Weekly Real Estate News Roundup

* Countrywide Delinquency Rate Hits 7.47% [CNN/Money]
"Countrywide Financial, the nation's largest mortgage lender, says delinquencies and foreclosures continued to rise in January."

* Too Little, Too Late? [Newsweek]
"In an effort to ease the growing housing crisis, the Bush administration Tuesday announced a new plan to help the estimated 1 million Americans at risk of losing their home this year and next."

* Some Cities are Dodging Housing Slide [CNBC]
"In the America of big-city housing markets, especially on the coasts and in the struggling industrial Midwest, the huge run-up in values in recent years has given way to big drops in prices and sales volume."

* Smarter, not Bigger, is Better [MarketWatch]
"Two consumer-preference surveys revealed here Wednesday at the International Builders Show suggest that home buyers are no longer obsessed with "bigger is better" when it comes to their new homes but are looking for spaces that can do multiple duty in helping to manage hectic modern lifestyles."

* 5 Tips on Choosing a Low-Flow Toilet [GreenHomeGuide]
"Whether your motivation is environmental responsibility, saving money, or meeting building codes, installing a more efficient toilet is an effective and easy way to upgrade your home."

* 8 Easy Projects for Instant Energy Savings [Mother Earth News]
"Reducing your home energy use is the best of win-win deals — not only does it reduce your carbon footprint, it also saves you big bucks on your energy bills."

* Cohousing for Gen X and Y [Treehugger]
"TreeHugger loves cohousing, "a way for a group of people to work together to develop places to live that offer both privacy and community" and thought it particularly appropriate for aging boomers."

* Home Prices Fell in Majority of Top 150 Markets in 4Q07 [Seeking Alpha]
"For those interested, the National Association of Realtors released their Q4 '07 home price survey today."

* KB Home, Countrywide Sued for Inflating Prices [MSNBC]
"Two California couples are suing KB Home and mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp., claiming the companies schemed with real estate appraisers to inflate prices paid for homes as the housing market began to tank."

* A Mountain Town Where Mineral Waters Flow [NYT]
"WHEN Zoe Burger first started spending weekends in Berkeley Springs, she was curious about the legendary healing powers of the warm mineral waters the region is named for."

* The Haunted Housing Market [US News Report]
"How much longer will house prices keep falling? That collapse is a larger threat to our economic well-being than even the headline-grabbing problems of our increasingly frozen financial system."

* Home Builders Want Tax Credit for Homeowners, Tax Breaks for Themselves [Developments]
"At the start of the International Builders Show in Orlando, the National Association of Home Builders made news by announcing that they had cut off campaign donations to congressional candidates."

* Mortgage Rates Rise to Highest Level in 5 Weeks [USA Today]
"Rates on 30-year mortgages rose to the highest level in five weeks but still remained below the 6% level."

* The Real Reason Borrowers Default [Hot Property]
"Installment LXVII in the long, sad saga of how we got into this housing mess.."

FROM AROUND THE CAPITAL REGION: DC-MD-VA

* Proffer Bill Could Change Fairfax Development [Fairfax Times]
"A new bill that would greatly affect future development in Fairfax County was discussed on the Senate floor Tuesday."

* Bid Made on TT Reynolds Building [Fairfax City-Annandale Times]
"Jeremy Gifford took an opportunity to speak before the Fairfax City Council earlier this week to explain why he should be the next landlord of the city-owned downtown building that houses the TT Reynolds restaurant and live music venue he owns."

* Supervisor's Sinking Assessments [Loudoun Times]
"Voyeuristic, perhaps. But there is interest in seeing how the members of the Board of Supervisors fared this assessment season.

* Arlington Home Sales Start New Year with a Thud [Arlington Gazette]
"Home sales across Arlington tumbled significantly in January compared to a year before, but average sales prices showed surprising strength."

* Fairfax Homes Sales Remain Sluggish in January [Fairfax Gazette]
"Home sales across Fairfax County in January were nearly half what they had been a year ago, and average sales prices also took a hit as the market began to gear up for a still-developing spring sales season."

* Clark Realty Capital Wins Poplar Point Project..[Washington BizJournal]
" D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has picked Clark Realty Capital LLC to develop Poplar Point, a 40-acre plot of waterfront property on the Anacostia River."

* 2008 Local Economy Challenge [Washington Post]
" For three years, The Washington Post has asked business and nonprofit leaders to predict how the Washington area economy will do in the coming year."

* Most and Least Expensive Places of '07 [Real Estate Wonk]
"Where was the most expensive ZIP code to buy a house in the Baltimore metro area last year? What about the least?"

* How Green is My Urban Village [Fresh Aire]
"We moved to Clarendon to be close to work, great restaurants, transportation, and all the little daily  conveniences. All of that is terrific."

* Metro Staff to Request Opening Wireless Phone System to All [DC Examiner]
"Metro staff will ask the transit agency’s board of directors in April to approve building a new wireless system that would be compatible with all of the wireless carriers’ systems and could make cell phone and wi-fi service available to all Metro riders."

* Stylish 1919 Townhouse [Baltimore Sun]
"Just like scoping out the perfect shot, professional photographers Joseph and Anne Sachs allowed themselves time to find exactly what they wanted in a home."