Neighborhood Snapshot: Upper East Side in New York City

Looking for a quiet neighborhood with the big city perks of world-class museums, outdoor restaurants and cool bars? Then check out Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where the post-college crowd blends with old money and the Park Avenue elite.

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Neighborhood Snapshot: Upper West Side in New York City

In New York City, where space is scarce, homeowners have to be creative when customizing their living space. Native New Yorker Arlyn Gajilan set out to turn her Manhattan studio into a peaceful, eco-friendly oasis in an urban jungle.

See how a well-planned, “green” renovation can increase home value and learn more about the Upper West Side, a suburban-like, family-friendly neighborhood with the benefits of a big city lifestyle.

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Neighborhood Snapshot: Highland Park in Los Angeles

Looking for a diverse, family-friendly neighborhood with a thriving arts and music scene? Then look no further than Garvanza in Highland Park, an urban community that offers a suburban feel, just north of downtown Los Angeles.

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Neighborhood Snapshot: Echo Park in Los Angeles

Looking for an eclectic, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with tons of history, culture and architecture? Then look no further than Echo Park, a diverse community in the heart of Los Angeles.

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Vlog: Sellers need a reality check to help housing market recover

It’s tough not to think about how much your home value has fallen since the peak of the real estate boom. But as financial expert Barry Ritholtz points out, falling prices don’t affect you unless you really have to sell.

Furthermore, delusional sellers are blocking the road to the housing recovery. Until they wake up to the reality of today’s market and price aggressively, they’ll need a dose of HGTV’s “Real Estate Intervention.”

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Vlog: Inside a condo for sale in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood

Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are a great resource for journalists like me, especially when you’re on deadline in a city where you don’t have very many contacts. Case in point — before a recent trip to Chicago, I wanted to connect with a local Realtor and film a home tour for FrontDoor’s vlog. The catch — I had a two-hour block in which to film.

Rather than google Chicago-area Realtors and filter through hundreds of agent profiles, I put a call out to our more than 1,000 fans on Facebook. Et voila! Scott Curcio of Coldwell Banker posted a reply saying he would be happy to help.

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Next month, I’ll be in LA, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle. If you have a great real estate story, share it with our Facebook community! I may even feature it in our vlog.

Vlog: What a loan modification does and does not do for you

In this week’s vlog, I talk to real estate broker and attorney Tara-Nicholle Nelson about how homeowners who are struggling to make their mortgage payments can get their loans modified and avoid foreclosure.

You’ve heard about extending the loan, converting an ARM to a fixed rate mortgage, and reducing the interest rate, but what about loan forgiveness? Will the lender write off all or part of your loan? Do you need to hire a company or can you work directly with your lender and do it yourself?

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Get more tips and advice about the loan modification process:

Vlog: Mortgage pre-approval 101 and summer updates to heat up your home value

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In this week’s vlog, find out why it’s important to get a pre-approval before you go house hunting. Some curious homebuyers will check out an open house or two before actually evaluating their financial situation, but this is actually one of the top 10 homebuying mistakes that can cost you.

Plus… Backyard. Outdoor kitchen. Outdoor living room. Pool. Deck. Find out which summer season home updates pay off when you sell.