessions from the banks and the ability to pursue further lawsuits in cases of abuse. While the settlement figure is $26 billion, the number could grow to about $39 billion in value for crisis-struck homeowners.

California’s inclusion in the deal pushes the settlement total to the anticipated $26 billion in relief. That number is in flux depending on the exact number of states that eventually sign on.

Under the settlement, top U.S. banks — Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial — have agreed to contribute, largely by cutting mortgage debt for homeowners whose properties are worth less than their mortgage amounts. Negotiations had been held up by deep-seated concern that the deal was too lenient toward banks.

“For the past 13 months we have been working for a resolution that brings real relief to the hardest-hit homeowners, is transparent about who benefits and will ensure accountability,” said California attorney general Kamala Harris said.

The deal struggled to the finish line as top watchdogs in some of the biggest and hardest hit states worked to ensure any settlement did not let loan institutions off the hook for further investigation.

On Feb. 3, New York AG Eric Schneiderman abruptly called off a press conference and filed suit against the Mortgage Electronic Registration System, a move that signaled how seriously state attorneys general are taking their role in remediating widespread pain brought to foreclosed homeowners. Robosigning on foreclosures was facilitated by what is widely criticized as a loan documentation system that went lax in order to save banks money in the loan-writing process.

By creating this bizarre and complex end-around of the traditional public recording system, banks achieved their primary goal — over 70 million mortgage loans, including millions of subprime loans, have been registered in the MERS system and the industry has saved more than $2 billion in recording fees,” according to the lawsuit filed by Schneiderman.

The lawsuit also claims that over the several years, “banks rapidly securitized and sold off millions of loans, often misrepresenting the quality and nature of the mortgages being transferred.”

Since taking office in 2011, the New York AG had insisted that any robosigning settlement with banks should not grant a legal release from separate claims over how they bundled and sold mortgages to investors.

In New York, where many of these securitized commodities were traded, the AG has fought to preserve the right for a more comprehensive investigation of mortgage-related abuse in order to extract a larger settlement once more of the facts are determined.

While individual homeowners will benefit from this settlement, it is unclear whether the action will move the national housing market to stabilization. The New York Times examined that question in reports.

For additional perspective on the mortgage deal, take a look at these stories:

• Forbes: Mortgage Settlement Talks Look Like Tobacco Settlement Deal
• Banking Fraud Expert Bill Black Interview on financial fraud investigations
• Bloomberg/Businessweek: Bad Home Loans Top $72 Billion in Colossal Failure
• MSNBC: Mortgage Deal: Partial Solution Better Than None
• The Street: Deal Could Move Stocks
• Former FDIC Chair Sheila Blair Could Be Enforcer Banks Fear To Oversee Settlement Terms

The growth was across all segments, but particularly strong in mobile, where Zillow has the most popular suite of real estate apps across every major platform.  During January weekends (prime home-shopping days), up to 40% of Zillow’s traffic came from a mobile device. These mobile shoppers viewed over 140 million homes during the month on mobile – that’s 53 homes per second!

In the real estate industry, we’re often asked how Zillow’s traffic compares to other sites, on a local level and nationally. Unfortunately, third-party measurement services don’t log mobile usage, but we can show you comScore data for website usage across the category. Below is comScore’s latest report from January showing the top sites. This charts national usage; on a local level, the Yahoo!-Zillow Network is the #1 or #2 real estate brand in all 20 of the top 20 local markets in the United States.

(Click image to see larger)

January is typically a strong month for real estate, as buyers wake up from the holidays and more listings come on the market. We’re hearing great stories of foot and Web traffic from other friends in the industry too. How is is the January “buyer bump” treating your real estate business this month? Tell us!

Buyers go to multiple open houses over the course of weeks or months in hopes of falling in love. Just like the search for a partner, a buyer has certain qualities in mind. In home-shopping terms, it’s usually price, location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the desire for the home to be in a certain condition.

Buyers sift through dozens of properties, maybe even going on “second dates” or in real estate terms, “private showings.” Because the buyer has often been in the market awhile, they know that when the right house comes along, it is the one. They know the comps and are prepared to make an offer at fair market value.

Unfortunately, sometimes love is unrequited — even in real estate.

The seller has every right to reject a buyer for any reason whatsoever. They may stand firm on their price and wait it out for a stronger buyer or for that higher price. It could be they don’t like the buyer’s contingencies, such as the need to sell your home before buying, or they aren’t confident your financing will come through.

Here are five tips for dealing with a seller who is “just not that into you.”

1. Go to your max.

After submitting an offer and even going through a series of counter offers, you realize you’re dealing with an uncooperative seller. You’re wasting time by holding back and playing his game. If you really want the home, it’s time to go to your max. By putting your best offer forward, you’ll have done all you can.

2. Move on.

This is easier said than done, of course. But if the seller isn’t interested in working with you, move on. Hanging around wishing the seller will come to their senses and accept your offer is a waste of time and emotional energy. By pining away in your love affair with that house, you risk missing out on other great properties that are available and whose owners may be more “into” you. And who knows? Sometimes, when you move on, the seller may suddenly show interest.

3. Learn from the experience.

The sheer desire to own a home and the assumption that an available home should be yours doesn’t always translate into home ownership. If things don’t work out for you, analyze what went wrong. What mistakes could you have avoided? Did you spend too much time negotiating with that seller? Did you get too emotionally involved? If you can walk away with some lessons learned, your next try at home ownership should be easier and more likely to succeed.

4. Don’t try to figure out the seller.

You’ve got no idea what’s going on in a seller’s head. For all you know, the seller is emotionally attached to the home and not really ready to sell. Or maybe the sellers are going through a divorce, and one of them is hesitant to sell. It’s certainly tempting to play armchair analyst when a seller isn’t selling to you for mysterious reasons. It’s also, in most cases, a waste of time and energy. Accept the fact that the seller just isn’t that into you for whatever reason and move on.

5. Do try to figure yourself out.

Is there a pattern developing? Are you only going after the ones you can’t have? If so, are you sure you’re ready to commit?

Like finding a mate, buying a home is a huge decision and financial commitment.  If you find that you keep going after sellers that aren’t co-operating, the issue may be you, not them.

Brendon DeSimone is a Realtor® and real estate expert based in San Francisco and New York. He is a contributor to Zillow Blog, has collaborated on multiple real estate books and is often quoted by major media outlets. Follow Brendon on Twitter.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

We first brought Zillow Mortgage Marketplace to mobile in June 2011 with the launch of Zillow’s first mortgage app on the iPhone.  Since then, the financial calculators on the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace iPhone App have been used more than 1.5 million times, proving people want access to mortgage and financing information when they are out looking at homes. On Android, we were able to add additional features that take advantage of the unique menu functionality that lets users easily share information such as mortgage rates and loan quotes from every page.

Just like on the iPhone, the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Android App’s elegant, intuitive design makes it easy for home shoppers to play around with multiple scenarios until they find the home and mortgage combination that best fits their situation. With three different in-app financial calculators, the app also helps give shoppers on-the-go answers to important mortgage and financing questions, such as:

• How much home can I afford?
• What would my monthly payment be if I bought this home?
• Should I refinance?

In addition to the calculators, the app lets home shoppers and owners get personalized loan quotes with low rates from trusted lenders on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace.  Most importantly, this can all be done anonymously – no need to supply any personal contact information.  If and when you are ready to contact a lender – whether it’s to get pre-approved for a loan to buy a home you just toured, or if you just saw real-time mortgage rates drop and you want to lock in a rate – the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Apps make it easy to contact a lender directly from your Android or iPhone.

Check it out:  Download the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace App in the Android Marketplace and iTunes® App Store for free!

As we turn 6 today, we can’t help but look back on an amazing 5th year for Zillow.com, Zillow Mobile and Zillow’s websites. It was a year chock-full of Zillow news, including a home giveaway sweepstakes, acquiring two companies, and going public — all of this in between feature releases and additions to the hottest kid on the block — Zillow Mobile, which offers the most popular suite of real estate apps across every major platform.

Let’s do a rundown of Zillow’s accomplishments as a 5-year-old:

Zillow Mobile Keeps Growing

Yikes, where do we start? Zillow Mobile is growing and getting bigger and better every day. Inman News recognized its popularity and functionality by giving Zillow Mobile four #1 rankings. Here’s other Zillow Mobile news in 2011:

• Zillow Launches Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Android App
• Zillow Launches Zillow Mortgage Marketplace iPhone App
• Zillow Adds App for Windows Phone 7
• Zillow iPhone App Expands; Now Includes Zillow Mortgage Marketplace
• New Search Options and Filters Added to Zillow iPhone App
• Zillow Launches App for Amazon’s Kindle Fire
• Zillow Launches Free Real Estate App for Android Tablet
• Draw Your Own Search on Zillow iPhone and iPad Apps

$350,000 Home Giveaway

Perhaps the biggest and most gratifying event of the year was the home giveaway with Pulte Homes. Called the “I Want a New Home! Sweepstakes,” we teamed with Pulte Homes and, yup, we staged a sweepstakes with one lucky winner getting a custom-built home worth $350,000.

More than 120,000 people entered the month-long sweepstakes and on Dec. 20 — just in time for the holiday season — we revealed the “I Want a New Home! Sweepstakes winner. Her name is Valerie from Florida, a recent college grad who double majored in Spanish and sociology. Congrats, Valerie!

Testifying Before Senate Subcommittee

It’s not every day that you’re invited to the nation’s capital to offer ideas for how to deal with the state of the housing market, but Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries was. In September, Humphries traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Urban Development (part of the Senate Banking Committee) to talk about ways to address the country’s glut of foreclosed properties.

To be consulted on how to help fix the sagging real estate market was a big feather in our cap and Humphries fully embraced the mission, outlining three key points about market recovery. His full written testimony can be found in the Zillow Research section, or his testimony can be viewed here.

Zillow’s IPO

After five years of coming to work in jeans, sandals and casual attire, the execs pulled out their Sunday best to ring the NASDAQ opening bell on July 20 — the day Zillow began trading on the stock market under the stock ticker “Z.”

