Real Estate News: Courtesy of WSJ.com

Saturday, January 3, 2009 As of 11:16 PM EST

A Family's Adventures Underground The Palmazes dreamed of a 100,000-square-foot wine cave. The neighbors weren't happy.

Heating Bills Remain High The recent slide in energy prices is little consolation for U.S. homeowners, many of whom anticipated lower heating bills this winter but are now finding just the opposite.

Realtors Protest Fannie Fee Increase The National Association of Realtors said an increase in fees by Fannie Mae "imposes major new costs" on home buyers and people trying to refinance into more affordable mortgage loans.

'Pseudo Short Sale' in San Diego A buyer is ready to plunk down $1.65 million, but the seller owes more than that on the house. What to do?

Wall Street's Hard Times, in Rhymes From property-themed haiku to TARP limericks, this year's Wall Street crisis inspired a crop of financial poetry.

L.A. Luxury Hotels Brace for Downturn Los Angeles's newest luxury hotels are showing signs of strain as room occupancy rates fall.

Mortgage 'Cram-Downs' Loom The effort to give bankruptcy judges the power to rewrite mortgages is gaining steam.

How Six Deals Weathered the Slump The global economic crisis has taken its toll on real-estate deals in practically every market. Here is a scorecard of how some of them fared this year.

A Retreat in Ibiza The Spanish island of Ibiza is known both for its natural beauty and nightlife. Take a look at one house in the island's San Jose neighborhood that is on the market for €6.5 million, or $9.25 million.

Home Prices Decline at Record Pace A measure of October home prices dropped by the sharpest annual rate on record. Separately, consumer confidence hit a new low in December.

New York Housing Prices Expected to Fall Further Cities that haven't seen steep drops in housing prices, such as New York, may be in the worst shape because they have further to fall.

For REITs, 2009 Is Year of Survival REITs have suffered their worst year on record, with a key index down 40%. Industry experts see a rebound in '09.

Taking Credit for Energy Efficiency Thinking about energy upgrades for your home in 2009? A look at various federal and state incentives to make your home more energy efficient.

Mortgage-Relief Programs to Help Borrowers Where borrowers can find help on restructuring their home loans.

A Taste of Italy in the U.S. Instead of a hearty hello, you might greet your neighbors with a cheery ciao if you lived in one of these U.S. towns that share their names with cities in Italy.

Friday, December 26, 2008 As of 10:19 PM EST

Builder Soho China Stumbles in Beijing Soho China tried to save a historic district in Beijing, but instead one of China's best-known firms found itself locked out of revenue.

Foreign Cue Across the globe this December, funds that invest government money have been among the few buyers of big-ticket properties.

Recession, Tight Credit Compound Housing Woes A deepening recession and tight credit conditions are compounding problems in the housing market, suggesting that declines in home prices may continue well into 2009.

Strife Bedevils N.Y. Condo Building An Israeli diamond merchant became an overnight sensation in Manhattan real estate when he paid prime prices for the Apthorp, a tony apartment building. Now the project is suffering.

Austin's Real-Estate Glut A construction binge has left the office and apartment sectors in the Austin, Texas, area bloated.

Selling a Home Out of Season A reader seeks advice prepare a home for sale during the winter months.

Rethinking Property Stocks The closer real estate investment trust stocks get to reaching a bottom, the more concerned investors are getting about being positioned for a recovery.

Lenders Get a New Code FHA announced a revised code of conduct aimed at preventing pressure on appraisers to inflate their estimates of home values.

Former (Haunted?) Hotel for Sale The property near San Francisco's Lafayette Park was run by Robert Pritikin as a hotel for more than twenty years. It is currently listed at $4.25 million.

Ski-In, Ski-Out Convenience For skiers, nothing says luxury so much as an ideally situated ski-in, ski-out home. Here are three such ski properties on the market.

Houses of Worship Turn to Chapter 11 During these hard times, not even houses of God have been spared. Lenders believe more churches than ever have fallen behind and some have filed for bankruptcy.

Foreclosure Mitigation Helps Little Intensified efforts by mortgage servicers to help borrowers stay in their homes failed to stem the growing number of foreclosures in the third quarter.

Recession Slows Migration in U.S. Migration across the U.S. has slowed due to the recession and housing bust, keeping more Americans in place, according to Census data.

Friday, December 19, 2008 As of 3:02 PM EST

Mr. Bush's Neighborhood President Bush leaves Washington, D.C., next month, and reports say he'll be setting up house in a $3 million home in the tony North Dallas suburb of Preston Hollow. Here are three houses for sale in Mr. Bush's new neighborhood.

Gothic Perch Tour a Greek revival home in New Orleans where best-selling novelist Anne Rice, known for her haunting depictions of the city, once lived. It is listed at $3.75 million.

Moscow Pays a Debt -- at Last German businessman Franz Sedelmayer has finally begun to collect court-ordered compensation from Moscow -- something few foreign investors have managed.

U.S. Wants Building Tied to Iran The U.S. government is trying to seize a piece of a New York skyscraper, alleging it is owned by a front for Iran.

China's House Prices Curb Growth Turning around China's slumping property market could depend on luring tens of millions of potential home buyers to the table. The problem, some say: Falling home prices are too high.

Savills Warns About 2008 Profit British real-estate firm Savills has experienced downturns in activity, yet analysts say the company's balance sheet and cost-cutting plans should help it weather the recession better than some.

Recession, It Seems, Can Fight City Hall The recession has led Boston's mayor to reconsider the timing of his plan to move City Hall to a new site.

Property Costs Keep Buyers Wary in China China's property market may have a way to go before recovery. Price growth in 70 of the country's largest cities in November slowed to 0.2%.

Low-Interest Mortgages Are the Answer Opinion: Stop the decline in home prices, stop the crisis

In Some Cities, Downturn Revives Building Plans Developers and local planning officials are moving to push through real-estate projects to lay the foundation for their return to growth.

Risky, Ill-Timed Land Deals Hit Calpers Calpers is struggling to avoid one of its worst annual declines since its inception, partly because of its aggressive real-estate investments.

IRS Eases Up on Homeowners The IRS has developed an "expedited process" to make it easier for homeowners to refinance their mortgages or sell their homes.

Hovnanian Reports Loss Homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises posted a narrower net loss for its fiscal fourth quarter on smaller write-downs.