Invitation Homes bought one of its first fixer-uppers in the San Fernando Valley just last May, a three-bedroom steps from a sought-after school in Los Angeles' North Granada Hills neighborhood.

Home remodeling, one of the biggest industries in the country, is being transformed by the Internet with a push from a fast-growing startup in Silicon Valley.

Interest rates have been at historically low levels for some time now. Some borrowers have refinanced two or three times, but there are others who so far have allowed the opportunity to pass them by.

Q: We are trying to buy a home and found one listed at $324,000. The appraisal came back at $300,000, but the seller wants $310,000. So we'd have to come up with the $10,000 at closing. Does it make sense to kick in the extra cash?

At least eight big providers of mortgage customer service have failed to properly track and resolve serious complaints about servicing fraud, according to an audit of Freddie Mac, the home finance giant that has been propped up by the government since the financial crisis.

Current builder confidence in the market for new homes fell this month, according to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders, which said demand was not the problem.

QUESTION: I am in the middle of a short sale. Our lender approved it, but only if I contribute $75,000, paid back over 20 years. That's unacceptable, and I want to decline it and try again. How will this affect me?

Home values are going up, and many struggling homeowners are gaining equity in their property. But nearly 14 million U.S. homeowners remain underwater - with mortgages worth more than their homes.