It was a big day for us and a critical milestone for the company. Going public means we as a company can develop more tools and features to give consumers what they need in making smarter real estate decisions and to help provide agents with more marketing resources (see below).

Acquired Postlets

In April, we acquired Postlets, a leading online real estate listing creation and distribution platform. This service helps individual agents, property managers and landlords distribute their listings across 13 real estate and social media websites, for free. Real estate professionals love Postlets because you create a property listing just once, and Postlets distributes it across the Web.

Purchased Diverse Solutions

In November, we purchased Diverse Solutions, an Irvine, CA company that helps real estate agents market their business and improve their websites.  For Zillow, this is a way to help connect home buyers and sellers with agents and brokers. We couldn’t be more proud of adding this well-respected company to Zillow.

Zillow Adds Social to Home Shopping

By utilizing Facebook’s powerful networking capabilities, we launched Neighborhood Advice in January, which helps people find the best advice on the best neighborhoods from their Facebook friends. It’s also fun to see your friends mapped across the country, so you, too, can find out “your reach.” How many friends do you have in how many cities? Try it out: Neighborhood Advice.

Other Notable Tidbits…

• We continue to have guest speakers come to Zillow’s Seattle offices and talk and meet our employees as part of the Zillow Speaker Series. The latest guest was Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
• We launched Rent Zestimates in March, a tool to help renters and landlords determine a fair estimated rent price.
• Zilllow is People’s Voice Winner and the overall Webby Award winner for the Real Estate category in the 15th Annual Webby Awards.

We Have Jobs!

If you like what you see, come check out Zillow’s job openings.  We have 23 openings right now and are looking to fill these seats with the best and brightest. Is that you? Come see if there’s a fit!

Source: Virginia.gov

Valentines, VA

Is it any surprise that the town of Valentines is located in a state with the slogan “Virginia is for lovers?” This small hamlet is more community than town, located within Brunswick County about 100 miles southwest of Norfolk. Named for the founder and first postmaster, William H. Valentine, the town continues the tradition of stamping mail around February with special Valentine’s emblem.

251 Kelly Dr., Valentines VA (above)
For sale: $474,900

The Valentines home for sale is a rural getaway sitting on the Lake Gaston waterfront. The 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath home features a natural, two-sided stone fireplace and large back deck leading to the sloping lawn and private dock.

Source: itawambaconnections.blogspot.com

Romance, AR

Forget Paris and Venice. Find true love in the town of Romance, Arkansas. The story goes that a local schoolteacher, upon arriving in the area, thought the view from the surrounding bluffs was “romantic.” While the town does postmark mail for the holiday, there’s also a recent practice of people getting married on the grounds of the Romance post office.

1212 Highway 31, Romance AR (above)
For sale: $99,900

Like the town of Valentines, Romance is a mere blip on Arkansas’ landscape. Situated off Highway 31, this Romance home for sale was built in 1960 but has numerous updates, including new carpet and flooring.

Source: Panoramio.com

Romeoville, Il

The tale of Romeoville couldn’t be better if the Bard wrote it himself. The legend goes that in the 1830s, nearby Joliet was named Juliet and the nearby settlement Romeo was its twin community. In 1845, Juliet was renamed Joliet to honor the explorer Louis Jolliet. The town of “Romeo” then renamed itself Romeoville to acknowledge the busted relationship.

801 Winnebago Ct, Romeoville IL (above)
For sale: $279,919

This 3-bed, 3-bath Romeoville home for sale has features to inspire a Shakespearean poet or two, including professional landscaping, a gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors.

Flickr user: and_illusion

Loves Park, IL

“The city with a heart” was named after its founder, Malcolm Love, who purchased 236 acres of land at the turn of the 20th century. The town is situated just outside Rockford, IL and 80 miles northeast of Chicago.

5450 Woodland Way, Loves Park, IL (above)
For sale: $435,000

This light-filled Craftsman is listed on the Loves Park real estate market and features all the right details, from a sun porch and huge picture windows to hardwood floors and crown molding.

Source: Cycloclimbing.com

Loveland, CO

Although the name implies romance, Loveland, CO is better known as the “Gateway to the Rockies.” Situated at the base of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the town was incorporated with the dawn of the railroad and named for the president of the Colorado Central Railroad W.A.H. Loveland. Like Valentines, IL, the postmaster of Loveland is kept busy around Valentine’s Day resending mail with the Loveland postmark.

3621 Higgins St, Loveland, CO (above)
For sale: $350,000

The town has boomed in the past few years and is currently enjoying a 0.4 percent year-over-year growth in home values. This Loveland ranch home for sale was built in 2008 and has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and over 3,600 square feet of living space.

This represents the lowest rate reported since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008. The previous low was 3.69 percent, first reported on Jan. 17. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate peaked at 3.7 percent on Friday, steadily declined through the weekend and dropped to the current rate this morning.

“Despite strong employment figures released on Friday, which often give a sustained boost to mortgage rates, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has remained historically low, hovering in an extremely narrow band between 3.65 and 3.7 percent for the past week,” said Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. “Although European headlines may drive more volatility in the coming week, we expect rates will stay near this range.”

Additionally, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate this morning was 3.01 percent and for 5/1 ARMs, the rate was 2.7 percent.

What are the rates right now? Check Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for up-to-the-minute mortgage rates for your state.

Pitcher Tim Lincecum has two Cy Youngs, a World Series ring and a record annual salary with the San Francisco Giants. SOURCE: AP

The Freak is getting paid. Big time. But the big question in San Francisco is whether some of the franchise-record salary that pitcher Tim Lincecum is now being paid by the San Francisco Giants will be collected for damages that were being sought by Lincecum’s former landlord.

Last month, the former Cy Young award winner inked an interesting two-year, $40.5 million deal, making him the highest-paid player ever for the Giants.

Unlike most Major League Baseball stars who rack up multi-year deals worth as much $252 million — which was what Alex Rodriguez was paid by the Texas Rangers — Lincecum said he preferred a short deal so he could see how he feels in 2014.

Clearly, the windup and the hair aren’t the only freaky things about the Seattle-native right hander.

Lincecum rented the townhouse now listed for sale in San Francisco.

In October, Lincecum was the subject of a claims filed by Mindy Freile, who was seeking $350,000 in damages. The claim alleged that Lincecum, well, basically trashed the place, according to original reports in the San Jose Mercury News and SFGate.com.

When home for the off-season in Seattle, Lincecum lives in his Belltown condo in the trendy Escala building.

Whatever damages might have been done, the townhouse has been re-listed for sale at $1.795 million and appears to have cleaned up nicely. No word if Lincecum will look for another rental in the Mission real estate market.

When Lincecum is home in Seattle in the off-season, he’s apparently making good use of his 3,073-square-foot Escala condominium in downtown Seattle that includes a 531-square-foot deck and stellar views of the Space Needle, downtown and, in the distance and much to the delight of the Husky alum, the University of Washington.

Lincecum bought the place in December 2010, when he allowed a film crew in to show off the residence. Much to the crew’s amazement, the condo was devoid of any decorative elements except a unique, hand-carved wood dining room table — unless a few large flat-screen TVs count. The Seattle Weekly — who dubbed Lincecum “The Pride of Belltown” — was equally unimpressed, joking that Lincecum’s home was a “barren, artless wasteland.”

Perhaps by now Lincecum has had a chance to make good on some plans to install a Dale Chihuly glass light fixture. But no matter what, the pitcher appears to have gotten great use out of the Escala’s gym. After reaching 196 pounds after the 2011 season, the pitcher told reporters in San Francisco last week that he has dropped 22 pounds courtesy of the swimming in the stationary lap pools.

Source: US Weekly

When Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds announced their engagement in 2008, it seemed like an A-Lister match made in Hollywood heaven, akin to the beautiful pairing of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Unfortunately, like Brad and Jen, the celebrity union didn’t last and after three years of marriage, Scarlett and Ryan filed for divorce.

A little over six months after finalizing their divorce, the couple has cut another tie to their marriage and placed their Los Angeles home on the Los Feliz real estate market for $3.65 million

Named the “Wong House,” Scarlett and Ryan’s home is a classic mid-century modern home designed by Buff & Hensman in 1969. Perched on nearly half an acre, the glass-walled home features sprawling views of the city below. Typical of an outdoor California lifestyle, the home’s enormous living areas open out to spacious decks, a salt-water pool, and grassy yard.

Like any prime piece of celebrity real estate, the home is completely private, hidden behind large gates and under video surveillance.

According to property listings, Scarlett and Ryan purchased the home for $2.9 million in August 2010. The eco-friendly pair renovated much of the home, updating the property with green amenities like solar power.

According to Zillow’s mortgage payment calculator, a monthly payment on Scarlett and Ryan’s home would be $13,396 assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year mortgage.

Today, the idea of bathing takes on a whole different attitude. Bathtubs are so much easier to find, fill, and luxuriate in — especially since in some real estate circles, tubs are nothing short of a status symbol.

Whether you take a dip regularly or enjoy a long soak just once in a while, there’s no denying that being submerged in warm water is an indulgence many of us enjoy. To that end, we rounded up a collection of lavish bathtubs that may have you grabbing for the bubble bath and good book. Perhaps even some bubbly.

Stoneware Soak

6001 La Jolla Scenic Dr S #6015, La Jolla CA
For sale: $14,990,000

Forget porcelain or ceramic. This stunning soaking tub is carved from solid granite and weighs one ton. Situated in the master suite, the tub is only a small sampling of this home’s luxury. From a hospital-grade air filtration system to a home theater with a 20-foot screen, nearly every fixture in this La Jolla home is over-the-top.

Heat it Up

711 Briar Rd, Bellingham WA
For sale: $1,695,000

Forget about feeling chilly drafts when you’re in for the long soak. This Bellingham, WA home for sale has smartly situated a gas fireplace right next to the bathtub. What makes the setting even more inviting is that the soak area is part of the master bedroom, where the tub and gas fireplace combination makes for the ultimate winter retreat.

