About.com Home Buying / Selling: Most Popular Articles
These articles are the most popular over the last month.

• Short Sales Basics
  The fundamentals behind short sales in real estate, why lenders would accept real estate short sales, how to do short sales, and how they affect sellers.
• Buying Short Sales
  Buying Short Sales. Before you buy a short sale, read about your rights. Why the seller's lender needs to approve a short sale and what is involved in closing short sale transactions.
• Preparing House for Sale
  Do you know why identical homes don't sell at identical sales prices -- why some houses sell for more money even though their square footage is the same? Learn what you can do to boost your bottom line and sell your home quickly.
• Buy First Home
  Buying a home for the first time can be overwhelming for many first-time home buyers because few home buyers know where or how to begin the search to buy a home. The first home buying step should be to align yourself with a pro who has experience working with first-time home buyers and can show you the ropes.
• 2008 Real Estate Predictions
  Top 10 real estate predictions for 2008. Forecast for home buyers and sellers in 2008. Will home prices rise? Will a sellers' market rebound? Where will interest rates move? How will foreclosures and short sales affect market value in 2008?
• Calculate Square Footage
  Each year, home owners discover that their new home's square footage is not the figure stated when the home was advertised. Real estate agents and for sale by owner sellers can reduce their risks of lawsuit by knowing how use accepted standards to measure and calculate a home's square footage.
• Dangerous2overprice
  Pricing real estate is part art and part science. The one thing you DO NOT want to do is overprice your home! Why? Find out why this seller had to sell at almost 50% of her original list price of $1.3 million.
• Vented Gas Log Fireplaces
  Gas log fireplaces are an ideal choice for anyone who wants to enjoy the warmth of a fire without the chores of hauling wood and cleaning ashes. One type of gas log fixture is vented to the outside, like woodburning fireplaces. This article helps you decide if a vented gas fireplace is the best choice for your home.
• Vent-Free Gas Logs
  Are vent-free gas logs, also called unvented gas logs, the best choice for your home? This article gives you the facts and helps you sort out the pros and cons of vent-free gas fireplaces.
• Foreclosure good deal?
  All about foreclosures, the risks and the profits. Whether you're an investor or first-time home buyer,foreclosures can be a great deal, but not without substantial risk and work. Here's how to protect yourself.
• Finding Foreclosures
  How to find foreclosures, government repossessed and bank repos. Find search engines that help you locate foreclosures after the Notice of Default is filed and homes seized by government entities.
• Home Buying Guide
  Complete A to Z guide to buying a home. From figuring out what you need versus what you want, to finding an agent, cleaning up credit, finding a lender and locating that perfect home to home inspections, understanding disclosures, insuring and closing.
• Short Sales - Foreclosures
  Tips for sellers facing foreclosure, including short sales. Basics for home buyers or investors buying short sales and homes in foreclosure.
• Lease Options
  Difference between lease options and lease purchase sales. Benefits to home buyers to do a lease option. Understanding lease options.
• Credit Score Calculation Facts
  Home buyers who are seeking a mortgage find out early-on that their credit score plays an important part in the home buying process and in determining the interest rate that a lender offers. Learn how your credit score is calculated and start taking steps to increase your scores.
• Quitclaim Deed
  Definition of quitclaim deed as it pertains to real estate and why it is so confusing to buyers and sellers.
• Home Staging
  Beyond decorating and cleaning, home staging is about illusions. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving, and it makes home buyers want to buy it.
• Buying REO foreclosures
  How to buy a foreclosures / REOs from the bank. Negotiating offers for bank owned homes. Difference between REO homes and short sales. Hiring an agent to buy REOs.
• Before You Sell Your Home
  If you're planning to sell your home, be sure to perform these Top 10 steps before you list with an agent or market the home for sale by owner. Your home selling transaction will progress more smoothly--with fewer surprises--if you take some time to get yourself ready to sell.
• House Price
  How much is your house worth? Here is how to determine your house value and figure out which house price is right for your real estate market.
• Modular and Manufactured Homes
  Modular homes and manufactured homes are not the same thing. They are different types of structures. The differences between a modular home and a manufactured home can affect resale value and determine whether or not the house can be built on your land. Learn the facts before you buy.
• How Short Sales Affect Credit
  The affect of foreclosures and short sales on credit reports and FICO scores. Which is better to see on a credit report - a foreclosure or a short sale? How soon after foreclosure or short sale can a seller buy a new home?
• Home Heating Systems
  Details to help you identify some of the traditional home heating systems you may encounter during your search for a new home.
• Buyer's Market Offers
  Ten great tips on how to grab the edge in a buyers' market and get your purchase offer accepted at the price and terms you deserve.
• Auction As-Is Sales
  The condition of homes puchased at auctions or trustee sales. What can a buyer expect and prepare for when buying a home without an inspection.
• How To Avoid Foreclosure
  Even though your situation may seem hopeless, there might be things you can do to stop foreclosure. Don't put it off--learn what steps you must take to stop foreclosure, then put a plan in motion to help you keep your home.
• Foreclosure & Short Sale Taxes
  Home sellers' tax obligations on foreclosures and short sales. Distressed sale tax consequences. Sellers might owe taxes even when taking a loss and letting homes go into foreclosure or selling on a short sale.
• Buying a Gas Log Fireplace
  Gas logs are growing in popularity every year, so manufacturers have geared-up to offer us a wide selection of appliances. You'll find gas logs, freestanding gas stoves, and contained fireplace units that are mounted to a wall. But did you know that the residue produced by gas logs are not always vented to the outside? It's important to understand the differences between vented and vent-free units before you buy a gas log fireplace.
• Improving Your Credit Scores
  Most increases to your credit