Instead of tapping into equity, Americans are preferring to put in cash to cut debt.

Thinking of cashing out some equity when you refinance your mortgage? Sure, that used to be what millions of homeowners did when they needed extra money.



Energy efficiency, natural light and recycled and experimental materials take center stage

A rebuilt Westside home inspired by Rudolph Schindler and infused with an Icelandic sensibility has come on the market for the first time.



Here's a look at three technologies that California residents are using to cut their energy bills and turn their homes into clean mini-power plants.

Not long ago, people who wanted to generate their own green energy at home had to content themselves with rooftop solar panels.



The 4,511-square-foot home, built in 1955 and remodeled in 2005, has city and mountain views.

Sitcom star Joely Fisher has sold her Encino compound for $2.4 million. The four-bedroom, seven-bathroom contemporary had been on and off the market since mid-2007, perhaps prompting the actress to wonder whether she would own it " 'Til Death," to borrow the name of the Fox comedy on which she plays opposite Brad Garrett.



The number sold in the state falls 23.8%, to 18,621 from 24,436 in 2008, for a fourth year of decline in a row.

Sales of California homes priced at $1 million or more tumbled for a fourth consecutive year in 2009, according to a report released Thursday.



The commercial real estate brokerage giant projects annual revenue growth of 6% to 8%.

Led by an economic rebound in Asia, the world's largest brokerage of office buildings, warehouses and other business properties surprised Wall Street with a solid fourth-quarter profit and a slight increase in revenue.



Question: Our association financial records were not provided to titleholders for more than five years. I tried to get the financial statements but received only the 2004-to-2007 audits. I found that in 2007, more than $48,000 in CDs was cashed in from our reserve account to pay a portion of legal bills totaling more than $88,000. Our 2009 budget did not reflect any balance due for the legal bills.



Homeowners seeking mortgage relief should be diligent, truthful, patient and persistent.

If you're a homeowner who was laid off recently, if you even think there's a chance your job might be eliminated, or if you are still working but having a difficult time making ends meet, the best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to determine whether you are eligible for mortgage relief.



The agency once again will provide mortgage insurance for some purchases where the seller closed on the property less than 90 days earlier. The objective is to speed up sales of renovated houses.

Call it three birds with one stone: The federal government hopes simultaneously to help low-down-payment home buyers, investors who fix up foreclosures, and local communities burdened with too many bank-owned and foreclosed homes -- all with one potentially far-reaching policy change.



Michael Douglas' former home, exceptional for its stunning vistas and privacy, is on the market for $29 million.

The Mediterranean-style Montecito villa once shared by Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas and former wife Diandra de Morrell Douglas is on the market for $29 million.