Classic Clawfoot

106 E 71st St., New York NY
For sale: $26,500,000

What else would you expect in a 1910 limestone mansion, but a gorgeous clawfoot tub? The Upper East Side townhouse has been completely renovated with touches of whimsy, including this bathroom featuring a cloud mural and hanging bubble fixture above the tub.

Free-Standing Function

53 Strand Beach Dr., Dana Point CA
For sale: $23,500,000

While most bathtubs are built into the wall, or set off in a corner, this home for sale in Dana Point makes a strong statement with the unusual placement of a deep soaking tub set in an exposed bathing room off the master bedroom. The Italian-inspired home spans 9,000-square-feet on nearly a quarter-acre property.

Vessel With a View

1200 Club View Dr PH 22, Los Angeles CA
For sale: $22,332,800

Relax in a tub that’s 22 floors above downtown L.A., complete with wide views of the skyline. Developed by the builder of the world’s tallest buildings, the penthouse in Beverly West Residences not only features a phenomenal bathtub view, but also private elevator access, high-tech control of the home through an iPad and 24-hour concierge services.

Après-Ski Spa

189 Larson Dr, Aspen CO
For sale: $25 million

Unwind after a few downhill runs in a retreat home only six miles from the slopes. The European-style home features a deep, free-standing tub facing the Rocky Mountains and the city below. Sitting on 4.13 acres, the Aspen estate also has a dramatic infinity-edged pool and outdoor living spaces for when the snow melts.

Glass-Walled Dip

(undisclosed address), Santa Barbara CA
For sale: $19,995,000

For those who don’t mind being part of the scenery, the bathroom in this Montecito home for sale may be appealing. Like the rest of this modern home, the bathroom walls are all glass with views of the surrounding lawn. The listing agent of the Glass Pavilion claims the property is private, but the bathtub’s location may test the comfort level of any shy bather.

Modern Washroom

(undisclosed address), New York, New York
For sale: $28,000,000

Set against a tiled mural of a Greek figure, this circular, stainless steel tub makes a bold statement. Located in a TriBeCa townhouse, it is one of five bathrooms. An expensive option for even pricey New York, the home features a full-floor master suite, nearly 11,000 square feet of space and three terraces.

Marble Bath

4200 Gordon Dr., Naples FL
For sale: $21,500,000

Bathe as the Romans did, surrounded by marble tile in the tub in this house for sale in Naples. Situated on 0.8 acres, the property includes 125 feet of beachfront and membership to the prestigious Port Royal Club. Built in 2002, the home includes a recently updated audio/visual system with HVAC control and lighting control.

See More Real Estate News on Zillow:

> See Homes of Celebs Who Split Up

> See 5 Romantically-Named Towns

> Selling? Tips to Emotionally Detach From Your Home

Give Yourself A Raise – Change the number of allowances you claim on your W-4. Chances are, you need to: More than 75% of us got a refund last year—of about $3,000! This tells us we’re having too much withheld from our paychecks.  Taking extra allowances pushes down your withholding, and pushes up your take home pay.

Nibble Away at the Mortgage -  Even though mortgage rates are at historic lows (currently about 4%), about 12 million creditworthy Americans are overpaying their mortgages – by an average of $436/month!  By refinancing, these homeowners could save about $52,000 over 10 yrs. Refinance calculators like the one on the Zillow iPhone app can show you how much you can save.

Clean Out Your Drawers! – You never know what you might find in there! For example, did you know that we’re sitting on $16 billion in unredeemed bonds? Or that we each have an average of about $300 in gift cards? Cash the bonds (To see what they’re worth, and to redeem them, go to treasurydirect.gov), and consider selling the gift cards if they’re not from a store you frequent.  You can sell them on your own and avoid the middleman altogether, or try designated gift card sites, such as plasticjungle.com or cardhub.com.

Redeem Points and Miles – These numbers will astound you: Americans earn about $48 billion in reward point and miles each year through loyalty programs, but about one third of that amount – or some $16 billion – goes unredeemed each year.  To put this into further perspective: the average household that’s active in loyalty programs earns about $622/yr but does not redeem $205 of those rewards—enough to buy an airline ticket a week’s worth of groceries.

No More Impulse Buys – Retailers literally encouraged us to blow the budget over the holiday season.  They did this any number of ways –  from offering deals that were too good to be true to training their employees to be more engaging to reconfiguring stores that encouraged browsing to stocking the checkout with various temptations – and it worked. We’re now paying the price, suffering from buyer’s remorse.  And yet the spending continues: about 60% of the purchases we make are unplanned, and the average impulse buy costs about $100.

Avoid Retail Ripoffs - While it may seem as though everything is on sale, there are still quite a few items that are ridiculously overpriced, from movie theater popcorn (It’s marked up as much as 1300%!); to the wine you buy at restaurants (It’s marked up 100-200% on bottles; 300%-400% if buy it by the glass — and the highest markups are on the lowest priced wines); coffee (marked up 300%); and pre-cut fruits and veggies, which costs 25-30% more than their whole counterparts. Avoid just one or two of these “ripoffs” and you can easily save over $1,200 yr.

Vera Gibbons is a financial journalist based in New York City and is a contributor to Zillow Blog. Connect with her at http://veragibbons.com/.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

“Is Freddie Mac Betting Against Homeowners?” — [Yahoo! News]

“Berkeley, CA Couple uses recycled car parts to build unique home” — [KSDV.com]

“Tracy Morgan slammed by his mother and sister after refusing to help family’s financial woes” – [NY Daily News]

“Four Problems to Look for Before Buying an Older Home” – [Larchmont Patch]

“Seattle woman “marries” building to protest its demolition” – [Yahoo! The Sideshow]

“Arizona Mom Who Lost Kids In Crash Faces Foreclosure” – [ABC News]

“Dictators of Taste” – [Financial Times]

Zillow Tweet(s) of the Week:

Is there a support group for people who look for houses on @Zillow late at night? If so, I may be interested.

— Bradley Matson (@bcmatson) February 1, 2012

Donald Trump says he'd hire Mitt Romney during endorsement announcement in Las Vegas. SOURCE: UK Guardian

Update: Results of Nevada Caucus: Mitt Romney wins Nevada; Gingrich takes second, Paul third, and Santorum fourth.

*****

Original Post:

Mitt Romney will not be fired by Donald Trump.

In fact, the real estate developer and reality TV king -- who has often threatened his own presidential run — reversed course about the former Massachusetts governor by endorsing Romney.

Trump came out for Romney on Thursday in Las Vegas ahead of Saturday’s Republican caucus in Nevada, where Romney is expected to win big and put more distance between himself and Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

Like Florida, where Romney scored a big primary victory last week, Nevada is another state where the housing crisis has pounded home values and homeowners and, according to PBS, has “… higher unemployment than any other state – and, probably not coincidentally, has had the highest foreclosure rate for five years.”

This all makes for some very interesting dynamics between Romney and Trump.

For starters, a Pew survey taken last month found that 64 percent of definite and likely GOP voters said an endorsement from Trump would make no difference to them. More interesting: Thirteen percent said it would make them more likely to back a candidate, while 20 percent said it would actually make them less likely.

The endorsement reverses Trump’s put-down of Romney back in April 2011, when Trump was posturing about a potential run. Trump criticized Romney, the former Bain Capital founder and CEO, for eliminating jobs while restructuring companies.

Trump could not resist comparing his wealth to that of Romney, whose net worth is estimate to be $250 million:  ”I’ve built a great company. My net worth is many many times Mitt Romney,” Trump said to CNN.

The pairing could also seem discordant to Nevada voters struggling to make home mortgage payments or who are stuck with hundreds of underwater properties. Romney owns three homes, including a townhouse in the Boston real estate market; a summer compound in Wolfeboro, NH and a beachfront home in the La Jolla real estate market of southern California.

———–

Nevada Home Value Data
Median Home Value for Nevada: $120,400 (down -10.7% YoY, -0.9% QoQ, +0.4 MoM)
Home values are down: -61% since the peak of the market  (April 2006)
Homes Sold for Loss: 66.6% of homes sold for a loss in November
Homes Decreasing values: 91% of homes in November saw a decrease in values

Negative Equity (Q3 2011)
Las Vegas metro– 83% of single family homeowners with mortgages are under water
Reno metro– 71%

———-

Trump’s real estate holdings are distinctly Trump. He has his name splashed all over condo towers in New York City. Also, he has owned several uber high-end properties, including an estate in Palm Beach, FL that set a record price when he sold it for $95 million in 2008 and a Rancho Palos Verdes home in Los Angeles that he sold for a loss in 2011.

So, in a caucus state like Nevada, where more than 80 percent of loans are underwater, it makes for interesting news that two of the country’s richest men, with some lucrative real estate holdings, have appealed to the people for support for Romney.

As least Romney has backed off previous campaign declarations that the housing market needs to correct itself, much to the chagrin of Nevadans left holding the bag.

While all four GOP candidates have come up short with solutions that would address the collapsed values and outsized mortgages — losses that Romney said banks are scared to face and write down –  Romney has paid some lip service to Nevada homeowners feeling the pain: “So many people have their homes underwater, it’s extraordinary.”

> See Romney’s 6 Homes

> See Homes of GOP Candidates

> See Candidates’ Positions on Housing Issues

The following piece is reprinted with the permission of its author, Bryan Tobiason (photo, left), a real estate agent based in the Kansas City, MO area. Learn more about Bryan by visiting his blog/website.

While reading my daily news yesterday I came across an article and found myself baffled.  When anyone looks at web traffic stats in the real estate world they’ll find the same sites on the top of the list.  Those sites are (in no particular order) Realtor.com, Trulia.com, Zillow.com, Yahoo Real Estate, and Homes.com.

What does that list have in common?  They’re all “third party sites” that a broker has chosen to remove his listings from.  His spiel makes his stance sound noble and he’s trying to convince his potential clients that these sites do more harm than good.  However in my experience, I’d say he’s full of bologna & looking to better protect his LEADS, not the seller.

