News L.A. Times - Real Estate News Headlines from Los Angeles Times L.A. Auto Show's Andrew Fuzesi buys Westwood-area home for $2,401,000 Perhaps the key to true happiness is fast cars and fast sales? Andrew Fuzesi , general manager of the Los Angeles Auto Show, is the new owner of a Westwood-area home that was on the market for a mere 10 days and sold for above its listing price. >> More Hot Property Classic with star appeal The Windsor Estate, located in the heart of Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire district, is home to decades of Hollywood history. Civil rights complaint targets Wall Street rating firms Moody's and Fitch's high ratings of subprime mortgage bonds disproportionately harmed black and Latino home buyers, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition alleges. In what is apparently the first legal action of its kind, an association of community-based organizations has filed a federal civil rights complaint against two of the three largest Wall Street rating firms, charging that their inflated ratings on subprime mortgage bonds disproportionately caused financial harm to African American and Latino home buyers across the country. Efforts expand to help financially distressed homeowners Two mass-market loan modification programs are aimed at preventing foreclosures. But critics say they don't solve the problem and could have a corrosive effect on borrowers. You may have seen headlines about the latest public and private efforts to help financially distressed homeowners cope with their mortgage payments. But you might not have caught key details that could affect you or people you know -- now or in the recession months ahead. On the Market: Redondo condos 2615 Ruhland Ave. #14, Redondo Beach 90278 Board's spending raises worries about reserves Question: I'm a titleholder in a town home association. Our monthly assessments have risen annually since 2004 from about $250 per unit to more than $360. Earlier closings may be in home buyers' best interest Most people schedule real estate settlements late in the month to save on paying upfront cash, but the last-minute rush often causes mistakes and creates logjams. To milk all they can out of their final rent checks, first-time buyers often try to schedule their closings as close to the end of the month as possible. 'Granny flats' let aging relatives live close -- but not too close For some families, a second home on the same lot yields perks: You can keep tabs on aging parents, and the kids can spend more time with grandma. Their homes are too big, their friends have moved or their families are too far-flung. But those aren't the only reasons aging adults are moving into separate residences on their children's properties. Adult children moving back home with parents Extended families sharing a home was once an American tradition. Now with rising foreclosures and layoffs, it's a necessity. But there is a silver lining. Donald Garcia, 35, and his wife, Augustine, were living in a Burbank apartment when Augustine's mother approached them for help. She had refinanced her three-bedroom Tujunga home a year and a half earlier with an interest-only loan, and what had been a $900 monthly house payment had doubled. [ Back ]