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January 30, 2009 — 10:54 a.m. EST Creating New Roots Architect Kyu Sung Woo’s Vermont retreat blends architectural traditions of New England and Korea. • Photos: A Family’s Retreat * * * How To Downsize Your House Many people are looking to declutter their lives these days. But editing a lifetime’s worth of possessions can be difficult. Here are some tips. * * * Builders Offer Rock-Bottom Rates Beleaguered home builders are promoting interest rates well below the national average, with industry giant Lennar lowering the bar to 3.875%. * * * Insurer Courts Coastal Homeowners As large, mass-market insurance companies withdraw from coastal areas, a small, high-end insurer is pushing for the wealthy among these customers. * * * John Edwards’s Former Home for Sale Two years after John Edwards sold his Washington home for $5.2 million, its current owners are trying to sell it … actor Nicolas Cage has cut the price on a Los Angeles house … and more. • Photos: Nicholas Cage’s Home * * * Artist Views Homes where a rising art scene is part of the landscape. * * * Option ARMs See Rising Defaults Defaults are rising for adjustable-rate mortgages, threatening to worsen problems for housing lenders. * * * Capital Spending Continues to Fall Durable goods orders slumped 2.6% in December for the fifth month in a row. Meanwhile, sales of new homes sank nearly 15%. • Economists React: Foreclosures Eating Into Sales • Econ: Even With Stimulus, Bleak Jobs Outlook • Sortable Chart: 1st-Quarter Layoffs | Video * * * Central Bank to Alter Mortgage Terms The Fed moved to stem foreclosures by modifying mortgages tied to assets it acquired via bailouts. * * * Home Prices, Sentiment Keep Sliding U.S. home prices in the 20 areas tracked by S&P/Case-Shiller fell 18.2% in November from a year earlier. Consumer confidence hit a new low. • Sortable Chart: Home-Price Declines, by City • Earlier: Price Cuts Spur Home Sales • Discuss: When will U.S. home prices hit bottom? • Video: An Upside to Plunging Home Prices REAL ESTATE TOOLS Search Luxury Real Estate Search Vacation Rentals Browse Featured Regions Advertise Your Property

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