One complaint he (Jim Abbott) states is that potential buyers looking at your home aren’t directed to the listing agent and therefore may not get accurate information.  He goes on to mention (correctly) that some of the agents don’t even respond to questions posed by buyers.  While these two concerns are legitimate, they’re hardly a reason to pull your listings!

I put a different spin on things.  If my sellers home is seen on any of these sites, it has been seen.  Perhaps the agent they request info from will flake out on them, but this buyer now has an address he can search for.  Once said buyer puts the address of the home in Google they’ll find me and get all the questions answered they could ever ask.  I understand that this is oversimplified and presumptuous, but I think it speaks more to the average consumer than many realize.

I am also a person who pays to advertise on Zillow, Truila, and Realtor.com and may have things a little easier because my information is displayed next to my listings, but ANY agent can advertise on these sites.  In my opinion it’s better to pay $40 per month (or more in some cases) to ensure that my sellers get the best possible exposure.

In the last year, I sold four listings where the buyer found the home on Zillow.com.  I also helped six buyers who found me on Zillow.com by asking a question about a listing with a listing agent who didn’t advertise on the site.  My monthly advertising fee to Zillow is more than most peoples car payment and therefore I think it’d be foolish to not answer people who ask questions.

You’ll notice that I don’t attribute any success to Trulia or Realtor.com.  I can’t look at any of my clients or listings and find where either one of these sites has been directly responsible for a sale.  With that being said, I still think it’d be stupid not to advertise on these sites when I can see how many people view my listings on there.  Maybe they don’t call me when they see the house there, perhaps they call their buyers agent instead, but they still see & possibly buy the house because it was advertised on the medium that buyer preferred.

We can continue on with many other arguments, but this is a blog post, not a book. I’ve found that several local colleagues share the view that third party sites are bad. All state their reasons for feeling this way are because the sites have inaccurate data, or give buyer leads from their properties to someone else.  These agents all think people should look on their brokerage website to find homes.  However, consumers have spoken and they like having a place where they can go and see homes listed for sale.  Finding a place that will let them search without giving info is even better.

Really, in the end… listening to these people share their opinion of the third party sites must sound eerily similar to the cries from people who thought microwave ovens would turn men sterile.  Or from people who wouldn’t walk in front of electrical outlets as it became more & more to find electricity in homes.  Their objections, in my opinion, sound more like someone who doesn’t understand how to use the technology rather than someone concerned about their seller.

It’s time to embrace change and allow it to help your business grow!  Provide better services for your clients & quit worrying about the technological boogie man.

Marketing your home online?  Real estate expert Barbara Corcoran appeared on the TODAY show recently and said you must embrace new and innovative ways to market your home and the Internet is a no-brainer.

“It’s so important — the Internet. It’s where the battle to sell a house is fought every day. You’re either going to fail on the Internet or you’re going to win on the Internet.”

Corcoran goes on to say there are five important websites to post your home for sale (Zillow is among them) and if your real estate agent is not posting your home for sale on one of these sites, they should be.

“You should be asking your broker if your home is posted on every one of those sites. A lot of them are not,” she added.

Corcoran goes on to add tips for lighting and staging and mentions that curb appeal — in the old sense of driving up to a house and assessing it from the curb — does not exist anymore. “They (buyers) do their driving online.”

See more tips from Corcoran on “How Not to Market Your Home Online”

(Click image to make larger)

There’s always lots of talk in the industry on how Zillow (and similar sites) works with listing agents.  If you’re a listing agent, it’s important to us that this information is clear and transparent as we know listings are a key to your success.

Here is what a listing agent can expect on Zillow:

1. We provide the consumer with a clear path to contact a listing agent: There is always visible and easy access to the listing agent’s name, phone number and website link from listings that appear on Zillow and Yahoo! Real Estate.
2. Listing agents get free leads: We always place the listing agent in the first position on the buyer agent list (see image above), at absolutely no charge, once they set up their free profile on Zillow and confirm their email address works.
3. Free photos?  You bet: Listings may have virtually unlimited photos at no charge.
4. 7-days-a-week service: Our team is available at listingsupport@zillow.com,
5. Zillow does not re-distribute: Listings sent to Zillow appear on Zillow and Yahoo! Real Estate, that’s it.
6. Listings quality is key: We process all feeds at least once per day, giving priority to MLS and broker feeds over other sources.  We have a team of compliance experts and technologists working hard to provide a higher-quality listing search experience and are committed to delivering accurate, up-to-date listings drawn from definitive sources. Direct listings from brokers and MLSs ensure the highest quality consumer experience.
7. Advertising: For those listing agents who want additional exposure for their clients’ listings and themselves, we deliver high performance and measurable advertising solutions.

Above all, we work hard to delight the more than 30 million monthly unique visitors to our websites and mobile applications, by connecting them with homes, information and agents they love.
Your feedback is important, so please feel free to reach out to me directly at greg@zillow.com if you have any questions or concerns.

For more on the strategic distribution of listings, read Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff’s post here.

Source: People.com

Vera Wang

Beloved by celebrities for her princess-perfect wedding gowns, Vera Wang is no stranger to Fashion Week. The 2005 “Womenswear Designer of the Year” winner has been on the forefront of fashion’s most elegant collections for years.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the native New Yorker has been spending more time in Los Angeles and decided to purchase a mid-century modern house in star-studded Trousdale Estates for a reported $10 million. The home was once owned by Burt Reynolds and was completely renovated top-to-bottom by celebrity designer Steve Hermann. Sleek and modern, the home features views nearly as stunning as Wang’s gowns.

> See more photos of Vera Wang’s home (below)

Source: Huffington Post

Jenna Lyons

As the creative director of J.Crew, Jenna Lyons is credited as the visionary responsible turning the brand from preppy basics to oh-so-chic earning endorsements from the First Lady herself.  Lyons’ Park Slope townhouse radiates with the same high-end design aesthetic.

Stunning in its simplicity, Lyons’ townhouse has been the darling of shelter magazines and interior design blogs alike.  Purchased by Lyons and her estranged husband, artist Vincent Mazeau in 2004 for $1,308,000, they knocked it back to the studs for a delicious remodel. The couple is reportedly headed for divorce, so the beautiful home was recently listed on the Brooklyn real estate market with a $3.75 million price tag.

> See more photos of Jenna Lyons’ home (below)

Source: youritlist.com

Nina Garcia

Marie Claire magazine fashion director Nina Garcia is better known as the “Señora Don’t Bore Me” judge on the hit Bravo reality show “Project Runway.”

Back in 2010, Garcia sold her sprawling apartment on the New York real estate market for a whopping $8.5 million. Located but a few Manolo Blahnik steps from the retail haven of Madison Avenue, Garcia’s two-unit co-op home is everything one would expect from the stern fashion editor. The home is stylish, but elegant with dramatic 11.5-foot ceilings, picture windows, a master suite with two humongous dressing rooms, library, staff room and adjoining dining and living rooms that are separated by double pocket doors.

> See more photos of Nina Garcia’s home (below)

Source: Wikipedia

Christian Audigier

The man behind edgy brands Von Dutch, Ed Hardy and the trucker hat trend, Christian Audigier’s home is more on-par with his French roots.

Listing details for Audigier’s fully gated estate note the 8,276-square foot property was “exquisitely decorated and remodeled by top designer with the finest quality.” The $7.65 million estate is a work of art featuring a grand foyer, tall ceilings and several outdoor living spaces.

> See more photos of Christian Audigier’s home (below)

Source: IMDb

Lauren Conrad

The down-to-earth and likeable star of “The Hills” started her fashion career as an intern at Teen Vogue, and now Lauren “LC” Conrad is also a budding fashion designer. She’s taken a break from her reality lifestyle to launch her clothing lines, one which is sold at Kohl’s.

From the looks of it, Conrad is trying to fully put her reality television days behind her by listing her home for $2.25 million on the Hollywood real estate market. Conrad’s home was where the hit TV show “The Hills” was filmed. The 3,000-square foot property was completely renovated and updated, and includes refinished hardwood floors throughout and a custom kitchen with high-end stainless steel appliances.

> See more photos of Lauren Conrad’s home (below)

Source: Fashionmatters.com

Donald J. Pliner

Visionary designer Donald J Pliner launched his line of luxury footwear and accessories in 1989, and immediately established a reputation for innovative design and high style for both men and women.

If Pliner’s shoes are made for walking, his Moroccan-style home is made for living. Painted in bold blues and magenta and outfitted with Southwestern, African, and Balinese-influenced decor, Pliner’s estate (below) is currently listed on the Miami Beach real estate market for $22.5 million.

> See more photos of Donald J. Piner’s home (below)

Source: Askmen.com

James Perse

In 1994, Perse launched a T-shirt line that epitomized his design philosophy of low-maintenance and high fashion.  Perse’s Southern California home follows the same aesthetic of his brand, boasting clean minimalist design and an open floor plan.

The mid-century modern features floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, providing plenty of natural light and sunshine. Listed on the Los Angeles real estate market for $3.75 million, the home is available furnished or unfurnished.

> See more photos of James Perse’s home (below)

> See more homes of fashion designers

From the hills of Los Angeles to the lakes of Tennessee, some of America’s most original and game-changing creators have called upon special, sometimes spiritual places to conjure their muses to bring forth the tunes.

With the 54th Grammy’s slated for Feb. 12, we went on a magical mystery tour to uncover some of the iconic locales where award-winning music was inspired, written and recorded.

Grateful Dead home. SOURCE: Flickr photo by elchicogris

Grateful Dead

710 Ashbury Street, San Francisco CA (above)

The Summer of Love took place in 1967 in the center of the flower power universe: Haight & Ashbury. And right in the thick of things was the Grateful Dead, who famously occupied 710 Ashbury Street (above) from 1966 until 1968. It was there that Jerry Garcia & the gang spawned not just a new music scene, but a new pop culture era that bent all the Establishment’s rules.

