MRIS: December, 2010 -- Real Estate MarketWatch

December 2010 Northern Virginina MarketWatch

December 2010 Washington, DC MarketWatch


December 2010 Maryland Suburbs MarketWatch

Federal officials studying how to protect housing market

By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 18, 2011; 10:52 PM

Federal officials took two steps Tuesday to attempt to reduce the likelihood of a second financial crisis caused in large part by large declines in the housing market.

The first would try to tackle the problem of foreclosures. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the massive mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said it would consider a new approach to how home loans are managed by banks. Critics say the current system makes it more lucrative for a bank to foreclose than to find ways to modify loans to allow struggling borrowers to stay in their homes.

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Sharga Says U.S. Housing Prices May Bottom in 2011
Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Rick Sharga, senior vice president at RealtyTrac Inc., discusses the outlook for the U.S. housing market and home foreclosure filings. The number of U.S. homes receiving a foreclosure filing will climb about 20 percent in 2011, reaching a peak for the housing crisis, as unemployment remains high and banks resume seizures after a slowdown, according to RealtyTrac. Sharga speaks with Mark Crumpton on Bloomberg Television's "Bottom Line." (Source: Bloomberg) (Bloomberg)
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Top Real Estate Updates: Week of December 29th, 2010

Washington region posts gains as home prices still falling in most U.S. cities
By Dina ElBoghdady
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 29, 2010; 12:56 AM

The Washington region posted the highest year-over-year home price gains in the nation this fall, as real estate values slumped in nearly every other metropolitan area, a key housing report said Tuesday.

A healthy job market, particularly for high-salaried workers, buoyed demand and prices for housing in the D.C. area, local economists said. Home values climbed 3.7 percent in Washington in October from a year earlier, making it one of only four regions nationally to avoid a dip in prices, the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller home-price index said.

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U.S. home prices drop 1.3% from September to October
By Dina ElBoghdady
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 28, 2010; 10:37 AM

Home prices fell in the nation's major metropolitan areas from September to October, with six regions hitting new lows, and they're not expected to rebound anytime soon.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index, long considered a reliable gauge of the housing market's health, reported Tuesday that prices of single-family homes dropped 1.3 percent in all 20 regions it tracks.

The housing market's collapse crippled the economy, and a recovery in home prices is considered critical to getting the market back on track. But many economists predict that home prices will continue to fall into the new year and possibly beyond.

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Best Places to Live: Best places for the rich and single in 2010

We're not saying you're a gold digger. But you could follow the money to these 25 affluent cities, where singles are abundant.

Ranked #11. Arlington, VA
Population: 212,173
Single: 41.6%
Median family income: $104,452

Just a stone's throw from the nation's capital, Arlington is packed with Washington's movers and shakers, especially Department of Defense workers from the nearby Pentagon. Wind down with wonks at a pub on Wilson Boulevard. For a rowdier night, hit one of several live-music venues and comedy clubs -- or take to the dance floor at Clarendon Ballroom, which also boasts a rooftop bar. If you're more into the artsy scene, walk across the Roosevelt Bridge and catch a world-renowned music or theater performance at the Kennedy Center across the Potomac River. --H.Y.
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Ranked #14. Towson, MD

Population: 52,301Single: 35.4% Median family income: $102,302

Do you think the brain is the sexiest part of the body? This small community near Baltimore boasts a significant population of professors as the home of Towson University and Goucher College, two of the biggest employers in the area. On Friday nights, academics loosen their bow ties and swing by Towson's Feet on the Street block parties featuring local bands. After the party winds down, crowds saunter down Allegheny Avenue, the town's main downtown strip, to local eateries and bars. --H.Y.

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CNN MONEY: Best Places to Live in 2010 - Money's list of America's best small cities

And the winners are...

These terrific small cities -- even now -- boast plenty of jobs, great schools, safe streets, low crime, lots to do, charm, and other features that make a town great for raising a family.

