Which has more "messy vitality," Reston Town Center or Tysons Corner? And what kind of "messy vitality" do we want?

DEAR BOB: Two years ago my partner and I bought a condo. I paid the entire down payment and we have split the mortgage payments, condo fees and property taxes since then. However, he recently moved out and says he wants his half of the equity, which is about $45,000. 

Silver Spring, Md., defies many definitions, but its lack of a label doesn't detract from one fact: This neighborhood is convenient and growing.

Maybe all you're looking for in a house is four bedrooms and a garage, with a sound roof at the right price. Plenty of people would like to sell you one.

After Al and Sandy Snyder moved into Jefferson Manor in 1947, they watched the neighborhood grow around them. Now they watch as the standard five-room duplexes edge outward to become six rooms here, seven rooms there.

Mortgage rates around the country fell this week, with rates on 30-year mortgages dipping to the lowest level since January.

PHILADELPHIA -- A growing number of homeowners who considered selling are deciding to stay put -- at least until the number of unsold houses drops enough to make it a seller's market again.

Q: We have purchased several single family homes, and our lender has always insisted that we obtain a hazard insurance policy before settlement.

You might have seen the scary news reports just before Thanksgiving: Housing prices fell nationwide last quarter, the first such decline since 1993. Even grimmer, total sales of houses and condominiums across the country plunged by 12.7 percent, compared with the third quarter of 2005.

When a family embarks on building a new home, how democratic should the decision-making be? Should Mom and Dad decide everything or should the kids have some say?

Q: DEAR BOB: I was told a long time ago if you make one extra home mortgage payment each year on a 30-year fixed-rate loan it will be paid off in 15 years. If that is not true, how many years will it take off the mortgage by making one extra payment every year?

Here are some events that builders and developers have scheduled locally for would-be home buyers in the coming weeks. All are free and open to the public.