That the Dead’s transformational musical legacy was housed in a particular Victorian row house in The Haight neighborhood only makes the Dead so easy to find on our cultural and musical maps.

Part of the Hayes Valley real estate market, this Victorian was the site of the Dead’s famous drug bust in 1967. Garcia managed to move on to bigger and more spacious digs later in life, including this Marin County home that was listed for sale in 2010

Jefferson Airplane

2400 Fulton Street, San Francisco CA (above)

Jefferson Airplane hit the scene in 1966, a year before the Dead, and occupied a similarly famous Haight-Ashbury dwelling — a Victorian at 2400 Fulton St. that was right near Golden Gate Park. Airplane founder Marty Balin talked about the place in a video he shot in 2009, when he revisited the house that is now privately owned:

“Yup, 2400 Fulton Street. This was the Airplane mansion. This was our office and at one point, we all lived here. It was quite a party pad. We had the Dead, Big Brother, Janice and anybody else in town would come over. We had a pool table in there and we had a recording studio in the basement,” Balin said.

The house figured so much into the Airplane’s early days they named a record after it: 2400 Fulton Street.

Johnny Cash in front of his lakeside home that later burned down. SOURCE: People.com

Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash

200 Claudill Drive, Hendersonville, TN (above)

One of the most famous homes in country music — or any musical genre, given the reach of Johnny Cash’s career — was the home of Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash. The property figured in the Cash bio-pic, “Walk The Line” and for nearly all of their 35-year marriage, the Cash family lived in the massive, 13,880-square-foot home that ran along on Old Hickory Lake. The lake house was set on a solid rock foundation, the property had an outdoor swimming pool, bell garden, four large, 35-foot round rooms, seven bedrooms, and five full baths.

But it was more than a house. It was the spiritual home of Cash and the artistic and cultural universe he created, drawing likes of Bob Dylan, evangelist Billy Graham, Carl Perkins, Brooks & Dunn and other high priests and priestesses of the music industry and entertainment and political worlds. The place was memorialized in a song by Cash’s daughter, Rosanne Cash, “House On The Lake.”

After Johnny and June both died six months apart in 2003, the house was sold to singer Barry Gibbs and his wife, who were undertaking a massive renovation. Their plan was to pay homage to Cash and his legend by inhabiting the famous home, but that never happened. The home burned down during the remodel. The event prompted none less than the Oak Ridge Boys to remark that it might have been God’s will; no one else but Johnny Cash was meant to live in that house.

Johnny Cash spent his final days at this ranch house he owned across the street from his lake house.

What is less known, however, is that Cash wound up living in the house he owned across the street at 187 Claudill Drive. The ranch home (photo right) was built by the same architect, and Cash had used it to house his own parents prior to their passing.

“He spent his last days there after it was harder for him to get around in a wheelchair in lake house,” said Stan Peacock, whose father-in-law — a former Grand Ole Opry musician — bought the house from the Cash family in 2004.

The ranch house, which was always referred to as “Mama Cash’s house” because it was where Cash’s mother lived, has been listed for sale for a modest $595,000. It once housed some very unique Cash mementos, including the Gold Record for Cash’s major hit: “I Walk The Line.”

Big Pink House. SOURCE: Big Pink Basement.com

The Band at Big Pink

56 Parnassus Lane, West Saugerties, NY (above)

We’re not sure there’s a house so singularly identified with a band, The Band, and its iconic, genius collaborator, Bob Dylan, where an album was written and recorded and still celebrated for its dramatic and enduring success.

Welcome to “Music From Big Pink,” where the house used by The Band generated one of the greatest albums of all-time. Located just outside of Woodstock in upstate New York, Big Pink was a rental property found by The Band member, Rick Danko, (may he rest-in-peace) who in turn brought in Dylan, who used the place as a retreat and place for experimentation that resulted in songs like “Chest Fever,” “The Weight” and “Long, Black Veil.” In addition to “Music From Big Pink,” the pink-sided dwelling also spawned “The Basement Tapes.”

Since 1998, Big Pink has been owned by Don and Susan LaSala, who call themselves stewards of this musical shrine. Good thing, since many fans of The Band and Dylan continue to make pilgrimages to the grand, pink house of music.

Uber producer Rick Rubin's home. SOURCE: Greg Headley

The Mansion, owned by Rick Rubin

8134 Tianna Rd. Los Angeles CA (above)

The recording guru Rick Rubin SOURCE: Urbanlife.com

He doesn’t know how to work a sound board. He doesn’t read music or play any instruments, but Rick Rubin knows what makes a good song and great records. That’s why this producer is called a musical guru and his three-story, 1923 Spanish villa is considered one of the most deeply steeped venues in music history.

After starting Def Jam records with Russell Simmons, Rubin has continued to reinvent the music industry, marrying rap with metal and  by bringing artists to record ground-breaking, career-shaping music in his mammoth studio: Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Jakob Dylan, Dixie Chicks, Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z. While the guru now prefers to live on the beach at Malibu, his home continues to be a mecca for Grammy-making music.

Motown’s Hitsville U.S.A.

2646 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit MI (above)

Motown founder Berry Gordy outside the Hitsville home of his ground-breaking record label. SOURCE: Reuters

This is the cradle of the Motown Sound. “Hitsville U.S.A.” — a former photographers’ studio — was Motown’s first headquarters which Motown founder Berry Gordy bought in 1959. What came next was a recording studio where a non-stop creative churn filled the airwaves with a sound that changed radio and the music industry with a stable of uber-talent.

Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, The Four Tops and The Temptations, who won the recording studio its belated first Grammy in 1972 for “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.”

While Gordy finally moved to Los Angeles to create Hitsville West, the Motown sound will always be known for its birthplace in the Motor City, where Gordy mirrored the assembly-line approach of the car industry — to sweeter strains.

Kurt Cobain's home where the Nirvana frontman committed suicide in 1994. SOURCE: Flickr user Etsy Ketsy

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana

171 Lake Washington Blvd. Seattle WA (above)

Unlike the homes where music history was made for all the right reasons, Kurt Cobain’s home in Seattle made history for all the wrong reasons. The Nirvana front man who brought grunge music from the rain-slicked Pacific Northwest to a hungry world audience took his life in the greenhouse over the garage of his Denny-Blaine neighborhood home.

It was an abrupt and stunning end to a life and artist who had taken all the angst and swirling mix of nihilistic pessimism of his Aberdeen, WA childhood to a new musical frontier. While his larger-than-life wife Courtney Love tore down the garage and sold the property in 1997, the cedar shake-sided house overlooking Seattle’s Lake Washington continues to be a mecca for fans of one of music’s most intensely talented and tortured souls.

Shangri-La Recording Studio

300065 Morning View Drive, Malibu CA (above)

Bob Dylan with Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko of The Band. SOURCE: LastFM.com

There are no shortage of real estate listings that tempt buyers with the invited sales pitch promising that the property is a veritable “Shangri-La.” In the case of the famous Malibu music studio that hosted milestone recording sessions for many top artists, it is a real Shangri-La.

Originally built by actress Margo Albert, who starred in the movie “Lost Horizon” and who aimed to recreate a mystical place, the Zuma Beach property continues to elicit ethereal performances from some of music’s biggest stars: Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Joe Cocker and more.

The studio and living quarters have been described by The Band drummer Levon Helm as “a clubhouse and studio where we and our friends could record albums and cross-pollinate one another’s music.”

The place is a who’s who in recording history, including the 2012 Grammy favorite Adele, whose song “Rolling in the Deep” was not only recorded at Shangri-La Ranch, but the music video was also filmed there.

Shangri-la went on the real estate market last May for $4.1 million.

Beverly Hills Hotel. SOURCE: Flickr user T Hoffarth

Eagles

Beverly Hills Hotel, Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles CA (above)

The dark and mysterious nature of the Eagles’ mega-hit album stems from its use of one of the oldest literary tricks in the book: A weary traveler stops into an inn that at first glance holds a fascinating promise, only to entrap the traveler in its frightening confines.

While the Eagles have endured decades of miserable interpretations about what the title song of their all-time great recording meant, one element of the song and album reveals itself with some clarity: Since the cover of the album is a picture of the Beverly Hills Hotel, there’s no mistaking that famous landmark as a metaphor for the trappings of American excess, particularly the Los Angeles music scene of the ’70s.

“Hotel California” is Rolling Stone magazine’s 49th greatest song of all time. It’s one of the 500 songs that shaped rock ‘n roll, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It won “Record of the Year” at the 1977 Grammy awards and it is ranked No. 8 in the Top 100 Guitar Solos, according to Guitar Magazine.

As for the fabled hotel, it remains a beacon in the Beverly Hills real estate market and continues to stand out as a highly-rated accommodation.

The Long Branch, NJ house where Bruce Springsteen wrote "Born To Run." SOURCE: Newark Star-Ledger

Bruce Springsteen

7 1/2 W. End Ct. Long Branch, NJ (above)

In 2009, fans of Bruce Springsteen beat out potential developers seeking to turn this commercial-area bungalow into another strip mall, or something. What the fans recognized is that posterity was more important than bulldozers. Why? Because this is the house where Jersey’s famous singer/songwriter/rocker penned the music for his breakout album, “Born To Run.”

The home appears to have such special allure that in 2009, reports have it that Bob Dylan was found wandering in the rain near the 890-square-foot house. Given Dylan’s respect for music history, with his affinity for legends like Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie, that all but cements the value of this little white refuge.

That’s why we are excited to announce today the launch of Zillow’s new Home of the Week series on Facebook. “Home of the Week” is a chance for Zillow to give back to our Facebook community, and showcase a home photo uploaded by a user. A new “winning” photo will appear on our profile picture each week.

How do I submit my home as a Home of the Week? Upload a photo of your home to Zillow’s Facebook wall. Along with the photo, list the city where you live, and share what makes your home special.

What qualifies as a Home of the Week? Any exterior home photo of a home that you own or rent!

