Is The White House Most Expensive Home in America?

The White House is not actually for sale, but a Web site asked some top
real estate agents to perform a home price comparison on the U.S. president's
home -- arguably the most expensive in America. Coming up with a price,
however, presented its own problems since it's tough to compare the White
House to similar properties. "We don't see a lot of homes with their own
dentist office, movie theater, running track and bowling lane," admits Ian
Morris, HouseValues president and CEO. Real estate agents -- some of whom
compared the White House to large homes overseas -- noted that the White
House does have some negative things that could lower its overall selling
price: Anyone can visit for free, for example, so privacy is somewhat restricted;
the West Wing was added on and not part of the original house; and, contrary
to popular belief, George Washington never slept here. With an asking price
of $106 million, potential buyers should also consider the upkeep expense on a
home with 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms and 29 fireplaces.

REALTOR.com Inked Deal with AOL

Realtor.com continues to be the exclusive provider of real estate
resale data on America Online Inc. (AOL). The agreement covers
AOL's Real Estate Channel and related areas of AOL.com, Netscape,
CompuServe and AOL CityGuide.

FREE FACTS ON BUYING A HOME BROCHURE

The Federal Citizen Information Center offers a set of free publications to
help buyers eliminate the hassles of property purchases. The "Facts on Buying
a Home" package includes HUD's "100 Questions and Answers About
Buying a New Home" pamphlet and the "Home Scorecard," with information
on how to factor insurance premiums and property taxes into the costs of
ownership. Among other things, buyers can use the guides to identify loan
programs for which they qualify; learn how to hire a home inspector and
submit a bid; and find out how to approach the settlement table. Buyers also
can research low downpayment loans in the "How to Buy a Home With a
Low Downpayment" brochure from the Mortgage Insurance Companies of
America and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service. More info and to download
or order the publications: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov.

Economy update

The U.S. economy's growth spurt during the first quarter of this year
was a little less than originally estimated, according to the Commerce
Department. Officials also say that inflation was slightly higher than
initial estimates.