Top 10 Real Estate Trends to Know for 2011

Learn the challenges and opportunities the coming year has in store for the housing market

By Shannon Petrie, FrontDoor.com | Published: 11/22/2010

#1: Housing recovery unlikely, but cautious optimism remains

While 2011 will be another challenging year for the housing market, many real estate experts are hopeful about the future and taking action toward recovery. A market comeback is contingent on a solution to the foreclosure issue, which is suppressing home prices and consumer confidence. For that reason, real estate professionals need to educate themselves about buying and selling distressed properties, handling short sales and working with investors, says Margaret Kelly, chief executive officer of RE/MAX and a panelist at the State of the Real Estate Industry forum held during the 2010 Realtors Conference and Expo.

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10 great winter home projects

Feeling cooped up inside your house? Now's the perfect time to tackle indoor projects that make your home more livable, from changing furnace filters to regrouting bathroom tile to dye-testing your toilet.

By Leah L. Culler of MSN Real Estate

When it's cold and wet outside, it can be tempting to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book and a cup of cocoa. But winter is a great time to complete some indoor home projects. Some of these tasks require only a few hours - even minutes - of your time; others will need a much larger investment of time and, in some cases, money.

For most of these projects, we'll give you a rough idea of what special skills, if any, you'll need to complete them, as well as an estimate of the cost and time involved. This is not a how-to, however. You'll want to do your research before you drag out the power tools and try to make "improvements."

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