How does Zillow’s Facebook team select the Home of the Week? We’re interested in showcasing homes of “real people” in communities across the country that are unique, well loved, and special to you. Big, small, fancy, or simple — anything goes.

Is this a weekly series? Yes. Every Thursday, Zillow’s Facebook team will select a home and feature it for one week on our profile picture (see example).

What’s in it for me? Bragging rights for a week, and recognition from Zillow’s community of thousands that your abode is pretty dang awesome.  We’ll also give you a Home of the Week winner’s badge that you can display on your personal Facebook page.

>>Submit your home photo now!

Tracy Morgan is no stranger to controversy, but it’s not often that a comedian can count his mother among his biggest critics.

Tracy Morgan. Source: Newsone.com

The “30 Rock” funnyman is being accused of not helping to save his mother from foreclosure on her Ohio home, the New York Daily News reports.

Morgan’s mother, Alicia Warden, told the Daily News that she owes approximately $25,000 on her home. After an apparent spat with Warden, in which Morgan accused his mother of speaking with the media behind his back, she claims that he reneged on his offer to help with the mortgage. Instead, he is currently offering a $2,000 “one-shot deal,” Warden told the paper.

If Warden does not make a minimum payment toward the mortgage by Feb. 23, the lender will initiate foreclosure proceedings.

“He’s never been a nice person,” Morgan’s younger sister, Asia, told the Daily News. She described her brother as a “d— bag,” who has gotten worse with fame and fortune. Morgan is worth an estimated $18 million.

Of course, Morgan’s off-screen behavior is regular grist for the gossip mill, so much so that it’s melded with that of his Tracy Jordan character on “30 Rock.” Less than two weeks ago, Morgan passed out at a Sundance Festival awards ceremony shortly after giving what some called an incoherent acceptance speech, reported TMZ.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were found in Morgan’s system, and a spokesman for him claimed that it was high altitude and fatigue that caused the spell, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

Last summer, Morgan was asked to apologize by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, when he said during a standup routine that he would stab his son to death if he was gay. Morgan issued the apology, and the topic was lampooned in a recent episode of “30 Rock.”

When, if ever, this episode in Morgan’s real-life family drama becomes sitcom fodder remains to be seen.

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AOL Real Estate: Your go-to source for real estate advice, news and listings.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

Calling it “rustic” would be too kind. Perhaps dilapidated or tear-down would be a better description for the upstate New York farmhouse artists Richard and Victoria MacKenzie-Childs purchased in 1980 and brought back to life. It is now for sale for $1.1 million.

The circa 1790 Aurora, NY home had been abandoned for 30 years. The only sign of care-taking were the boarded-up broken windows. Undaunted, the struggling ceramic artists who turned their fanciful sensibilities into a multi-million dollar enterprise through their MacKenzie-Childs line knew what they were looking at — even if no one else, including the previous owners, could see it.

How we would describe livable may be different from someone else,” said Richard. “Every window was broken. Electricity was minimal; I think we had a single light bulb.”

MacKenzie-Childs' farmhouse in 1980

Even more rustic was the heating source, or lack of one. For six years, the MacKenzie-Childs’ didn’t have central heating, but instead, used the home’s original fireplace.

“We were busy doing other things,” Richards explained. “We were hardy enough so it didn’t bother us. We thought if people had survived 200 years without heat, we could.”

Being busy doing other things meant restoring the farmhouse and transforming the 42-acre estate into a wondrous, whimsical place. It was also from here when they started their hugely successful MacKenzie-Childs home decor line, which turned into such a success they opened stores on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and Madison Avenue in New York.

“We built everything,” said Richard. “That’s what ended up propelling us into our business.”

Even though the couple no longer own MacKenzie-Childs (they faced bankruptcy and sold the company in 2001 for $15.3 million to Pleasant T. Rowland, founder of American Girl), the line of playful wares — ceramics, furniture, art and jewelry — are still hot items in high-end stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Fans include the hard-to-impress set, including Barbra Streisand, Joe Montana, Bill Cosby, Garrison Keillor, Geena Davis and former President George H.W. and Barbara Bush.

Richard and Victoria MacKenzie-Childs stand in front of the farmhouse today

Secret Passageways, Poems on Hallway Walls

The MacKenzie-Childs’ fanciful and colorful style is reflected throughout their unique farmhouse. From hand-painted tiles throughout several rooms, secret passageways leading to bedrooms, a handwritten poem that wraps around an upper hallway, and a “toilet seat that includes an intricate painting of the reverse of room,” the property is one-of-a-kind, says listing agent Mike Franklin of Sotheby’s.

“The house is a museum of MacKenzie-Childs artifacts,” said Franklin.

In addition to the captivating farmhouse, the MacKenzie-Childs estate includes a carriage house with additional living quarters, an artist’s studio, office and retail gift shop all on 43 acres bordered by the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, all adding up to a total of 7 bedrooms and 4 baths. The surrounding grounds are part of the property’s allure: Recycled ballast stones pave the driveway and courtyards, twisted vine canopies and colorful gardens surround the buildings.

Next Stop: Ferryboat

While the MacKenzie-Childs’ love the farmhouse, they’ve moved downstate and are ready to find a buyer who will “fall in love with the home the way we did,” said Richard.

The pair are currently living in an Ellis Island ferryboat docked in Hoboken, NJ.

Wait, a ferryboat? In Hoboken?

Turns out that the New York City apartment they tried to inhabit after selling their company could not contain them — or their imaginations as they worked on their new line, Victoria and Richard Emprise.

“We weren’t very good at apartment dwelling and needed more space,” Richard said.

Victoria was the first to hear about the historically significant ferryboat and the couple was naturally pulled to the challenge. Previously called the Machigonne, the circa-1907 ferryboat (below) — now called the Yankee — was first used in World War I to carry supplies. In the 1920s, the boat shuttled new immigrants from Ellis Island to Manhattan. In 1990, the once-abandoned boat was purchased by an individual who began the process of converting it into a home. The Mackenzie-Childs purchased the ferry in 2007 and continued the restoration, adding their usual fanciful touches as well.

MacKenzie-Childs' ferryboat

Turns out the boat is being used as a little bait for prospective buyers of the couple’s farmhouse. Whoever buys the MacKenzie-Childs estate can tour the ferryboat, a home that real estate agent Franklin says is as wild as the farmhouse. And if that’s not enough, the couple is throwing in dinner on the boat with them.

Any takers?

You’re fortunate to have had so many good memories. But beware: When it comes time to sell, a “love affair” with your home can work against you. Too often, people make decisions about selling their home based on emotion instead of reason.

What they’re really doing is subconsciously sabotaging their chances for success — and that can cost them money in the end. Here are 3 tips for detaching and moving on so you can get the best deal for your home.

1. Acknowledge that selling your home can be stressful.

Some people get emotionally attached to their cars and have a hard time selling them. To get an idea of what it will be like to sell your home, magnify that reaction by about 100 times.

Those who’ve been in their home just a few years are likely to have an easier time letting go than those who’ve lived there for decades or grew up in the house. Either way, it’s often stressful and emotional. Acknowledging that up front will help you make better decisions down the road.

2. Make sure you’re truly ready to sell.

Take the time to ensure you’re emotionally prepared for the sale. Talk to your real estate agent and listen carefully to their suggestions. If you’ve hired a competent agent and yet you’re resisting their suggestions, that’s a clue you may not be ready to let go. If so, don’t sell just yet. Wait until you’re ready.

Maybe you have no choice but to sell — which can be even more difficult emotionally. Get as much support as you can from friends and family. Be honest with your real estate agent about how difficult this is for you. The more information you give the agent, the more they can work around any potential problems.

After all, your agent is looking out for your best interests and acting on the assumption you want to sell. But when you resist their suggestions because you’re actually not ready to sell, you’re setting up the relationship to fail. This is a common source of strain in the agent-client relationship, and savvy agents are on the lookout for this — or should be.

3. Start thinking of your home as a product to be marketed.

When you haven’t detached from your home, it’s difficult to see it as a product. But that’s what it is — something you have to sell and that, with luck, others will want to buy. You can also get in your own way of succeeding.

Often, a seller who isn’t emotionally ready to sell will insist on listing at a price that’s higher than what the market will bear. This is why it’s imperative that sellers should be emotionally ready to sell; when they aren’t, they can subconsciously sabotage the process. There have been instances where a home was on and off the market for over a year with multiple real estate agents and approaches to selling it. What started off as an overpriced home that didn’t show well ended up selling for a bargain to a buyer who capitalized on the seller’s mistakes.

Sellers often need to remove personal items out of the house as part of its staging. This can be as basic as taking down diplomas, removing pictures, or personal items such as Buddha statues, NFL memorabilia or the knick-knacks from your African Safari ten year ago.

Aside from helping to show your home in its best light, removing personal items begins to make your house feel less like your home and more like a “product” for sale. It’s a subtle but important step toward detaching. Also, by removing personal items, you’re getting a head start on moving.

Most likely, your agent will recommend some changes to make your home more attractive to buyers. The flashy red paint in the dining room or the jungle wallpaper in the kid’s bedroom should make way for something more neutral. You should seriously consider your agent’s recommendations; they’ve been through this before and know what they’re talking about. On the other hand, if you balk at such suggestions, it’s another sign you may not be 100 percent ready to sell.

Still not ready? Wait.

By all means, cherish the memories you’ve had in your home. But focus on the future, and imagine the wonderful memories you’ll have in a new home. Think about the excitement that change can bring. Listen to your real estate agent’s advice; that’s why you hired them.

If you find that you can’t do any of these, then wait until you’re ready. In the long run, the most important thing is that you put your absolute best foot forward when you list your home, even if it means waiting months or even a year until you’re ready. It will be in your best interests financially.

