New home sales in USA defied expectations and stopped sliding during July, making a modest increase that gave the beleaguered housing market a little good news.

Buying a home in Florida, whether it's your first one or your hundredth, can be a significant financial and emotional step. Be sure you know the pitfalls before you proceed. If you are looking to buy a home for the first time, you have a lot of information to gather before making that decision.

1. Increase your home's "Curb Appeal" before you list it for sale. - The old saying "You only have one chance to make a first impression" is true, and that is also how prospective buyers will view your Florida home when you go to sell it. Most buyers decide what properties they are interested in by driving through neighborhoods and looking at other places for sale...

Unusual weather patterns and problems in the subprime lending marketplace are creating challenges in assessing housing market conditions, but a recovery in the housing and real estate markets is likely this year, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®.

Nine out of 10 Americans agree that providing affordable housing in their communities is important. Fewer than half of all Americans, however, believe that the nation's current housing policy is on the right track to meet the nation's housing needs, according to a new poll released today by a coalition of public, private and nonprofit industry groups, including the National Association of Realtors.

Existing-home sales rose strongly in February following a healthy gain in January, reaching the highest level since last April, according to the National Association of Realtors.