Could 2013 be the new 1997?

After six years of lackluster sales and falling prices, 1997 was the year that launched a tripling of home prices within a decade. Will 2013 – coming after a seven-year housingdownturn -- be the next turnaround year?

Could 2013 be the next turnaround year for the housing market? Forecasters say yes. Assuming the recession or global uncertainty don't upend the economy, home sales and prices will go up, sales will be brisk, and inventories and interest rates will stay relatively low, economists and real estate industry experts say.

Forecasters say yes.

Buying a home is like searching for a mate. You'll go on many first dates and in the end, the one that has most but maybe not all of the characteristics that you want, will win your heart.

However, first-time buyers and sometimes even serial homebuyers are disappointed by how long the process takes. Yet they may not understand how their expectations, beliefs, and lack of action may be causing the delay in finding the right home.

The housing market is improving and that's good news for you if you are a seller who has been waiting on the sidelines for higher prices.

Housing prices are on the rise and the good news gets even better if you are ready to sell and heed sale-price-maximizing tips from a top-rated interior designer.

The holiday season is a busy time for most people. No one has time for anything because "this time of year is crazy," right? That doesn't mean the real estate market shuts down. In fact, the period from Thanksgiving through New Year's can be a great time to buy or sell a house.

Think I'm nuts? Hear me out.

These measures — some finished in only a few minutes--will lower your heating bills and help prevent property damage.

WOULD YOU LEAVE your dining room window wide open all winter? Not preparing your house for the season is the equivalent of doing just that, according to Bill Stack, the energy-efficiency spokesman for the utility company NSTAR. “People can relate to that analogy,” Stack says. Most can also relate to the Department of Energy statistic that making your home more airtight and efficient can save you up to 25 percent on utility bills. Another benefit: Winterizing can stave off later repairs, according to Angie Hicks, cofounder of the consumer website Angie’s List. “We hear this time and time again,” says Hicks, “that a lot of big emergency calls are really the result of skipping out on basic maintenance: cleaning gutters, keeping the roof in good shape, insulating, caulking. Sometimes they take a little bit of time, but they’re not typically real expensive items, and some are things you can probably do yourself if you just know what needs to be done.”

Regulators exploring fix to protect underwater borrowers who have never missed a payment

Without some last-minute gymnastics, underwater homeowners participating in Fannie and Freddie's ambitious new plan to allow short sales by borrowers who haven't missed a loan payment could see their credit scores dented just as severely as if they'd gone into foreclosure after months of nonpayment.