New homeowners surprised by escrow - 2004-03-26
Clara Flaherty and her husband had two toddlers, a home in Katy and a monthly mortgage of $775. Then, they recieved a notice from their mortgage lender during the 2002 holiday season.

Their monthly home loan payment would be increasing nearly $300 each month for as long as it took to erase a negative balance in an account set up to pay their taxes and home insurance.
Read the full story at Oakland Tribune

Despite prices, home sales remain on record pace - 2004-03-26
Taking advantage of historically low mortgage rates, househunters are pushing sales toward another record even as home prices stay high, according to several reports available yesterday.

February sales numbers showed that condos continue to be the top choice for many first-time buyers and empty nesters. The number of condos sold last month in the Bay State was up 6 percent from February 2003.
Read the full story at Boston Globe