Mortgages

Reaching Out to Condo Buyers

By BOB TEDESCHI

Industry executives say the F.H.A.’s new rules will open an important lending option to condo buyers, especially those with weak credit.

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Living In | Astoria, Queens

Everyone’s Invited to This Block Party

By JEFF VANDAM

Having something for everyone is admittedly a cliché, but even if used sparingly it should apply to Astoria, Queens.

• Slide Show: Living In Astoria
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Square Feet | The 30-Minute Interview

K. Thomas Elghanayan

By VIVIAN MARINO

Mr. Elghanayan, 64, is the chairman of TF Cornerstone.

Residential Sales Around the Region

A comparision of recent residential sales by region and price range.

On Location

A White Cavern in Morocco

By GISELA WILLIAMS

Outside, Emma Wilson and Graham Carter’s riad blends right into Essaouira, Morocco, but not inside.

• Slide Show

International Real Estate

House Hunting in ... Ecuador

By LISA KEYS

Though predominantly a local real estate market, Cuenca is becoming increasingly popular with American expatriates.

• Slide Show

Property Values

What You Get for ... $600,000

By MIKE POWELL

A town house in Hollywood, a house in Pahoa, Hawaii, and a converted 19th-century barn in Westport, Conn.

• Slide Show

Asian Governments Indicate They May Take Action to Deter Speculation

By ALEX FREW McMILLAN

As a tumultuous year for Asian real estate comes to an end, it seems regulators are likely to try to cool the market next year.

A Lowly Grass Moves Up

By ALEXANDRA S. SENO

Bamboo continues to gain favor as a modern, eco-friendly material for construction.

Big Deal

Lots to Spend, Little to Buy

By JOSH BARBANEL

Brokers say, more wealthy buyers have come back to the table, looking for fabulous apartments at a bargain. But there are precious few listings.

Big Deal

A Partly Cloudy Resolution

A developer of a new condominium in SoHo is declaring victory over reluctant buyers.

Big Deal

Princess Prevails in Duplex Wrangle

Princess Firyal of Jordan has gained control of the huge duplex apartment on the 30th and 31st floors of the Pierre Hotel.

In the Region | Connecticut

When Is a Big House Too Big?

By LISA PREVOST

The shoehorning of supersize houses into neighborhoods conceived as summer cottage communities has been a source of controversy for several years.

In the Region | New Jersey

No Coffee Breaks for These ‘Doormen’

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN

Hoboken recently got its first virtual doorman service, at the 16-unit Vesta, which opened on Observer Highway in September.

In the Region | Long Island

For Home Buyers, Sweet Incentives

By MARCELLE S. FISCHLER

A swarm of local home buyers jumped into the real estate market last month, taking advantage of low interest rates, depressed prices and a federal tax credit for first-time buyers of homes.

High & Low | St. Augustine, Fla.

History, Sun-Drenched

St. Augustine, Fla., the oldest permanent European settlement in the continental United States, was settled by the Spanish in 1565.

Philadelphia Gives Homeowners a Way to Stay Put

By PETER S. GOODMAN

A program in Philadelphia has enabled hundreds of troubled borrowers to retain their homes.

Square Feet

Earning a Profit by Ending Energy Waste

By ALEC APPELBAUM

A nonprofit lender’s new Green Financing Initiative offers mortgages or refinancing to developers who fix wasteful energy and water systems in apartment buildings.

• More Commercial Real Estate »

Square Feet

Drake Hotel’s Prime Space Remains Undeveloped

By TERRY PRISTIN

Real estate specialists say the vacancy is likely to leave a gash in the middle of the nation’s costliest office submarket for years to come.