Do you know where the gas shut-off valve is for your apartment? Would you be in the dark if you needed to locate your breaker box? Read more

IF you’ve written more than 60 books on real estate investing, as Robert Irwin has, the question must be asked: Is there really anything new left to say on the subject? The answer, judging by “The Armchair Real Estate Investor,” the latest book from this prolific author, investor, landlord, broker and consultant, is yes . Read more

Athree-story Abbot Kinney Boulevard work-live space is about as cool as real estate gets in red-hot Venice. This brand-new, three-unit complex of artists’ lofts – an Elaine Carhartt painted-tile mural depicting the area’s favorite pastimes spans the facade – offers a street-level work studio with living quarters above it. Read more

The chart lists median prices in thousands of dollars for sales of existing single-family homes and condominiums by ZIP Code. Community names are included for convenience. Read more

SOME things just don’t change. Colfax Meadows was one of Studio City’s original neighborhoods. Read more

New state building code regulations aimed at protecting homes in wildfires are expected to result in a modest increase in construction costs. The new codes, which went into effect Jan. Read more

Question: Our board wants more money to pay bills but doesn’t show us invoices. Owners voted and passed a $1,500-per-unit special assessment to cover increased insurance costs, legal expenses, pool hut replacement and a termite maintenance contract. Read more

As Kristina Johnson and David Franke discovered while remodeling their Glassell Park kitchen, taking charge of the job – drawing the plans, buying materials, supervising contractors for some work and doing a portion of it themselves – can not only save money, but it can also lead to a highly personalized result. “The kitchen is 100% us,” Johnson said of the room, which features a granite-covered windowsill and backsplash to accommodate pots of orchids, a cat-feeding station notched out of a Read more

Weekly survey of 60 Southland lenders as of Feb. 13, 2008This weekLast weekSix months previousRates for loans up to $417,00030-year fixed5.59%/1.31 pt5.51%/1.17 pt6.15%/1.61 pt30-year ARM start rate4.20%/0.86 pt4.24%/0.88 ptRead more

WASHINGTON – First it was the lenders. Now it’s the mortgage insurance industry: Entire product lines are being yanked off the real estate financing shelf, potentially squeezing large numbers of buyers and refinancers out of the marketplace. Read more

WASHINGTON – The average price of houses sold in the country’s 32 largest metropolitan areas during 2007 declined by 3.7%, according to the first official government figures covering the previous year. The $11,900 slide, from $324,900 at the end of 2006 to $313,000 on Dec. Read more

Several years ago, a home listed for sale developed a stigma if it didn’t sell within a month or two. Today, many sellers have homes listed that have been on the market for six months or longer. Read more

AFTER gang members turned an empty house in Pomona into their party hangout, the agent representing the foreclosure property gave them the personal heave-ho by simply moving in. Nobody bothered Ron Anderson – who is 6 foot 2 and weighs 240 pounds – as he replaced busted windows, painted over graffiti and removed empty beer bottles from what had once been a quaint family abode. Read more

Mike Piazza, the longtime Dodgers catcher and fan favorite who most recently played for the Oakland Athletics, has been living in Miami Beach during the off-season for quite some time. Now, he has left the Golden State behind. Read more

Question: I want to cover my crawl space with a plastic moisture barrier, but I can find only the type that is 6 mil in the store. I want to buy the new 20-mil kind, but the companies that carry it won’t sell it to me. Read more