1. Eden Prairie, MN 2. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 3. Newton, MA 4. Bellevue, WA 5. McKinney, TX

6. Fort Collins, CO 7. Overland Park, KS 8. Fishers, IN 9. Ames, IA 10. Rogers, AR

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Best Places to Live in 2010 : Top 100 - full list

Ranked 25. Gaithersburg, MD

Top 100 rank: 25

Population: 59,000

Compare Gaithersburg to Top 10 Best Places

Gaithersburg's ability to attract start-up companies has allowed it to rebound from the recession better than many other places. The town offers plenty of incubator-styled office space.

Large employers nearby include Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

Gaithersburg is just an hour's train ride to D.C. and hour car ride to downtown Baltimore, so residents can work in either town - and soak up the culture of both. --Najib Aminy

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Ranked #30. Centreville, VA
Population: 54,000
Compare Centreville to Top 10 Best Places

This historic town (it has some Civil War sites) is a close-knit suburban community with a great location.

Washington, D.C., is anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half away, depending on traffic. Centerville is also 20 minutes from Herndon, Tysons Corner, and Reston.

With major shopping centers nearby and the Bull Run Mountains an hour's drive away, Centerville lives up to its name. --N.A.

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Ranked #47. Alexandria, VA

op 100 rank: 47

Population: 145,000

Compare Alexandria to Top 10 Best Places

On the banks of the Potomac River, Alexandria offers a fusion of suburban and urban living that's just a stone's throw from the nation's capitol.

A strong government presence and a prosperous retail sector supports the local economy; many boutiques and locally owned stores lend a small-town vibe. The annual Festival of the Arts attracts nationally known artists. --N.A.

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CNN Money: Top-earning towns 2010

Ranked #1. Bethesda, MD

Bethesda, Md., residents pull in more than $170,000 a year. Which other places in our Best Places database have high incomes?

Population: 56,763
Median family income (per year): $172,541
Median home price: $725,000

There's a party for every season in this commuter town: Enjoy concerts and ice sculpting in the winter and Taste of Bethesda in October; schmooze with Pulitzer Prize winning authors at April's literary festival; and enjoy the strains of delta blues, soul and swing in the summer.

Year-round a dozen art galleries and hundreds of diverse restaurants woo suburbanites away from cul-de-sac comforts for days and nights downtown. An abundance of home fashion stores and graduate degrees (one in two residents has one) sets a swanky tone for this small community with big city style.


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Ranked #9. Burke, VA

Population: 54,974
Median family income (per year): $127,036
Median home price: $335,000

This upscale community is a haven for government officials and federal contractors seeking a break from the capitol. But it also attracts residents who work for local businesses in nearby Arlington.

The living is easy in this town, which puts shopping, pools, sports fields and footpaths within convenient reach. The prototypical suburb, it boasts great schools, high-end shops and well-tended footpaths.
Burke Centre Conservancy, a 1,700-acre planned residential community with 5 neighborhoods, pools and community centers is at the heart of it all.

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Ranked # 16. Reston, VA

Population: 58,718 Median family income (per year): $122,212
Median home price: $268,000

Neither a town nor a city, this unincorporated community has forged its identity since the mid-1960s when it first began wooing residents to its open air and neighborhood amenities.
Today it still stands apart with a special approach to governance. The Reston Association, a community service organization overseen by elected community members, maintains the high quality of life locals expect.
Environmental excellence has long been its claim to fame, but it pushed that distinction to new heights with the opening of Nature House, a LEED Gold certified year-round environmental education center.
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Ranked #21. Ellicott City, MD

Population: 62,179
Median family income (per year): $116,820
Median home price: $380,000

From Art Deco to Victorian, this town's architecture is rich in tradition. Locals enjoy reveling in history, whether feasting on local cuisine at the Trolley Stop (originally built as a tavern in 1833) or trading ghost stories about residents of old who died in fires, floods and the Civil War.

Founded in 1772, Ellicott City lays claim to the oldest railroad terminus and operating flourmill in the country. With roots so deep, it's no surprise that its antique mall wins rave reviews too.

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