Georgia Contemporary

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  Home Sales, Prices Reflect Malaise

  Home prices and sales of new homes lost ground in recent months, with real-estate agents and builders saying the debt-ceiling debate in Washington is rattling an already-fragile market.

  • Sortable Chart: Home prices, by metro area

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  Banks Clash Over Foreclosure Tab

  Financial firms trying to negotiate a settlement with states and the U.S. over the foreclosure mess are squabbling over who is most accountable, threatening a further delay in talks that already have dragged on.

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  California Counties Reel From Tax Hit

  Declining home prices are starting to slam California harder than the rest of the nation, in part due to a state law that sets a ceiling—but no floor—on property taxes.

• Time to Buy That Vacation Home?

  Prices are down, but sales are up and brokers are reporting more inquiries than they've had in years.

  • SmartMoney Calculator: Can I Afford a Second Home?

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  When Renovation Is Overkill

  Introducing 'the refresh': Minimally invasive décor tweaks that give interiors a major lift.

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  Designer Eva Zeisel, 104 and Still At It

  The living legend discusses her run-in with Stalin, her mixed feelings about Modernism and her new lighting line.

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  One Home, Three Locations

  An author's nearly identical houses reflect his desire for absolute consistency.

  • Photos: Thriller Writer's New York Home
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  Relative Values

  Urban apartments with appeal for empty nesters.

  • Photos: Urban Homes for Empty Nesters
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  Wyoming Ranch Asks $175 Million

  Casino and resort developer Richard Fields is asking $175 million for his 1,750-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The asking price is believed to be the highest for a ranch in the U.S.

  • Photos: Private Properties | Video
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  Open House: High Living in Miami

  A 9,110-square-foot, five-bedroom penthouse with five full baths and two half-baths owned by art collector Ella Fontanals-Cisneros is asking $14.5 million.

  • Photos: Coconut Grove Penthouse
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  Investors Who Do a Few Mortgages on Side

  A number of mom-and-pop investors are pulling money out of retirement accounts and savings to take on the risk of becoming "hard-money" mortgage lenders, who charge high interest rates to borrowers rejected by traditional banks.

  • News Hub: Investors Seek Higher Returns by Lending

• What Sort of Insurance Do I Need?

  A reader who lives on an island off the storm-prone coast of Florida wants to know how much insurance he needs.

• Mortgage Rates Stall

  Mortgage rates were mostly flat in the past week amid a series of mixed reports on the health of the U.S. economy.

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  U.S. Considers Renting Foreclosed Homes

  The Obama administration is examining ways to pull foreclosed properties off the market and rent them to help stabilize the housing market.

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  A French Artist and His Domain

  From the outside, artist Bernar Venet's southern France home blends in with other village houses. But once inside, the sprawling property dazzles the eye with a combination of monumental minimalist design and contemporary art.

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  Wells Fargo Draws $85 Million Penalty

• Homeowners Go Big on Glass Walls

• In June, Fewer For-Sale Signs on Homes

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  Home Resales Decline Again

• Fewer Renovation Permits in San Francisco

• Alameda Maneuvers to Land Lab

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  Zillow Shares Surge After IPO

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  Home Construction Increases

House of the Day

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  Georgia Contemporary

  Located at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains in a forest of poplar trees, this contemporary home sits on more than 21 acres and features glass, steel, wood and concrete materials.

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  'Funky' Catskills-Area Vacation Rental

  The owner of this vacation property in New York's Ulster County installed bamboo flooring on the first level and decorated it with flea-market and yard-sale finds.

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  Italian Castle

  This five-bedroom medieval castle in Tuscany comes with two villas, a cottage, two swimming pools and 7,000 olive trees.

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  A Modern Makeover

  A couple bought a flat in an old building in Hong Kong's Happy Valley neighborhood, making it their own with a $257,000 renovation. Among the numerous changes: getting rid of a third bedroom and maid's room, and adding stone floors.