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The U.S. Treasury Department will be making some changes to the HAFA Program in 2013, and as a real estate professional, these changes will affect short sales in your local market.

Despite continued uncertainty surrounding the fiscal cliff, Americans are showing increased confidence in the housing market and the direction of the economy.

All short sales are not alike-especially when an FHA-insured mortgage is involved. FHA short sales must advance through a very exact and systemized process. Here's what you need to know:

Before a Short Sale Can Be Initiated

Leo's Luxury Listing

(MCT)-Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has put a Malibu investment property up for sale at $23 million.

The oceanfront Cape Cod-inspired compound was leased out for three months this summer at $150,000 a month.

All three homes, which sit on a lot that is less than a half-acre in size, have recently been remodeled. There are a total of seven bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms in an undisclosed number of square feet. Outdoor features include a beachfront deck, a fire pit, gardens and lawn.

With the 2012 holiday season in full swing, HouseLogic, a comprehensive website for homeowners from the National Association of Realtors
, wants to inspire holiday celebrations with a chance to win

a $500 gift card in HouseLogic's "Pin the Season Giveaway" on Pinterest. Now through December 17, HouseLogic visitors can create a seasonal Pinterest pinboard to help ensure a stress-free season.

(MCT)-The nation's unemployment rate dropped from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent last month - the lowest in nearly four years - as businesses added another 146,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday morning.

With just a month left in 2012, the number of days to benefit from year-end home buying tax benefits is dwindling quickly. We consulted real estate experts from across the country to share what you need

to know when preparing to close before December 31, 2012.

1.) End of year tax benefits: If you are considering buying a home in the near future, capitalize on the remaining weeks of 2012. Purchasing your home before year-end will make you eligible for the following 2012 tax benefits:

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has announced the finalists for NAHB's 2013 Best of 50+ Housing Awards, the premier design and marketing competition for the 50+ housing industry.

CoreLogic reported Monday that October prices that exclude distress sales rose only 5.8 percent while prices that include distressed sales increased on a year-over-year basis by 6.3 percent in October 2012, the biggest increase since June 2006 and the eighth consecutive increase in home prices nationally.