Brendon DeSimone is a Realtor® and real estate expert based in San Francisco and New York. He is a contributor to Zillow Blog, has collaborated on multiple real estate books and is often quoted by major media outlets. Follow Brendon on Twitter.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

This, of course, isn’t the first time President Obama has taken to programs and policies to encourage a housing recovery. “I’ll be honest, the programs we’ve put forward didn’t work at the scale we’d hoped.. Not as many people have taken advantage of it as we wanted,” Obama said to the crowd gathered at James Lee Community Center in Falls Church, VA. The original HARP program allowed borrowers with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages to refinance at lower rates. The Associated Press reports, an estimated 1 million homeowners have used it, a number far below the 4 to 5 million homeowners that was anticipated.

“There are policy limits when it comes to what the President can propose to fix housing, and he was realistic about these limits in his speech this morning,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. “That’s a lesson he has learned the hard way after setting such high expectations initially for HARP, only to be beaten up when those expectations haven’t been met.”

The new and improved HARP aims to address the estimated 3.5 million borrowers with privately held mortgages who have maintained their credit but aren’t able to qualify for a refi because they’re underwater. “The reality is more refi’s will help homeowners, and we should be helping homeowners, but this policy is not going to materially change the number of defaults that are likely to occur,” continued Humphries. “Most of these are occurring because of a toxic combination of long-term unemployment and negative equity, and a reduction in monthly mortgage payments won’t help many of the people in that situation.”

Despite this added effort from Obama around the housing crisis, the true battleground for this regenerative housing policy lies with the House. This program outlines an estimated cost of $5 billion to $10 billion for which payments would come from a fee on large banks, a tactic Congress hasn’t favored in the past. “The devil is in the details around loan-level price adjustments, mortgage insurance, and put-backs. Being more open to these is the key to getting refi’s into the millions, ” said Humphries. “Unfortunately, Congressional support on this is likely to be very low.”

While subject to a clashing Congress, people care intensely about housing. It will continue to be a keynote issue for campaigning candidates as well as a focus for Obama as his election-year package picks up speed.

> See Where Candidates Stand on Housing Issues

> Learn more about HARP and see if you qualify with our HARP calculator

Take your time and plan ahead

With any major room renovation or remodel, you will need take several months for planning. Go to home improvement showrooms and stores, talk to contractors, architects and others who have done these improvements. Go to new home communities and see what their high dollar designers have selected as colors and types of cabinets, flooring, or countertops and take lots of pictures of the designs you love. Check out home decor sites and magazines and take notes on anything you like. Ultimately, this will help you form a visual of your remodeled space. When you know exactly what you want, you will be able to have better discussions with contractors and get realistic bids.

Note: Any remodeling you do will always cost more than you anticipate. While this can be due to unexpected problems, cost overruns also commonly occur because the homeowner changes his or her mind. This is the most important reason why you want to take the time to determine as close as possible what you want before you move forward.

Making improvements doesn’t guarantee improved home value

Another important issue to realize is that while making improvements to your property may increase the home value, it probably will not increase the value as much as you spend on the improvements. For example, if you spend $50,000 on a kitchen, your home may not sell for $50,000 more. Check the cost vs. value for your remodel project in your area. Also, don’t make improvements if you are selling the property, let the new owner do those. Make major home improvements only if they are for your personal enjoyment as the continuing long-term owner of the home.

Get at least three bids

Time to get bids. Get at least three different reputable contractors to bid and have them detail the manufacturers of each product in their bids. The more specific their bids, (because you were more specific in your requirements), the less chance of disagreements and the higher chance you will stay within budget. Review the bids, if possible, with someone who is experienced in remodeling properties, perhaps someone who recently did a remodel. Make sure the contract has a time frame for completion and possible penalties for significant time overruns. Whatever you do, don’t rush to make decisions on the contractor you select.

Get references

Ask the contractors for names and numbers of references from their past five jobs and ask what the original project budget and final cost was. Call the references, ask questions, and if possible, go see some of the work. You should also check websites like the Better Business Bureau and state and local government sites to confirm the professionals are licensed and in good standing. Get a copy of their insurance and bonding information and fax it over to your insurance agent, lawyer or CPA to also help you review.

Know that costs can increase

A fixed cost contract is the optimal scenario, but if you change orders or possible issues arise, costs increase. You should also agree with the contractors on a payment schedule based on milestones of work being completed. There should be a hold-back amount, like the final 10-15 percent of the payment, for at least a week or two after all work is complete. This way you can closely review the work and you’ll still have some leverage if items need to be resolved.

Take the time

Again, take the time to properly specify the work you want done, put it in detailed writing, check out the past work of the contractor, verify their license, insurance and bonding information.  Hopefully doing this will help you avoid significant changes and cost overruns.

Leonard Baron, MBA, CPA, is a San Diego State University Lecturer, a Zillow Blogger, the author of several books including “Real Estate Ownership, Investment and Due Diligence 101 – A Smarter Way to Buy Real Estate”, and loves kicking the tires of a good piece of dirt! See more at ProfessorBaron.com.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

Not so.

From the blitzing headline break-up of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ 72-day marriage to the collapse of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s 25-year union, this past year was rife with storybook romances ending badly.

With these breakups, it’s standard procedure to begin assessing assets and, eventually, splitting up real estate holdings. Here’s a look at some of the celebrity couple’s former love nests that may be hitting the real estate market soon.

Heidi Klum and Seal

Heidi and Seal appeared to be one of the celebrity couples that would “make it.” Theirs was a marriage surprisingly free from tabloid rumors and scandals. They renewed their vows each year and gushed about their relationship in interviews. So, it came as a shock when the gorgeous couple made the announcement last week that their 7-year marriage was ending.

Their current home is a mansion that was a foreclosure. They snatched it up for $14.2 million in 2010. It includes some unique features, like a fireplace imported from Scotland that dates back to 1603, as well as the entire reassembled dining room from the Paris Pierre Hotel.

Whether the couple will keep the Brentwood property, above, as their home base for their four children remains to be seen.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

Source: E! Online

When Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher married in 2005, it seemed to be an unlikely pairing. The brunette beauty was 43, the former “That 70′s Show” TV star was 27. A few years into their marriage, it appeared that age didn’t matter for the smart and dedicated couple.

Earlier this year, rumors started to fly regarding Ashton’s infidelity. The star first defended his marriage on Twitter until it became apparent that the rumors were more fact than fiction. Demi officially filed for divorce in mid-November.

Ashton and Demi never purchased property together; rather Ashton moved into Demi’s longtime home in Beverly Hills, above, and listed his custom bachelor pad on the Beverly Glen real estate market for $2.6 million.

Even if Demi was interested in selling her home, it won’t be any time soon; according to the latest celebrity gossip, she has her hands full with other things.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand

Source: People magazine

A reformed British bad boy and a darling pop star with a penchant for mischievous and catchy lyrics — Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s union seemed just unusual enough to work. After a whirlwind romance, the two wed in India in a traditional Hindu ceremony.

However, stories of a rocky first-year plagued the couple as Perry was touring and Brand acted in “Arthur.”

The two first lived in a stately Los Feliz mansion, a present from Brand to Perry when they were first dating. The couple listed the home in May 2011 for $3,395,000 and it sold for $3.3 million a few months later. Parallel to the sale, the couple purchased an intensely private love nest (below) in Hollywood Hills in June for $6.5 million, according to property listings.

According to reports, Russell is the one moving out but that doesn’t guarantee that Katy will want to keep the enormous 7-bedroom, 9-bath home, above, for herself.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

Source: E! Online

Although their 2004 wedding was very private, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez’s divorce became very public. After being hitched in a secret ceremony, Marc and Jennifer went on to gush about their marriage for years and appeared as devoted spouses and parents. They formally announced their separation in 2011, and if the tabloid reports are true — have effectively moved on, each dating new (and younger) people.

The former couple owns three homes together, one in Hidden Hills, CA and two in Glen Head, NY — none of which have hit the open real estate market yet.

The Hidden Hills home, above, will likely cause quite a stir when it goes up for sale. Over 17,000 square feet with 9 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, the home was previously featured in Veranda magazine.

Scarlett Johannson and Ryan Reynolds

Source: US Weekly

When Scarlett Johannson and Ryan Reynolds announced their engagement in 2008, it seemed like an A-Lister match made in Hollywood heaven, akin to the beautiful pairing of Brad and Jennifer Aniston. Unfortunately, like Brad and Jen, the celebrity union didn’t last and after three years of marriage, Johannson and Reynolds filed for divorce.

Built in 1969, Ryan and Scarlett bought their Los Feliz home in 2010 for $2.9 million. The mid-century modern “Wong House” was designed by Buff & Hensman and features walls of glass and patios with views of downtown L.A. The home was recently restored by the couple, who added eco-friendly amenities including solar power. The ultra-private 2-bed, 3-bath home is listed on the Los Feliz real estate market for $3.65 million.

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant

Source: NY Daily News

Kobe and Vanessa’s relationship weathered the Lakers’ star admitted adultery in 2003, but after 10 years of marriage, the duo called it quits in mid-December. The breakdown of Kobe’s marriage is having some unfortunate effects on his real estate holdings. According to a recent report, the titles of three of their Newport Beach mansions have been transferred to Vanessa’s name.

They purchased their first home (shown below) in Newport Coast, CA, on October 1997 for $1.7 million. The estate, which is now valued at around $4.6 million, is situated on nearly half an acre and has 6 bedrooms.

In August 2003, the couple picked up another home just two short blocks away in the same gated community of Pelican Ridge for $2.65 million.

The couple purchased their last home for $9.54 million. The 4-floor ocean view home is still under construction and was designed with more than 14,000-square feet of living space.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver

Source: Hollywood Reporter

The 25-year marriage of former body builder and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his wife, journalist and Kennedy family member Maria Shriver, exploded in a messy mistress and love child scandal this past summer, causing Maria to file for divorce and move out of the shared family home in Brentwood.

Although there have been rumors of reconciliation — the pair were spotted spending the holidays together — Maria is currently renovating a home she bought in Brentwood shortly after the split. If she’s spied at their family home, it’s only because she’s visiting her children who currently live with Arnold.

The couple purchased the home, above, in 2002. The Mediterranean-style estate has 7 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms.

