There are a thousand and one ways to increase a home's appeal. Some are practical, some are not; some are cheap, some are not. Here are the three easiest (and free!) things that will make your home sell faster:

Hey, residential real estate may be in a slump, but commercial isn't. Here's a great web site that aggregates commercial real estate listings across the U.S.

One of the many ways the depressed housing market is affecting the economy which you may not have thought of is that employees who've been asked to relocate are saying "I don't think so."

I mentioned in an earlier post that scammers are smelling blood in the water and are searching out homeowners who are facing foreclosure. The anxiety and desperation that people are feeling in these circumstances can make them easy prey to schemes and scams that purport to be able to help them but in reality take away their homes.

The age-old battle is ongoing. I'm talking about the battle between the professional Realtor and the Do-it-Yourselfer. Realtors (of which I am one) insist that it's better to use a professional, that they are well worth the cost in commissions. The DIYers claim to have done fine without a dadblasted Realtor. (Then there are the hybrids who hire a Realtor and then proceed to DIY anyway. Not fun.) Who is right?

Video Tutorial: How to Read a Mortgage Rate SheetThe Real Estate Investing Brain has put together a couple of very informative videos explaining how to read a mortgage rate sheet. Well worth your time if you want to invest in real estate.

When a guy worth billions talks, people tend to listen. Does he speak prophesy, or self-fulfilling prophesy? Probably both. Here's some of what the man said about the real estate market:

The Orlando Sentinel calls it a "perfect storm" of debt. Home equity has run out, so when other financial downturns hit, there's nowhere left to go. This scenario has hit record numbers of Floridians and it will likely continue for awhile.

At least for now. Used to be Realtors and loan officers could let an appraiser know a target figure and sweet talk their way to an on target appraisal. But lenders who have been left holding the bad loan bag aren't going for that any more. In fact, some of them are downgrading appraisals enthusiastically.

The latest report on existing home sales, issued today, covers dates through March 2007. It ain't pretty if you're a homeowner who wants to sell anytime soon.

Home prices in most U.S. markets are declining, that's no secret. Another non-secret is the fact that lots of folks who bought when the prices were at their peak and used some very iffy loans are now being foreclosed on. Prices may fall even lower, but this is the time when savvy investors come out to feed.

Technology is making a difference in real estate, no question about it. There was Zillow (there still is, really), and now there's Cyberhomes, a Micrsoft Virtual Earth mashup that gives you tons of useful real estate information.