Their former home in Pacific Palisades hit the market earlier this year. Maria and Arnold purchased the 2.5-acre estate in 1986, the year of their marriage, and lived there until 2003, when they sold the home for just under $18 million.

Although many people are now familiar with what home stagers do, there are still plenty of people who don’t know what home staging is, how it gets done, who does what and the like.  So here is some insight into working with a home stager.

The first question (over the phone usually) is whether or not the seller will live in the property while it is on the market (occupied) or the property will be empty (vacant).  The advice below is geared towards sellers who remain in the property while on the market, not vacant properties.

Staging Occupied Properties

Stagers working with sellers who remain in the property will generally offer a consultation to sellers or listing agents.  This consultation consists of a walk-through review of the property, coupled with a staging report, recording the findings of the walk-through and advice for the property.  The report will typically include recommendations on storing items, de-cluttering the space, paint color suggestions  and furniture layout plans.

The report may also include a retailer list on where to purchase items and suggested handymen/contractors for any repairs that need to be made.  This report is typically completed within 24-48 hours of the initial visit, or immediately after the walk-through is completed.  Please keep in mind – no space is off limits and many of the consultations include curb appeal and backyard advice as well, if appropriate to the sale.

Compensation

Expect to pay anywhere from $150 – $400 for a 2-hour consultation, which is the range for an averaged-sized 3-bed, 2-bath home.  Of course, the price is variable due to the location/market of the proposed sale, stager expertise and time needed to conduct the consultation.  Usually the stager should be able to provide an estimate of the consultation cost during our initial phone conversation, based on basic information about the property.  Payment is typically expected on the day of the consultation, not at closing or one week later.

Important: The seller and the real estate agent should determine who will pay for the staging consultation before the stager is hired!

The report may also include pricing for the stager to return to declutter and store items, shop for furniture and the final furniture and décor placement phase. Those prices will vary widely, depending upon how much of the home sellers own furnishings will be used and how much will need to be rented or purchased before the open house.

Odds and Ends

Most home owners have WAY more items and things that they need for showing their home, so the home seller should expect to store excess personal items. Storage units can be rented, or mobile storage is easy, or a friend’s garage can be a great way to store items away from the home.  Also any pets should be removed from the house, so the stager can get a full view of each room.

Some home stagers are also excellent crafters and DIYers, and are known to assist the seller in updating their home very economically. Stagers have been known to make headboards from plywood, hang fabric drapery panels and use sellers items efficiently.  Any DIY projects that the stager recommends will most likely be included in the staging report.

In the end, the stager’s job is to help sell the house, but also help the seller showcase their house or condo in the best way possible. It may take a little elbow grease and time to get it all done, but the savvy stager will make the house show better than most sellers ever thought their house could!

Roslyn Ashford, MBA, is a former corporate recruiter turned home stager, and native Washingtonian (as in DC).  She hosts a bi-weekly tweet chat for home stagers and loves to stage small and vacant homes. Learn more about her growing company here or follow her on Twitter to keep up with the daily hilarity!

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

Source: homeworkout.com

Jazzercise, Yoga, Pilates and Zumba — fitness crazes come and go, but none ruled the ’90s more than Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo home workout. Blanks’ workout videos made him a household name and pop culture icon.

Blanks recently sold his home, which was listed on the Hidden Hills real estate market, pocketing close to $5.8 million in profit from the recent sale.

The home was initially listed with an asking price of $11.5 million back in October of 2008 after divorcing his wife of 33 years, Gayle. Three years and several price cuts later, Blanks finally kicked free of his one-of-a -kind pad for $7.3 million.

Starting his career as a karate champion and actor in martial-arts movies, Blanks invented the cardio-kickboxing Tae Bo workout which garnered celebrity clients ranging from Paula Abdul to Carmen Electra and Shaquille O’Neal in the 1990s. Blanks also built a varied resume as an actor, appearing in 18 movies and numerous television series including “ER” and “Melrose Place.”

Blanks’ one-of-a-kind Mediterranean estate has more than enough room to work out in with over 16,000-square feet of living space, 7 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. True to many multi-million dollar estates, the home includes over-the-top amenities like an indoor basketball court, massive home theater, game and piano room.The master suite includes a stone bath, and private balcony with staircase to the pool, spa and grotto. Surprisingly, the listing doesn’t include a home gym among the home’s features.

Situated on close to two acres the home’s outdoor area is just as impressive. Additional amenities include a large cabana with outdoor kitchen, adjoining waterfalls, and a 2-bedroom guest suite with private entrance. The listing description notes that the property also “offers room for horses below the main pad.”

Ultra high-end homes such as the Tae Bo titan’s are a dime a dozen in the Hidden Hills neighborhood. The new owner of this manse may be lucky enough to rub elbows with some celeb neighbors like Beau Bridges, Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne, and Britney Spears.

With a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year-fixed-mortgage, a monthly payment on Billy Blank’s house is estimated to be $31,176, according to data on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace.

On Jan. 17, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 3.69 percent – the lowest rate reported since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate stayed below 3.82 percent for the entire week, hovering between 3.68 percent and 3.75 percent over the weekend. The rate then dropped to 3.65 percent on Monday before rising to the current rate early this morning.

“The thirty-year fixed mortgage rate fell late in the day on Monday due to a renewed concern about Greece’s unfinished debt restructuring negotiations,” said Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. “Though strides have been made elsewhere in the EU to implement stricter budget discipline, as long as Greek uncertainty persists, mortgage rates will remain historically low as investors look to Treasury and U.S. mortgage bonds.”

Additionally, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate this morning was 3.01 percent and for 5/1 ARMs, the rate was 2.63 percent.

What are the rates right now? Check Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for up-to-the-minute mortgage rates for your state.

Johnny Carter & June Carter Cash in 1969. SOURCE: LOOK Magazine

One of the most famous homes in country music — or any musical genre, given the reach of Johnny Cash’s career — was the home of Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash.

The property at 200 Claudill Drive in Hendersonville, TN – which figured in the award-winning Cash bio-pic, “Walk The Line” — was the Cash family’s home for nearly all of their 35-year marriage. It was at this lake house where the Cash family lived in the massive, 13,880-square-foot home that ran along on Old Hickory Lake.

Set on a solid rock foundation, the house was sprawling and the property contained an outdoor swimming pool, bell garden, four large, 35-foot round rooms, 7 bedrooms, and 5 full baths.

It was more than a house — it was the spiritual home of Cash and the artistic and cultural universe he created. He wrote most of his songs there. And it drew the likes of Bob Dylan, evangelist Billy Graham, Carl Perkins, Brooks & Dunn and other high priests and priestesses of the music industry and entertainment and political worlds. Best of all, it was a place where musicians would convene with the welcoming Carter/Cash clan.

Around the corner, through a hallway and down some more stairs is the lakeside room where Johnny hosted his legendary “guitar pulls” in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The events were informal, star-studded jams at which, as Johnny writes in his ’97 autobiography, “Kris Kristofferson sang ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ for the first time … and Joni Mitchell ‘Both Sides Now.’ Graham Nash sang ‘Marrakesh Express’ and Shel Silverstein ‘A Boy Named Sue.’ Bob Dylan let us hear ‘Lay Lady Lay,” wrote Brett Anderson in vivid description of Cash, Carter and the lake house in a 1999 edition of Salon.

Johnny Cash in front of the lake house in Hendersonville, TN. SOURCE: Associated Press

The lake house was also later memorialized in a song by Rosanne Cash, who wrote “House On The Lake” after her father and June Carter Cash both passed away in 2003.

After Johnny and June both died six months apart, the house was sold by the Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, to singer Barry Gibbs and his wife. The Bee Gee legend was eager to renovate the home with a plan to pay homage to Cash and his legend by taking up the residence.

That never happened. With a bevy of contractors eager to meet the Gibbs’ July 4 deadline, the home caught fire and burned to the ground in 2007 during the remodel. Talk about a “Ring Of Fire:” The aerial view of the property shows the empty foundation where the famous house once stood.

The event seemed almost mystical, rather than just the result of an accident during the remodel. None less than members of the Oak Ridge Boys remarked that perhaps, after all, no one except Johnny and June Carter Cash were meant to live at the lake house.

What is less known, however, is that Cash wound up living in the house he owned across the street at 185 Claudill Drive. The ranch home was built by the same architect, Braxton Dixon, and Cash had used it to house his own parents prior to their passing.

Johnny Cash spent his final days at this ranch house he owned across the street from his lake house.

“He spent his last days there after it was harder for him to get around in a wheelchair in lake house,” said Stan Peacock, whose father-in-law — a former Grand Ole Opry musician — bought the house from the Cash family in 2004.

The ranch house, which was always referred to as “Mama Cash’s house” because it was where Cash’s mother lived, has been listed for sale on and off since 2009. It was last listed for $595,000 and while it is not officially on the market right now, Peacock with Crye-Leike Realtors in Hendersonville said interested buyers could reach out to him.

In addition to being the place where Cash last stayed, the house at 185 Claudill Drive once housed some very unique Cash mementos, including the Gold Record for Cash’s major hit: “I Walk The Line.”

Cash's Gold Record for "I Walk The Line" was kept at the ranch house. SOURCE: Stan Peacock

Peacock said that tour buses that come out from Nashville to see where Cash’s lake house used to be now drops visitors off who also want to photograph the remaining ranch house.

“Sometimes people come up and talk. These people want to visit for awhile and talk about Johnny and June and the owners try and accommodate them when they’re feeling up to it,”  Peacock said.

The ranch house is sprawling, Peacock said, with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, vaulted ceilings, stone fencing and 200 feet of road frontage.

“This is the home where (the Cash family) brought in guests or dignitaries and they stayed here,” he said.

As for the lake house property: Peacock said there are no plans for rebuilding.

“The Gibbs are still the owners but it’s like me and you owning an extra lawnmower. For them it’s no big deal. They can let it sit there from now until forever. They wanted to live there for the spiritual connection to Johnny, but that was lost. We stood there and watched the place burn down to the ground.”

> See Homes Where American Music History Was Made